Added: 12/28/2005 |
Other Swim Strokes Used in Competitive and Recreational SwimmingAmong the other swim strokes there are the back stroke, one kind of which (back crawl) we have already described, dog paddle, butterfly and brass. The initial position of the head in a back stroke is in line with spine, with eyes looking up (in the long swimming events) and little back (in short events). Shoulders and chests are turn around central axle of backbone in the same level as hips. Put arms on 180-degrees one from another. Speed of the arms is controlled by the paddling of the feet.
Swimmers should allow their arms and hands (with fingers pointing to the bottom and side of the swimming pool), to turn more towards the surface of the pool, then release the water towards the feet and reach the bottom, among swimming stylists this is known as the ?arm wrestle-throwing-something-into-his-pocket? method.
The dog paddle is one of the other swim strokes, which we want to look at. In this style the athlete lies on his bust propelling his hands and legs. A good trained swimmer must try to swim supporting and propelling himself, in the beginning, without his hands, and later, without his legs. He needs to put the hands on the sides of the body, to immerse the legs a little lower than in common swimming, and make the series of strokes with his legs, which have to be shorter and faster than usual in the dog paddle.
Then the athlete must imagine that his hands are fixed, and he is chained trying to avoid crossing a canal. He presses the hands strained together, with the fingers near to one another. It is necessary to keep his hands flat. Then the swimmer has to turn on the left side, to make the common stroke with the legs, and put the hand toward the left leg.
It is also important to learn to swim when the legs are resting. The swimmer allows the feet to be hanging low, supports the head back, makes the commonly stroke with the hands and instead of bringing them back, he presses them down at each stroke, keeping the chin out of the water.
One more thing, which has to be learned, is the swimming with the both hands and feet bound together. This facility looks excellent and evokes applause of spectators, though it is easy and everybody, who is able to swim the two former exercises, can perform it. For this, it is necessary to hold the hands and legs together. Then, making strokes by the hands and feet.
In order to make an additional effect the swimmer can tie the hands and feet together, make short kicks, the hands and feet are working together, but not quite simultaneously. This facility seems to be difficult, but in reality it can be easy performed.
The next one of the other swim strokes is the brass- the slowest swimming style because of slowing down moment from the arising the arms in a frontal direction. Nevertheless, for a long time this stroke was the most popular in Europe and in this style most of the records were made and it is still extremely popular with swimmers both professional and amateur. However, the swimmers at the competitions tried to increase the speed by the movements of the arms likewise in butterfly and some other swim strokes. In order to sustain the brass independently, FINA decided to separate brass and butterfly.
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