Effective teaching cues for the front crawl kick focus on leg position, ankle flexibility, and continuous motion to propel the swimmer through the water efficiently.
Based on the reference provided, key cues for the front crawl kick include maintaining long legs with pointed toes, emphasizing floppy ankles, and kicking continuously and fast.
Key Front Crawl Kick Teaching Cues
Teaching the front crawl kick involves guiding the swimmer to perform a rhythmic, propulsive movement originating primarily from the hips and utilizing flexible ankles.
Here are the core teaching cues derived from the reference:
- Leg Position: "Keep your legs long with toes pointed." This cue emphasizes extending the legs and pointing the toes, creating a streamlined shape and maximizing the surface area of the foot used for propulsion.
- Ankle Action: "Kick your legs up and down (alternating) making your ankles as floppy as possible, using your feet like flippers." This highlights the crucial role of ankle flexibility. Floppy ankles allow the feet to move through a greater range of motion during the up and down kick, similar to a flipper, generating more power and efficiency. The alternating up and down motion is fundamental to the flutter kick used in front crawl.
- Cadence: "Kick your legs fast and continuously." This cue stresses the need for a constant, rapid leg action. A continuous kick helps maintain momentum and body position in the water, while speed contributes to propulsion.
Practical Application of Cues
When teaching, these cues can be used individually or in combination. For example:
- Drill Setup: Often, the kick is practiced with arms extended in front or holding a kickboard. The reference mentions starting with "arms stretched out long in front of your head," which is a common drill position for isolating the kick.
- Focus on Form:
- Visual cue: Demonstrate "long legs" and "pointed toes." Ask the swimmer to feel the water pressure on the top of their foot on the up-kick and the bottom on the down-kick.
- Feel cue: Instruct the swimmer to "relax your ankles" and "let your feet flop." Compare it to shaking water off your feet or the natural movement of a flipper.
- Rhythm cue: Use verbal cues like "kick, kick, kick" or "fast feet" to encourage a continuous, quick tempo.
Using these specific cues helps swimmers understand the desired technique for an effective front crawl kick, which is essential for maintaining a horizontal body position and providing propulsion.
