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Four Swim Strokes


There are several competitive swimming strokes that you should know, and today we want to talk to you about four of our favourites; breast stroke, back stroke, butterfly and freestyle. We want to help you find the right stroke for your swimming.  


Breast Stroke

This basic stroke is great for beginners, making it one of the most popular styles. Your legs and arms perform the same motion, making it much simpler to learn. The basic version of this swim stroke is with your head above the water at all times, which avoids breathing issues and gives you great visibility. Once you have mastered the basic form of this stroke, the advanced form involves submerging your head under the water for a faster speed stroke. However the breast stroke is the slowest and least efficient stroke to use.  



Back Stroke

When swimming on your back, your legs move in an up and down flutter movement, while your arms execute alternating movements, moving them in a circular motion up and over your head. Back stroke is the easiest option for breathing easily and for longer distance swimming (although open water long distance may be a bit hard if you can't see where you're going!) Back stroke is recommended for people with back problems as it works the lower back muscles. It even improves your posture and tightens your core.  




This is known as the most unique style. The technique uses an unusual body undulation to move you through the water, with the legs moving as one and your arms swinging over your head together at the same time. This stroke is faster than the previous two styles but also strengthens the core muscles. Despite being a fast stroke, it can be tiring and difficult to learn.  




This stroke is swum facing down into the water. Freestyle as a term refers to the swimming event, but most swimmers usually utilise the front crawl in this event so freestyle is the term often used for front crawl. As such, we are referring to the front crawl in this description. Your feet perform a flutter kick technique as your arms rotate in alternate motion over your head and into the water. This is the fastest stroke on this list and is also great for long distance swimming. Like the butterfly it can be difficult to master as you need to learn moving your head in and out of the water whilst keeping your stroke steady.    



Which is your favourite swimming stroke?


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