In competitive swimming there are four different strokes
that both men and women train and compete in. Three out of
four of the strokes are swum on a person's stomach and one
on the back. The picture to the above shows the different
phases of the four different swimming strokes. There are
four main phases for each stroke. The sequence starts with
the second photo from the left which is the catch, the
third is the power phase, then the glide, and each stroke
finishes with the recovery phase. As shown photo, from top
to bottom, the four competative strokes are freestyle,
breastroke, backstroke, and butterfly.
Figure 1: recovery-catch-power-glide
Photo from 2.bp.blogspot.com
Freestyle
The freestyle, commonly known as the front crawl,
is the most common and typically the easiest and
first stroke for people to master. It is defined
by its alternating arm strokes on the stomach and
alternating flutter kick while the swimmer faces
the bottom of the pool.
Photo from livehealthy.chron.com
Breastroke
The breaststroke is typically the hardest
stroke to master because it requires
simultaneous motion of the arms and legs
with very specific timing. The hands press
on the surface of the water to make a
heart shape while the legs perform a frog
kick. The kick starts with the legs
straight, then bends at the knees so the
feet touch the butt, and recovers with a
circular motion.
Photo from images.theage.com.au
Backstroke
The backstroke is performed exactly like
the freestyle except on the back looking
up towards the sky or ceiling.
Photo from swimminglessonsideas.com
Butterfly
Butterfly can be the most beautiful of the four
strokes, but also tends to require the most energy. It
requires a simultaneous movement of the arms with a
dolphin kick. The arms begin above the head and press
on the water forming a full circle with the arms to
recovery while the kick begins at the hips in a
wavelike motion. The legs must stay together during
the kick and cannot flutter, sissor, or breaststroke
kick.
Photo from theswimmingexpert.com
