How to Swim All Four Strokes

Summary

This video script is a comprehensive guide to mastering the four competitive swimming strokes: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. It emphasizes the importance of knowing each stroke for a well-rounded workout that challenges speed, endurance, strength, and skill. The script provides detailed instructions on technique, including body positioning, arm movements, kicks, and breathing patterns for each stroke. It also touches on the benefits of swimming for overall fitness and injury prevention, and encourages viewers to step out of their comfort zone to improve their swimming abilities.

Takeaways

• 🏊 Mastering all four competitive strokes (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle) is essential for a well-rounded swimming skill set.
• 🏅 The individual medley, combining all four strokes, tests a swimmer's speed, endurance, strength, and skill.
• 💪 Training in all strokes helps build a strong, resilient body that is less prone to injury and enhances overall fitness.
• 🌟 Incorporating different strokes into your swimming routine can prevent boredom and improve your performance.
• 🦋 The butterfly stroke requires precise timing and a powerful pull, with an emphasis on high elbows and a streamlined recovery.
• 🤸‍♂️ For the butterfly kick, keeping legs together and toes pointed optimizes the kick's efficiency and rhythm.
• 👀 In backstroke, maintaining a neutral head position and focusing on a straight line in the water is crucial for swimming straight.
• 🔄 The breaststroke involves a sequence of pull, breathe, kick, and glide, with an emphasis on timing and a frog-like kick.
• 🌪 Freestyle, or front crawl, benefits from a balanced pull, body rotation, and a streamlined body position to minimize drag.
• 🔁 Practicing all strokes, even those that are challenging, is essential for improving overall swimming ability and getting out of your comfort zone.

Q & A

What are the four competitive strokes in swimming?

The four competitive strokes in swimming are butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.

What is an individual medley?

An individual medley is a swimming event where all four competitive strokes are swum together in a specific order: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.

Why is it important to master all four strokes?

Mastering all four strokes challenges the muscles in different ways, works every single muscle in the body, and helps build strong, resilient bodies that are less prone to injury.

How does swimming different strokes keep workouts interesting?

Swimming different strokes helps prevent boredom by adding variety to workouts, which can be monotonous if only one stroke is swum.

What is the key to a good butterfly stroke?

The key to a good butterfly stroke is proper timing and a powerful pull, with an emphasis on body position, early vertical forearm catch, and effective kick timing.

How should one breathe during the butterfly stroke?

During the butterfly stroke, one should breathe by lifting the head up right after the catch as the arms come forward, taking a quick breath without lifting the head too high.

What is unique about the backstroke compared to other strokes?

The backstroke is unique because it is the only stroke that requires the swimmer to be entirely on their back.

How can one swim straight in backstroke?

To swim straight in backstroke, one should focus on overhead, maintain equal strength in both arms, and keep the head from moving too much to maintain a neutral head position.

What are the four steps of the breaststroke kick?

The four steps of the breaststroke kick are: up (pulling heels to buttocks), out (kicking out with flexed feet), around (sweeping legs around), and together (squeezing legs back together).

Why is body position important in freestyle swimming?

In freestyle swimming, proper body position with high hips and a neutral head position reduces drag and helps maintain efficiency and speed.

How should one breathe during freestyle swimming?

During freestyle swimming, one should breathe by turning the head to the side while maintaining a neutral position, taking a quick breath while keeping one eye in the water and one eye out.

Outlines

00:00

🏊‍♂️ Mastering the Art of Swimming

The paragraph emphasizes the importance of mastering all four competitive strokes in swimming: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. These strokes, when combined, form the individual medley, which tests a swimmer's speed, endurance, strength, and skill. The narrator promises to guide viewers on perfecting each stroke's technique, suggesting that by the end of the video, they will be able to attempt every stroke like a professional. The paragraph also encourages viewers to share their favorite stroke in the comments and introduces the first stroke to be discussed: the butterfly. The importance of learning all strokes is highlighted, as it challenges muscles in different ways, leading to a full-body workout and a strong, resilient body that's less prone to injury. The paragraph concludes by encouraging viewers to add variety to their swimming routine by incorporating different strokes.

05:01

🦋 The Butterfly Stroke: Grace and Power

This section delves into the intricacies of the butterfly stroke, which is considered the most challenging of the four competitive strokes. The paragraph discusses the importance of body position, with the hips high and the head neutral, to create an optimal baseline for the stroke. The technique for the butterfly pull is described, emphasizing the 'early vertical forearm' where the hand, wrist, and forearm act as a paddle. The recovery phase is also covered, with advice to keep the arms relaxed and close to the water's surface. The kick, which is often a challenge for many swimmers, is detailed, highlighting the need for a synchronized and powerful kick to maintain rhythm. The paragraph concludes with advice on breathing, suggesting a pattern that complements the swimmer's stroke and prevents fatigue.

10:02

🔄 Backstroke: The Art of Swimming Backwards

The paragraph focuses on the backstroke, the only stroke that requires swimmers to be on their back. It addresses the challenge of swimming straight and provides tips for maintaining a proper body position, including keeping the hips up and the head neutral. The backstroke pull is described, with a focus on the 'pinky first' entry to minimize drag. The flutter kick is explained, suggesting a small and fast kick to reduce drag. The paragraph also discusses the importance of rotation, suggesting that it should be driven by the hips or shoulders, depending on the swimmer's strength. Lastly, advice is given on how to swim straight in backstroke, including focusing on an overhead point, ensuring equal arm strength, and maintaining a neutral head position.

🤱 Breaststroke: The Short Axis Stroke

This section covers the breaststroke, known for its unique frog-like kick and the importance of timing and power. The paragraph begins with the streamlined body position, crucial for efficiency in breaststroke. It outlines the four steps of the breaststroke: pull, breathe, kick, and glide, emphasizing the sequence and the importance of a quick return to streamline. The pull is described in detail, with a focus on the 'early vertical forearm catch' and the power generated during this phase. The unique kick of the breaststroke is then explained, broken down into steps for clarity. The paragraph concludes with advice on the pull-out, a technique used after starts and turns, and encourages practice to perfect the timing and execution of the breaststroke.

🏊‍♂️ Freestyle: Simplicity in Efficiency

The final paragraph discusses the freestyle or front crawl, often the first stroke learned by swimmers due to its relative ease among competitive strokes. It begins with the importance of body position, with the hips high and the head neutral to avoid drag. The freestyle pull is detailed, focusing on a relaxed yet powerful motion, and the 'early vertical forearm pull' for efficiency. The paragraph advises against crossing arms and emphasizes the importance of a high elbow during the recovery phase. Breathing in freestyle is covered, suggesting a neutral head position and a quick breath during the body's natural rotation. The freestyle kick is described as simple and hip-driven, avoiding excessive knee bend. The paragraph concludes with advice on working on challenging strokes, the importance of getting out of one's comfort zone, and a recommendation to try an IM (Individual Medley) in the next workout. It also promotes the my swim Pro app for personalized swimming training.

Keywords

💡Competitive Strokes

Competitive strokes refer to the four recognized swimming styles used in competitive swimming: butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. These strokes are the foundation of competitive swimming and are essential for any swimmer aiming to excel in the sport. In the video, the narrator emphasizes the importance of mastering all four strokes to challenge different muscle groups and build a strong, resilient body that is less prone to injury.

💡Individual Medley

The individual medley (IM) is a swimming event that combines all four competitive strokes into a single race, swum in the order of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. It is a test of a swimmer's versatility and endurance. The video script mentions the individual medley as a way to demonstrate mastery over all strokes, highlighting the comprehensive nature of the challenge it presents.

💡Butterfly Stroke

The butterfly stroke is a challenging and physically demanding swimming style characterized by simultaneous arm and leg movements that mimic the flapping of a butterfly's wings. It is described in the video as the toughest stroke to master, requiring proper timing, powerful strokes, and a strong baseline of strength. The script provides detailed instructions on body position, pull, kick, and breathing for the butterfly stroke.

💡Backstroke

Backstroke is the only competitive swimming style that requires swimmers to be on their back throughout the race. It involves a unique pulling motion and a flutter kick. The video script addresses the importance of body position, arm movement, and maintaining a straight line while swimming backstroke, which can be challenging due to the lack of a forward visual reference.

💡Breaststroke

Breaststroke is a swimming style that involves a frog-like kick and a unique arm pull that requires coordination and timing. The script breaks down the breaststroke into four steps: pull, breathe, kick, and glide. It emphasizes the importance of a streamlined body position and the sequence of movements to maximize efficiency and power in the stroke.

💡Freestyle

Freestyle, also known as front crawl, is often the first stroke learned by beginners and is considered one of the easiest competitive strokes. However, the video script clarifies that it still requires proper technique, including body position, arm pull, and breathing. It is characterized by a continuous overhead arm movement and a flutter kick, similar to backstroke.

