Australian
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an NFSA website

Evolution of the Australian Crawl (c.1952)

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The development of freestyle swimming

This clip chosen to be G

Clip description

This clip shows the different techniques and styles used in freestyle swimming from the 1880s through to the development of the trudgen style and Australian crawl. Former Australian swimming champions demonstrate the techniques used by past pioneers of the style.

Frank McCure swims a freestyle stroke from the 1880s, while Harold Daniels shows a single overarm style used around the same time. Charlie Bell demonstrates the double overarm action of the 1890s. A close-up on the leg action indicates the drawing up of the knee and the wide opening of the legs. Arthur Abbie re-creates the stroke developed by schoolboy Alick Wickham, which came to be known as the Australian crawl. A man playing the part of swimming coach George Farmer stands at the pool’s edge and watches Wickham (Abbie) swim his unusual style. Four men (portraying the Cavill family of swimmers) study Wickham’s technique.

The clip also stages a recreation of the 1898 all-style race between Arthur Cavill (Jack Dreeland Junior) and Sid Davis (Sid Wilshire). Cavill won with his feet tied together, using the crawl arm action only. Freddie Lane demonstrates his modified Trudgen stroke which also incorporates elements of the crawl. A close-up of the leg action shows the narrow scissors kick that Lane developed and his 'two beat flutter kick’ which alternates with the scissors. As Lane swims a lap, the voice-over narration says this style became known as the trudgen crawl.

Curator’s notes

by Poppy De Souza

In this clip, close-ups and repetition are used to clearly demonstrate each swimming style. With the aid of descriptive voice-over commentary, the viewer is presented with a general overview of how the crawl evolved over time and an explanation of the different strokes. This technique is very effective in bringing historical swimming styles to life without having to rely on archival photographs or actuality footage. Employing championship swimmers to demonstrate the strokes brings credibility to the dramatised sequences, and increases the effectiveness of this clip as a training tool.