People are just realising this little known fact about freestyle

“I’ve been a swimmer for 10 years and never knew that.”

If you're like most people, you’ve been calling ‘freestyle’ a swimming stroke your whole life. 

But it’s time to drop a bombshell… because freestyle isn’t technically a stroke at all.

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Image: IStock

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What is freestyle?

You might be pretty confused right now, having just watched the Olympics where you saw all the swimmers swim ‘freestyle’ in the ‘freestyle’ races.

But it’s not quite that simple.

Freestyle actually refers to a category in swimming competitions where competitors are free to use any stroke they prefer.

However, one stroke, the ‘front crawl, ' is the fastest and most effective, so it’s become basically synonymous with freestyle events.

Mind = blown, right?

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What is the front crawl?

The front crawl is what most of us imagine when we think of freestyle swimming. 

It’s the one where swimmers alternate their arms in an overhead motion while rapidly kicking their legs in what is known as a flutter or scissor kick. 

Although it’s now universally recognised as the fastest swimming technique, its rise to popularity wasn’t immediate. 

The stroke first made waves in competitive swimming circles in the 19th century. According to swimming.org, “Front crawl was first introduced to British audiences in 1844 during an exhibition organised by the British Swimming Society.

“Two Native American swimmers, Flying Gull and Tobacco, showed off their speed using this stroke.”

But not everyone was impressed. To British spectators, used to the slow, graceful strokes of breaststroke, the front crawl’s 'thrashing' arms and fast-paced kicking appeared unrefined, even 'grotesque.' 

The British swimming elite clung to the more 'gentlemanly' breaststroke for decades, preferring its slower, more controlled pace. It would take some time for the undeniable speed of the front crawl to win over competitive swimmers.

Can swimmers use other strokes in freestyle events? And have they?!

Technically, yes. Swimmers are allowed to use any stroke they want in freestyle events. Backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly could be used if the swimmer chooses. 

However, this rarely happens in serious competitions like the Olympics or World Championships, where speed is everything. 

That being said, in a 50-meter freestyle final at the U.S. Open in 2014, Michael Phelps opted to swim butterfly instead of the traditional front crawl. 

While this might sound like an interesting choice, the swimming pro was clearly confident enough to pull it off and made a great time. 

People learn this little-known fact

On Reddit, people responded to learning this fact, with one person saying, “That’s actually crazy.”

“My life has been a lie,” admitted a second.

“I feel cheated. I never got told this by my swimming coaches,” another joked. “I could have been a professional backstroker.”

“I’ve been a swimmer for 10 years and never knew that,” revealed someone else. “I always wondered why it was called freestyle.”

“It literally says it in the name of the event free-style, yet I never knew!” someone else concluded. 

Originally published as People are just realising this little known fact about freestyle