💡Body Position

Body position is crucial in swimming, as it affects the swimmer's efficiency, speed, and resistance in the water. The script repeatedly emphasizes the importance of maintaining a high hip position and a neutral head position across all strokes to create the best baseline for propulsion and to minimize drag.

💡Rotation

Rotation in swimming refers to the twisting movement of the swimmer's body, which helps in pulling the arms through the water and in breathing. The video script explains that rotation should be initiated from the hips for freestyle and backstroke, and it should not be overdone to avoid increasing drag.

💡Kick

The kick is a critical component of swimming that provides propulsion and helps maintain body position. The script describes the unique kicks for each stroke, such as the flutter kick in backstroke and freestyle, the frog-like kick in breaststroke, and the coordinated kick in butterfly.

💡Breathing

Breathing is an essential aspect of swimming technique, as it allows swimmers to maintain a steady flow of air without disrupting their stroke. The video script provides specific advice on breathing patterns for each stroke, such as breathing every two or three strokes and maintaining a neutral head position to avoid slowing down.

💡Streamline

Streamline refers to the position swimmers assume to minimize drag and move efficiently through the water. The script mentions that every stroke in breaststroke starts and ends with a streamline position, and it is also used in other strokes and in turns to maximize speed and efficiency.

Highlights

Mastering all four competitive strokes is crucial for a well-rounded swimmer.

The individual medley tests speed, endurance, strength, and skill.

Swimming all four strokes challenges muscles in different ways, leading to a full-body workout.

Swimmers who train in all strokes build strong, resilient bodies that are less prone to injury.

Swimming different strokes keeps workouts interesting and prevents boredom.

Ignoring other strokes besides one's race specialty is a disservice to one's swimming development.

Butterfly stroke requires proper timing and a powerful stroke.

For butterfly, maintaining high hips and a neutral head position is essential.

The butterfly pull involves an early vertical forearm to maximize water propulsion.

Butterfly kick timing is crucial, with the first kick propelling the arms out of the water.

Breathing in butterfly should be efficient, with the head lifted just enough to grab a quick breath.

Backstroke requires maintaining a straight line while swimming on one's back.

Backstroke pull involves an early vertical forearm catch to minimize drag.

The flutter kick in backstroke should be small and fast, driven from the hips.

Breaststroke is a short-axis stroke that emphasizes timing and power.

Breaststroke kick is frog-like, with steps of up, out, around, and together.

Freestyle, or front crawl, is often the easiest stroke to learn but still requires proper technique.

Freestyle pull should be balanced, with an early vertical forearm to engage the water effectively.

Breathing in freestyle should be done with minimal head movement to maintain body alignment.

Freestyle kick should be simple and hip-driven, focusing on maintaining body position and rotation.

Encouragement to try different strokes and step out of one's comfort zone to improve swimming skills.

Advice on incorporating turns into one's swimming routine for a complete workout.

Recommendation to download the my swim Pro app for personalized swimming training.

