6 swimming strokes

most common

freestyle breaststroke butterfly stroke backstroke

freestyle

-also known as front crawl -uses alternating arm movements with an above water recovery -legs:execute flutter kick -fast and efficient -fastest of all swimming strokes -used in freestyle competition and triathlons -arms are used one at a time to pull the swimmer's body through the water -legs move from hips in a flutter kick

breaststroke

-most popular swim stroke of all but slowest -both arms execute half circular arm movements at the same time underwater in front of the swimmer -the arm recovery also occurs under water -the legs simultaneously perform a whip kick -often as the first swimming stroke taught to beginners -in fact, many casual swimmers can only swim this stroke -advantage: beginners can keep their head above the water to avoid breathing and orientation issuses -more experienced swimmers:submerge their head during the stroke cycle to improve efficiency

sidestroke

-old swim stroke swum on the side that uses a scissor kick and asymmetrical underwater arm movements -sidestroke is not used in swimming competitions, therefore swum less often nowadays -easy to learn and can be an interesting alternative to the popular swim strokes -it is also used by lifeguards to rescue victims

backstroke

-swim on your back -it uses alternating circular arm movements and an above water recovery -the legs execute a flutter kick similar to the one used in freestyle -backstroke is faster than breaststroke but slower than butterfly -good to people experiencing back problems because it gives the back an excellent workout

elementary backstroke

-swimming stroke where you swim on the back, using a reversed breaststroke kick, and simple synchronized underwater arm stroke movements -elementary backstroke can be used as first swim stroke because its technique is very simple

butterfly stroke

-unique and spectacular technique stroke -it uses a symmetrical arm stroke with an above water recovery -it also uses a wave-like body undulation and a dolphin kick -2nd fastest swim stroke after freestyle -it has a reputation of being hard to learn and is quickly exhausting -but once you have mastered it, swimming a few lengths of butterfly can be a lot of fun