The Four Swimming Strokes by Vera Soukhanovskii

 The Four Swimming Strokes by Vera Soukhanovskii

The earliest records of people swimming comes from Egyptian tomb art from 2000 BC. These drawings, along with others from different countries and cultures, depict people swimming doggie paddle and early forms of breaststroke. Official swim races are thought to have begun as early as 36 BC in Japan, with people doing their best to get across water as fast as possible. Soon, different strokes began to develop, along with rules and regulations to ensure fair advantages for everyone. In this article, we will be discussing some of the origins of the four main strokes and the events highlighted in swim races today, along with some of the unique rules that were added later on.

As mentioned earlier, people began swimming for fun many years ago, but the first official stroke was breaststroke. A book written in 1696 recognized breaststroke as the first official stroke, and became most commonly used in both competitions and leisurely swimming. In 1904, men raced breaststroke at the Olympics for the first time, but the stroke looked a little different Today, breaststroke is done in two primary movements: a pull and a kick, with a glide in between cycles. To pull, swimmers perform a sweeping motion with both arms simultaneously, raising their chest and head above the water to breathe. After shooting their hands forward and lowering back into the water, they then kick their legs outwards, similar to a frog. The main difference between this and breaststroke of the past is the head positioning. Before a new rule in 1987, swimmers had to keep their head above water at all times. This was removed after realizing that it’s easier to hold a streamline and therefore go faster with your head in line with the rest of your body. Today, the most common distances for breaststroke at competitions are the 100 and 200 meters, along with an occasional 50 meter sprint. Swimmers today also focus more on the explosive movement between stroke cycles to prioritize swift movement through the water, unlike the relaxing strokes done years ago. For me personally, breaststroke was one of the first strokes that I mastered when learning how to swim. I especially enjoyed doing the frog-like kick, as it is both powerful and fun. 

Freestyle, also known as the front crawl, is the fastest, the most efficient, and also the most commonly used stroke. Technically, freestyle events allow swimmers to use any stroke they chose, but nearly all competitors swim the front crawl due to its efficient speed. This stroke combines alternating arm movements, similar to a windmill, and a fast flutter kick, where swimmers rapidly kick their legs up and down to propel themselves forward in the water. Unlike breaststroke, freestyle allows swimmers to constantly move forward without slowing down during the glide. According to historians, early forms of freestyle were used by Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Australians, and then were adopted by Europeans with slightly modified technique. The modern technique was introduced and popularized by an Australian swimmer named Richmond Cavill in the 1900s, which allowed for greater speeds to be achieved when swimming this stroke. Freestyle has also been included in every modern Olympics and covers a variety of different distances. Sprinters, swimming the 50 meter and 100 meters, focus on fast, explosive, and constant speed, and keep each movement as quick and powerful as possible, along with a powerful kick to propel them forward. Distancers, on the other hand, swim events ranging from the 200 meter to the 1500 meters, and prioritise endurance, pacing, and efficient strokes. 

There is only one stroke that is not swum on your stomach, and that is backstroke. Hence the name, it is done entirely on the swimmers back. Like freestyle, swimming backstroke utilizes alternating arm movements and a flutter kick, but swimmers face upward instead of downward. To prevent crashing into walls, swimmers rely on flags that are strung above the pool five meters before each wall. Before competitions, they usually do a few practice turns in which they count the number of strokes it takes for them to reach the wall to enable safe and quick turns. Backstroke technique has also changed throughout the years. Over time, people found that rotating their bodies side to side while slightly bending their arms underwater made their strokes feel stronger and more efficient. Backstroke starts are also unique to the stroke, as swimmers do not dive into the water. Instead, they start already in the water and push off the wall backward, while arching their backs. To gain speed after the start and turns, backstrokes use powerful dolphin kicks on their backs to propel themselves forward underwater. Today, the most common distances swam in competitions are the 100 meter and 200 meter races, along with an occasional 50 meter sprint. 

The most physically challenging and demanding stroke is considered to be butterfly. Butterfly was developed initially as a breaststroke variation in the 1930s, when swimmers tried experimenting with recovering their arms over the water instead of under. At first, this new movement was paired with the already familiar breaststroke kick, but eventually the dolphin kick was developed to form the butterfly stroke swimmers use today. Dolphin kicking uses up and down hip movements, similar to the movements of a dolphin. In 1956, butterfly officially became an Olympic event, with the most common distances being the 100 meter and 200 meter races. The stroke requires swimmers to move both arms out of the water at the same time, while also propelling forward with the dolphin kick. Butterfly is also known for their powerful rhythmic movements, as body coordination is necessary to keep a steady tempo. Butterfly is also considered to be one of the most visually impressive strokes due to its unique movements. For many swimmers, this stroke is both physically and mentally challenging as well, as longer distances have a large aspect of pushing through extreme exhaustion. 

Some swimming races also allow swimmers to perform a combination of all four strokes, or a medley. The IM, or an Individual Medley, swimmers swim equal parts butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle, in that order. These events highlight versatility of athletes, along with endurance due to the requirement of being efficient in all components of the race. Swimmers have to master multiple techniques in order to excel in this event. Medal relay races, on the other hand, have one swimmer per event, with a slightly different order: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle. 

Swimming has greatly evolved. From its ancient origins to the highly technical events today, each of the four strokes has its own history, unique movements, and special rules. Efficiency, endurance, speed, power, and body positioning all shape these swimming strokes and demonstrate the different techniques. As swimming continues to evolve, new strategies and rule changes may further transport this sport for future athletes.  

Works Cited

Holmes, Taylor, and Taylor Holmes. “The History of Swimming Strokes - MySwimPro.” MySwimPro, 30 May 2023, blog.myswimpro.com/2023/05/30/the-history-of-swimming-strokes/?amp=1. Accessed 29 May 2026.

“Swimming 101: The Four Strokes.” NBC Olympics, 2021, www.google.com/url?q=www.nbcolympics.com/news/swimming-101-four-strokes&sa=U&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjPl5bjtNqUAxW8WUEAHXY9NSQQFnoECEYQAQ&usg=AOvVaw12kzVgkVKOLBGeL5f0TpFp. Accessed 29 May 2026.

Zeng, Daniel . “Comparing and Contrasting: The Four Main Swimming Strokes.” Swimming World News, 26 Jan. 2021, www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/comparing-and-contrasting-the-four-main-swimming-strokes/.