Swimming Basics Quiz: Master the Fundamentals

Which swimming stroke is known to be the most difficult and exhausting?

In competitive swimming, how much distance can a swimmer spend underwater in the Freestyle stroke?

What is the main restriction for a swimmer in the Breaststroke stroke during competitive swimming?

What is the only swimming stroke where both arms move in a windmill-like motion?

Which event is not included in the Olympic open water swimming schedule?

In what event do swimmers have to swim equal distances of Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Freestyle?

What is the primary goal of competitive swimming?

What is the purpose of 'tapering' in competitive swimming?

What do professional swimmers focus on even if they are not highly ranked?

What is the practice of 'shave and taper' in competitive swimming?

What is the purpose of reducing exercise workload in the final stage of a training cycle?

How many individual swimming events are officially recognized in the pool?

Open Water Swimming

Open water swimming events include 5km, 10km, and 25km for men and women, but only the 10km event is part of the Olympic schedule.
Open-water competitions are typically separate from other swimming competitions, except for the World Championships and the Olympics.

Swimming Strokes

There are four major swimming strokes: Butterfly, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Freestyle.
Each stroke aims to create the least possible water resistance and minimize splashing.

Butterfly Stroke

The most difficult and exhausting stroke.
Body is in a prone position.
Involves dolphin kick with windmill-like movement of both arms in unison.
Swimmers cannot swim underwater except for the first stroke after the start and each turn.

Breaststroke

Body is in a prone position.
Involves frog kicking and simultaneous movement of the arms from a point in front of the head to shoulder level.
Swimmer's head must be kept above the surface of the water at all times.

Freestyle

Any stroke can be used.
Only 15 meters can be spent underwater from the start or from each turn.

Backstroke

Involves alternate over-the-head arm stroke and flutter kick in a supine position.
Only 15 meters can be spent underwater from the start or from each turn.

Competitive Swimming

Goal is to break personal or world records while beating competitors.
Swimming should create the least resistance to obtain maximum speed.
Athletes go through a cycle of training, overload, and tapering before competition.
Tapering involves reducing exercise before competition, and shaving off exposed hair for a sleeker and more hydrodynamic feel in the water.

FINA and Olympic Events

FINA is the international governing body for competitive swimming.
There are 40 officially recognized individual swimming events, but the International Olympic Committee only recognizes 32 of them.
Olympic events include the 10km open water event and individual medley (IM) events of 200 and 400 meters.

Learn about the history, goals, and techniques of competitive swimming in this quiz. Understand how swimmers aim to break records while minimizing resistance in the water. Test your knowledge on the training cycles professional swimmers go through to enhance their performance.