History of Swimming
History of Swimming
History of Swimming
Treading Water
Although it's technically not a type of floating, treading water makes it easy to transition
between floating positions. Because your head remains completely above the water's
surface, treading water is ideal in situations where you need to look at your
surroundings. Keeping your arms outstretched, move them slowly just under the surface
of the water while performing scissor kicks to stay afloat.
1. Backstroke – When swimming the backstroke, your face is to the sky because
you’re on your back. Think of this as the stroke you learn after you learn how to
float. To get moving doing the backstroke, lay on your back, extend your arms
straight in front of you, and then, in an alternating fashion, pull your arm (thumbs
out) behind your head before landing pinky first into the water. The stroke doesn’t
stop when you hit the water. Keep on pulling that arm through until you’ve reached
a 360-degree turn. Then repeat with the other arm. While performing this cyclical
pattern, your feet will remain in a constant flutter kick, working with your upper body
to propel you swiftly through the water.
2. Butterfly – The butterfly is often the stroke that will be pretty tricky for your child.
For this stroke, you are on your stomach in the water. Start by placing both of your
arms straight in front of you at the 12 o’clock position, palms slightly tilted outward
at about a shoulder’s width apart. For the arm motion, move your arms through the
surface of the water downward to perform a semicircular pattern until your arms
resurface. While performing this arm movement, your legs should be scurrying
through the water in a dolphin-like fashion.
3. Freestyle – You’re probably already familiar with the freestyle stroke without even
knowing it! It probably was the first stroke you learned as a kid. Freestyle is
performed face down, with alternating movement of the arms. Each stroke is
performed by driving an arm forward and pushing the water below the surface to
propel you forward. Your body (hips and shoulders) should tilt with each arm
stroke. As you move your arms, turn your face to the side to breathe. You should
always be looking at the bottom of the pool, or to the side, never lifting your head
out of the water to look straight ahead. While your arms are rotating, your legs
should be in a constant flutter kick.
4.
5. Breaststroke – The breaststroke is the fourth and final competitive swim stroke. In
fact, it reminds a lot of people of the movement of a frog! Start face down in the
water with your arms at your side. For the arm motion, push your hands forward
(about shoulder-width apart) all the way before settling into a curvature motion,
each arm pressing away from your body, through the water and then back to it to
complete the circle. Each time your hands meet in front of you, bring your chest
out of the water to take a breath.