I hate the crawl stroke!!!!

MrsG1994

Can anyone tell me why I should do it anyway? Kicking like that makes my legs hurt, so my arms do all the work. I much prefer the breastroke, I could do it all day long. . But shouldn't I vary my strokes? And isn't freestyle like the gold standard of swimming?

seaweedeater1

Don't stop those kicks! It takes persistence, but ultimately you won't even feel your legs. Honestly, the burn will disappear. And you will feel like you are getting an awesome massage and flying at the same time as you swim freestyle. If you suffer from saddlebags on your thighs, swimming is the best way to make them disappear. Breaststroke kick won't do it.

jamiek917

each stroke works some different muscles, but all strokes are a great form of exercise. you dont have to do it if you dont want to!

im a breaststroker as well- i could do it all day. i was a freestyle sprinter, so long distances of it tire me out more.

often, if i swim a mile, i would do 2 strokes of breast stroke, then 2 free, 2 breast, 2 back, 2 breast, etc. (i like breaststroke the most, so i did that in between each freestyle/backstroke set). varying it like that gives me a good balance

MrsG1994

Thank you both very much.

Macstraw

Do whatever stroke(s) you're comfortable with. As you get stronger & build more endurance you might find the strokes giving you difficulty now to be easier. I'm mostly a freestyler (distance), but I do swim all the other strokes & I'm building up shoulder strength to help with doing more butterfly. I've gained a lot of muscle definition in my legs from the freestyle I've been doing, like anything else pace yourself - including the rate at which you kick. The faster you are swimming the lap (i.e., sprinting) the faster you should be kicking, if you're doing longer sets you can pace your kick a little more - just make sure you keep kicking. The more you do it the more comfortable you'll be with it, but keep your goals in mind - are you trying to lose weight/get in better shape or are you looking to meet the "gold standard of swimming"?

CrystalDreams

Breast stroke is a resting stroke. Meaning it is physically easiest of the 4 racing strokes. Front Crawl, or freestyle is considered the fastest. Front crawl is much more physically demanding because your arms are working hard, but your power comes from your kick, called flutter kick.

As a swim teacher, we try to help people learn ways to make it easier, usually having incorrect form makes it monumentally harder.


Ps If you want to know whats really hard, do the butterfly. There are competitive swimmers who physically cant do this stroke because it requires so much strength and endurance.

CrystalDreams

Also, alternating between breast stroke and elementary back stroke should give you a whole body workout.

wild_wild_life

Can anyone tell me why I should do it anyway? Kicking like that makes my legs hurt, so my arms do all the work. I much prefer the breastroke, I could do it all day long. . But shouldn't I vary my strokes? And isn't freestyle like the gold standard of swimming?

Look into Total Immersion swimming. I used to hate freestyle because I was doing it wrong. TI teaches you how to streamline and use your core and weight shifts to move yourself forward more than your arms and legs (ever wonder why aquatic animals have a long sleek body without those flailing arms and legs?). Kicking contributes very little to propulsion and is a huge energy drain (IMO). It totally changed my swimming.

CrystalDreams

Kicking contributes very little to propulsion and is a huge energy drain (IMO). It totally changed my swimming.

Wrong. yes it is one of the weaker kicks, but it defiantly contributes.

icimani

Kicking contributes very little to propulsion and is a huge energy drain (IMO). It totally changed my swimming.

Wrong. yes it is one of the weaker kicks, but it defiantly contributes.

I must be doing something wrong - whenever I do a flutter kick I go backwards. Yes, really! I've tried it with a kick board and I actually go backwards in the pool. So for me, not only does it not contribute, but it actually hinders.

So I do those flutter kicks against the wall because I know it does some good, but when I'm doing the freestyle stroke my legs just streamline behind me.

jeepyj93

As you get more comfortable with it, breathing properly and stronger abs you will find you can swim a long time doing the crawl. I learned to swim only 4 years ago and I now feel like I could keep going forever. I usually swim 1 hour which is about 1800-2000m of drills and freestyle.

daynes23

You may need to strengthen your legs up a little bit if they're hurting you, it's also a possibility that your form while kicking could be poor. I would suggest maybe using a kick board while you do laps so that you can catch your legs up a bit so your arms don't have to do all the work. Wall kicks are always an option too! Also I'm sure you could find videos online that show you proper kicking techniques just in case!

