The four strokes, or styles, are:
Freestyle is usually the fastest stroke, done by alteranting arm strokes and turning your head to the side with the raised arm to breathe. Your feet move in alternating up and down kicks. In freestyle races, you begin by doing a forward facing dive into the pool. In a single lap race, you must touch the opposite wall of the pool with some part of your body. In multiple lap races, you turn around by using either an open turn or a flip turn, in which you touch the wall with your feet instead of your hands, and finish the race by touching the wall with your hand. You may not push off the bottom of the pool or pull the lane line.
Backstroke is a upside down freestyle, with the same arm and leg movments. However, you must stay on your back, except for doing a flip turn to turn around during multi lap races. Swimmers may not turn their arms more than 90 degrees, and start the race in the water, by pushing off the wall.
Butterfly is done with two dolphin kicks for each arm pull. The arm pulls are done simultaneously and underwater. The swimmer generally breathes by lifting the head and shoulders. Butterfly races begin with a forward-facing dive, and swimmers must finish each lap by touching the wall with two hands simultaneously. At the beginning of each lap, swimmers will do underwater dolphin kicks, but must break the surface of the water with their head at or
before 15 meters. In multi-lap races, swimmers will do open turns, as opposed to flip turns.
before 15 meters. In multi-lap races, swimmers will do open turns, as opposed to flip turns.
breaststroke is done by moving arms and legs simultaneously, and identically to each other. The arms and legs stay mostly underwater, but a swimmer’s head must break the surface every stroke. Scissor kicks are not allowed. Each stroke begins and ends in streamline position. The hands scoop water out to the sides, before sweeping in toward the middle of the body and then shooting forward. Swimmers are not allowed to pull their hands down past their hips, and must keep their elbows in the water when their hands are going forward. During the breastroke kick, point your toes out to the side as the feet sweep out, around, and back together. For every arm stroke there is one kick. Breaststroke races begin with a forward-facing dive . At the beginning of each lap,
swimmers do one pull-down, and one giant kick to the surface. On the first stroke after the pull-down, a swimmer’s head must break the surface of the water. At the end of each lap of a breaststroke race, swimmers touch the wall with two hands. In multi-lap races, swimmers use open turns, not flip turns.
swimmers do one pull-down, and one giant kick to the surface. On the first stroke after the pull-down, a swimmer’s head must break the surface of the water. At the end of each lap of a breaststroke race, swimmers touch the wall with two hands. In multi-lap races, swimmers use open turns, not flip turns.
Competitions:
The individual is a race in which the swimmers swim each stroke for one-fourthof the race. During each part of the event, swimmers must swim the strokes correctly. They must also swim the strokes in this order: butterfly, backstroke, breastroke, freestyle. IM races begin with a forward-facing dive.
In a relay, four swimmers compete together.A swimmer may swim only once in
a relay, and must swim one-fourth of the race. In a medley relay, each swimmer swims a
different stroke. In a medley relay the strokes must be swum in this order: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle.
Freestyle relays begin with a forward-facing dive, while medley relays begin with a backstroke start. All the
other swimmers in a relay can begin with a “rolling” start, if they do not
leave the blocks before their teammate touches the wall.
a relay, and must swim one-fourth of the race. In a medley relay, each swimmer swims a
different stroke. In a medley relay the strokes must be swum in this order: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle.
Freestyle relays begin with a forward-facing dive, while medley relays begin with a backstroke start. All the
other swimmers in a relay can begin with a “rolling” start, if they do not
leave the blocks before their teammate touches the wall.