Why do children in China learn to swim almost always with breaststroke?

It's nice to be able to swim, because humans are land animals and can move freely in the water, which opens up more space for movement. However, those who have been to the public swimming pool will find that there are many people who can swim breaststroke, and very few people who can swim freestyle at a high level. What's going on?

Mu Xiangxiong, an honorary member of the All-China Sports Federation, former head coach of the national swimming team, and a former world record in the 100-meter breaststroke who has set three world records in the breaststroke and is known as the "World Frog King", gave the answer in an interview with reporters.

Freestyle is hard to learn.

There are many people who know breaststroke because it is easiest to learn breaststroke, but it is difficult to learn freestyle. Coach Mu Xiangxiong was born into a family of swimmers and began to learn to swim at the age of 4. He clearly remembers that he first learned freestyle, but he didn't learn it, but he learned breaststroke first.

In contrast, breaststroke is much easier to learn. It is understood that the swimming classes held in the society are generally 12 lessons, each lesson is 1 hour. Coach Mu Xiangxiong told reporters that smart children can often learn breaststroke in 4-5 classes, and after 12 classes, almost all the students in the class can learn it.

But in freestyle, I can't guarantee that they will learn it in 12 lessons.

It is recommended for adults to learn breaststroke first, because the difficulty of breaststroke is in the leg movements, and it is easier for adults to master their thinking skills.

If adults learn freestyle, they will be tired a lot for breaststroke, freestyle consumes a lot more physical strength than breaststroke, and freestyle is generally recommended for preschool children to learn first, because the leg movements are simple and easy to master, and the technical movements can be simplified and taught.

The rules of each swimming venue are different, and some places advocate teaching freestyle first and breaststroke first. (It's actually not very responsible for adults to learn freestyle first).

It is said that the free movement can be taught simply, the legs are straight, the hands are stretched and rowed, so it is suitable for preschool children, and it is easier for adults to learn, (easy to only learn the technique before ventilation) But the difficulty of freestyle is that he turns his head to breathe, and adults who have no swimming foundation will be very laborious to do. (After a course, if you don't learn to ventilate, he may ask you to continue the course).

BecauseBreaststrokeCompared to other swimming stylesIt's the easiestAt the same time, the key point is the ventilation of the breaststrokeSide ventilation is not required, which leads to novices not easy to choke or choke less, children learn breaststrokeAccidents are not susceptibleand, in addition, breaststrokeMovements are the easiest to learn, the upper and lower limb coordination requirements are smaller, so overall, breaststroke is the mostSuitable for beginners or kidsTarget.

Advantages and disadvantages of breaststrokeThe advantages of breaststroke are not only simple, but also simpleVery labor-savingIt has long been widely used in rescue, water handling, etc., so it seems that although its competitiveness is relatively poor, but itsThe practicality is better, so as a novice, whether from the perspective of handiness or practicality, breaststroke is the best choice.

In addition, I swim regularly, tooHelps to enhance heart function, increase lung capacity, enhance the body's resistance to cold, and improve metabolism

But its kicking action is veryIt is easy to damage the kneeBecause it is an anti-joint action, it is not recommended for those who have joint injuries to swim.

Swimming needs to be done gradually, many people are always overconfident in themselves, and they haven't learned to walk yet, so they want to run, for swimming, I recommend starting with the simplest breaststroke, and then for breaststroke, I thinkFirst of all, you must exercise your ability to hold your breath in the water, and then learn to floatOtherwise, even if you are proficient in the movements, it is just empty talk.

The importance of learning to swim is like oneNecessary skills, can save your life at a critical time, in a year, too many people are lost because they can't swim, and now the children's living conditions are gradually superior, and they also have the conditions to go to the regular swimming pool to swim, so I personally think parentsIt's the right thing to do for your child to learn to swimTarget.

However, people who have just learned to swim must have a clear understanding of themselvesDon't be desperate when you encounter someone who has fallen into the waterEnter the water to save peopleThe flowing and cold water of the river is not like a swimming pool, but is full of dangers, and the drowning person is left with only the instinct to survive, and if there is no great skill, he will be pulled into the water.

To sum up, breaststroke is a simple swimming style suitable for novices, so it makes sense for children to learn it at first.

If you look closely around the pool, you will see that there are many people who can swim breaststroke, but there are very few people who can swim freestyle, backstroke or butterfly, and those who can swim the other three strokes are usually considered masters, which also establishes the status of the "basic stroke" in breaststroke. Why learn breaststroke first? Swimming coaches and swim learners have different opinions, but they can be summed up in two words - "eager to learn", which is mainly reflected in two aspects:

First of all, breaststroke is the easiest. Because of the dexterity of the upper limbs, it is not difficult to learn hand movements, and the lower body movements of breaststroke are the easiest and easiest to learn. The most important thing is that it doesn't matter if the hand movements and leg movements of the breaststroke are not coordinated, as long as you can float on the water, you can swim forward with one stroke.

