# Swimming two different strokes at the Olympics

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swimming-two-different-strokes-at-the-olympics/629716>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [July 29, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swimming-two-different-strokes-at-the-olympics/629716 "2012-07-29T00:10:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swimming-two-different-strokes-at-the-olympics/629716/1 "2012-07-29T00:10:10Z")

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If a swimmer were to swim two different strokes, which two would be most likely? I’d guess free and something, probably fly?

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**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swimming-two-different-strokes-at-the-olympics/629716/2 "2012-07-29T01:13:37Z")

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I would say based upon what I’ve seen in the last few years it would usually be either free/fly, free/back, or free/IM. I can’t think of any breast strokers that also swim free. The only other combination is probably fly/IM. There isn’t a whole lot of cross swimming except a few swimmers and those are the ones they show a lot of.

I know around here someone will come through and point out a few others, that’s just what I have noticed. I see the same thing in Masters swimming as well, the breast strokers usually only like that one stroke.

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**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swimming-two-different-strokes-at-the-olympics/629716/3 "2012-07-29T01:41:10Z")

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I also heard that if you don’t learn the fly young, you’ll probably never learn it.

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**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swimming-two-different-strokes-at-the-olympics/629716/4 "2012-07-29T02:36:16Z")

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> [@etv78](#):
>
> I also heard that if you don’t learn the fly young, you’ll probably never learn it.

That’s not true. I didn’t swim the fly until I was 15/16 and it’s my second favorite stroke after free. I’ve gotten better as I’ve gotten older as well.