Which Stroke Next? All Strokes Next! Part Two: Strokes for Intermediate and Advanced Swimmers

The primary goal of this two-part project is to answer the rhetorical question of which strokes should be taught first, and which later (Langendorfer, 2013, Stallman, 2014a). As you have seen in Part One, we emphasize (as have many others) the need for a firm foundation before any stroke is introduced. When the learner is ready for propulsive motor competencies, there is no stroke which suits all as their first. In Part One we explored the “beginning strokes” all of which are candidates for any given learner’s first stroke. We also argued that after mastering their very first stroke the learner should learn the other, “first strokes.” This also broadens the base for the learning of other strokes as the learner advances to intermediate and advanced levels. Here in Part Two, we explore additional strokes, chosen as essential because of some unique quality which makes them the best solution in some specific, potential risk situation. They should, therefore, be included in any comprehensive, proactive aquatic educational program

Revisiting the Metaphorical Concept of “No Strokes First - All Strokes First”: Part One - Beginning Strokes

The aim of this article is to address the familiar question “Which swimming stroke should be taught first?” The discussion is usually focused on breaststroke versus crawl. Provoked by these naïve discussions of which stroke should be taught first (as if stroking equals swimming, which it emphatically does NOT), the question was answered metaphorically in an earlier article “No Stroke First – All Strokes First” (Stallman, 2008a). Here in Part I we identify and describe six strokes, all of which might be a candidate for any learners ‘very first’ stroke. We describe them as beginning strokes. Having identified and learned which one that a learner finds to be their easiest, the learner should then acquire the others. This strategy not only places the learner’s easiest stroke first but adds the other “beginning strokes” and launches an all-around foundation upon which all other strokes can more easily be learned