Swimming Stroke Techniques: Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke

Crawl (Freestyle)

Body position

Body position: As horizontal as possible to minimize resistance. Do not let the feet sink or raise the head. Keep the shoulders rolled but aligned and relaxed.

Breathing

Breathing: Breathe through the mouth and nose as needed. Breathe to the side by turning the trunk; the mouth reaches the surface when the elbow leaves the water while the opposite arm is extending. Maximum inspiration occurs when the head is at its highest point. Inhalation is taken with roughly half the face out of the water. There should be a continuous inspiration–expiration cycle (avoid prolonged apnea).

Action legs

Action legs: Flutter kick (a quick flapping movement). The main function is to stabilize hip movement. Movement originates from the hip outward. The water should be broken with the big toe.

Feet / foot position

Feet: Heels slightly separated.

Common Errors

• Excessive pedaling movement
• Incorrect scissor kick

NAT Therapy

NAT therapy: Often highly recommended to reduce the effects of gravity and to facilitate movement against high resistance.

Postural conditions

• Hyperkyphosis (thoracic kyphosis): increased thoracic curvature.
• Hyperlordosis (lumbar hyperlordosis): increased lumbar curvature.
• Scoliosis: lateral deviation of the spine; can be simple or complex.

Exercises and principles

Exercises: Abdominal work is important to establish stability and core control. The water environment offers conditions suitable for hypopressive and isometric work.

For thoracic hyperkyphosis: work the dorsal extensors and perform exercises that lengthen the thoracic curve—examples include head-to-feet extension, thoracic opening, and scapular approximation (scapular retraction).

For lumbar hyperlordosis: adopt positions such as the fetal position to reduce lumbar extension; ensure hamstring flexibility (ischios) is addressed.

For dorsal and lumbar scoliosis: work the muscles opposite to the area of greatest curvature (strengthen contralateral muscles).

Order of teaching

1. Leg action, head and body
2. Position
3. Breathing
4. Arm action — recovery
5. Arm action — traction (pull)

Backstroke

Head and body position

Head and body: Keep the head lifted appropriately and the hips near the surface. Maintain a streamlined, supine alignment.

Legs

Legs: Alternate lateral kicks. The propulsive phase is mainly upward. Keep the feet in extension and slight internal rotation as the knees bend; maintain ankle dorsiflexion and pointed extension where appropriate.

Arms action

Recovery (extension): The shoulder leads the recovery; the arm extends through the whole route. The hand and forearm move toward the line of the scapula during recovery.

Drive (pull): The pull should be as wide as needed with a slightly flexed elbow. Water entry: little finger first, in line with the shoulder extension. During the pull the elbow flexes to approximately 90° to generate force. The drive ends with the hand below the hip.

Coordination

Coordination: When one arm enters the water, the other arm should be finishing its drive (avoid a dead point). Good leg propulsion is important to keep the body near the surface.

Breaststroke

Body position and breathing

Body position & breathing: At the end of the pull the breath is taken. The body is positioned with a slight diagonal during the cycle so that breathing occurs at the end of the traction.

Leg action

Action legs: Symmetric and simultaneous kick. The feet perform a sweep with external rotation and dorsiflexion, finishing in extension. The kick accelerates and is then collected slowly. Legs move in a loop from outside to inside. The feet form a fully stretched position as they move to extension (often described as a 'W' shape when preparing for the kick).

Arm action

Arm action: The recovery is underwater with the hands under the body. The traction (pull) is roughly a half arc (heart-shaped). Hands are stretched forward during the glide and extended while you exhale and return to the catch.

Coordination

Coordination: Sequence the stroke in the order: pull & hands, breathing, kick, and extension/glide. Timing between arms, breathing and the kick is essential for efficiency.