Basic Strokes

in
Swimming
BSN 2- 03 GROUP # 3
Casul, Mary Claire Sonio
Cheetham, Heidee Monique Ferraren
Collado, Krizzia Mae Canonizado
Dangle, Rica Mocloy
Dela Cruz, Mae Pablo
Diaz, Liezel Joy Matias
 FRONT CRAWL OR
FREESTYLE
The front crawl or forward crawl, also known as the Australian crawl or American crawl, is a swimming stroke
usually regarded as the fastest of the four front primary strokes. As such, the front crawl stroke is almost universally used
during a freestyle swimming competition, and hence freestyle is used metonymically for the front crawl.

The history of front crawl to originating as far back as the Stone Age, the first mention of the stroke in a competitive
context was reported by The Times newspaper in 1844.

The stroke which would later be refined into the modern front crawl was first seen in the modern Western world at
an 1844 swimming race in London, two native Americans were invited, Flying Gull and Tobacco, were said to be lashing
the water violently with their arms like the sails of a windmill and beating downward with their feet. Observers were
reported to be shocked by the stroke and its difference to breaststroke which was the only competitive stroke used in the
early European swimming clubs.

In 1873 John Trudgen introduced the front crawl to Britain used with a scissor or flutter kick. This enhanced speeds
and made swimming competitions new and exciting. Improvements to the front crawl, either by different kicks or
different ratios of kicks to strokes, resulted in the fastest swimming style known today, now called the freestyle stroke.

The name ‘front crawl’ is thought to have come into use towards the end of the 19th century after Australian
swimmer Dick Cavill described his technique as like crawling through the water.
 HOW TO PERFORM
FRONT CRAWL?
Float on your front with your face in the water,
stretching your body as long as possible.

Keep your legs long with toes pointed. Kick your legs up
and down (alternating) making your ankles as floppy as
possible, using your feet like flippers. Kick your legs fast
and continuously.

Start with your arms stretched out long in front of your

head. Pull one arm under your body all the way to the
thigh. Bring your arm out of the water and sweep it
over the water stretching it ready to enter the water in
front of your head. Keep pulling your arms in a
continuous movement so that as one arm enters, the
other is ready to exit at the thigh.

Turn your head to the side to breathe in. Turn as one

arm is stretched in front and one at the thigh. Try to
keep one ear in the water as you turn your head. As the
arm sweeps over the water return your face back into
the water and breathe out.
 BREASTSTROKE

It is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular
recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and that it can be swum
comfortably at slow speeds.

The history of breaststroke goes back to the Stone Age, as for example pictures in the Cave of Swimmers near Wadi
Sora in the southwestern part of Egypt near Libya. The leg action of the breaststroke may have originated by imitating the
swimming action of frogs. Depictions of a variant of breaststroke are found in Babylonian bas-relief and Assyrian wall
drawings.

Breaststroke was the most common stroke across the first competitive swimming races in Europe in the 19th Century.

The development of front crawl saw breaststroke overtaken as the fastest swimming stroke, but its popularity
remained and a separate breaststroke competition was included in the Olympic Games for the first time in 1904.

One of the biggest steps forward in the history of breaststroke was the development of butterfly in the 1930s when a
number of swimmers and coaches, including American David Armbruster, realised it was quicker to recover your arms
forward over the water rather than underneath.
 HOW TO PERFORM
BREAST STROKE?
Float on your front with your face in the water,
stretching your body as long as possible. Keep your
hands together.

Keep your legs long and stretch your toes. Bend your
knees slowly and bring your feet towards your bottom.
Bend at the ankles to point your feet outwards then kick
back and slightly downwards and snap your feet
together.

Keep your head in the water and stretch your arms out
in front. Turn your hands so that the thumbs point
down with both hands pressing out and round. Turn
your hands so the thumbs point up and draw the hands
together in a small circular action in front of the
shoulders.

Lift your head to breathe in as the arms start to come

together, stretch your arms out and return your head to
the water to breathe out. Breath every stroke: “Pull,
Breathe, Kick, Glide”.
 BUTTERFLY STROKE

It is a swimming stroke swum on the chest, with both arms moving symmetrically, accompanied by the butterfly kick
(also known as the "dolphin kick"). While other styles like the breaststroke, front crawl, or backstroke can be swum adequately
by beginners, the butterfly is a more difficult stroke that requires good technique as well as strong muscles. It is the newest
swimming style swum in competition, first swum in 1933 and originating out of the breaststroke.

The history of butterfly stroke started in the 1930s when it developed as a style of swimming breaststroke. Swimmers
and coaches began to realize that breaststroke was quicker when a swimmer recovered their arms forward above the water
and the arm technique – as well as the swimming term ‘butterfly’ – was born.

While an overarm recovery was not unusual as a finishing stroke in breaststroke, American Henry Myers is said to be the
first person to have used butterfly arms for a full length of breaststroke, unveiling it to the confusion of officials and
competitors in a 150 yard medley race in 1933.

Shortly after, American swimming coach David Armbruster is credited with developing the recognisable butterfly dolphin
kick to accompany the overarm recovery with one of his swimmers, Jack Sieg, using it to devestating effect in 1935.

