The advantage: it doesn’t take a lot of “proper technique” in order to do. The disadvantage: it saps you of energy, meaning you won’t be able to do this technique for very long.
The advantage: you can keep your arms free by doing the flutter kick, giving you an opportunity to do something else with them. The disadvantage: because you’re using just your legs to keep you up, this technique can be taxing.
The advantage: this kick is less tiring than the flutter kick or the dog paddle. The disadvantage: using this kick causes you to bob up and down in the water instead of staying relatively motionless.
The advantage: you can keep your legs free by sculling, allowing you to combine this with another foot treading technique such as the flutter kick. The disadvantage: you have to keep pretty much your whole body (minus your head) underwater.
The advantage: you save a lot of energy doing this technique if you can perfect it. The disadvantage: this is a hard technique to perfect, and many people need to practice extensively in order to learn it.
The advantage: it’s very simple to explain to children. The disadvantage: circling hands can become tiring.
