Swim Better Weekly - One small change to make swimming easier.

Hi there, Mark here. Hope all is well with you.

Welcome to this week’s Swim Better Weekly - one small change to make swimming easier.

The problem

Your front crawl kick takes lots of effort and creates plenty of splash, but it doesn’t seem to move you forwards very effectively.

Your legs may tire quickly, leaving you breathless before your arms have had a chance to settle into a comfortable rhythm.

Why it happens

An effective front crawl kick is small, continuous and relaxed.

When the movement starts mainly from deeply bent knees, your legs create extra resistance. Letting the kick begin at the hips, with relaxed ankles, helps your feet move through the water more easily.

For a more detailed look at front crawl leg kick, click here.

Try this in the pool

Practise a gentle front crawl kick while holding a float.

1. Hold the float with both hands, stretch your arms forwards and push away from the wall gently.
2. Make small alternating kicks, allowing the movement to begin at your hips while keeping your knees soft rather than rigid.
3. Relax your ankles and notice whether your toes lightly disturb the surface without creating a large splash.

Practise this for around 5 minutes using short, comfortable distances before trying the same relaxed kick during an easy front crawl swim.

A quick safety reminder: never swim or practise alone. Use a supervised pool and stay within a depth that feels safe for your current ability. If you’re nervous or unable to swim independently, practise with a qualified swimming teacher or another responsible person close by.

Watch out for…

Don’t pedal your legs as though you’re riding a bicycle or make each kick unnecessarily large.

Bending deeply at the knees pushes more water forwards and creates resistance. Keep the movement small, let it begin at the hips and allow your feet to follow naturally.

Remember

Small kick, soft ankles, steady rhythm.

Want more help?

A relaxed leg action can help you maintain balance and rhythm without using more energy than necessary.

​The Swimming Strokes Book contains isolated kicking drills and step-by-step guidance to help you improve your front crawl leg action and overall technique. You'll find drills for all four swimming strokes while you're there too!

See you next week,

Mark
Swim Teach

P.S. A quieter kick often means you’re wasting less energy - so don’t measure progress by the size of the splash.