Most adult lap swimmers swim mostly freestyle, occasionally backstroke, rarely breaststroke, and almost never butterfly. There are good reasons for that distribution — but if you only know one stroke, you’re leaving real value on the table. Each of the four competitive strokes has a job it’s better at than the others, and a well-rounded swimmer rotates between them based on what they need.
This article compares the strokes on speed, energy cost, learning curve, and the situations where each shines.
Quick comparison
| Stroke | Relative speed | Energy cost | Learning curve | Body impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freestyle | Fastest | Low | Moderate | Low |
| Backstroke | Second fastest | Low-moderate | Moderate | Low |
| Breaststroke | Slowest competitive | Moderate-high | Easy mechanics, hard to do well | Moderate (knees) |
| Butterfly | Second slowest (sustained) | Highest | Very high | High (shoulders, lower back) |
Numbers are approximate and depend heavily on technique. A well-trained breaststroker can swim faster than a poorly-trained freestyler. The comparisons assume similar effort and similar technical proficiency.
Freestyle (front crawl)
What it is: alternating arm pulls with a flutter kick, face in the water, breathing by rotating the head.
When to use it:
- Most fitness swimming
- Most competitive distance events
- Triathlons
- Long-distance open water swims
- Any time speed matters and you don’t care about visibility ahead
Strengths:
- Fastest stroke for any distance
- Most efficient — covers most yards per calorie
- The default training stroke; almost every coach builds endurance through freestyle
- Low-impact on joints
Weaknesses:
- Can’t see ahead (face in the water)
- Hardest breathing rhythm to learn
- Requires comfortable face-in-water swimming
Learning curve: the first stroke most adults learn is also the one with the steepest initial curve — the breathing pattern takes weeks to feel natural. Once it does, freestyle becomes the easy default.
See how to swim freestyle for the technique tutorial.
Backstroke
What it is: alternating arm pulls with a flutter kick, face out of the water the entire time.
When to use it:
- When you want to swim without dealing with breathing rhythm
- Recovery between hard sets of freestyle
- Open water for sighting and rest
- Lap swimming when you’re tired
- Lower back pain — the supine position offloads spinal compression
Strengths:
- Easy breathing — face is always out of the water
- Naturally extends the spine, often feels good for back pain
- Decent speed (close to freestyle for most swimmers)
- Great for visibility above water
Weaknesses:
- Can’t see where you’re going (looking up at the ceiling or sky)
- Easy to drift sideways or hit the wall unexpectedly
- Harder to navigate crowded lanes
- The flip turn at the wall is tricky and dangerous for beginners
Learning curve: mechanically simpler than freestyle. Most adults can swim a recognizable backstroke after a single session of practice. Refining body position and reducing the head bob takes longer.
Pro tip: count strokes between the flags and the wall (most pools have backstroke flags 15 feet from each wall). Once you know your count, you can swim backstroke without ever turning to check your distance.
Breaststroke
What it is: simultaneous arm pulls forward and out, with a “frog kick” (knees out, feet flexed, kick back and together).
When to use it:
- Recovery swimming
- Open water when you need to see ahead
- Swimming with a friend so you can talk
- Survival swimming — least tiring at slow pace
- Crowded recreational pools where freestyle is risky
Strengths:
- Face out of water during the breath, easy breathing
- Can see ahead clearly
- Most stable stroke — least likely to drift off line
- Effective at slow pace for distance and rest
Weaknesses:
- Slowest of the four strokes when done well
- Hard on the knees due to the frog kick — “breaststroker’s knee” is a recognized injury pattern in competitive breaststrokers
- The hardest stroke to do well (the timing of pull-kick-breathe is subtle)
- Less aerobic benefit per minute than freestyle or backstroke
Learning curve: the mechanics look easy and many adult beginners default to a casual breaststroke as their “natural” stroke. But competitive breaststroke — with a proper streamline, glide, and powerful pull — is one of the harder strokes to master technically.
The casual breaststroke trap: because head-up breaststroke feels easy, many self-taught adult swimmers stay with it permanently. The casual version is slow, hard on the neck, and doesn’t develop swimming fitness the way freestyle does. If breaststroke is your only stroke, freestyle is worth the investment.