Secondly, breaststroke breathing is the easiest. Because breaststroke has the action of lifting water and raising the chest, the breathing position can be higher and it is not easy to suffocate, while other swimming methods such as freestyle have side ventilation, which makes it easier to drink water. Therefore, children playing in the water are thrown into swimming training classes.

There are many misconceptions that children have when learning to swim: the first step is to learn breaststroke, I don't know if parents have noticed, most fast swimming classes teach children to learn breaststroke. Why do children learn to swim mostly by breaststroke?

There could be several reasons:1For beginners, breaststroke is easy to pick up.

The main thing is that it works quickly. Although breaststroke can be introduced in a short period of time, it is difficult to swim well. There is also a fatal injury in breaststroke:

When kicking, the knee and shin bone must be valgus so that the inner leg can face the water. This is an anti-joint action that puts a load on the medial collateral ligament of the knee. Long-distance breaststroke, vigorous breaststroke, and single-shot concentrated breaststroke are all harmful to the knees.

In fact, if a child has really mastered swimming, he should not learn the movements directly from the beginning. The first step is to learn to tread water and breathe. In fact, there are different levels of swimming.

According to the grade standard of "everyone exercises and learns to swim" for primary and secondary school students in Shanghai, the classes are also divided into different learning levels. Seeing this, parents understand that if they really want their children to master a swimming skill, they should not blindly pursue efficiency, but let their children become interested in and enjoy learning to swim. Mom and dad can also learn to swim with their children.

With parents around, children will be braver and more likely to overcome their fear of water. Learning is more efficient when it's fun. The movements of freestyle are more difficult to master than breaststroke.

Freestyle requires arms and legs to be crossed, and leg movements are particularly difficult to do. The thighs need to drive the calves, and the calves in turn drive the feet. Many joints in the lower limbs need to be involved, and movements are not easy to coordinate.

If buoyancy is not well mastered, it will feel very laborious. Also, freestyle breathing should be on the side of the head, which is difficult for beginners to swim in.

If freestyle is so hard, why learn it first? Mainly because it is easier for children to learn freestyle first, and then learn other strokes. After learning freestyle, turning over is the backstroke, while butterfly is similar to freestyle, while breaststroke hardly requires special learning.

If you learn breaststroke first, because the movement is quite different from the other three strokes, you will learn the other strokes almost from scratch. In addition, learning freestyle first is more conducive to children learning standard swimming movements.

One is easy to learn, the coach is easier to teach you, and breaststroke is the easiest to learn to hold your breath and use your legs. The other is that if you choke on breaststroke, someone will be able to find it as soon as possible, and it can treat you, so it is relatively safe.

Personally, I think that the reason why Chinese children learn to swim starts from breaststroke is because the way we Chinese children are exposed to swimming starts from breaststroke.

Because breaststroke is relatively simple, it is relatively easy for children to master. You can want to learn breaststroke until you are proficient and then learn other postures.

The movements are simple, but the others are more difficult for beginners.

It is very studious, I have learned this swimming by myself, it is actually very simple, as long as you practice the movements often in life, you can learn to breathe and float. In general, the coach will tell you some professional knowledge, and you can practice 5 times a day.

To consult professional people, sign up for a class system of learning, **online teaching**, go to the swimming pool for practice; **Their operating specifications, let people teach you on the spot, and explain the key points and specifications of the action to you; I think breaststroke is relatively easy to learn, as long as you practice diligently, you can learn it.

Be studious, be sure to go to a professional place, before swimming, the arms should be naturally stretched forward and parallel to the water surface, the palms of both hands are upward, and then press the water diagonally downward, when paddling, the two arms should be at a 45-degree angle, and the arms should be bent down or backwards.

It is particularly studious, and it can be said that it is one of the easiest to learn in swimming. First of all, you should learn to ventilate, and secondly, you should tie some floating ones to your body and buy a copy. That's it. Learn relevant swimming styles.

I don't think it's studious; You can lie prone on the stool, imitate the movements of the frog's legs, learn to hold your breath, and practice when you have learned about it.

Reasons: 1. The most important reason is that breaststroke is easier to use than others.

2. The breathing of breaststroke is simpler than freestyle, which is suitable for beginners to practice, and when they learn to swim, they will carry out ventilation exercises by the pool, and this exercise is basically modeled on the breathing of breaststroke.

3. When many people learn to swim for the first time, they are first exposed to a period of "treading water" training, and most people are exposed to "frog treading water", so when beginners master the frog treading water, they basically master the leg movements of breaststroke, and then learn breaststroke can be said to be a natural thing.

