The Different Strokes in Swimming

There are many sports that a person can excel in. Those that don't know how can learn this and develop the speed and technique to excel.

In order for anyone to excel in swimming, the person must have some basic knowledge of the 4 strokes then just master the event and stroke the individual feels comfortable in.

There are 4 strokes in swimming. These are freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. The person will learn this one at a time to be able to find that niche that the instructor can help work on.

Freestyle involves two things. The first is the hands which will catch the water in front. The second is the legs that will follow through with the propulsion in the back. The fingers don't have to be closed so that these are relaxed and more water can be caught per stroke.

The legs should kick similar to how a person does this using a pair of fins. The power has come to from the hips since there are more muscles here than the calves. The individual doesn't have to let the feet come out of the water since propulsion is achieved by hitting the water and not air.

The backstroke is sometimes referred to as the opposite of freestyle since the person does this lying on one's back. The head must be pointed upward to the sky while the hands alternately move from the thighs to the ears of the person. The thumbs are the first to come out and in the 90 degree angle, this changes so the pinky is the first to hit the water.

This motion is done alternately on each hand while the legs are kicking with power still coming from the thighs. Body roll is achieved when the arm is used. If the left arm is used, the right side can also be tilted downward which causes less drag in the water.

A good drill is putting a small plastic shaped donut in the head. If this doesn't fall off, then the person is doing it right. The individual check if this is still being done correctly by speeding up.

Breaststroke is simply done by letting the arms push the water downward while the legs get sideward. The reentry of the hands has evolved since 1989 when the wave technique was invented creating less drag in the water.

This is achieved by making a smaller circle then letting hands go back in front on the surface of the water. This is a bit difficult especially in long events because of the lactic acid buildup in the arms.

The person can practice this using a pullbuoy to let the arms do the work while the legs are close together.

Butterfly is the last of the four strokes. The person uses both hands to enter and exit the water at the same time while the feet are close together kicking similar to the motion done by a dolphin.

Some experts say this is the easiest stroke of the 4 to learn but takes a lot of endurance to master.

Swimming has been around for many years and has evolved. The person can try learning the basics of each then working on drills to improve the technique. Workouts can later be given with time intervals to make the individual move faster in the water.

Beach and Swimming Stuff Home

The Different Strokes in Swimming