21 Front crawl is the most popular stroke among freestyle swimmers as it allows them to swim at maximum speed with the lowest energy possible. As it is the stroke most commonly used by freestyle swimmers, it is generally identified with it. This technique initially developed from breaststroke, with swimmers recovering their arms above the water instead of below it. BASIC STROKES IN SWIMMING A competitive swimmer must learn all the basic four different strokes: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. Each stroke is characterised by particular movements of arms, legs and head, in coordination with each other. Freestyle Freestyle competitions allow swimmers to choose any swimming stroke they prefer. The most commonly chosen, however, is front crawl , in which the swimmer s body is pushed through the water by a combination of continuous flutter kicks with an alternating forward movement of the arms, with hands acting like paddles. This stroke requires coordination of the legs and the arms with the rotating movements of the head to breathe. Backstroke As the freestyle, the backstroke combines an alternating motion of the arms with a flutter kick, but it is done with the face and chest facing upwards out of the water. ONLINE RESOURCES Water polo Artistic swimming flip: capriola to grip: afferrare to leap: saltare outward: esterno paddle: pagaia, paletta recovery: recupero to swing: ondeggiare 44 TO GO Breaststroke In breaststroke, the arms move simultaneously in outward circles in three steps: outsweep, insweep, and recovery. At the same time, the legs make a simultaneous movement called frog kick, which is performed by drawing both legs towards the body, bending the feet together, straightening them out with the legs apart, and then bringing them together again quickly. The head must be kept underwater and comes out when arms and legs are at the widest point of the circle, every two strokes. Butterfly It is considered the most physically demanding stroke and it is performed by a simultaneous overhead swinging of the arms, like the wings of a butterfly, combined with a dolphin kick. The dolphin kick involves both legs moving up and down together. The butterfly stroke is visually impressive, as athletes often appear to be leaping out of the water with each stroke. Position Freestyle, breaststroke, and butterfly competitions start with the contestants standing on a platform, called block or stand, at the edge of the pool, ready to jump off into the water as far as possible. In backstroke competitions, on the other hand, swimmers wait for the start in the water, facing the pool s wall and gripping part of the start block with their hands. To reverse their swimming direction, swimmers make a flip underwater at the end of the swim lane.