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
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
s and other
quadrupedal
Quadrupedalism is a form of locomotion where four limbs are used to bear weight and move around. An animal or machine that usually maintains a four-legged posture and moves using all four limbs is said to be a quadruped (from Latin ''quattuor ...
mammals
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur o ...
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 archaeology, Cave paintings are a type of parietal art (which category also includes petroglyphs, or engravings), found on the wall or ceilings of caves. The term usually implies prehistoric origin, and the oldest known are more than 40,000 y ...
in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
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
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List of swimming styles Human swimming typically consists of repeating a specific body motion or swimming stroke to propel that body forward. There are many kinds of strokes, each defining a different swimming style or crawl.
In high school, collegiate, and Olympic swim ...
*
Human swimming
*
Front crawl
The front crawl or forward crawl, also known as the Australian crawl or American crawl, is a swimming stroke usually regarded as the fastest of the four front primary strokes. As such, the front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a f ...
*
Breaststroke
References
External links
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Swimming styles
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