Dog paddle

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.^[1] It is effectively a "trot" in water, instead of land.^[2]

A golden retriever swimming the doggy paddle

It was the first swimming stroke used by ancient humans, believed to have been learned by observing animals swim.^[3] Prehistoric cave paintings in Egypt show figures doing what appears to be the dog paddle.^[4]

It is often the first swimming stroke used by young children when they are learning to swim.^[5]

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.^[6]

See also

• Human swimming
• Front crawl
• Breaststroke

References

1. William Clarke (1881). Boys' Own Book: A Complete Encyclopedia of Athletic, Scientific, Outdoor and Indoor Sports. J Miller.
2. 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.
3. Cecil Colwin (2002). Breakthrough Swimming: Stroke Mechanics, Training Methods, Racing Techniques. Human Kinetics. p. 12. ISBN 0-7360-3777-2.
4. Greg Kehm (2007). Olympic Swimming and Diving. Rosen. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-4042-0970-1.
5. H. Manners, M. E. Carroll (1995). A Framework for Physical Education in the Early Years. Routledge. p. 110. ISBN 0-7507-0417-9.
6. 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