Swimming strokes is a method of moving your arms and legs to propel your body through the water.  They should create the least water resistance possible and allow the swimmer to move forward in a smooth, flowing method.  Swimming is a wonderful physical workout routine and causes little pressure on joints.  The secret to a pleasant swimming experience is to know the basic swim strokes.

The dog paddle is one of easiest strokes for new swimmers.  The swimmer reaches forward with the arms underwater and uses a revised flutter kick.  It is a simple stroke that could keep your head above water in case of an emergency or if you are extremely tired. 

The backstroke is another swimming stroke that is not too difficult to master.  You will be lying on your back and using your arms using an over-the-head movement and the flutter kick.  Some people who do not like to swim with their face in the water enjoy this swim stroke.  The freestyle is using whatever stroke is more comfortable to use or your strongest stroke.  Competition for freestyle swimming mandates that only 15 meters can be spent underwater at the start of each turn.  New swimmers are usually taught this stroke in the beginning of their lessons.

There are a couple of other basic swim strokes you need to know about when learning to swim.  One is the crawl, which is done with the face in the water and the head shifts from side to side to enable the swimmer to take a breath.  Alternating over arm strokes and a flutter kick with the legs helps the swimmer do the crawl.  The breaststroke is a popular swimming stroke many swimmers love to use.  The breaststroke is performed while the body is in a prone position.  The legs are frog kicking at the same time the arms is making a movement in front of the head to shoulder level.  When the swimmer is in competition, their head must be out of the water at all times.

The butterfly stroke is one of the most difficult strokes to learn.  It is also the one that is the most tiring to perform.  The body is in the prone position.  In competition, the swimmers body must not be underwater except for the first stroke after each turn.  This swimming stroke involves a dolphin kick and windmill like movements of the arms.  The arms are moving in sync with each other.  This swimming stroke takes a while to master but is often the choice of many professional swimmers.  The butterfly stroke is the second fastest style and is simply uncompromising when it comes to mistakes.  It must be performed flawlessly while other swimming strokes can be flawed; the butterfly stroke has to be perfect to be effective. 

The butterfly stroke is the newest stroke included in competition.  It was added to swim meets around 1934.  David Armbruster, the swimming coach at the University of Iowa, developed it by varying the breaststroke making the movement faster.  Another swimmer developed a new leg kick he called the dolphin fishtail kick and the two men soon discovered these new techniques complemented each other and further increased the speed of those swimmers doing the butterfly stroke.  The new swim stroke was first used in competition in the 1936 Olympics during the breaststroke meet.  In 1952 it was considered a separate stroke and was included as a separate category of in the 1956 Olympics.

The butterfly stroke is just one of the many swimming strokes used by recreational swimmers and swimmers who engage in competitions.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS