The purpose is to direct attention to the relation of unsteady approach and functional attribution of strokes. Swimming strokes can be executed with different modes per action, which require an answer what for is the function of a mode? The functional attribution of modes is closely related to the idea about flow conditions and its effects. Here flow is characterised by a mixture of steady and unsteady effects. In front-driven locomotion the momentum-transfer is related to effects from bound vortex (rotating water), shed vortex and the interaction between bound and shed vortex, called jet-flow which does not exist in stationary flow. Based on this, the functional attribution of actions are rechecked placing emphasis on common goals of motion mutual to all four swimming strokes, showing that appropriate flow-forms are created and organised by similar actions of the hand/arm
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