I was never taught to swim and just started swimming this stroke over the years. Its good if you have to swim in or against a current. You can swim it fast or just relax and go slow then its easier than walking especially if you get tired and just roll over onto your back to rest. To me, its a survival stroke.
Well, the side stroke, at present, is no longer a competition stroke. It was dropped from 'official' competition in 1900, and replaced with the much slower breast stroke. The reasoning was some thing like 'it is more gentlemanly because there isn't as much splashing'. At present, there is only one record in existence for the side stroke. It was set by Jack Tyre from England. He swam 100 yards in a time of 1:02.5. He did this in 1895. He was swimming the 'over arm' side stroke. With this method, the side stroke more resembles the combat swim side stroke except that the top arm comes up out of the water and over the top like freestyle. I learned the CSS first and the inspiration just came to me. Figured it was too obvious and some one had to have done it before. This turns it into a very powerful long axis stroke. I have been swimming it for 5 or so years. Among my discoveries, with the under arm, if you pull straight down/parallel to your shoulders towards the bottom of the pool, it is not nearly as strong/powerful as pulling at 90 degrees to your shoulder line, which is how you swim freestyle. I dropped the scissor kick as well. The combat swim uses a 4 beat kick, generally a scissor kick and a couple of extra flutter kicks. Once during full on 25 yard sprints, I accidentally slipped into flutter kick. After that discovery, I was able to take 3 seconds off of my 50 yard sprint time in about a week. The scissor kick provides a lot of thrust, but also creates huge amounts of drag. If you are a life guard and don't have full use of your hands and arms, then you need it. If you are going for speed, endurance, and efficiency, then the flutter kick is faster and more efficient. With the over arm action, you change to a constant motion stroke and not a kick and glide. With the over arm side stroke, you plane out rather than ride low in the water. Arms go like back stroke, kind of a 2 bladed propeller and opposite of each other. Flip turns are natural. PR for a 50 is 38 seconds, pushing off the wall, not diving in. I am 70 years old. Swam a 500 in 7:50. Now trying to get back in shape since our pools opened again. I think it can be a valuable learning tool for freestyle. Similar actions, and easier, especially for beginners, to breathe. You do use body rotation, and with the rotation, you don't even have to lift your head to breathe. Much more fun than the one arm pull drill. Oh, under arm does breast stroke pull out stroke.
My poor Apple watch can't figure out the overarm side stroke. It comes back with 1/2 back stroke and 1/2 freestyle with the occasional lap of breast stroke thrown in, and I never could swim breast stroke....
Thanks for the video. This helped me develop my very first swimming stroke, the sidestroke. Now I can use my confidence gained from the sidestroke to branch into other strokes.
For me, getting the rhythm of the everything in, everything out movement is key. Then just fine tune after that. I'm not a swimmer and was able to get this stroke down with in a half hour. It is very awkward at first, but once you get it, you can cover a lot of water with ease.
This is the CSS but the eyes up version used by various of lifeguards ,where you can see the guy. Anyway,its the second greatest video about the topic on the youtube,congratulations!
This comment is a year old but if you aren't taking very deep breaths you'll have more trouble as the air in ur lungs helps with floating, and if you don't have very much fat on your body you'll have trouble too
Is swimming 200 yards with the sidestroke difficult? I am considering taking a PADI Open Water SCUBA diving course and we need to be able to swim 200 yards without stopping. I am not a strong swimmer and want to practice with some type of stroke that will allow me to breath more comfortably than I can using freestyle. Thanks.
I am trying this stroke for weeks now to improve my side-breathing technique, but I can't seem to keep head above water, if I try to keep it above my legs go down, and vice versa. Any tips ?
Hey mfr,first use your lungs as leverage,second don't panic or flex muscles,stay relaxed and BREATHE. Brething and lungs keep you floating in the water.
I learned to swim over 50 years ago, and we were taught to keep your ear in the water while doing side stroke. Watching his head sticking out of the water looks like it would hurt your neck!
