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Main strokes used in swimming
Freestyle
or crawl
This
stroke takes its name from the free movement that a swimmer
uses while practicing this stroke. The body is positioned in
such a manner that the head and the upper body are pointed
towards the bottom of the pool. The legs kick constantly by
moving up and down rapidly.
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The
hands should move in perfect co-ordination. When the right
hand is raised and brought into the water, the left arm should
move underneath the water in a pulling motion down the length
of the body. The left arm should come above water just as the
right arm goes under. When the right arm enters the water, the
body should be slightly tilted to the left and vice versa when
the left arm enters the water. Both the arms follow circular
movements – while entering the water the arm is stretched
above the head and while coming out of the water the arm comes
out near the hip.
The
other movement to be co-ordinated is that of the head. The
head should tilt towards the same side that the body tilts.
This tilting will bring the head slightly above water and give
the swimmer an opportunity to inhale. After inhalation the
head goes back in pointing downwards.
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Freestyle Swimming |
The
Breaststroke
For
this stroke a swimmer should enter the water with arms and legs
outstretched. Both the arms should be flung outwards and brought
towards the body. Once the body reaches the shape of a “T”, the
arms are bent at the elbow and the front of the arms from fingers to
elbow go below water and surface near the chin, and are stretched
out again. The arm sweep pulls the body forward and the legs kick
outwards. After each such movement, the head and torso rise above
the surface of water and the swimmer inhales.
The
Butterfly stroke
This
is a powerful and fast stroke that is also graceful to watch. The
arms and legs move up and down together. The arms are brought
forward pulled back and brought up again together. At the same time,
the legs are kicked in a dolphin like fashion.
The
Sidestroke
As the name suggests, the position adopted for this stroke is
tilting the body to one side. In this stroke, the swimmer’s head
remains above water and only one arm is moved. The legs kick
together powerfully and the kick is called a scissors kick.
The
Backstroke
As the name suggests the swimmer is on his back for this stroke.
The arms and feet move in a fashion similar to the crawl.
This is a very relaxing stroke and as the face is above
water, it doesn’t require the use of any special breathing
techniques.
And remember swimming is like learning to ride a bicycle – you can
never forget it. Just make sure you get enough practice before going
into more adventurous motion. |
