Butterfly
The primary difference between freestyle and butterfly is that the arms move in unison during butterfly whereas reciprocal movements take place with freestyle. Because butterfly and freestyle have the same underwater pull pattern, the muscle recruitment patterns are almost identical. As with freestyle, the swimmer’s arms in butterfly are in an elongated position when they initiate the propulsive underwater portion of the stroke. Muscles active during the entire propulsive phase are the pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi, which function as the primary movers, and the wrist flexors, which act to maintain the wrist in a neutral to slightly flexed position. The biceps brachii and brachialis are active as the elbow moves from being fully extended at the initiation of the catch to approximately 40 degrees of flexion during the midpart of the pull. Unlike in freestyle, a forceful extension of the elbow is emphasized during the final portion of the pull, resulting in greater demands being placed on the triceps brachii. As in the freestyle stroke, both the rotator cuff and deltoid are responsible for moving the arm during the recovery phase, but the mechanics are somewhat different. Butterfly lacks the body roll that aids the recovery process during freestyle; instead, an undulating movement of the torso occurs, which brings the entire upper torso out of the water to aid in the recovery process.
Again, the shoulder blade stabilizing muscles are extremely important, because they function to provide a firm anchor point for the propulsive forces generated by the arms and help reposition the arms during the recovery phase of the stroke. Although butterfly lacks the body roll present in freestyle, the core stabilizers are still important in linking the movements of the upper and lower extremities and have an important role in creating the undulating motion that allows the swimmer to get the upper torso and arms out of the water during the recovery process. The undulating movement is initiated with contraction of the paraspinal muscles that run in multiple groups from the lower portion of the back to the base of the skull. This contraction results in an arching of the back, at which time the arms are moving through the recovery process. Contraction of the abdominal muscles quickly follows, which prepares the upper body to follow the entry of the hands into the water to initiate the propulsive phase of the stroke.
As with the arms, the muscles used in generating the kicking movements during the butterfly kick are identical to those used during the freestyle kick; the only difference in kick mechanics is that the legs move in unison. The propulsive downbeat begins with contraction of the iliopsoas and rectus femoris, acting as hip flexors. The rectus femoris also initiates knee extension, and associated firing of the quadriceps muscle group further aids in extension of the knee. The gluteal muscle group drives the recovery phase of the kick. Concomitant contraction of the hamstring muscles also works to extend the hip. The foot is maintained in a plantarflexed position through a combination of the resistance from the water and activation of the gastrocnemius and soleus, acting as plantarflexors. The dolphin kick that is used at the start of the race and off each turn wall recruits a larger group of muscles than the smaller, more isolated kick tied into the arm movements. Besides the movements generated at the hips and knee, the dolphin kick ties in the undulating movements of the torso through activation of the core stabilizers and the paraspinal musculature.
Backstroke
Although backstroke is unique in body positioning among the competitive strokes, the stroke phases can still be divided into a propulsive phase that consists of hand entry into the water, a catch component, a finishing component, and a recovery phase. Rotation at the shoulder puts the hands in a position in which the little finger is the first to enter the water. Combined with extension of the elbow, the swimmer is in an elongated position to begin the underwater propulsion phase of the stroke. A difference between backstroke and freestyle or butterfly is that the initial catch component is dominated by the latissimus dorsi. The pectoralis major makes a smaller contribution. Despite these differences the latissimus dorsi and the pectoralis major are still the prime movers and are active to some degree throughout the entire propulsive phase. Although the wrist flexors are still an integral part of the entire propulsion phase, the wrist is maintained in a neutral to slightly extended position. Through a combination of pressure forces from the water and activation of the biceps brachii and brachialis, the elbow transitions into approximately 45 degrees of flexion at the start of the catch. By the end of the catch the elbow may be flexed as much as 90 degrees just before transitioning into the finishing component. As with the finishing component in butterfly, more emphasis is placed on forceful extension of the elbow, placing high demand on the triceps brachii during the final portion of the propulsive phase.
The role of the stabilizing musculature during backstroke is similar to the role that it plays in freestyle, largely because of the similar reciprocal arm movement and the integration of body roll into both strokes.
The kicking motion seen in backstroke is a combination of movements that we have seen in freestyle and butterfly kicking mechanics. Like freestyle, backstroke uses reciprocal kicking movements. The major difference is that the position of the swimmer causes most of the force to be generated during the upbeat portion of the kick as opposed to the downbeat in freestyle. Backstroke also uses the dolphin kick off the start of a race and off each wall. The muscle recruitment patterns are the same in each case; the only change is in the direction because of the swimmer’s body position.
Breaststroke
As with the other strokes the arm movements that take place during breaststroke are categorized as a propulsive phase and a recovery phase. The propulsive phase begins with the shoulders and arms in an elongated overhead position. The first half of the underwater pull is similar to that used in freestyle and butterfly. The clavicular portion of the pectoralis major starts the movement, and the latissimus dorsi quickly joins in. During the second half of the pull, forceful contractions of the pectoralis major and latissimus dorsi pull the arms and hands into the midline of the body to finish the pull. The forces generated during the final phase are directed toward forward propulsion of the swimmer in the water and upward propulsion of the swimmer’s torso, which is aided by contraction of the paraspinal muscles. This movement brings the swimmer’s head and shoulders out of the water. Flexion and rotation at the elbow bring the hands to the midline of the body and mark the conversion into the recovery phase. To return the hands to the starting position, the arms must be returned from their position under the chest. This motion is carried out by recruitment of the pectoralis major, anterior deltoid, and the long head of the biceps brachii, which all function to flex the shoulder joint. At the same time, extension of the elbow by the triceps brachii results in completion of the recovery phase, and the arms return to their extended and elongated position.
As with the other strokes, the shoulder blade stabilizing musculature is crucial to creating a firm base of support for the movements and forces generated by the arms. Like the butterfly stroke, the breaststroke lacks a body roll component. Even so, the core-stabilizing musculature is important in ensuring an efficient linkage between the movement patterns of the upper and lower extremities.