This stroke is performed with your stomach facing down. Your arms move simultaneously beneath the surface of the water in a half circular movement in front of your body. Your legs perform the whip kick at the same time. The whip kick is executed by bringing your legs from straight behind you close to your body by bending both at your knees and at your hips. Your legs then move outward and off to the side before extending and coming back together. This swimming technique is often compared to a frog’s movement.

type:https://youtu.be/QGZ8rIy-YtI

to learn

To perform the butterfly stroke, start horizontal with your stomach facing the bottom of the pool. Bring your arms simultaneously over your head and push them into the water to propel you forward and bring them up out of the water again to repeat. As you move your arms into the water, you will push your head and shoulders above the surface of the water.

type:https://youtu.be/H16wDdWw3Cc

to learn

One way to remember the sidestroke is by comparing it to apple picking. Your first arm will stretch above your head and pick an apple, then your hands will meet in front of your chest. The first arm hands the apple to the second arm (the side of the body that is on top and partly out of the water). The second arm will reach out to toss the apple behind you as the first arm reaches above your head for another apple.

type:https://youtu.be/69Lx6LWlees

to learn

This is a variation from the typical backstroke you see. It uses a reversed breaststroke kick while your arms move in sync beneath the water. It’s called “elementary” because of its simple technique that’s easy to pick up, and is often one of the first swim strokes taught to new swimmers for this reason.

This stroke is often taught to children using fun nicknames for the parts of the movement. Bring your hands to your armpits like a monkey, spread your arms like an airplane, then push them down to your sides like a soldier.

type:https://youtu.be/WPgt7djgloQ

to learn

This is a form of the sidestroke that all US Navy SEALs have to learn. Efficient and energy-saving, the combat side stroke is a kind of a combination of breaststroke, freestyle, and, obviously, sidestroke. It reduces the swimmer’s profile in the water, making them less visible while allowing them to swim with maximum efficiency–two critical criteria for combat operations that require swimming on the surface. You will focus on balance, length, and rotation. 

type:https://youtu.be/ziymDC73Eug

to learn

This stroke evolved from the sidestroke and is named after the English swimmer John Trudgen. You swim mostly on your side, alternating lifting each arm out of the water and over your head. It uses a scissor kick that only comes in every other stroke. When your left arm is over your head, you spread your legs apart to prepare to kick, and then as the arm comes down you straighten your legs and snap them together for the scissor kick. This stroke is particularly unique because your head remains above the water for the entirety.

type:https://youtu.be/bLg5EhTw5Ww

to learn