FIGURE 27
This is done by bringing the toes up as the leg rises, and pointing them down as the leg snaps back. At the present time the fastest sprinters swim without the great bend in the knee; some bend them slightly to help relax the legs.
The trudgeon crawl kick is a combination of the crawl and the trudgeon, and the reason it is used for sprinting in preference to the crawl is because it is less tiring, thus affording greater speed for long distances. This may be swum in either two, four, six, or eight beats. The eight-beat is not used very often. The six-beat is used by most of the fastest swimmers, but the four-beat is the easiest for pupils to learn and time; it also is very speedy. The legs should be kept close together at all times and after taking two, four, six or eight beats, whichever the case may be, the kick should be formed that the first and fourth kicks amount to narrow scissors kicks, then follow with the regular thrash kick, which is straight up and down, as illustrated in Fig. 28. Point the legs and turn the feet in slightly.
Quite a few swimmers believe their legs are of little assistance, but you will find, if you practise the movements alone the way I suggest, the legs will play a very prominent part in your stroke.
You will be able to make good speed without using the arms. When these movements are thoroughly mastered, after trying all the different variations to discover which suits your particular need, you may then turn your attention to learning the arm stroke.
FIGURE 28