{"id":222,"date":"2020-03-30T06:58:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-30T06:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aquaticglee.com\/?p=222"},"modified":"2023-07-27T04:00:36","modified_gmt":"2023-07-27T04:00:36","slug":"swim-sidestroke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aquaticglee.com\/swim-sidestroke\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Swim Sidestroke-Technique,Trudgen &Combat Drills & Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The sidestroke is a swimming style which\noccurs on one side as the other side rests. It\u2019s a great swimming style to\nlearn as it\u2019s used often in saving lives and covering long distances. If you\nget injured on one side while swimming, for example, knowing how to do the\nsidestroke will be a great skill to have as it\u2019ll likely save your life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the conventional sidestroke, the\nswimmer has their body on one side with the hand in the water doing more of the\npropulsion while the hand on top only moves to balance the body and propel the\nbody minimally. The result is that one arm can work as the other one rests.\nWhen you\u2019re tired, you simply switch to the fresh side. Also, the side swim\nallows for bigger and wider scissor kicks which generate more power than the\nflutter kicks in a typical down-facing swimming stroke. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sidestroke has various variations\nincluding the combat sidestroke and the trudgen. These are hybrid styles\nborrowing from various styles one of which is the sidestroke. Their focus is to\novercome some of the weaknesses of the sidestroke and make swimming more\neffective. The most efficient (yet most difficult) of these variations of the\nsidestroke is the combat sidestroke. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

History<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The earliest swimming styles were the freestyle and butterfly. With time, however, swimmers realized that turning your head to the side to breath was difficult and tiring especially for long distances. This was due to the tendency of the head to naturally move to the side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"sidestroke
sidestroke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In response, styles that required\nswimming on the side were brought up with the sidestroke emerging as the\noverall style on the side. It was later realized that, besides the better\npositioning of the head, the body was taxed less given the need to only use one\nside for the swim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trudgen sidestroke was developed by the English swimmer John Trudgen as a hybrid of the sidestroke and the freestyle. It overcame the weaknesses of both styles while giving the swimmer better speed. It is, however, harder to master given the unique way of doing the kicks and hand motions.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Trudgen
Trudgen sidestroke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The combat sidestroke came about as a style that does it all. After years of studying swimming styles, the Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command together with the Naval Special Warfare Preparatory School came up with a hybrid of the freestyle, sidestroke and breaststroke styles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"combat
combat sidestroke<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This style was focused on efficiency by which the swimmer would have the lowest profile in the water and could move even with a large package without difficulty. It\u2019s the most difficult swimming style of the 8 known and taught. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sidestroke Technique<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The dominant feature of the sidestroke\nis the body being on the side rather than facing down or upwards. The arms are\nasymmetrical in their workings since their stroking isn\u2019t the same. The scissor\nkick is its main source of propulsion power as it\u2019s the widest swimming kick\npossible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Body Position <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All through the motions made by the\nhands and feet, the body remains on the side. The area from the hips to the\nshoulders remains perpendicular to the floor of the pool at all times. The only\ntime the body moves is when you\u2019re switching to the other side. You\u2019ll thus\nmove through 180\u00b0. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Arm Movements <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While the arms will be moving in unison,\nthey\u2019ll be performing different types of movements. The upper arm will be doing\nalmost a third of the movement done by the lower arm. The focus is to have the\nlower arm propel the body while the top arm balances it out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stroke starts with the arm under the\nbody being extended forwards while the arm on top is resting on the side of\nyour body. As the arm below pulls on the water to propel the body forward, the\narm on top moves towards the chest area. The hands then meet at the chest to\ncomplete the first phase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second phase entails the arm below\nthe body extending back to the starting point. The arm on top will push the\nwater back from the chest area to the hip region. Essentially, it\u2019s a recovery\nphase for both arms but the arm on top does a little stroke to lush you ahead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Leg Movements <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The primary leg movement for the\nsidestroke is the scissor kick. From a starting position of flat and extended\nfeet, the leg on top goes forward at the hip as if slowly kicking forwards. The\nlower leg goes behind in its own slow kick. Both feet should slightly bend at\nthe knees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the next phase, both feet snap\ntogether complete the scissor kick. Both legs should be pushing back on the\nwater to push you ahead. The scissor kick shouldn\u2019t be done with force. Rather,\nit should be done in a fluid yet powerful way to give you a jerk ahead. Forcing\nthe kick increases drag on your body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Breathing Technique <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Being on your side at all times means\nthat your head will alway be above the water. With the sidestroke, therefore,\nthere\u2019s little difficulty in breathing or straining your neck. The relatively\nslow motions from the hands and legs also ensure that very little water enters\nthe nose to distract the swimmer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make the most of it, however, you\nneed to synchronize your swimming with the strokes to move faster and breath\nmore easily. You should ideally breath in tune with each hand stroke. As the\nlower arm pushes the water back and moves towards the chest, you inhale through\nyour mouth. As the upper arm pushes back and returns to the hip area, you\nbreath out through the mouth and nose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n