Butterfly
What it is: simultaneous arm pulls forward, over the water, with a dolphin kick (both legs together, undulating from the core).
When to use it:
- Competition (when it’s required)
- Short sprints to build power
- Variety in fitness workouts
- Core and shoulder strengthening
Strengths:
- Develops upper body and core power like no other stroke
- Fastest stroke over short distances (10–25 yards) for trained swimmers
- Builds explosive aerobic capacity
Weaknesses:
- Highest energy cost — exhausting after a few lengths
- Highest injury risk — repetitive shoulder strain, lower back stress
- Hardest to learn well
- Requires significant flexibility and core strength
Learning curve: the steepest of all four strokes. The undulating body motion and the over-water arm recovery require coordination that most adult beginners don’t have without serious dedicated work. Many adult swimmers never learn butterfly, and that’s okay.
Should you bother? If you’re a fitness swimmer who can swim a comfortable 1,000 yards of freestyle and you want variety, learning butterfly is a reasonable challenge. If you’re swimming for general fitness and don’t compete, you can have a complete swimming life without butterfly.
When to switch strokes mid-workout
Even if freestyle is your default, mixing in other strokes makes you a better swimmer:
- Warm up with backstroke. Loosens the shoulders, raises heart rate without intensity.
- Use backstroke or breaststroke as active recovery between hard freestyle sets.
- Add 25 yards of butterfly to a fitness workout for variety and power. Don’t try to swim 200 yards of fly.
- Swim a 100 individual medley (25 of each stroke, fly-back-breast-free) once or twice a session for full-body engagement.
The pattern most adult swimmers settle into: 70–80% freestyle, 10–20% backstroke, 5–10% breaststroke, 0–5% butterfly. Variation, but mostly freestyle.
Stroke for specific situations
”I have lower back pain”
Backstroke. The supine position offloads spinal compression and the rotational core motion of backstroke is gentle. Avoid breaststroke and butterfly if your back is sensitive — the undulation in butterfly and the kick recovery in breaststroke both stress the lumbar spine.
”I have shoulder problems”
Probably breaststroke, with careful technique. Freestyle and backstroke both involve repetitive overhead motion that can aggravate shoulder injuries. Butterfly is the worst for shoulders. Talk to your physical therapist — but breaststroke is usually the shoulder-safest option among the four strokes.
”I have knee problems”
Anything except breaststroke. The frog kick of breaststroke specifically loads the medial knee in a way that can aggravate existing knee issues. Freestyle and backstroke (flutter kick) and butterfly (dolphin kick) all keep the knees in safer motion.
”I’m a brand-new beginner”
Start with freestyle. Yes, the breathing is the hardest part. But everything you learn for freestyle transfers to other strokes, and freestyle is the foundation of nearly every adult fitness swimming program. Don’t start with breaststroke “because it’s easier” — you’ll be stuck there.
”I’m older and want low-impact exercise”
Freestyle and backstroke are equally good. Both are low-joint-impact, both build aerobic fitness. Backstroke might feel easier on shoulders if you have rotator cuff issues. Freestyle is faster and covers more yards in a given session.
”I’m training for a triathlon”
Freestyle, almost exclusively. Triathlon swims are mass-start, generally short relative to a fitness swim, and require sighting (raising the head to look forward periodically). Open water freestyle with strong sighting is the stroke you train.
See triathlon swim training and open water swimming safety.
The four-stroke goal
Most lap swimmers will never compete in events that require all four strokes. But knowing all four — even at a basic level — makes you a better swimmer and gives you options:
- A back-tired day becomes a backstroke day.
- A crowded lane becomes a breaststroke day.
- A bored session becomes a butterfly-mixed-in session.
- A friend wants to learn — you can teach all four.
The investment is modest. Past a year of regular swimming, take a few lessons to learn the basics of the three strokes you don’t already know. The lifetime swimming experience is richer for it.
For technique on each individual stroke, see how to swim freestyle and watch for upcoming articles on backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly mechanics. For finding a coach to teach you strokes you don’t yet know, see swim lessons for adults.
