The backstroke is an alternative swimming style in which the swimmer performs rotating and alternating movements of the arms. To turn, he sinks his head, lifts both legs out of the water and takes momentum off the wall. The existing competition events of this style in swimming are the following: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m. Among them, only the last two are Olympic.
The crawl or freestyle is an alternative swimming style in which the swimmer moves using alternative movements of the feet and arms. He is propelled underwater and recovered on the surface. He turns at two or three meters from the wall. The existing competition events of this style in swimming are the following: 50 m, 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, 1500 m, 4 x 100 m, 4 x 200 m. All of them are Olympic and the 4 x 200 m relay is only contested in the men’s category.
The six aquatic sports disciplines run by World Aquatics (until 2022 called the International Swimming Federation) are swimming, water polo, open water swimming, artistic swimming (until recently called synchronized swimming), diving and high diving. Of all of them we will analyze swimming in more detail.