What are the swimming strokes?
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
