How to Swim Side Stroke

Side-stroke arms.

The side stroke is one of the easiest and least taxing swimming strokes to learn. Side stroke keeps your head above water for optimum visibility, keeps your hair looking fairly dapper and uses a powerful scissors kick to propel you forward. You can swim side stroke by learning the moves independently, then putting them all together as you scoot across the pool. Here’s how.

Instructions

1. Practice the arm movements on land. Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart. Hold your right arm straight up in the air, with the palm facing toward your body. Put your left arm straight down alongside you, with the palm facing toward your body. Bend both elbows so your hands meet in front of your chest, then extend both arms again. Switch and repeat on the other side. While your arms are moving toward your chest, you will swoosh the water with your palms. While your arms are moving up and out, keep them streamlined to create no resistance as you move through the water.

2. Practice the scissor kick in the pool. Hold onto the side of the pool with your body sideways, right-side down. Bend both legs and move them towards your belly. Do a wide scissors kick with your left leg on top moving to the front, and your bottom leg moving back. Switch and repeat on the other side.

3. Stand in chest-high water and put the arm and leg movements together. While you are on your right side, your right arm is going to the one that extends above your head, with your left arm down at your side. Your left leg will be on top, kicking front, while your right leg is on the bottom, kicking back. Swim a bit on each side to get the hang of it.

4. Move to deeper depths and continue your practice until you are confident enough to do laps.

5. Keep your head above water. The lower side of your neck and bottom ear should be submerged, but never the top of your head or face. If your head and face are deep under water, you are doing something wrong.

Tips & Warnings

• You can practice the side scissor kick by using a flotation device and lying on your side with your waist and legs in the water.

• The sidestroke has also been called the “cherry-picker stroke,” because your arm movements mimic those of someone picking cherries. Think of your bottom hand as the one that holds the basket as the top hand reaches up to pick the cherries and then deposit them there.