How To Teach Freestyle Swimming

Learning how to teach freestyle swimming can be both a hugely rewarding experience. Whether you’re a swimming teacher, a parent, or a beginner instructor, guiding someone through the fundamentals of freestyle - also known as front crawl - requires a blend of technique, patience, and motivation. My guide outlines specific lesson plans for each part of the stroke, plus key technique points and common mistakes to watch out for.

The tools you need the learn how to teach freestyle swimming are right here...

Body Position

The position and shape of the body is crucial to a streamlined stroke, so teaching front crawl body position correctly is an essential starting point.  Get this right and your swimmer has the perfect platform to learn and perfect a smooth swimming stroke. 

Key parts to look out for:

• Head remains still and central
• Face is submerged with the water line around the brow
• Shoulders should be level and square
• Legs are in line with the body
• Hands and feet should be together
• Overall body position should be streamlined

Common mistakes:

• Push off is too weak
• Arms stretch out in front after the push off
• Head in not central
• Hands or feet are apart
• Overall body position is not straight or streamlined

Leg Kick

Getting pupils to kick with a relaxed and smooth kicking action is essential. Front crawl leg kick should be continuous, alternating and in balance with the arms.

Key parts to look out for:

• Kick come from the hip
• Kick is continuous and alternating
• Knee is only slightly bent
• Legs are close together as they kick
• Ankles are relaxed and toes pointed
• Kick should just break the water surface

Common mistakes:

• Feet come out of the water
• Kick comes from the knee
• Legs are too deep as they kick

From my personal experience...

"I have taught many pupils over the years, both children and adults, who have it in their minds that the harder they kick, the faster and further they will swim. This is of course the quickest way to exhaustion and very little distance gained! The key message to get across to your pupils is to keep their leg kicks steady, relaxed and continuous. Get them to focus on making their legs and feet behave like fins or flippers, and watch their stroke move to a new level."

Arm Action

Front crawl arm pull technique provides most of the propulsion for this swimming stroke. Teaching swimmers to pull with a smooth, continuous and controlled action is essential to swimming and balanced and efficient swimming stroke.

Key parts to look out for:

• Finger tips enter first with thumb side down
• Fingers should be together
• Pull should be under the body
• Pull through to the hips
• Elbow exists the water first
• Fingers clear the water on recovery
• Hand enters the water inline with side of the head

Common mistakes:

• Fingers are apart
• Pull is to short and not to the thigh
• Lack of power in the pull
• Arm pull is too deep underwater
• Elbow not exiting first
• Arms are too straight on recovery

Breathing Technique

Front crawl breathing technique requires and carefully timed roll of the head, performed in a way that maintains a continuous arm action without disturbing body position and overall efficiency.

Key parts to look out for:

• Head moves enough for the mouth to clear the water
• Breathing occurs when the head is turned to the side
• Breathing out should be slow and controlled
• Breathing should be in and out from the mouth

Common mistakes:

• Turning the head towards the straight arm
• Turning the head excessively (to look upwards)
• Breathing out through the nose
• Holding the breath
• Lifting the head and looking forward when breathing

Try this…

"Using the perfect teaching points is crucial in getting your pupils to roll their heads to the side when breathing and avoiding lifting their heads, which can ruin their body position. When teaching children, try getting them to ‘look at the fishes and listen to the fishes’ to encourage rolling their heads instead of lifting them up. When teaching adults, get them to ‘look at their shoulder’ as they breathe. Try these teaching points if your pupils are finding rolling their heads difficult."

Timing and Coordination

Freestyle swimming stroke should be balanced and controlled at all times. The timing of the arm pulls and leg kicks are essential to maintaining a smooth and effortless swimming stroke.

Key parts to look out for:

• Smooth and continuous arm pulls, without pause
• Relaxed and continuous leg kicks

Common mistakes:

• One leg kick per arm pull (although a 'one beat cycle' is common in some adult beginners)
• Continuous leg kick but not enough arm pulls
• Arm pulls are too irregular

How To Teach Freestyle Swimming - All In One Book

My hugely popular book 'How To Teach Front Crawl' contains lesson plans and some basic drills to add to your swimming lessons.  All of the plans include assessment tools, meaning you spend less time planning and more time focusing on the quality of your teaching. 

Lesson plans, assessment tools and a whole load more...

Grab a copy of my popular book 'How To Teach Front Crawl' and plan your swimming lessons to get the best out of your swimmers. (click here for an instant preview)

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From basic technique drills, to advanced lesson plans and assessment tools - get the swimming teacher's definitive guide to teaching front crawl. 

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