Anyone here that’s watching because of the Navy’s Warrior Challenge Program and in the Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida panhandle area, I can get you in touch with a WCP Scout.
I swim like this before even seeing this video. I am shocked. It is better as it avoids stress on your chest and you find you lose weight on your legs and body quicker. Swimming on your front has impact on your chest and affects your breathing and gives you stress. Whilst side swimming whether its sidebreast strokes or side stroke takes the stress away and you have more energy after swimming like that. Cant believe how it toned up my legs quickly... you would think I was doing weights but I was not...you are using parts of your legs you would not normally use whilst swimming front ways.
I was taught to kick the top leg back and the bottom leg forward. This was because if you were towing a person, you would not be as likely to kick them. I really do not think it makes a difference. Still, I never see this. Also, I practice both sides. Love the video.
I am a 10 year right sided stroke survivor have been using my stronger right side to swim using the side stroke two to three times a week for about an hour as my rehab with good effect. Best of Health to you all!
I was never taught to swim and just started swimming this stroke over the years. Its good if you have to swim in or against a current. You can swim it fast or just relax and go slow then its easier than walking especially if you get tired and just roll over onto your back to rest. To me, its a survival stroke.
That's exactly its classification - survival stroke. 😊
Well, the side stroke, at present, is no longer a competition stroke. It was dropped from 'official' competition in 1900, and replaced with the much slower breast stroke. The reasoning was some thing like 'it is more gentlemanly because there isn't as much splashing'. At present, there is only one record in existence for the side stroke. It was set by Jack Tyre from England. He swam 100 yards in a time of 1:02.5. He did this in 1895. He was swimming the 'over arm' side stroke. With this method, the side stroke more resembles the combat swim side stroke except that the top arm comes up out of the water and over the top like freestyle. I learned the CSS first and the inspiration just came to me. Figured it was too obvious and some one had to have done it before. This turns it into a very powerful long axis stroke. I have been swimming it for 5 or so years. Among my discoveries, with the under arm, if you pull straight down/parallel to your shoulders towards the bottom of the pool, it is not nearly as strong/powerful as pulling at 90 degrees to your shoulder line, which is how you swim freestyle. I dropped the scissor kick as well. The combat swim uses a 4 beat kick, generally a scissor kick and a couple of extra flutter kicks. Once during full on 25 yard sprints, I accidentally slipped into flutter kick. After that discovery, I was able to take 3 seconds off of my 50 yard sprint time in about a week. The scissor kick provides a lot of thrust, but also creates huge amounts of drag. If you are a life guard and don't have full use of your hands and arms, then you need it. If you are going for speed, endurance, and efficiency, then the flutter kick is faster and more efficient. With the over arm action, you change to a constant motion stroke and not a kick and glide. With the over arm side stroke, you plane out rather than ride low in the water. Arms go like back stroke, kind of a 2 bladed propeller and opposite of each other. Flip turns are natural. PR for a 50 is 38 seconds, pushing off the wall, not diving in. I am 70 years old. Swam a 500 in 7:50. Now trying to get back in shape since our pools opened again. I think it can be a valuable learning tool for freestyle. Similar actions, and easier, especially for beginners, to breathe. You do use body rotation, and with the rotation, you don't even have to lift your head to breathe. Much more fun than the one arm pull drill. Oh, under arm does breast stroke pull out stroke.
I like this. I regularly swim this and then Spin over to Back stroke then side again!
My poor Apple watch can't figure out the overarm side stroke. It comes back with 1/2 back stroke and 1/2 freestyle with the occasional lap of breast stroke thrown in, and I never could swim breast stroke....
I ain’t reading allat
I can make out that what you wrote kind of makes sense, but it would be better if you could add some animation or video for us to understand all that.
Thanks for the video. This helped me develop my very first swimming stroke, the sidestroke. Now I can use my confidence gained from the sidestroke to branch into other strokes.
🤖🤖
What a great thorough break down. Very helpful, forever grateful!
