What are the
swimming strokes?
Compliments of
medicinenet.com
Breaststroke, backstroke,
butterfly, and crawl (freestyle) are the most popular swim strokes. The
breaststroke and butterfly are more difficult to learn than the
backstroke and crawl.
Breaststroke
The breaststroke involves
exquisite timing, and in fact, you can be disqualified from competition
if you miss even one stroke. The stroke involves form that causes your
body to bob up and down as you glide forward through the water. This is
a difficult stroke and not one to choose if you're just learning how to
swim. The basics are that your arms pull, you breathe, you kick (arms
alternate with the kick), and you glide. Here are details.
The leg kick:
- Bring the knees to chest.
- Thrust the legs backward
and straight.
- Snap the legs together to
push the water and propel you forward (frog kick).
The arm stroke:
- Start with the arms
overhead.
- Pull on the water, and
bring arms toward the chest.
- Keep the hands cupped.
- Return arms to starting
position.
The breathing:
- Breathe every time you
stroke with your arms.
Butterfly
Like the breaststroke, this is a
difficult stroke and not recommended for beginners because it requires
perfect timing and a good deal of strength. During the stroke, the legs
move together in a dolphin kick (imagine a mermaid), the arms move
together to push the water downward and backward, and the torso
undulates like an earthworm as the body moves forward through the water.
The leg kick:
- Bend the knees slightly,
and keep them together.
- Make a downward thrust by
straightening the knees and whipping the feet downward.
- There should be two kicks
for every arm stroke.
The arm stroke:
- Move the arms together,
and pull through the water with the hands cupped.
- Face the palms outward,
and press down and outward.
- Swing the arms forward
above the water in a sweeping motion to complete the stroke.
The breathing:
- Breathe at the end of the
arm stroke.
Backstroke
The backstroke is easier than the
butterfly or breaststroke and similar to the crawl in that you use an
alternate windmill arm stroke and flutter kick. Two keys to a proper
backstroke are (1) that your arms move with equal strength, otherwise
you will swim off to one side, and (2) that your body rolls from side to
side so that your arms catch enough water to propel you forward.
The leg kick:
- It's a flutter kick where
the legs kick in an alternating order.
- Bend the knees slightly.
- Relax the feet and ankles
(they should be almost floppy).
- Emphasize the up-kick for
propulsion.
The arm stroke:
- Move the arms in an
alternating, windmill pattern as they rotate and pass your face.
- Cup the hands, and the
thumb leaves the water first.
- Move the hands in an "S"
pattern when they are pushing the water.
The breathing:
- Keep your head back and
eyes toward the ceiling.
- You can find your own
breathing pattern with the backstroke because the breathing is
less coordinated with the arms and kick than other strokes since
your head should always be out of the water
Crawl (freestyle)
This is the most popular stroke
and the easiest for beginners to learn. It is a simple flutter kick and
windmill arm motion, like the backstroke, only on your belly. The most
difficult part is coordinating the breathing since your face is in the
water most of the time.
The leg kick:
- It's a flutter kick where
the legs kick in an alternating order.
- Bend the knees slightly.
- Relax the feet and ankles
(the should be almost floppy).
- Emphasize the down-kick
for propulsion.
The arm stroke:
- Move the arms in an
alternating windmill motion.
- Pull each arm through the
water with equal strength and arm reach to ensure that you swim
straight.
- Pull arms underwater in
an "S" pattern.
- Cup the hands but keep
the wrist and hand relaxed during recovery.
The breathing:
- Raise one arm to begin
the stroke. As the shoulder rises, turn the head to catch a
breath.
- Turn the head only enough
to leave the water to breathe. Do not lift the head because it
will slow you down.
- Take as many breaths as
necessary and then exhale through the nose and mouth when the
head returns to the water.
- Repeat the head turn to
the other side in coordination with the beginning of the
opposite arm stroke.
The freestyle flip turn (when
swimming the crawl)
There are a couple of options for
turning around when you reach the wall during lap swimming. You can
simply touch the wall and turn around and start swimming again or you
can do a flip turn. The flip turn is essentially a somersault in the
water where you flip and turn and use your legs to power-kick off the
wall. The flip turn, when completed properly, is fast, efficient, and
time-saving. If you've ever watched Olympic swimming, you see the
swimmers gracefully execute their flip turns. Here are the basics.
- Start the somersault before
reaching the wall by tucking the chin and pulling the knees into a
tuck position.
- Blow out air to avoid
inhaling water.
- Straighten out the body-tuck
halfway through the flip and extend the legs toward the wall.
- You will be on your back at
this point.
- Push off the wall.
- Roll over onto the belly and
glide toward the surface of the water.
- Hold the glide until you
break the surface of the water, and then start stroking immediately.
The flip turn takes practice, but
with consistent work, you can master it. It's worth trying if you swim
laps for exercise.
|
