The Freestyle Stroke or front crawl is often the preferred stroke of seasoned swimmers. It uses alternating arm movements with an above

water recovery. The legs execute a flutter kick. Freestyle is fast and efficient. In fact it is the fastest of all swimming strokes. That is why it

is used in freestyle competitions and in the swimming leg of triathlons.

Here a video that demonstrates the freestyle stroke:

The most popular swim strokes from those diferent swimming stokes. In breaststroke, both arms execute half-circular arm movements at

the same time under water in front of the swimmer. The arm recovery also occurs under water. The legs simultaneously execute a whip

kick. Breaststroke is often the first swimming stroke taught to beginners. In fact, many casual swimmers can only swim this stroke.

The advantage of breaststroke is that beginners can keep their head above the water. This avoids breathing and orientation issues. More

experienced swimmers however submerge their head during the stroke cycle to improve efficiency.

Breaststroke is the slowest of the competitive strokes. Here a short video that demonstrates breaststroke:

The butterfly stroke stands out among the competitive strokes because of it is unique and spectacular technique. It uses a symmetrical arm

stroke with an above water recovery. It also uses a wave-like body undulation and a dolphin kick.

Butterfly is the second fastest swim stroke after freestyle. It has a reputation of being hard to learn and is quickly exhausting. But once you

have mastered it, swimming a few lengths of butterfly can be a lot of fun.

Here a short video that demonstrates the butterfly stroke:

As its name suggests, backstroke is swum on the back. It uses alternating circular arm movements and an above water recovery. The legs

execute a flutter kick similar to the one used in freestyle. Backstroke is faster than breaststroke but slower than butterfly. Physicians often

prescribe backstroke swimming to people experiencing back problems because it gives the back an excellent workout.

Here a short video that demonstrates backstroke:

The sidestroke is an old swim stroke swum on the side that uses a scissor kick and asymmetrical under water arm movements. Side stroke

is not used in swimming competitions and is therefore swum less often nowadays. Nevertheless it is easy to learn and can be an interesting

alternative to the popular swim strokes. It is also used by lifeguards to rescue victims.

Here a short animation of the sidestroke: