Swimming Skills

Path-Fit 3
Group 5
 Outline of Topics
1. Basic Swimming Skills
2. Other Basic Skills Every Swimmer Needs
3. Basic Swimming Strokes and Styles
 1
Basic Swimming Skills
 Basic Swimming Skills
1 2 3

BREATHING BREATHING DIVING

(Endurance) (Timing)

4 5
FLIP-TURN KICKING
 Swimming has and always will be
an endurance sport. For that
reason, it is absolutely crucial that
you are able to have a strong
BREATHING aerobic capacity to be able to swim
for extended periods of time.
(Endurance) Having good lung capacity may be a
genetic trait, but it is something
that can be developed over time
with good practice.
Being able to take deep breaths is
not the only aerobic skill involved
in swimming. The other piece to
breathing well while swimming is
the timing of your breaths. To
maximize efficiency across the pool
or water, you should be taking as
BREATHING
few breaths as possible while (Timing)
covering as much distance as
possible. It is often said that
breathing every two strokes is best
when swimming.
 Often overlooked among swimming
skills is the ability to time your

Breathing breaths with your strokes. When

learning to breathe while

Properly
swimming, beginners tend to lift
their heads above the water when
they run out of air and gasp for
more.
 The basic idea involves breathing
out through both your nose and
mouth when your head is

Breathing underwater, then lifting your head

to the side and taking a full breath

Properly
before plunging your face back
down under the surface. Practice
this motion when holding onto the
side of the pool with your arms
outstretched.
 1. Stand in chest-deep water in the pool,
facing the wall, hands on the pool
edge.
2. Bend over at the waist, breathe in and
place your face in the water.

Breathing
3. Slowly but forcefully blow out the air
in your lungs through your nose and
mouth.

Properly
4. Rotate your head as you exhale, tilting
it to the side, toward the surface of
the water.
5. When your cheek and mouth emerge
above water, inhale. Don't gasp or lift
your head too high.
6. Repeat the exercise, breathing to the
left and then to the right side.
 DIVING

Having a proper dive can be the make or break in

winning a race in the pool. Especially in short races, the
dive can take up nearly half the length of the pool if
extended in such a way. Diving can take two main forms:
forward in most cases and backward for the backstroke.
Diving into the pool is one of the
necessary swimming skills — even
if it starts outside of the water.
Always practice diving in a deep
pool with a lifeguard on duty.

When you begin, diving may only DIVING

involve putting your hands
together above your head and
gently curling your body forward
toward the water until you fall in,
headfirst.
If your race features more than one length of the pool, then you will need
to be able to execute a proper flip-turn to turn around quickly and
powerfully. Flip-turns are also referred to as tumble turns or, most
generally, turns. Depending on the stroke, you will need to complete a
turn to boost yourself off the wall to send you to the next race length.
Flip-turns are only allowed in freestyle and backstroke races. In
breaststroke and butterfly, an “open turn” in which you skillfully touch
the wall and quickly throw your legs to the wall to boost off is permitted.

FLIP - TURN
Having proper kicking technique is
vital to having a good stroke.
Swimmers often think too much
about their arms and forget about
their legs when trying to learn the KICKING
strokes. However, kicking well is
just as important as perfecting your
arm techniques.
 2
Other Basic Skills Every
Swimmer Needs
Sculling is a back-and-forth motion
with your hands, like you’re drawing a
figure eight. Your elbows should stay
relaxed, and you should have minimal
shoulder movement. Keep your palms
slightly oriented in the direction that
you would like to travel as you apply
pressure to the water. The most
SCULLING
common mistake people make when
sculling is making a circular motion
similar to a small breaststroke pull
instead of the figure eight.
 Coordinating Your
Actions
Beginning swimmers often find themselves messily
chopping through the water with their limbs. That's fine.
It takes a while to get a feel for moving your limbs in time.
You must also get used to simultaneously moving the
muscles in your lower back, abdomen and hips to power
you forward.
Once you feel confident with basic swimming
skills, mastering a specific stroke is your next challenge.

This will be discussed in our next topics.

LEARNING STROKES
 3
Basic Swimming Strokes
and Styles
 BASIC SWIMMING
STROKES AND STYLES
1. Front Crawl
2. Breaststroke
3. Side Stroke
4. Elementary Backstroke
5. Freestyle
6. Butterfly
7. Backstroke
 FRONT CRAWL
The front crawl has three parts: the flutter kick, the rotating arm
stroke, and rhythmic breathing. It is the fastest swimming stroke.
Kick - The flutter kick begins at the hips and flows to the feet. As one foot moves
downward, the other comes up in a fluttering rhythm. Kick from the hip and thigh, not
from the knee. During the downward part of the kick, your ankle stays relaxed, toes are
pointed behind you, and your knee is slightly bent. As your foot reaches the end of the
kick, straighten your leg and allow your foot to snap downward. As your foot moves
upward, keep that leg and knee straight. The kick should be smooth and steady, and
your feet should stay just under the water with only your heels breaking the surface.
Your big toes should almost touch one another as they pass. You can practice the kick
by holding the edge of the pool or by supporting yourself on a kick board.
 FRONT CRAWL
The front crawl has three parts: the flutter kick, the rotating arm
stroke, and rhythmic breathing. It is the fastest swimming stroke.

Arm stroke - Most of the forward motion of the front crawl comes from the
arm stroke, which has three phases: catch, power, and recovery. To begin the
catch, slightly bend your right wrist and elbow as you move the entire arm
downward. Have your palm facing away from your body. Keep your elbow,
hand, and wrist fixed in this position. Your hand should be directly in line with
your shoulder.
 FRONT CRAWL
The front crawl has three parts: the flutter kick, the rotating arm
stroke, and rhythmic breathing. It is the fastest swimming stroke.
Breathing and Coordination - Swimmers doing the front crawl use a breathing
rhythm of one breath for every one, two, three, or more arm cycles. Practice taking a
breath for every set of arm cycles on the same side. When your face is in the water,
slowly exhale through your nose and mouth. When you need to take a breath, exhale
all of the remaining air into the water during the power phase of the arm stroke. As
your body rotates during the middle of the power phase, start turning your head so
that your mouth is out of the water just as your hand exits by your hip. At the
beginning of the recovery phase, inhale quickly and return your head to its former
position.
People like the breaststroke because it conserves energy, they can
keep their head above water, and it can be done for longer
distances. It uses a whip kick and a shallow arm pull. Float with
your stomach facing down, then move your arms in a half-circle
motion in front of the body. Bend your legs, then kick back with
good timing, and you’ll propel yourself up and forward. This is a
great workout and is recommended for those who swim for
exercise.

BREASTSTROKE
 SIDE STROKE
• The sidestroke is a good long-distance stroke with a long, restful glide.

• Although not one of the official four strokes in competitive swimming,

the sidestroke is a great survival technique. This is commonly used by
lifeguards because you can hold onto another person and keep them
above water while you swim. Lie on your side and scissor your legs to
propel yourself forward. It’s a great leg workout because your legs do
most of the propulsion. Alternate by meeting your hands in front of your
chest, then darting your arms outward, one back and one forward. This
can be challenging to learn, but important for helping others.
The elementary backstroke is another restful stroke, a
good one to use when you need to swim for longer
periods of time.

ELEMENTARY
BACKSTROKE
 FREESTYLE
Also known as the front crawl, this is the classic
swimming posture. Lie on your stomach and flutter your
legs while alternating the arms in a windmill motion.
You propel yourself forward with moderate speed in a
specific direction. The freestyle is a great competitive
and exercise stroke, and allows you to swim longer
distances without exhaustion.
An excellent workout and common competitive stroke–possibly
because it tests a mature swimmer–the butterfly is performed by
bringing your arms up above your head, then pushing them down
into the water to propel yourself forward. Your legs perform a
dolphin kick, in which they stay together and kick simultaneously in
a bobbing fashion. This is a very difficult stroke to learn, but if you
take swimming classes in private, you can work diligently to learn
this challenging stroke. A swimming teacher will help you learn
proper technique and guide you until you perfect it.

BUTTERFLY
 BACKSTROKE
Lie on your back and flutter your legs while circling your
arms in a windmill motion. It’s very similar to the freestyle,
but you swim on your back and propel yourself backwards.
Many doctors recommend this technique to those who have
back problems, or to develop stronger back muscle. This can
be a more difficult stroke, though, so consider getting
private swim lessons to learn the proper technique here.
BACK
SIDE
BREAST STROKE
CRAWL
 SOURCES

https://www.livestrong.com/article/501815-five-basic-skills-in-
swimming/?fbclid=IwAR2Xz4KBnlRAYfR0Oi5ALX3Q4pPSGpDJny7VowU70CYws
7K6Z8KFupieXpI
https://troopleader.scouting.org/basic-swimming-strokes/