How To: Basic Swimming

by Christy Ayala, Demand Media Google

Swimming is a potentially life-saving skill that everyone should learn. It’s an excellent form of aerobic exercise, and because water provides a low-gravity environment, swimming is also a low-impact activity that almost anyone can participate in. The key to successful swimming is to use your arms and legs to effectively propel yourself through the water. Practice basic pulling and kicking skills on both your front and back to gain strength, build endurance and improve technique.


Step 1

Hold a kick board or stretch your arms straight out in front of you to practice flutter kicking. Wear swim goggles so that you can have your eyes open in the water to see where you are going, as your face will be in the water for this exercise. With arms stretched forward and face looking down a the bottom of the pool, push off the wall or the bottom of the pool with your feet and stretch your legs behind you, keeping your knees straight and your toes pointed behind you.

Step 2

Kick from your hips with alternating, small kicks that splash just at the surface of the water. Toes should remain pointed, and your ankles should be loose. As needed, turn your head to the side to breathe. Flutter kicking is used when swimming both freestyle, or front crawl, and backstroke, or back crawl.

Step 3

Practice flutter kicking on your back while holding the kick board over your head and straight behind you in the water, or with your arms over your head, one hand resting in the palm of the other while your arms stay pressed against your ears. While your face will not be in the water, swim goggles are still helpful for keeping water from splashing into your eyes as you kick.


Step 1

Use your arms and the power of your back and shoulder muscles to pull yourself through the water as you kick and breathe. Start with both arms straight in front of you and push off the wall, kicking. Leave one arm straight out, and with the other hand, pull through the water – fingers closed to make a paddle -- pushing the water under your body and back toward your feet until your hand is pointing toward the opposite side of the pool.

Step 2

Repeat with the other arm, while at the same time bringing the first arm back to the starting position in an overhand motion. Flutter kick as you continue the alternating reaching and pulling, or crawl pattern, with your arms, breathing to the side as needed. Practice breathing to both sides as you pull, as breathing bilaterally helps balance your stroke and increase oxygen intake. Use a pull buoy, a float that goes between the legs to support your lower body with no need for kicking, for some of your practice, as it will allow you to focus your energy on your arms without having to worry about kicking.

Step 3

Practice the backstroke, or back crawl, pattern on your back combined with a flutter kick or with the pull buoy so you can focus on your arms without having to kick. The best backstroke pull, according to USA Swimming, will start and stay shallow, with your hand just under the surface of the water. As you take a stroke -- your hand entering the water in a straight-arm position directly above your head -- catch as much water as possible with your palm and forearm, pushing it toward your feet. Your palm should be pointed toward your feet, never the pool bottom, and fingers should be pointed to the side, USA Swimming explains, adding that you should finish the pull in a downward motion with your arm to help your body pivot to the other side.

Things Needed

  • Swim goggles
  • Kick board
  • Pull buoy

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