Macstraw

Kicking contributes very little to propulsion and is a huge energy drain (IMO). It totally changed my swimming.

Wrong. yes it is one of the weaker kicks, but it defiantly contributes.

I must be doing something wrong - whenever I do a flutter kick I go backwards. Yes, really! I've tried it with a kick board and I actually go backwards in the pool. So for me, not only does it not contribute, but it actually hinders.

So I do those flutter kicks against the wall because I know it does some good, but when I'm doing the freestyle stroke my legs just streamline behind me.

It might be the angle of your feet causing you to not get the propulsion - instead of pointing your toes down toward the bottom of the pool, point them back at the wall you have left so that they are pointed out behind you. Hope this helps......

mmm_drop

I prefer the breast stroke as well, especially when somebody else is doing it for me.

DaniMarie180

I'm with you on that!

I even do breaststroke during the swim portion of a sprint triathlon.

Unless you're on a swim team, or REALLY want to master freestyle swimming...which I don't...why bother? Might as well be enjoyable!

GadgetGuy2

Breast stroke is a resting stroke. Meaning it is physically easiest of the 4 racing strokes. Front Crawl, or freestyle is considered the fastest. Front crawl is much more physically demanding because your arms are working hard, but your power comes from your kick, called flutter kick.

As a swim teacher, we try to help people learn ways to make it easier, usually having incorrect form makes it monumentally harder.


Ps If you want to know whats really hard, do the butterfly. There are competitive swimmers who physically cant do this stroke because it requires so much strength and endurance.

YES!....the voice of experience and knowledge.

L_Chai

In my youth, I was on the swim teams at the local municipal pool, and, as all of the racers wanted to race freestyle the competition was fierce.

I was fair-to middling, but if I wanted to compete, had to 'branch out'.

I chose butterfly.

Legs together for the kick, the dual-overarm stroke lifting your head out for a GOOD breath of air... with my wide chest, it was a match!

Could I beat the best freestylers? No. But I could surprise a lot of them!

I know it's not graceful when you see it on TV. It looks like a 'terrified seal with Orca problems" but, done at a reasonable pace, It's a great, full body workout, and doesn't have to be done at a "thrash the pool to a froth" pace to get you to the other side!

Now? I'm done in a half-dozen laps with every muscle tingling!

GadgetGuy2

In my youth, I was on the swim teams at the local municipal pool, and, as all of the racers wanted to race freestyle the competition was fierce.

I was fair-to middling, but if I wanted to compete, had to 'branch out'.

I chose butterfly.

Legs together for the kick, the dual-overarm stroke lifting your head out for a GOOD breath of air... with my wide chest, it was a match!

Could I beat the best freestylers? No. But I could surprise a lot of them!

I know it's not graceful when you see it on TV. It looks like a 'terrified seal with Orca problems" but, done at a reasonable pace, It's a great, full body workout, and doesn't have to be done at a "thrash the pool to a froth" pace to get you to the other side!

Now? I'm done in a half-dozen laps with every muscle tingling!

Kudos to you!

On my high school swim team, I was in the masses competing with the crawl. I also expressed my lazier side, diving the 1 and 3 meter boards (we got to jump on trampolines too!

L_Chai

Hats off to you, amigo!

My mental processes did not include the kind of kinesthesia that allows for complex motion when twanged from a board.

It all started fine, but ended in a "wet pile of dough hitting the water" with anything more complex than a flip or jackknife.

Now, UNDERWATER, I'm easily oriented, can brace and use tools and torches at any angle.

It's a speed thing, I think.

KANGOOJUMPS

because its a good calorie burn?????

wild_wild_life

Kicking contributes very little to propulsion and is a huge energy drain (IMO). It totally changed my swimming.

Wrong. yes it is one of the weaker kicks, but it defiantly contributes.

From what I have experienced and read, it contributes very little, even when done correctly.

http://www.swimsmooth.com/kick.html