Physics can be applied to every movement, job, sport, and task we perform every day. In my opinion, perhaps one of the most difficult sports is competitive swimming. Swimmers work against many forces as defined later in this article to move their bodies through the water. The most common strokes and/or strokes include: front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly stroke, side stroke, and doggy paddle. Swimming isn't entirely natural for humans, other than being in the womb. Humans do not have aquatic features that allow us to move and breathe freely in water. This article will explain some of the forces that act on the human body while adapting to these aquatic conditions. PropulsionWhen analyzing the physics of swimming, Newton's three laws of motion are essentially the most important information in analyzing different techniques. swimming. Propulsion is best explained by Newton's first law. Newton's First Law: Explains that force is a requirement to "change the motion of any body, whether in motion or at rest: any body will remain at rest or in motion in a straight line with a constant velocity at unless it is activated. by an external force” (Urone, 1986, p. 32). Newton's first law basically states that propulsion forces are large, that they must be amplified and strongly applied. Resistance forces should be reduced as much as possible against the human body to enable it to easily perform skillful movements. If we take this into consideration, the swimmer will then be able to propel themselves more efficiently. "In the stages of some strokes, no obvious force occurs, which is called 'inertia delay.' A common example is “catching up” by stroking middle of paper ... skills throughout our adolescence. The most common swimming techniques and/or strokes include: front crawl, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly stroke, side stroke and doggy paddle. ReferencesKoff, T., Matkovich, E. and McPhillips, K. (2004). Strength, drag and hydrodynamics. Retrieved January 28, 2014 from http://www.unc.edu/~tarak/Kramer, M. (2012). How to Swim Like a Champion (According to Science). Retrieved January 29, 2014 from http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/physics/how-to-swim-like-a-champion-according-to-science-10152645Morouço, P., Keskinen, KL, Vilas -Boas, J. and Fernandes, R. (2011). Relationship between related forces and performance of the four swimming techniques. Journal Of Applied Biomechanics, 27(2), 161-169. Urone, P., P. (1986). Physics, with applications in health sciences. John, Wiley and Sons Inc. New York, NY.