At first, the swimming lessons focus on one thing: teaching students how to stay afloat while in the water. However, once the basics are mastered, students can focus on more complicated skills, including moving to individual strokes. If you’re not sure the difference between butterfly and breaststroke or front crawl and backstroke, take a few minutes to learn more about how to perform each stroke.

The crawl: one of the first strokes in swimming lessons

Tracking is probably the most common way to swim. When swimmers use the crawl, they kick their legs in a fluttering kick while pulling their arms out of the water to move them forward. If you’ve ever seen a swimming competition, you’ve probably seen the crawl during the freestyle event. Swimmers have the option of using any style during freestyle, however the front crawl is the most common because it is possible to move faster through the water.

The butterfly: a quick stroke for swimmers

If you are looking for speed and power, the butterfly is your style. When performing the butterfly, a swimmer’s arms, shoulders, head, and part of the chest come completely out of the water while the legs remain together while performing a dolphin kick. However, coordinating these movements can be quite difficult to learn and can be nearly impossible for younger children, which is why many swimming lessons do not include it until students are very advanced.

The back: one of the easiest ways to swim

After the front crawl, the backstroke is probably the easiest style to learn and some boys especially like it because they don’t need to put their face in the water. To perform the backstroke, swimmers float on their backs while performing a flutter kick just below the surface of the water. The arms are extended over the head and plunged into the water. It can be difficult to swim in a straight line when doing the backstroke, so you may need to pay close attention to the pool lanes.

Many competitive cyclists or people who compete in triathlons focus heavily on the back stroke because it is a great way to help counter overuse injuries to hip abductors and IT bands. The movements necessary for the back help to strengthen muscles that can be damaged by cycling or other excessive use.

The breaststroke: a difficult stroke to learn

Like the butterfly, the breaststroke is one of the most difficult to learn. In the stroke, the recovery portion of the stroke occurs underwater, which means that swimmers need to focus more on reducing resistance and speeding up the strokes. Swimmers who forget these details can find it even more difficult to perform the stroke correctly. Also, the lower half of the body is more important in the breaststroke and swimmers will use a frog kick to help them move through the water.

If you are interested in learning more about any of these strokes, including how to perform them correctly, contact a local swim center to inquire about swimming lessons.