Transcripts

it takes thousands of hours to master

all four competitive Strokes butterfly

backstroke breaststroke and freestyle

when swum all together they're known as

the individual medley and they're a test

of your speed endurance strength and

skill and to be a true swimming Master

you need to know how to swim every

stroke in this video I'm going to show

you how to swim every stroke with

perfect technique by the end of the

video you'll be able to go and crush or

at least attempt every stroke like a pro

let me know what your favorite stroke is

down in the comments and let's get into

it first you've got to understand why

you should know all The Strokes in the

first place when you swim all four

strokes you challenge your muscles in

different ways and yes you'll work every

single muscle in your body I don't think

there's any other workout that's truly

full body like swimming is swimmers who

train every stroke end up building

strong resilient bodies that are less

prone to injury plus they just end up

way more fit in general that swimmer

body is no joke if you want one keep

watching swimming different Strokes also

helps keep things interesting if you

want to swim endless laps of freestyle

without stopping be my guest but that's

pretty boring and before you say well I

only race freestyle so I don't need to

know the other Strokes I hate to break

it to you but if you're ignoring the

other Strokes you're doing yourself a

huge disservice just trust me on this

and think about adding other Strokes to

your workouts okay all right now that

we've gotten through why you should stop

swimming freestyle all the time I'm

going to explain how to swim every

stroke with absolutely perfect technique

let's get the toughest stroke over with

First butterfly I think I'm speaking for

the majority of swimmers when I say that

fly is not the most popular stroke at

practice it's challenging it's tiring

and it's a great way to add some spice

to your workouts so what makes good

butterfly it comes down to proper timing

and a powerful stroke let's start with

your body position and this applies to

most Strokes you want your hips to be

high in the water and your head to be in

a neutral position this creates the best

Baseline for your stroke to start with

now let's look get the butterfly pull

you want your hands to move at the same

time they should enter the water

relatively flat with minimal Splash

right in line with your shoulders then

you'll start pulling keeping your elbows

nice and High the whole time this is

called early vertical forearm and it

essentially turns your hand wrist and

forearm into one giant paddle that can

pull a ton of water try to pull straight

back instead of using the old school s

pull it's not as efficient after

finishing the underwater part of your

palm it's time for the Out of Water

recovery sweep your arms out wide and

return to your starting point keep your

hands and arms relatively relaxed and

close to the surface of the water next

up is the kick I see so many swimmers

struggle to get their kick timing right

in butterfly so listen up when you kick

and Butterfly keep your legs together

and toes pointed to get the most out of

your kick and create the best rhythm in

your stroke I recommend thinking about

butterfly as having two key kicks the

first kick helps Propel your arms out of

the water during your recovery and the

second kick keeps you moving as your

hands dive forward word to start your

poll focus on kicking both up and down

here a lot of swimmers Focus only on the

down kick so engage those hamstrings and

kick up too now let's put it all

together and add in breathing to take a

breath lift your head up right after

your catch as your arms come forward

drop your head back down try not to lift

your head too high when you breathe your

chin should be just grazing the surface

of the water lift just enough to grab a

quick breath then get your head back

into that neutral position I recommend

picking a breathing pattern and sticking

with it to make sure your body gets a

steady flow of air and doesn't fatigue

extra quickly try breathing every two or

three strokes and see what works for you

alright first stroke done before we move

on you should know butterfly requires a

baseline of strength that most beginners

don't have so if you're struggling with

fly just keep at it over time you'll

build strength and it'll get a little

easier for more butterfly tips check out

our video on five common butterfly

mistakes and how to fix them next up is

backstroke it's the only stroke that

require you to be entirely on your back

which raises the question how the heck

are you supposed to swim straight I

promise we'll get to that but first

let's build a perfect stroke to start

make sure your body position is correct

avoid looking at your toes keep that

neck neutral and look at the sky your

hips should float up close to the

surface of the water think about keeping

your belly button dry the backstroke

pull is a little different your arm will

exit the water thumb first as you lift

your arm rotate your body away from that

lifted arm then make sure your hand

re-enters the water pinky first and

rotate toward that arm to reduce the

drag your shoulders create pinky first

is key this hand position sets you up

for a strong early vertical forearm

catch backstroke kick is a flutter kick

just like Freestyle don't kick too big

here The Wider your kick the more drag

you create try to keep your kick no more

than about 18 inches wide think small

and fast instead of big and slow your

kick should be driven from your hips

rather than from your knees keep your

toes pointed and your legs relatively

straight with just a light Bend at the

knee if your knees are popping out of

the water like crazy you need to work on

that knee Bend now some notes on

rotation if you have a really strong

kick you'll probably be able to drive

your back stroke rotation with your hips

if not don't worry try driving your

rotation with your shoulders instead but

know this whichever rotation philosophy

works for you make sure you don't over

rotate it's not about totally rotating

from one side to the other it's about

reducing drag okay one last thing if you

struggle to swim straight in backstroke

I recommend working on a few things

first find something overhead to focus

on like a seam in the ceiling if you

swim outside good luck try to find a

cloud or something to keep you on track

next up make sure you're pulling with

equal strength in both arms and even

pull will keep you going straight and

lastly try to keep your head from moving

