Swimming is a great way to burn calories and exercise every major muscle of your body. Now, whether you want to learn swimming for self-improvement, exercise, competitive swimming, survival, entertainment, or just to avoid embarrassment at pool parties, you need to understand the best strokes.

Here are five different techniques that you should know about

Freestyle

This is also known as the front style and is the most common method of swimming. Competitive swimmers commonly use this as it is the fastest of all techniques. It is because one of your arms is always underwater, and you are constantly propelling yourself to move forwards.

You should definitely use the freestyle stroke if you’re new to swimming. A 140- pound person swimming with a freestyle stroke can lose up to  500 calories in an hour.

Backstroke

It is literally the opposite of a freestyle stroke. You move your body similarly to the freestyle method; however, there is one difference – You are on your back. It is a very easy and safe method of swimming as your head is always above water.

In a backstroke style, you lie on your back and flutter your legs while simultaneously circling your hands in a windmill motion. This method comes in handy when you want to strengthen your abs and back muscles. Doctors often recommend this to people who have back problems or are recovering from an injury.

Breaststroke

This is the easiest of all strokes and is taught to beginners. This is because it doesn’t involve getting your head under the water. It is the slowest competitive swimming stroke and is a good alternative to freestyle for beginners.

This is a great swimming stroke for people who swim for exercise. It involves floating with the stomach downwards and moving the arms in a circling motion in front of the body. The legs are used to propel the body forward.

Butterfly

The butterfly is one of the hardest swimming strokes; however, it does look quite epic. It is the second-fastest swimming stroke and can often beat the freestyle.

It utilizes every muscle in your body and is very exhausting. An average person swimming with a butterfly stroke can lose up to 900 calories in an hour.

It is performed by moving the arms above the head and then pushing them down to propel yourself forward. The legs always stay together as you kick, similar to a dolphin. As expected, this is known as a dolphin kick.

Sidestroke

This is not recognized as one of the four official swimming strokes; however, it can be a great survival technique. It is used by lifeguards commonly as it allows them to hold another person while swimming.

You lie on your side and scissor your legs to move forward. This means that the legs move back and forth in an alternating motion. As you kick, the arms move towards one another and back to their original position.

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