The most efficient and fastest swimming stroke

used in competition is the freestyle, commonly

referred to as the front crawl. It is swum
horizontally, with the body turned downward.
The body turns to the side of the arm that is now
pulling in the water as it rolls from side to side.
The head is held in a neutral, face-down position,
except when breathing,
 HISTORY
Freestyle was first seen in an Egyptian bas-relief work from
2000 BCE. It wasn't until 1844, during a competition at the
British Swimming Society in London, that it was first made
known to the Western World. John Trudgen, a British
swimmer, modified the mechanics of the stroke from a flutter
kick to a scissor kick in 1873, earning the stroke the moniker
"Trudgen Stroke." Since then, the stroke has undergone
numerous variations that have ultimately resulted in the
"Australian Crawl" and the "American Crawl." American
swimmer Charles Daniels altered the kick to a 6-beat kick and
gave it the name "stroke."
 A backstroke in which the swimmer swims by
kicking and extending their legs while lifting
their arms alternatively out of the water in a
backward circular motion. The ease of breathing
is a benefit of this swimming technique, but
swimmers are unable to see where they are going.
PROPER EXECUTIONS
Floating on your back, alternating your arms in a
windmill-like action to move yourself backward
while you swim the backstroke. Your arms should
begin the circular motion by pushing underwater
and recovering above water, similar to the front
crawl. You should flutter kick with your legs. Look
straight up with your face above the surface.
Maintain as much straightness in your torso as you
can. To get a stronger kick, keep your legs close
together and kick from your hips.
 HISTORY
´1930’s - One of the most important developments in the history of backstroke is when
Australian swimmers began to bend their arms for the underwater phase of the stroke.

´1988 - Another watershed moment in the history of backstroke swimming came at the
Olympic Games in Seoul.

USA’s David Berkhoff qualified for the Games using a backstroke start known as the
‘Berkhoff blast-off.

´World governing body FINA reacted by restricting the distance a swimmer could remain
submerged at the start of each length, initially to 10m, then in 1991 to 15m.

Year later, FINA changed the restrictions on backstroke turns, allowing swimmers to touch
the wall using any part of their body rather than only their hand.

´It quickly became commonplace for backstroke swimmers to flip on to their front as they
approach the wall, spin quickly underwater and touch the wall with their feet, kicking off
for their next length.