Swimming technique for beginners

Swimming

We all love to swim and it is not only an enjoyable exercise, it is also healthy. While we swim, we actually strengthen our muscles, burn calories and the chances for damaging our joints are minimal. This kind of exercise is good even for older people.

Historicalfacts tell us that people swim since the ancient days. Babies are able to swim from the very first day of their life, which tells us that the swimming skill is something that we inherit. However, don’t experiment with your baby at home, because the consequences can be fatal.

When you want to swim, it is essential to learn different swimming strokes, so that you can do it right. Well-known swimming strokes are: the crawl (freestyle), the backstroke, the breaststroke and the butterfly. The most difficult swimming strokes are the breaststroke and the butterfly.

The Crawl

This kind of swimming stroke is very famous and it is easy to learn. The crawl is performed by rotating your arms and kicking your legs while your stomach is floating in the water. The breathing technique here can be the only problem since your head is under the water most of the time. Someone can find it hard to coordinate the movements with the breathing. When you raise one arm, you should also turn your head on side, in order to take a breath. You shouldn’t lift your head because that will slow you down, just turn it aside, so that your nose is out of the water. When you raise your other arm, turn your head on the other side and do the same.

The Backstroke

This technique is similar to the crawl, only with the difference that here you are turned on your back. The same as in the crawl, you move your arms alternatively and your legs are kicked in a fluttering motion. Only the movements of your legs should be more intense than in the crawl. Breathing is not a problem here, because your face is out of the water all thetime.

The Breaststroke

This swimming technique is not adequate for beginners. Here it is very important to coordinate strokes and the breathing, which can be very hard. You should start with the arms up over your head and then pull them to your chest through the water. Then you straighten your legs and put your head down. You should take a breath every time your arms are up.

The Butterfly Stroke

This is also a very hard technique and has many similarities with the breaststroke. Here you should move your legs in the same manner like a dolphin is moving its tail. The arms are pulled through the water together but take a breath when your arms are high above your head.