The Different Swimming Strokes

The most popular swimming strokes in use today are the ones swum in the competitions. They are the breaststroke, the freestyle stroke, the backstroke and the butterfly stroke.

Besides these popular strokes there are also other types of swim strokes like the sidestroke, the trudgen, the combat swimmer stroke etc. that also have their uses.

There are several advantages to know these different swim strokes. If you have the time and are inclined to do so, it pays off to learn and practice them all.

Popular Swimming Strokes

The Breaststroke: If a person can only swim one stroke, it often is the breast stroke, as it often is the first swimming stroke taught to beginners. It is relatively easy to learn as the swimmer can keep his head above the water. This avoids breathing and visibility issues. It is the slowest of the competitive strokes though.

The Breaststroke

The Freestyle Stroke: The freestyle swim stroke or front crawl is often the preferred stroke of most seasoned swimmers. It is the fastest and most energy-efficient stroke. That's why it is used in freestyle competitions and in the swimming leg of triathlons.

The Freestyle Stroke

The Backstroke: As its name suggests, the backstroke is swum on the back. Physicians often advise the backstroke to people experiencing back problems because it gives the back an excellent workout. Backstroke is faster than breaststroke but slower than butterfly.

The Backstroke

The Butterfly Stroke: The butterfly swim stroke has a special place among the competitive strokes. It has a reputation for being hard to learn. But once you have mastered it, swimming a few lengths of butterfly is a lot of fun! The butterfly is the second fastest stroke after front crawl.

The Butterfly Stroke

Less-Known Swim Strokes

The Side Stroke: The side stroke is an ancient swim stroke swum on the side using a scissor kick and asymmetric arm motions. As it is not used in swimming competitions, it is swum less often nowadays. Nevertheless it can be a welcome change from the popular swim strokes and is also easy to learn. It is also used by lifeguards when they need to rescue victims.

The Sidestroke

Elementary Backstroke: Elementary backstroke is a swim stroke that is swum on the back, using a frog kick and a synchronous under water arm stroke. Because it is simple and easy to learn, it is suited as a first stroke to teach children how to swim on their back.

Elementary Backstroke

Conclusion

Now that you have come to know the most popular swim strokes, you can start to learn how to swim these strokes.