The front crawl is very technical, yet it is an universal stroke that all swimmers should know and use. Adopt these six drills into your freestyle routine and watch yourself get out of your swimming rut in no time.

Sculling

You could describe sculling as the bread and butter drill of every proficient swimmer. The main goal of practicing this drill is to improve your catch of the water as you swim. Focus on your hands for this one; just kick gently so that you’ll stay afloat. Lie face down in the water and move your forearms back and forth in the water. Pay attention to how your hand enters and exits the water, and ensure that you point your fingers and palms downwards as you pull back.

Beware of sculling too near the surface! Doing so defeats the purpose of this drill and the technique will not achieve maximum propulsion and effect. You want to make sure that your palms are contacting as much surface area of the water as possible! Sculling can also help get comfortable with the feel of the water, as well as aid with your water treading technique. Feel free to modify the drill, as it can also be done while simply standing or squatting in the water.

Single Arm Crawl

Theoretically, this drill is really simple. Think your ordinary front crawl, but just using one arm. By isolating a single arm, it gives you the chance to practice going through the full rotation movement, and work on your underwater catch and recovery. Remember to breathe consistently, keep your core tight and maintain a streamlined position as much as possible.

You’ll need to exercise patience and concentration for this drill to work. Pro-tip: breathe on every single-arm stroke to aid you along. Of course, remember to change arms every 25 or 50 metres so that you get a balanced workout. Expect to work your back, shoulders and core muscles. This is one of those drills that is easy to learn but difficult to master, so expect to take a few tries to get the hang of it!

Catch-Up Freestyle

Feel like you’re constantly rushing through your strokes? Practicing catch-up will help you slow down and increase your mindfulness of each stroke. Think of it as an extension of the above one-armed drill: instead of just using one arm to practice the drill, wait for your arm to completely finish one rotation before the alternate arm starts its stroke.

You should feel spurts of power coupled with the feeling of gliding when done correctly. After constant repetitions, you should be able to develop a rhythmic tempo to your strokes and increase your distance covered for each stroke you complete. Make sure your kicks are going strong as well while doing this drill!

Heads-Up Freestyle

Keeping your head up while swimming may sound easy, but there are a few important points to look out for. Although it may be tempting to cut corners on this drill, remember to keep your elbows high and chin out of water. Do also kick harder to minimise drag in the water. This drill is useful if you want to practice cultivating a good body position, and be aware of how your hands are entering the water.

If you want to experience the difference in drag, drop your head into the water after a few strokes of Heads-Up to appreciate the difference it makes. For freestyle sprinters, use this drill to get used to the high tempo required for short sprints, or warm up before a training session. Open water swimmers and triathletes will benefit too, in building the muscles required for sighting out at sea.

Closed Fist Front Crawl

We have been talking about improving catch and increasing the feel of the water so far, but let’s switch things up a little. Swimming with your fists closed will instantly heighten your senses in other parts of your body. A simple example would be your forearm— your arm movements would have to be more intentional to compensate for the power that palms usually provide. You will be able to work on going further and quicker, thus ending up boosting efficiency in the water.

Make this drill interesting by doing it at different speeds or incorporating it into your regular laps. Even for experienced swimmers, you’ll need to refine your technique from time to time to prevent bad habits from setting in. Additionally, this drill is really versatile and you can use it on other strokes like the butterfly, breaststroke and backstroke.

Rapid Kicks on Side

Swimming is not just about the upper body; many swimmers and coaches alike tend to underestimate the power of lower body work. Your legs work as natural propellers to push you forward, keep you stable and set you up for strong arm movements. To mimic the body rotation required for freestyle swimming, lay on your side in the water and look to the pool’s bottom. Kick as per normal and strive to keep your balance. Make sure your legs are kept parallel and don’t over-arch your back!

Once you master this drill, you’ll find your abs and core getting stronger, which in turn translates to more lift and propulsion as you swim. You would also be an expert on the side stroke, as the bodily movements and sense of balance needed are extremely similar to how you would execute the side stroke. Lastly, practicing your kicks is such a fundamental part of swimming that it will inevitably help you up your game in every aspect as you become stronger and faster.

Conclusion

Drills compliment regular swimming by identifying problems with your technique, and forces you to tackle them with practice. Make every hour at the pool count, but also do remember that everyone improves at their own pace. If you’re still struggling to improve your front crawl, consider signing up private swimming lessons for more personalised coaching. Swim practices may get mundane at times with the seemingly endless drill repetitions, but keep your goals in mind and it will all be worth the while.

I’m Isabel, your friendly uni student who’s always waddling knee deep in readings and projects. But I’ll go through hell and high water to have regular suppers with my friends. You can find me with a film camera in one hand and a flat white in the other on the weekends. Also am able to rescue you if you ever capsize from a sea kayak.