Front Crawl Swimming Drills: Head-Lead Side Balance

In the front crawl stroke, spending more time swimming on the side reduces drag and makes you faster. This is because when you swim freestyle on the side, the side and the shoulder of the recovering arm clear the water. It's not unlike how a slim yacht is faster in the water than a large barge.

However, swimming on the side is counter-intuitive, so the next swimming drill is designed to make you comfortable in that position.

Front Crawl Drill Video

Instructions

Start to flutter kick on your back as explained in the Head-Lead Supine Balance freestyle swimming drill:

• Lie flat in the water on your back.
• Keep your body in a straight line from head to toes.
• Keep your arms at the sides of your body.
• Press the back of your head and your shoulder blades in the water so that your hips and legs rise to the water surface.
• Use a supple flutter kick originating from your hips for propulsion.

When you feel balanced in this position, do the following:

• Rotate your body to the side until your top arm and a patch of your thigh clear the water.
• Your head should move as little as possible while you rotate your body to the side. Your face should stay parallel to the water surface and you should still be looking at the ceiling of the pool.
• The degree of rotation is matter of personal preferences, but most swimmers seem to be comfortable around 45° of body rotation.
• Continue to flutter kick in this side position, alternating sides with each pool length, until you feel comfortable swimming on the side.
• The position in which you feel comfortable kicking on the side is called the Sweet Spot in the Total Immersion literature.

Swimming Drill Tips

• To keep balance in the side position, you will need to press your bottom shoulder in the water so that the buoyancy of your lungs makes your hips and legs come up. Freestyle Swimming Drills - Head-Lead Supine Balance explains this concept in more detail.
• You most likely will experience that one side floats better than the other one. This is perfectly normal, simply drill some more on your weak side to compensate.

• Keep your flutter kick relaxed and within the shadow of your body to avoid drag. This is a general rule to observe in the front crawl swimming stroke.
• If your flutter kick isn't propulsive enough, use swim fins.

Related Pages

• Learn How To Swim the Freestyle Stroke: Overview
• Next Drill: Head-Lead Nose Up/Nose Down
• Previous Drill: Head-Lead Prone Balance