Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Swimming: Leg Action for Back Crawl

To be a powerful swimmer you need to practice your leg action. This applies to all the strokes, even to the back crawl.Take a look at the correct technique of leg action during the back crawl.

Broadly, the back crawl kick is not too different from front crawl but there is a continuous and rhythmic leg action in this stroke, which preserves the streamlined position. There is also a tendency of the hips rolling slightly because of the arm action but a strong kick absorbs this natural sway and keeps the body balanced. So remember to keep your kick strong.

The leg action is an alternating up and down kicking movement in the water, starting from the hip. The downward movement starts with a slight bending of the knee and finishes with a whip-like upward action of the toes and ankles. Remember that in the upward movement, the knee is straightened and toes come close to the surface, making a slight splash. Also make sure that they are always pointed and turned slightly inwards for maximum feel of water. You can vary the depth of the kick, but it should not be far below the surface, and the feet should pass close together. The knees should not break the surface; if they do you are bending them too much, and this will cause you to kick backwards on the water in a cycling motion, which is tiring and won't help you move.

To help you better your leg action, you can do the following exercises:
If you find that your knees are breaking the surface, hold a float over them while you are kicking. This will help you to avoid the cycling action. Try to drive your legs up and down in the water with only a slight bending of the knees.
Push off on your back without a float and practice the leg kick across the width. Remember, start the movement at the hip.

Push off with your arms fully extended behind your head. Clasp them together or cross your wrists, if this feels more comfortable. Now start to kick, aiming to keep your body as streamlined as possible. This will really test both your leg kick and your body position. Try to get your chest out of the water, kick just below the surface.
Keep your arms beside the body. Kick with back of head in water and paddle with the arms alongside the hips. Alternatively, you could hold the arms with the palms resting on the thighs.

Now try to kick, with arms folded on chest. Or else, clasp the hands under your buttocks or interlock the arms behind the back.

Extend arms over your head, flutter kick with arms extended side-by-side on the water with the thumbs interlocked. A variation: hold the extended forearms just above the surface of the water.

Flutter kick with one arm held back just above the surface of the water, the other resting against the hip. See that the arms change roles every half-length.

Roll your body through 45 degrees towards the side of the arm held back, stretch back this arm just below the surface. As the arm position changes, the upper arm pulls powerfully through the water and the body rolls through 90 degrees to the opposite side.

Flutter kick with flippers, stretch back both your arms just above the surface. The palms rest one on the other with interlocked fingers, or the back of one hand rests in the palm of the other.

Kick with the legs which are well past each other at the front and the rear, the lower arm being extended in the swimming direction and the upper arm resting on the thigh. Change the sides after half-length.

Flutter kick with one arm held vertical out of the water, the other arm resting on the hip. Arm positions are interchanged after half a length. Alternatively, the other arm lies in the swimming direction just under the surface.

As you practice these exercises, you'll notice that your back crawl is becoming smoother and speedier.

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