While the dolphin kick was against world governing body FINA’s breaststroke rules, the butterfly arm technique continued
to be used in breaststroke races until butterfly was established as an individual stroke by FINA in 1952.
 HOW TO PERFORM
BUTTERFLY STROKE?
Float on your front with your face in the water,
stretching your body as long as possible.

Undulate your body from head to toes, in a whipping

motion, bending and straightening your knees. Keeping
your legs and feet close together, push down on the
water with the top of your feet and keep your feet just
under the surface of the water.

Enter both hands in the water at the same time, in line

with your shoulders. Pull your arms under the body
through to your hips. Recover your arms over the water
surface ready to begin again.

Push your chin forward to take a breath; the breath

should be taken towards the end of the pull. As your
arm sweeps over the water return your face back into
the water and breathe out. Perform two kicks to each
arm cycle, kicking at the start of the arm pull and
towards the end of the pull “Kick your arms in, kick your
arms out”.
BACK STROKE

This swimming style has the advantage of easy breathing, but the disadvantage of swimmers not being able to see
where they are going. The swimming style is similar to an upside down front crawl or freestyle. Both backstroke and front
crawl are long-axis strokes.

Backstroke is an ancient style of swimming, popularized by Harry Hebner. It was the second stroke to be swum in
competitions after the front crawl. Backstroke swimming developed as an offshoot of front crawl, with swimmers copying
the overarm technique on their backs.

One of the most important developments in the history of backstroke was made in the late 1930s when Australian
swimmers began to bend their arms for the underwater phase of the stroke.

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

USA’s David Berkhoff qualified for the Games using a backstroke start known as the ‘Berkhoff blast-off’, where he
would use a dolphin kick underwater for as long as possible, swimming faster than on the surface of the water.
 HOW TO PERFORM
BACK STROKE?
Float on your back, with your ears just in the water and
eyes looking up; stretch your body as long as possible.

Keep your legs long with pointed toes; kick your legs up
and down (alternating) making your ankles as floppy as
possible, using your feet like flippers. Knees should be
kept under the water with your toes making a small
splash. Kick your legs fast and continuously.

Start with your arms stretched down the side of your

body. Your arm should be kept straight bringing it out
of the water over the top in an arc action. Enter your
hands into the water with your little fingers first,
keeping your arm straight. Pull your arm under the
water all the way to the thigh. Keep pulling your arms in
a continuous movement as one arm enters, the other is
ready to exit at the thigh.

A breath is taken regularly as and when required and at

least once during the stroke.
 SIDE STROKE The earliest swimming styles were the freestyle and butterfly. With time,
however, swimmers realized that turning your head to the side to breath was difficult and tiring
especially for long distances. This was due to the tendency of the head to naturally move to the
side. In response, styles that required swimming on the side were brought up with the sidestroke
emerging as the overall style on the side. It was later realized that, besides the better positioning of
the head, the body was taxed less given the need to only use one side for the swim.

The trudgen sidestroke was developed by the English swimmer John

Trudgen as a hybrid of the sidestroke and the freestyle. It overcame the weaknesses of both styles
while giving the swimmer better speed. It is, however, harder to master given the unique way of doing the
kicks and hand motions.

In 1935, Jack Sieg, a University of Iowa swimmer, developed the skill of swimming on his side and beating his legs in
unison like a fish's tail. He then developed the leg action face down.

Sidestroke gets its name from the fact that the swimmer lies on one’s side with asymmetric arm and leg motion. The
hands act like oars and do not waste any power by oblique action. The legs move in opposite directions with legs bent and
straighten as they come together. The kicking motion is exaggerated and slow, opening the legs wide to provide more
thrust rather than the small, fast movement of the flutter kick.

Sidestroke is used for towing casualties by lifeguards all the time. Lifesavers don’t use the right arm because they
would pull a casualty with it. It is irreplaceable as it allows to help people that are hurt, immobile or unconscious get to the
waterside.
 HOW TO PERFORM
SIDE STROKE?
Stand in the water, and then turn your body to the side
with one arm under the water, and the other on top.
Your top arm should be down by your thigh, while your
lead arm extends out in front of your body in the water.

Push off with your legs, keeping them close together.

Your leg motion will be like scissors, with one leg going
forward while the other goes back, and then switching.
While your legs are kicking, your lead arm should push
down into the water, drawing toward the body and then
back out. Keep the hand of your lead arm turned with
the palm facing out in front of your body and a little
downward.

While the lead arm pulls your body forward, the power
of the sidestroke really comes from the legs. The more
powerful they are, the faster you will swim.
 BSN 2- 03 GROUP # 3
Casul, Mary Claire Sonio
Cheetham, Heidee Monique Ferraren
Collado, Krizzia Mae Canonizado
Dangle, Rica Mocloy
Dela Cruz, Mae Pablo
Diaz, Liezel Joy Matias
REFERENCE/S:
https://www.swimming.org/sport/history-of-front-crawl/
https://www.swimming.org/sport/history-of-breaststroke/
https://www.kreedon.com/5-types-of-swimming/
https://www.swimming.org/learntoswim/learning-the-four-swimming-strokes/
http://swimminglessonsonline.com/sidestroke.php#:~:text=Performing%20the%20Sidestroke,legs%2C%20keeping%20them%20close%20together.
https://www.swimmo.com/blog/inspiration/who-needs-a-sidestroke-a-story-of-a-forgotten-stroke/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y3kA3Giz9Y