The dog paddle or doggy paddle is a simple swimming style. It is characterized by the swimmer lying on their chest and moving their hands and legs alternately in a manner reminiscent of how dogs and other quadrupedal mammals swim. It is effectively a "trot" in water, instead of land.
It was the first swimming stroke used by ancient humans, believed to have been learned by observing animals swim. Prehistoric cave paintings in Egypt show figures doing what appears to be the dog paddle.
It is often the first swimming stroke used by young children when they are learning to swim.
The dog paddle has also been taught as a military swimming stroke when a silent stroke is needed - since neither arms or legs break the surface.
See also
References
- William Clarke (1881). Boys' Own Book: A Complete Encyclopedia of Athletic, Scientific, Outdoor and Indoor Sports. J Miller.
- Carl Zimmer (1999). At the Water's Edge: Fish with Fingers, Whales with Legs, and How Life Came Ashore But Then Went Back to Sea. Simon & Schuster. p. 183. ISBN 0-684-85623-9.
- Cecil Colwin (2002). Breakthrough Swimming: Stroke Mechanics, Training Methods, Racing Techniques. Human Kinetics. p. 12. ISBN 0-7360-3777-2.
- Greg Kehm (2007). Olympic Swimming and Diving. Rosen. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-4042-0970-1.
- H. Manners, M. E. Carroll (1995). A Framework for Physical Education in the Early Years. Routledge. p. 110. ISBN 0-7507-0417-9.
- U.S. Departments of the Army and Air Force (1950). Survival at Sea. United States Government Printing Office. p. 58.
External links
- How to Doggy Paddle, a how-to article from wikiHow
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