Front Crawl

swimming · speed · technique

Super fast stroke. The front crawl is the speediest of all swimming strokes, so swimmers choose it whenever they want to go as quick as possible in a race.

Two long axis strokes. The front crawl and backstroke are the only two long axis strokes in swimming, meaning your body stays stretched out in a long line from head to toe.

Freestyle is a choice. In freestyle races, swimmers can actually use any stroke they want, but the front crawl is so fast that almost every competitive swimmer picks it.

Called many names. This stroke goes by several names around the world, including the Australian crawl, American crawl, and forward crawl, depending on where you swim.

No strict rules. Unlike the backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly, the front crawl has no specific rules from World Aquatics, which means swimmers have more freedom with how they do it.