Introduction
When a person propels himself through water, for either recreation, sport, exercise or survival, it is called swimming.
There are many different ways for one to propel himself through water. Some techniques have been developed for people to propel themselves through water. They are called swimming strokes.
There any many different kinds of swimming strokes, such as the Front Crawl, the Butterfly stroke, the Backstroke, the Breaststroke, the Sidestroke, and many more. Swimming strokes have been developed for recreation, sport, exercise or survival purposes
This WebQuest will be focusing on three swimming strokes: the Front Crawl, the Back Stroke, and the Breast Stroke.
Task
In this WebQuest I will be focusing on three swimming strokes
- The Front Crawl
- The Back Stroke
- The Breast Stroke
The Front Crawl is a swimming stroke that requires you to Flutter Kick your legs ( kick your legs with your hips and not a lot with your knees, while keeping your toes pointed), and to reach forward with you arms with alternating strokes.
The Back Stroke is a swimming stroke that requires you to lie on your back while flutter kicking your legs, and to reach back with you arms with circular alternating strokes. It's like front crawl, but on your back.
The Breast Stroke is a swimming stroke that is done on your front, and it requires you to perform an arm cycle that will push outward and then toward your chest to propel yourself forward.
Process
When swimming Front Crawl, you should pay attention to body position, arm movement, leg movement, and breathing.
Body position: You should be lying flat on the water surface with your head looking down into the water.
Arm movement: Pull with your palms facing down as your arms make circular rotations in line with your body. Rotate your arm all the way past your upper thigh and bending your elbow, complete the circular rotation as you finger tips cut back into the water again. This is alternated between both your arms.
Leg movement: Have relaxed ankles, but pointed toes while quickly kicking your legs with your hips. Do not kick with your calves, but keep your legs straight and kick with your hips with pointed toes.
Breathing: Which side you breath on depends on if you are left or right handed, for you will breath on your dominant side. As your dominant arm comes past your upper thigh and out of the water, turn your head sideways ( do not lift your head up) towards your dominant arm and take an one second breath before turning your head back to looking down in the water.
BACK STROKE:
When swimming Back Stroke, your arms will be moving back in circular alternating rotations, like front crawl.
Arm Action: Your arm should come out of the water with your thumb facing up. Your arm will than do a half circle rotation and re-enter the water with your pinky finger. Then at a moderate speed ( not a quick thrust under water) you face your palm to the bottom of the pool and complete the underwater rotation of the arm with your elbow slightly bent. Extend your arm when it comes to your thigh with your thumb up and start the process over again.
Kicking: This is very similar to Front Crawl as you use the flutter kick, but you are now lying on you back. Also, in Back Stroke you knees should be slightly bent on the downbeat of the kick.
Breathing: If you breath in a consistent pattern, it will aid to the rhythm of your stroke. Usually people take a breath whenever their arm completes a full cycle.
In The Water: You should be lying on your back, keeping your body flat on the water with your legs slightly under water for the flutter kick, but not too low. The water should cover you ears and your eyes should look up and backward.
Turning: Since you are swimming on your back, you cannot really tell where the wall is and where you need to turn around, so that is why there is a special turning technique. When you are getting close to a wall, flip onto your stomach and stop you arms from rotating at your thighs. Then somersault forward so that you head is pointing away from the wall, and plant you feet on the wall with you knees apart. Straighten your legs to push off from the wall and pull your arms tight to your ears with your hands on top of each other.
BREAST STROKE:
When swimming Breast Stroke, you must consider your Body position, Arm movement, Leg movement , and Breathing.
Body Position: You will be lying on your front facing down ,and you body should be flat and in line with the water's surface.
Arm Movement: With your arms straight out and your palms facing down, push downward and outward with your palms. then with your elbows elevated above your hands, pull toward your chest, propelling your body forward. Once your hands are at your chest, put your palms together in a praying position, and still keeping your palms together, push your arms out straight again.
Leg Movement: Starting with your legs out straight, bend your knees and bring your heels towards your bottom, and then kick out in a circular fashion and straighten your legs again.
Breathing: When you pull towards your chest, you should lift your head up and take a breath. When you push your arms out straight again, you should exhale bubbles into the water. This is a good breathing pattern.
Once you have completed the kick and straightened out your arms, you should be able to glide forward from the propulsion of your kick. Try to glide for one to two seconds, for this is actually a fast part of the stroke.
Evaluation
If you are having trouble swimming these three strokes, here are some tips that may help.
If you are having trouble swimming Front Crawl, her are some helpful tips.
- Make sure you are stretching your arms as far as you can, for the longer the arm the more effective and efficient the stroke.
- Try to keep a straight body in the water, for this will reduce drag.
- Take short and quick breaths instead of long ones.
If you are having some difficulty at mastering Back Stroke, her are some things to remember.
- Avoid holding your breath and breath in a rhythmic pattern that matches the rhythm of the stroke.
If you are having difficulty mastering Breast Stroke, her are some helpful tips.
- When your arms are pulling towards your chest, that is when your knees should be bending your feet towards your bottom. When your arms are pushing out again, your legs should kick out as well.
- the gliding phase of Breast Stroke is the fastest, so do not rush though it.
- Keep your feet in a flat foot position while performing the kick.
Conclusion
This WebQuest has covered information on the Front Crawl, the Back Stroke, and the Breast Stroke. It talked about what these strokes are, how to do them, and how to improve them and know you are doing them right.
Swimming can be a professional job, but in order for you to achieve this, you will need to be at the top of the sport. You will need to train constantly, keep your body fit, and have a will and determination to continue. Joining a swimming club and working up from there can be the beginning of becoming a professional swimmer. Professional swimming is defiantly a huge commitment.
For people who just want to swim for exercise and recreational purposes, there are many gyms and recreational centers with pools that you can use to take part in swimming.
Swimming is a fun activity that allows people to propel or travel through one of earths most important substances: water!
By using the swimming strokes discussed, swimming can become more interesting and effective for you. Happy swimming!