4. Generally, beginners will have a sense of fear of water when they just enter the water, and they will struggle, and the purpose of struggle is not to let the water pass through the nose and mouth. Among the four swimming styles, for beginners, only breaststroke can be done without ventilation, which is the head-up frog we often see, which is why many people choose breaststroke as a beginner swimming style.

5. After beginners enter the water, it is generally difficult to float on the water, basically at a 45-degree angle with the bottom of the pool, or even a vertical angle, and among several swimming styles, only breaststroke can swim up in this case, and the other three swimming styles are absolutely impossible.

6. For beginners, in addition to the fear of water, there is also a physical problem, basically splashing in the water for a while, it will consume a lot of physical strength, and breaststroke has a more obvious advantage is that it saves physical strength more than other swimming styles.

Young boys with no prior knowledge learn to swim, and half of them learn breaststroke first, because breaststroke is easier than freestyle.

Breaststroke is the basis of other swimming techniques due to its versatility and low swimming sound. The vast majority of swimming styles are related to breaststroke to varying degrees, so learning breaststroke is a good foundation for learning a variety of other swimming styles.

Breaststroke is labor-saving, easy to last, and has great practical value, and is often used in fishing and hunting, swimming, rescue, water transportation, etc., and at the same time, it is also a learning project for beginners in swimming.

Learn breaststroke or freestyle first? See what Coach Yi Yu has to say.

Varies from person to person It is common practice to teach breaststroke first, which has great benefits for developing a sense of water and body coordination.

However, for individual hip joint flexibility and poor, or the foot can't turn over, it is recommended to practice freestyle directly, although the practice is more difficult and the learning time may be longer...

I learned freestyle first and then practiced breaststroke myself.

It is better to start with freestyle for beginners, and there are no constraints. I learned to learn breaststroke.

For Chinese parents or Chinese enthusiasts learning to swim. The main need to learn to swim is to learn quickly, to put it bluntly, I just want my child to master this survival skill quickly. Well, since it is for a quick stare at the breaststroke, of course, it is the most suitable.

Breaststroke is the easiest way to breathe, and breathing is not that difficult for most swimming positions, but requires a lot of practice. Because the breath you breathe when you swim is completely different from the breath you breathe in your normal life. This requires repeated training to form a physical memory.

So for beginner swimmers, when you are nervous in the water, your head will go blank, and your body will lose balance and choke when you don't have a lot of training to form a memory. The advantage of breaststroke is here, the breaststroke is flat and stable, and the body is always symmetrical, so that the posture is stable, and the brain is always in the first command. Breaststroke beginners only need to learn to raise their heads, breathe and breathe, compared with the freestyle's "open shoulders plus turn and turn the head", the head-up action is obviously much simpler.

This also saves a lot of time to practice the basic skills.

The breaststroke treading action is the same as looking up for air, both of which are in line with the principle of survival of the human body in the water. Because when people fall into the water at will, it is the correct operation to let the head out of the water for the first time, and at the same time keep the body unsinkable in the water, what is exactly needed is the breaststroke treading action. Then if you have trained your breaststroke legs, you will naturally be able to tread water.

You can tread water so that you don't sink, and you can't call for help if you don't sink, which greatly increases your chances of survival. This is also in line with the "survival and accelerated growth" conditions that Chinese parents need for their children.

So what is the main value of learning to swim in the United States? It is also practical, but the scope of practicality is different, and the United States teaches freestyle first, not because it attaches importance to children's interests. However, there are several types of sports that are quite popular in the United States, one is water polo, and the other is surfing.

Both sports require a foundation in freestyle. Although water polo is not very popular in China, it has a history of more than 100 years and is currently one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. Between 2008 and 2016, the number of U.S. water polo players grew by nearly 67 percent, according to the U.S. Water Polo Association and Collegiate Water Polo League Union.

And in places like Sweden, Norway and Denmark, water polo is even called the number one sport. Due to the importance of water polo in the United States, it has even become one of the best ways to get into a prestigious school. The same is true for surfing, which is one of the most popular sports among Americans.

When playing water polo, you have to use freestyle to dribble, and when you wait for waves on a surfboard, you have to use freestyle strokes. And of course, it is impossible to swim breaststroke in the sea area where you can surf Kaihengsui. When you look up for air, a wave is enough for you to drink a pot.

So this is in line with the needs of the American market. Naturally, getting started with freestyle. Once you've learned freestyle, you'll be able to play the other two sports.

On the contrary, water polo and surfing are not mainstream sports in China at the moment. Therefore, compared with breaststroke, freestyle is of course not a rigid demand.