An overview of the strokes

Breast Stroke

Breast Stroke is one of the most frequently used strokes. Swimmers believe it is the easiest stroke and often swim with their heads out of the water to prevent the face, or even hair, from getting wet. This requires more effort as the legs sink lower than the torso, and the neck is craned backwards, putting a strain on muscles and wasting energy.

Simply Swimming™ teaches swimmers to align themselves horizontally in the water allowing the body to take full advantage of its supporting properties. Breast Stroke, one of the slower strokes, can be a beautifully co-ordinated way to move through the water.

Front Crawl (Free Style)

Front crawl is often the stroke used when people first get into the water to warm up or increase their heart rate. Sometimes, without thought, the swimmer pushes off or dives into the water and thrashes their way to the end of the pool. Quite often they arrive at their destination exhausted, red faced and gasping for air.

Simply Swimming™ teaches correct body alignment and the use of spirals and rotations to achieve a streamlined and free movement. Arm movement ensure the swimmer does not hyper-extend the arms but reaches forward to achieve maximum length through releasing muscles and creating a flowing rhythmic movement.

Back Stroke

Backstroke is often swum alternately with either breaststroke or front crawl. Swimmers can often be seen making a bicycle movement with their legs and a windmill action with their arms. The results can create propulsion, but the action is often staccato and does not flow freely.

Simply Swimming™ teaches correct body alignment in the water and a shoulder friendly arm movement reducing strain caused by windmilling the arms through 360 degrees. Back should be used in every swimming session to ensure the body has a workout that comprises the use of all antagonistic muscle groups.