Trudgen Crawl

Today during out Swimmers Choice 25's a swim mate piked "The Trudgen Crawl."  Most of us where like "what"?  So I found this about "The Trudgen Crawl" -

For distance swimming, the trudgen stroke is considered less tiring than the crawl and is essentially a fast stroke. It is named after John Trudgen, a British swimmer who died in 1902. Trudgen gained international fame for his swimming victories using this stroke. It became popular first in Spain, then spread to Latin America and finally to the United States. This stroke combines the arm motions of the crawl and the leg action of the sidestroke a modified scissors kick. Overarm strokes from a prone position are used, and the head remains on one side, for more natural breathing than in the crawl.

The important arm action of the trudgen is as follows: The stroke is started by pressing the arms alternately through the water with elbows straight. This motion is carried through until the elbow reaches the surface of the water close to the body. The elbow should then be lifted from the water until the hand emerges, and the hand is extended just above the surface until the arm is straight. When the hand enters the water, the arm should be pressed straight down for another stroke. As one arm presses through the water, the other reaches forward toward the start of the stroke. For the leg motion, one hip is kept about 4 inches lower than the other as the scissors kick is started. The body motion is a forward roll through the water. Co-ordination of arms and legs is important. The leg motion must be geared to the position of the hips. With the left hip low, the kick is performed as the left hand moves forward; then the legs are kept together as the right hand goes forward. With the right hip low, the reverse action is followed.

There are several variations on the basic trudgen stroke. The use of a frog kick will reduce the amount of body roll. The “double trudgen” is accomplished by using a frog or scissors kick with each armstroke. The “trudgen crawl” is a form of the stroke in which a scissors kick is used while one arm is pressing, and 2 or 4 crawl-stroke kicks are used while the other arm is pressing. (source:  water-sports-guide.com)


You learn something new everyday!  I didn't do it right!