Integrating Different Swimming Strokes Into Your Training Plans

Note: Whenever talking about competitions in this article on swimming strokes I refer to swim competitions. However you can easily relate these ideas to your triathlon trainings and races.

The art of competitive swim training is made up of not only the meets and the skill levels of the swimmers, but also of the different swimming strokes and types of swimming that are represented in the swim world. Swimmers often specialize in particular strokes, much as other athletes in different positions on the field, though swimmers also compete in a well-rounded way to stay overtly competitive in the sport.

While, there are many varieties of strokes and even varieties of each many of the strokes, this particular lesson will cover the basic, most-used and most well-known to give you a general sense of the ones you need to be proficient in to compete well. Integrate as many of these swimming strokes into your training plans and warm-ups as possible.

You'll become a much better and faster triathlon swimmer if you are familiar with any of these different techniques even if you only use the crawl for your races. It will also make your training schedule more appealing and interesting if you have a larger "buffet" to pick from.

The Butterfly Stroke is known as the most exhausting and most difficult. You start in the prone position and use a dolphin kick with your feet while using a windmill motion with your arms. Both arms most in unison and during (swimming) competitions you are not allowed to swim underwater, making this stroke even more difficult.

The Breast Stroke also starts in the prone position and then involves a frog like kicking that alternates with an arm movement that goes from a point in front of the head to shoulder level. The feet and arms movements need to happen simultaneously. During competitions, the swimmer’s head must remain above the water at all times.

For the Crawl you must start in the prone position and alternate over arm strokes with flutter kicks. Your head remains in the water and your face should be alternating from side to side. The Side Stroke is similar though involved using a forward underwater stroke with your body to one side and a scissor kick for propulsion.

The Trudgen, which was named after an English speed swimmer, uses an alternative over arm stroke from the prone position and a scissor kick with the head remaining on one side.



Freestyle refers to the use of any stroke or position and this can only be used competitively in the fifteen meter meets.

The Back Stroke can also only be used during the fifteen meter competition and uses alternating over the head arm strokes with a flutter kick from the supine position. The Dog Paddle is the easiest of all swimming strokes and often taught to first time swimmers as a method of staying afloat as well. This is achieved by using the arms underwater in a forward motion for balance and using flutter kicks to stay afloat.

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