Swimming Styles

• Front crawl is the fastest swimming style.
  • Trudgen (also known as trudgeon): The trudgen is similar to the front crawl, except that it is swum with a scissor kick, similar to that used in the breaststroke.
  • Trudgen crawl: Similar to the trudgen, but with the use of a flutter kick (up and down leg kick) between the scissor kicks
  • Double trudgen: Similar to the trudgen, but the sides of the scissor kick alternate
  • Double trudgen crawl: Similar to the double trudgen, but with a flutter kick between the scissor kick alternate
  • Dolphin crawl: Similar to front crawl, but with a dolphin kick. One kick per arm or two kicks per cycle. This style is often used in training.
  • Catch up stroke: A variation of the front crawl where one arm always rests at the front while the other arm performs one cycle.
• Butterfly stroke: performed facedown in the water. You do a dolphin kick and move your arms in a forward cirle at the same time.
• Breaststroke is performed face down in the water without rotating the torso. The arms stay in the water and move synchronously, while the legs perform a frog-kick. It is possible to keep the head elevated out of the water throughout the stroke.
• Slow butterfly (also known as moth stroke): Similar to butterfly, but with an extended gliding phase, Breathing during the pull/push phase, return head into water during recovery. This style uses two kicks per cycle.
• Dog paddle: face over water and paddling with alternate hands, often with the nose and mouth above the water. This stroke can be used in reverse to propel the body feet first.
• Human stroke: Similar to the dog paddle, but the arms reach out more and pull farther down.
• Survival travel stroke: Alternating underwater arm stroke, one cycle for propulsion, one for lift to stay on the surface. This style is slow but sustainable.
• Breast feet first strokes: With legs extended, use the arms with a pushing, flapping, clapping or uplifting motion.
• Snorkeling: Swimming on the breast using a snorkel, usually in combination with masks and fins. Any stroke on the breast can be used, and there is no need to lift or turn the head for breathing.
• Finswimming is the progression of a swimmer using fins either on the water surface or under water. Finswimming is usually done on the breast.
• An arm and a leg : is the progression of a swimmer clasping one leg with the opposite arm, and using breaststroke movements with the remaining arm and leg.
• Backstroke (also known as the backcrawl)

• Elementary backstroke

Both arms move synchronized with a small synchronized kick. This is also sometimes known as the Lifesaving Kick

• Inverted breaststroke

Similar to elementary backstroke, but with a breaststroke kick.

• Inverted butterfly

Similar to elementary backstroke, but with a dolphin kick. This is often used for training.

• Back double trudgen

Similar to the backstroke, but with a scissor kick to alternating sides.

• Flutter back finning

Symmetrically underwater arm recovery with flutter kick.

• Feet first swimming

A very slow stroke on the back where a breaststroke movement with the arms propels the body forward feet first. Also the arms can be lifted out of the water and pulled backwards together with a scooping movement. Alternatively, the arms can be raised behind the head, alternately or together pushing with the hands, propelling the body. Similarly, the hands can be brought together in a clapping action. These strokes are often used for training.

• Corkscrew swimming

Alternating between front crawl and backstroke every arm. This leads to a constant rotation of the swimmer. The stroke is used mainly for training purposes and is also sometimes known as Newfie Stroke, referring to Newfoundland. When rotating every 3rd stroke, this is called waltz crawl.

• Underwater swimming

Any style with underwater recovery can be swum under water for certain distances depending on the need for air. Underwater swimming on the back has the additional problem of water entering the nose. To avoid this, the swimmer can breathe out through the nose or wear a nose clip. Some swimmers can close their nostrils with the upper lip.

• Gliding

The swimmer is stretched with the arms to the front, the head between the arms and the feet to the back. This streamlined shape minimizes resistance and allows the swimmer to glide, for example after a start, a push off from a wall, or to rest between strokes.

• Turtle stroke

On the breast, extend right arm then pull, after pushing with the left leg (while opposite limbs are recovering), then opposite limbs repeat this process, i.e. left arm pulls after right leg pushes. Uses muscles of the waist. Head can easily be above or below water: this is a slow but very sustainable stroke, common in turtles and newts.

• Sidestroke

On the side, pull the water as if with a rope with arms going out and stopping in the middle, while ensuring that the strokes are most hydrodynamic when moving towards the desired location, and pushing the most water when moving away from the location. In addition, the legs are performing a scissor kick, which is like breaststroke kick, but sideways.

• Combat sidestroke

This stroke was developed and used by the United States Navy SEALs and is designed to be more efficient and reduce profile in the water.

• Oarstroke/Moth Stroke

Recreationally and unofficially developed, the oarstroke consists of the opposite motions of the butterfly stroke, hence, the alternate moniker:mothstroke; unlike the butterfly stroke the swimmer is moving in a backwards direction. The arms are moved in a circular motion akin to the butterfly stroke. The legs are however, kicked out in the breaststroke position. The Moth Stroke is not to be confused with the "slow butterfly stroke" which also can be alternately labeled as the "moth stroke."