Swimming Strokes for Beginners

Why learn different strokes?

Swimming is a wonderful skill for life. 🏊 It keeps you fit, it is great fun, and it can even keep you safe in the water. A stroke is a special way of moving your arms and legs to swim. There are four main strokes, and each one is a little different.

Learning different strokes makes you a stronger swimmer. Some strokes are fast, some are restful, and knowing several means you can swim for longer without getting tired. In this lesson we will learn three strokes that are great for beginners: front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke.

Safety first: Never swim without an adult or lifeguard watching. Even strong swimmers follow this rule. Always swim in a safe place, like a pool or a lifeguarded beach.

Front crawl

Front crawl, also called freestyle, is the fastest stroke. You lie on your front in the water.

1. Kick your legs up and down in a steady flutter, keeping them long and your toes pointed.
2. Pull one arm over your head, into the water, and push it back past your hip.
3. As one arm pulls, the other arm reaches forward. Your arms go round and round, over and over.
4. Breathe by turning your head to the side when one arm comes out of the water, then put your face back down.

The tricky part is breathing. Turn your head, take a quick breath, and roll your face back into the water. Practise this slowly.

Backstroke

Backstroke is like front crawl, but you swim on your back. The best part is that your face stays out of the water, so you can breathe whenever you want!

1. Lie on your back, looking up at the sky or ceiling.
2. Kick your legs up and down in a flutter, just like front crawl.
3. Pull one arm at a time. Reach back over your head, into the water, and sweep it down to your hip.
4. Keep your tummy up and your body long and flat.

Because breathing is easy, many beginners love backstroke. The hard part is swimming straight when you cannot see where you are going, so swim in a lane and look up.

Breaststroke

Breaststroke is slower and gentle. It uses a special frog kick.

1. Start with your arms reaching forward and legs straight.
2. Pull your arms out and around in a circle, sweeping the water back towards you.
3. As your arms sweep, lift your head to breathe.
4. Do the frog kick: bend your knees, bring your feet up, then push them out and back together in a whip.
5. Glide forward with arms out straight, then repeat: pull, breathe, kick, glide.

The timing is the trick. Think: pull, breathe, kick, glide. Say it to yourself as you swim.

The secret skill: breathing

Every stroke needs good breathing. If you hold your breath, you tire quickly and may panic. Instead, breathe in a steady rhythm. Breathe out slowly under the water, then breathe in when your mouth is above the surface. Calm, steady breathing lets you swim much further.

An activity to try

With your teacher or an adult watching, try the kick and float drill:

1. Hold a float (kickboard) with both hands.
2. Stretch out flat and kick your legs in a steady flutter.
3. Kick from one side of the pool to the other.

This builds strong legs and helps you feel balanced in the water before you add the arm pulls.

Keep practising

Every great swimmer started as a beginner. Learn one stroke at a time, take lessons, and always be patient with yourself.

Before you get in the pool, read Water Safety and Swimming Basics. And to get your muscles ready, see Why Warming Up Matters.