My weaknesses at performing this skill/ movement-
My weaknesses for the front crawl start are that I went into the stroke too quickly after pushing off from the wall. In the front crawl turn I didn’t go close enough to the wall before tumbling, so I wasn’t able to push off from the wall with as much power as I could of done if I had gone closer.
Correcting my technique-
To correct my technique on the front crawl start I need to hold my glide a second longer before entering the stroke by bringing my arm over and starting the kicking. To correct my front crawl turn, I think I could come into the wall a little closer than arms length before brining my knees up and starting to tumble. By doing this I will come up much closer to the wall, so I will be able to push off with more force and get a better, faster and more powerful glide back onto the stroke.
The beginners strengths at performing this skill/ movement-
They were able to perform the front crawl start quite well. They almost started in the correct position, and kicked off the wall hard enough to get a small glide into the stroke. The front crawl turn was done in the correct position and when they came up they into the stroke well.
The beginners weaknesses at performing this skill/ movement-
They didn’t have their free arm stretched out in front of them, so when they pushed off they had to bring the arm over, which slowed them down. The glide was very slow and didn’t get them very far.
The front crawl turn was done in the correct position, but it was very slow and the swimmer turned more than an arms length away from the wall, so they didn’t get a good kick off.
Correcting their technique-
To improve their start the swimmer could try and bring their legs up higher on the wall. This would make them bend their knees further, resulting in a more powerful push off from the wall. The swimmer also needs to stretch their arm out in front of them when in the starting position. The front crawl turn could be improved if the swimmer doesn’t turn until they are one arms length away from the wall, this would cause them to come out of the turn close to the wall, so they can get a powerful kick and glide off from the wall.
Phase- Head/ breathing
Correct technique-
During the front crawl stroke, when blowing out into the water the head should be in a forward facing position. The head should be at a 45-degree angle to the bottom of the pool with the eyes just below the surface. This is so the swimmer can see the end and bottom of the pool at the same time. The swimmer should start exhaling through the mouth as soon as the mouth enters the water. The swimmer should turn their head to one side and slightly downwards as the arm on that side comes over the head out of the water. The swimmer should inhale deeply, and as the hand enters the water the head should go back into the water in the exhaling position. The swimmer should be breathing continually, inhaling or exhaling so the swimmer should not have to hold their breath at any time. The head movement, when turning to the side to blow and breath should be one smooth, movement with no jerking. It also needs to be in time with the arm movement.
My strengths at performing this skill/ movement-
My strengths are that the position of my head is always correct and my breathing is constant and I never feel out of breath and the turning of my head is in the correct time with my arm.
My weaknesses at performing this skill/ movement-
I found that when I turn my head to the side to breathe I do it too quick and it is not one, smooth movement.
Correcting my technique-
I could correct this by making sure I get a better regular rhythm when turning my head. I should inhale quicker so I do not have to turn my head back as quickly to exhale.
The beginners strengths at performing this skill/ movement-
They were able to breathe to the side on every other stroke and their breathing was effective.
The beginners weaknesses at performing this skill/ movement-
When the swimmer turned their head out of the water to breathe, they breathed out before breathing in. Also the swimmer kept jerking their head when they turned it to breathe. The swimmer s shoulders were turning a lot from side to side with the head.
Correcting their technique-
Breathing out before breathing in takes longer because the swimmer should breath out into the water only. The way to stop the shoulders from turning a lot from side to side is to only tilt the head very slightly when turning.
Phase- Body position
Correct technique-
The correct body position in front crawl is to have a straight horizontal spine, the swimmers body should be level and not leaning to one side when one arm comes out of the water. The neck should not be lower or higher than the pelvis and the body should be on and just below the surface of the water.
My strengths at performing this skill/ movement-
My body was not turning from side to side as I swam and I my pelvis was at the same level as my neck and my spine was straight all the time. My body was also on and just below the surface of the water.
My weaknesses at performing this skill/ movement-
There were no major weaknesses with my body position when swimming front crawl stroke.
Correcting my technique-
The only thing I could improve would be to kick my legs harder, this would bring my hips up slightly and I would be able to swim more efficiently.
The beginners strengths at performing this skill/ movement-
The swimmers body was horizontal in the water.
The beginners weaknesses at performing this skill/ movement-
The swimmers legs were too low in the water, and their shoulders were twisting too much when they turned their head to breathe.
Correcting their technique-
They need to kick their legs harder and try to keep the trunk of their body still when turning their head. This means rotating the shoulders more at the joint.
Phase- Leg action
Correct technique-
The legs should as straight as possible. They should be kicking up and down from the hip. The kick should be small, fast and hard, just below the surface of the water. The knees should stay the same width apart, almost touching.
My strengths at performing this skill/ movement-
I performed this movement well, I have a fast hard kick and my legs were straight and always in the correct position.
My weaknesses at performing this skill/ movement-
I found that my legs were kicking a bit too low down in the water, to correct this I will have to raise my legs up more when kicking. This will make my legs kick the surface of the water more.
Correcting my technique-
My kicking technique was quite good, so I don’t think I would be able to improve on it anymore.
The beginners strengths at performing this skill/ movement-
The swimmer had a strong kick, which was fairly fast.
The beginners weaknesses at performing this skill/ movement-
The swimmer legs were bent at the knee and were not kicking from the hip. Also, they didn’t keep the speed of their kick constant and kept having short bursts of speed.
Correcting their technique-
They need to straighten their legs so they don’t bend at the knee. They should kick from their hip not from the knee which is making it bend so much, they also need to try and keep their kicking steady and constant.
Phase- Arm action
Correct technique-
One arm at a time should enter the water stretched out directly in front of the shoulder. The arm then stays straight and pulls back hard and quick. When the arm is pointing to the bottom of the pool the elbow starts to bend directly upward, until the hand almost touches the armpit out of the water. The arm then stretches out over the head into the position where it enters the water. As one arm enters the water the other exits the water in one smooth flowing movement.
My strengths at performing this skill/ movement-
My strengths in the arm action are that my arm enters the water correctly and pulls though hard. It exits the water elbow first and comes over my head correctly.
My weaknesses at performing this skill/ movement-
I found that there were no problems with my arm action, and nothing that I think I could improve.
The beginners strengths at performing this skill/ movement-
They had quite a fast arm pull and stretched the arm out fully when pulling through the water.
The beginners weaknesses at performing this skill/ movement-
The swimmer didn’t bend their arm at the elbow when bringing their arm over their head and they didn’t pull as hard as they could have done through the water. The arms went too wide when they came over the swimmers head.
Correcting their technique-
The swimmer needs to bend their arm at the elbow so the hand almost touches the armpit. The elbow should point up to the ceiling when coming over their head. By doing both of these the arms wouldn’t go too wide when coming over the swimmers head.
Sharon Stella Is an Olympic swimmer and I analysed her performance as a swimmer above my standard.
There were no weaknesses in her performance, she performed each phase perfectly, in the correct position, and every movement was fast and powerful.
