Swimming is not rocket science but learning how to swim can be pretty daunting. The process could be made much easier if you would (unlike most people do) actually take the time to learn the techniques of swimming and understand how they work before plunging into the water.
We have complied this list of the 4 major swimming techniques to help you learn better and faster. If you’re already an accomplished swimmer, you can learn ways in which your technique may be improved upon. Read on for more details.
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The Forward Crawl
This is pretty much the most popularly used swimming technique (based on observation) and it’s probably the image most people have in mind when they think about swimming. To perform the forward crawl effectively, you push off into the water in the prone position (chest down, back up) and twist your body over to one side, such that one arm is immersed in water and the other is elevated. You then reach forward over your head with the elevated arm, and swing it forward into the water, dragging it downwards below your body and back up to your side, using it like you would a paddle, then twist over and repeat with the other arm. You’ve got to execute this motion relatively rapidly.
Using your feet will help you swim faster and more efficiently and you can do this by flapping both feet, one after the other.
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The butterfly stroke
Butterfly’s don’t swim so why is this swimming technique named after them? We’re not quite sure, as the motion itself does not exactly resemble the motion of a butterfly but, oh well. To perform a butterfly stroke, you start off in the prone position with your arms fully extend in front of your body. You then push both arms backwards and under your body simultaneously, and then lift your arms up and over your head from the back, again, simultaneously, and return them back to the starting position and repeat. Your arms should be making a circular motion from front to back and your legs should flip backwards twice: once as you bring your arms backward and again as you return them to their starting position.
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The Breaststroke
To execute the breast stroke, you lie in horizontal position on your stomach, with your arms stretched out. Twist your palms away from each other and pull both arms away from each other, until they look like a Y, then you bring your arms together in front of your chest and elevate your head out of the water. As you bring your hands together, you should be retracting your legs upwards and then extend them backwards as you elevate your head out of the water, in much the same motion as a frog makes when it leaps.
Conclusion
There are other techniques used for swimming, but you will need to master these ones if you want to get better naturally. Remember that although learning the theory well should be the starting point, you can only truly master the technique by getting into a swimming pool and practicing over and over again.
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