• Front Crawl
• Butterfly
• Back Crawl
• Breaststroke

Body Position

• Prone, face down with the crown of the head leading.
• Horizontal with an undulating movement from head to toe.

Leg Action

• Simultaneous movements upwards and downwards in a vertical plane.
• Legs together feet plantarflexed.

Upbeat (recovery phase)

• Legs begin in extended position
• Feet plantarflex
• Hips close to surface.
• Legs simultaneously rise together in an extended position
• As they rise towards the surface knees start to flex slightly and feet rise further.
• Hips get lower.

Downbeat (propulsive phase)

• Feet whip downwards past the knees
• Deep kick
• Feet together plantarflex and slightly intoed
• As the feet drive downwards the hips move upwards.

Arm Action

• Hands enter shoulder width apart.
• Thumb and finger enter the water first, palms pitch outwards 45 degrees ( we pitch 25 degrees)

Outsweep

• From entry the arms extend forwards the hands sweep outwards and slightly downwards to catch
• Hand reach maximum width during outsweep
• Elbows high as pull begins.

Downsweep

• From catch there is a short down sweep.
• The elbow bends and remains high in relation to the hands.

Insweep

• Hands pitch inwards and arms accelerate inwards and often almost meet under the body.
• Hands reach their deepest point during the first stage of the insweep
• Elbows kept higher than hands and flex to 90 degrees.

Upsweep

• Hands pitch partly outwards and accelerate to their fastest underwater speed. They continue until the arm is extended past the hips
• The wrists rotate so the final sculling action leaves with the little finger uppermost and the palms at this point facing the thighs.

Recovery

• Little finger leaves the water first and continues to lead the arm recovery until just before the hand reaches shoulder level.
• Arms recover low, and almost straight.
• Hands are relaxed.
• Elbows slightly bent through the first half of recovery but bend a little more in preparation for entry.

Breathing

• Breathing is carried out as the arms finish the propulsive phase.
• Shoulders and head rise forwards out of the water.
• Chin extends forwards (rather than lifts)
• Chin remains close to the surface and is ‘snapped down’ in line with the body.
• Breathe every 2nd stroke or every single stroke.
• Trickle breath during sweeps of arms with a final explosion before next in breath.

Timing: Two leg kicks to one full arm cycle.

• First downbeat – occurs during the hand entry and outsweep. The downbeat completed as the catch occurs.
• First upbeat – this takes place as the down sweep and insweep of the arms occur.
• Second downbeat – the timing of this co-ordinates with the upsweep of the arms.
• Second upbeat – this occurs as the arms go through their recovery phase.