😇
I love doing this stroke,
it's nice and easy and a
good one for getting a breather in during different types
This was an excellent demonstrational video thanks! I'm trying to learn for the Navy.
same, did u join
Learned this as a kid with "reach out, grab an apple, put it in the basket"
For me, getting the rhythm of the everything in, everything out movement is key. Then just fine tune after that. I'm not a swimmer and was able to get this stroke down with in a half hour. It is very awkward at first, but once you get it, you can cover a lot of water with ease.
This is the CSS but the eyes up version used by various of lifeguards ,where you can see the guy. Anyway,its the second greatest video about the topic on the youtube,congratulations!
What's the first one?
Thanks for breaking down this stroke.
I've learned a lot very informative thanks!
this is actually much better and easier than combat swimming
its also pretty fast
its also fast as hell against the waves
I drank a lot of water with this side stroke. My legs just kept going down which pulled my entire body down. I wasn’t able to float at all.
Dude you're not alone. But I'm sure we just don't understand the technique yet. May just need some coaching.
imagine being gay
This comment is a year old but if you aren't taking very deep breaths you'll have more trouble as the air in ur lungs helps with floating, and if you don't have very much fat on your body you'll have trouble too
Very good. Thanks!
Love the mm2 music in the background
Is swimming 200 yards with the sidestroke difficult? I am considering taking a PADI Open Water SCUBA diving course and we need to be able to swim 200 yards without stopping. I am not a strong swimmer and want to practice with some type of stroke that will allow me to breath more comfortably than I can using freestyle. Thanks.
Rick Kinney Nah you got this man.
I am trying this stroke for weeks now to improve my side-breathing technique, but I can't seem to keep head above water, if I try to keep it above my legs go down, and vice versa. Any tips ?
Put your head in the water, your don’t want to swim at a slant
give up
Hey mfr,first use your lungs as leverage,second don't panic or flex muscles,stay relaxed and BREATHE. Brething and lungs keep you floating in the water.
I learned to swim over 50 years ago, and we were taught to keep your ear in the water while doing side stroke. Watching his head sticking out of the water looks like it would hurt your neck!
At 68 I’ve started the CSS It is really a good work out What is the age limit to join the Navy Seals ?
Its 29 but 30 if you have a waver
Don't worry I'm sure they'll let you in - just say you're 65 years old
You can still join the ranks of the gravy seals.
Amazing. Thank you so much.
Anyone here that’s watching because of the Navy’s Warrior Challenge Program and in the Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida panhandle area, I can get you in touch with a WCP Scout.
Thank you bogart🤟🏻
I’m trying out for coast guard rescue swimmer school, and when towing a person, how do you grab em
I've thought about being a rescue swimmer too. Good luck mate
Same.
Seaman grip
I swim like this before even seeing this video. I am shocked. It is better as it avoids stress on your chest and you find you lose weight on your legs and body quicker. Swimming on your front has impact on your chest and affects your breathing and gives you stress. Whilst side swimming whether its sidebreast strokes or side stroke takes the stress away and you have more energy after swimming like that. Cant believe how it toned up my legs quickly... you would think I was doing weights but I was not...you are using parts of your legs you would not normally use whilst swimming front ways.
I was taught to kick the top leg back and the bottom leg forward. This was because if you were towing a person, you would not be as likely to kick them. I really do not think it makes a difference. Still, I never see this. Also, I practice both sides. Love the video.
thanks
instructions unlcear, i drowned
TheWinkingSquid 😂
Poor swimming skills for a squid
Haha very funny TheWinkingSquid
Great
❤️👍
Anyone having stroke doing the stoke?
I am a 10 year right sided stroke survivor have been using my stronger right side to swim using the side stroke two to three times a week for about an hour as my rehab with good effect. Best of Health to you all!
ummm my feet fell off what did i miss
Hello
ABNORMALLY WEBBED TOES help
Ranger
aquatic bears on my grandma
Bear Grylls took me here
My friend and I watched this video and stated to drown..