Curve 4, Sweep-Up, or Phase-Out Push
 Initial Position: The arm is between the neck and the midline of the body, slightly below the shoulder. The elbow is at maximum flexion, looking out and slightly upward. The hand points out and back.
 Final Position: The arm is almost fully extended along the side of the body. The elbow points upward and out of the water. The hand faces inward and upward, partially out of the water. The pull is complete.
Description of Motion: This is the most propulsive phase of the front crawl, as well as the longest, covering approximately half the stroke underwater. This phase is complex, involving two slight curves. Rebecca Cooke’s left hand demonstrates a slight change in trajectory during the last curve of the front crawl.
Phase 1: The hand gains depth while rotating outward, backward, and slightly downward.
Phase 2: The main curve occurs, primarily upward and slightly outward and backward. Proper hand placement in the final stages is crucial for harnessing both propulsion (form drag) and lift (buoyancy), avoiding a decrease in buoyancy from an improper upward push. | Muscles Involved in the Push
Primary Muscles:
Triceps brachii (arm extension), Palmar and finger flexors.
Secondary Muscles:
Deltoid (shoulder elevation and movement), Latissimus dorsi (arm abduction and rotation), Pectoralis major (arm abduction), Teres major, Subscapularis, Brachialis (arm flexion), Coracobrachialis (arm flexion), forearm muscles, and finger muscles. |
  Other Considerations
Maintain a fast backward push throughout. Once the hand rotates outward, the elbow should surface, facing up, almost locked, allowing the arm extensor muscles to complete this phase. The hand, facing backward, bends upward, reaching the outer thigh, then turns inward, palm against the thigh. This minimizes turbulence and resistance. The hand should offer minimal resistance to water flow.
Proper front crawl arm movement requires reciprocal longitudinal body rotation. This rotation is especially important in this curve. The elbow should point upward rather than outward, toward the surface. To achieve this, the non-active arm’s shoulder should be out of the water at the beginning and in the water at the end of this phase. The active arm’s shoulder should move from in to out of the water throughout this phase.
“The hand should tilt upward, outward, and backward during the sweep. The tilt is achieved by extending the wrist and letting the water push the hand into position. Water pressure downward, forward, and inward forces the hand to spread and rotate around the wrist, outward.” (E.W. Maglischo, “Swim Fast”)
Transitions between curves should be gradual. The hand rotates from upward, backward, and inward at the end of the flip phase to outward, backward, and upward. The hand adjusts to increase stroke effectiveness, sweeping slightly downward, gaining depth, then rotating slightly upward, pushing to the end of the pull. The hand rotation is gradual, always pointing in the direction of the forward arm.
Phase Transition: Begins when the hand reaches maximum height near the body’s midline and chest. Ends when the hand reaches hip height and maximum depth.
The hand should always point in the intended direction of travel to maximize resistance force. |
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Initial Position: The arm is almost fully extended along the side of the body. The elbow points upward and out of the water. The hand faces inward and upward, partially out of the water. The pull is complete.
Final Position: The recovery phase is just complete. The arm is slightly bent in front of the shoulder. The elbow acts as a pivot, higher than the hand. The forearm points forward (toward the water). The hand is slightly relaxed, flexed, and facing down and back (toward the water and a few inches above it).