too much maintaining a neutral head

position will help keep the rest of your

body in line too all right two down two

to go next up is breaststroke the short

axis stroke is all about timing and

power as with all other Strokes we'll

begin with a nice streamlined body

position in breaststroke every stroke

starts and ends with a little time in

streamline the more quickly you can get

back into streamline the more efficient

your stroke will be so high hips head

looking down you know the drill by now

we can break breaststroke down into four

steps pull breathe kick and glide you

want to build each stroke in that order

and now let's get into the pull from

streamline position you'll sweep your

hands apart with the pinkies up when

your arms are just wider than shoulder

width start to pull back with that high

elbow early vertical forearm catch at

this point you'll lift your head to

breathe when you drop your head back

down your arm should explode forward

this is the slowest part of the stroke

so make sure to maximize your power here

avoid diving down that's not as

efficient let's get into the kick now

breaststroke has a unique frog-like kick

that can take some time to master at its

core though breaststroke kit can be

broken down into four steps up out

around and together first pull your

heels to your butt with with your feet

flexed then start to kick out try to

keep your knees no wider than your

shoulders here next you'll start to

sweep your legs around keeping those

feet flexed and finally you'll squeeze

your legs back together ending up back

in that streamline position ideally

you'll kick as you drive your hands

forward to boost your momentum before

you Glide it takes some time to perfect

your breaststroke timing so keep working

at it one last thing on breaststroke

before we move on the pull out you'll do

a pull out after every start and turn

before you begin your actual stroke to

do a pull out push off the wall and

streamline hold it for a few seconds

until you feel yourself start to slow

down then do one dolphin kick just one

follow that with one big pull down with

both arms at the same time to get

yourself up to the surface do one

breaststroke kick and bring your arms

back up into streamline position and

you're ready to crush the competition

okay now let's dive into freestyle or

front crawl some of us learn freestyle

first when we start swimming and for

good reason of all the competitive

Strokes it's probably the easiest but

that doesn't mean it's easy if you've

watched this far you know what's coming

next good freestyle is going to start

with proper body position we want our

hips to be high in the water and our

head neutral when the head is too high

the hips are more likely to drop and

drag you down and we don't want that it

might be helpful to think about pressing

your chest down in the water to keep

those hips higher too when it comes to

your freestyle pull it's all about

finding balance between relaxed and

Powerful your fingertips should enter

the water about 18 inches in front of

your shoulder at a 45 degree angle

middle finger first try not to Cross

Your Arms along the center of your body

here it's inefficient and might cause

you to zigzag around your lane a little

bit follow up your hand entry with a

long reaching extension through your

shoulder and arm once your shoulder is

fully extended your chest will open up

to the side keep looking down after your

arm is fully extended Bend at the elbow

and point your fingertips down toward

the bottom of the pool and start to pull

straight back this is our early vertical

forearm pull it's much easier on your

shoulder person pulling with a straight

arm try to keep your elbows above your

hand for most of the pull eventually

you'll extend your arms straight when

your hand reaches your hips to start the

recovery phase keep that elbow High

during recovery too one last thing on

the pull don't squeeze your fingers

together instead keep them semi-relaxed

with a few millimeters of space between

them this can actually increase the

power of your pull like backstroke

freestyle requires some rotation instead

of leading your Rotation by twisting

your shoulders focus on engaging your

core and initiating your rotation from

the hips and your shoulders will follow

are you taking notes I hope so now let's

talk about breathing in freestyle you

need to keep a neutral head position

when you breathe I see so many swimmers

lifting their heads forward or twisting

aggressively to either side and that's

just slowing them down as you take a

stroke you'll notice your body rotating

to one side if you want to breathe Now's

the Time to turn your head to the

opposite side to grab some air try to

keep one eye in the water and one eye

out of the water to maintain good

alignment don't twist your head any

further than that take a quick breath

and get your head back into neutral for

your next stroke exhale while your face

is in the water and turn to take another

breath when you're ready stick to a

breathing pattern and freestyle so you

don't deprive yourself of that precious

precious air breathing every two or

three Strokes works for most people

usually you can breathe on both sides or

just one side it's really up to you last

but not least we've got your freestyle

kick my one piece of advice is to keep

your kick simple you don't need to kick

like crazy or try to have the biggest

kick in the pool focus on a hip driven

kick that's small and fast try not to

kick wider than about 18 inches and keep

those knees from bending too much think

of your kick as a tool to help you

maintain proper body position and drive

your rotation now for some advice

chances are there's going to be one

stroke that you struggle with and I know

it's not fun working on things you

aren't good at but trust me getting out

of your comfort zone is actually a good

thing and will make you a better swimmer

I didn't talk about turns at all in this

video but don't worry check out our

video about how to do a flip turn for

tips for freestyle and backstroke and

watch our video on breaststroke and

Butterfly turns to learn how to do an

open turn in my expert coach's opinion I

think you're ready to go try a 100 IM or

maybe even a 400 IM in your next workout

give it a shot and let me know how it

goes and for even more technique work

plus custom daily swim workouts and

training plans download the my swim Pro

app to start your very own personalized

swimming Journey if you like this video

you're going to love our video on how to

swim without getting tired thanks for

watching and happy swimming