The breaststroke is often considered the most relaxing of the four competitive strokes, but that’s really only true if you can timing it.,Here are a few tips to help you learn to breaststroke and improve your swimming style.,The most fundamental aspect of the breaststroke is understanding and learning the timing of its basic elements.,If you can remember a key mantra—pull, breathe, kick, slide—then you’re off to a great start.,The breaststroke is unique in that it is the only one of the four competitive swims in which recovery (i.e., the non-propulsive build-up portion of the stroke) occurs underwater.,As a result, he generates more resistance than all other punches and is the slowest of them – and can be the most unforgiving in terms of technique.,This is why learning to breaststroke and understanding how to execute the stroke with proper form is so important.,Learning to stroke the perfect breaststroke is a lot easier when you understand the basic elements of the stroke.,Here’s a breakdown of the different parts that make up the breaststroke.,
,The slide is the beginning and ending position of the swim cycle and the foundation of the breaststroke: your body is in a straight line with your legs and arms extended, your face is in the water, and your body is in the prone position.,The breaststroke arm stroke consists of four parts: glide, outward swing, inward swing, and recovery.,
,Unlike the freestyle and backstroke, the breaststroke doesn’t use a flutter stroke. Instead, it mimics a frog kick:,
,“The timing of your kick should be pretty natural,” says Chris Georges, USA Masters swimming coach. “Your kick should begin with your head and shoulders lifting for air, and it should end with your knees powerfully straightening and your feet slapping together as your arms shoot forward to end in the slide position with your face stretched out in the water.”,Another difference between the breaststroke and other swimming styles is that there are moments of stillness instead of constant movement.,“When you slide, your hands touch, your feet touch and you don’t do anything else,” says Coach Georges. “Always glide with every stroke.”,
,The twists in the breaststroke are much easier than the twists in freestyle and backstroke, largely because there’s no flipping underwater.,A common mistake beginners make in breaststroke is pulling your arms back too far.,“This leads to more drag because the further the arms are pulled back, the more distance they have to pull back underwater to return to the planing position, which creates more drag,” explains Georges.,As you swing your arms to the side, you should stop when your arms form a “Y” shape as they extend to the sides.,Then bend your arms to draw your hands toward the center of your chest. “No part of your arms or hands should ever come back over your shoulders,” says Georges.,A good exercise to fix this common mistake involves a simple foam noodle.,“Lay over the noodle so it runs across the upper chest and under both armpits, and then do your breaststroke,” says Georges. “The noodle keeps you from pulling your arms back too far and keeps them in front of you where they belong.”,And while swimming has a relatively low risk of injury compared to most sports, too many elements of swimming technique can be done incorrectly and you can be at risk of swimmer’s shoulder over time.,Incorporating breaststroke into your swim routine is a great way to add variety to your swimming routine and improve your feel for the water, which in turn can help improve your freestyle.,Swimming is one of the best ways to improve your aerobic endurance while having very low impact unlike running or cycling.,It’s also an excellent way to burn calories! Check out our must-do swim workouts for further inspiration.,
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The breaststroke is often considered the most relaxing of the four competitive strokes, but that’s really only true if you can timing it.
Here are a few tips to help you learn to breaststroke and improve your swimming style.
Overview breaststroke
The most fundamental aspect of the breaststroke is understanding and learning the timing of its basic elements.
If you can remember a key mantra—pull, breathe, kick, slide—then you’re off to a great start.
The breaststroke is unique in that it is the only one of the four competitive swims in which recovery (i.e., the non-propulsive build-up portion of the stroke) occurs underwater.
As a result, he generates more resistance than all other punches and is the slowest of them – and can be the most unforgiving in terms of technique.
This is why learning to breaststroke and understanding how to execute the stroke with proper form is so important.
How to do the breaststroke
Learning to stroke the perfect breaststroke is a lot easier when you understand the basic elements of the stroke.
Here’s a breakdown of the different parts that make up the breaststroke.
Sliding technique in breaststroke
The slide is the beginning and ending position of the swim cycle and the foundation of the breaststroke: your body is in a straight line with your legs and arms extended, your face is in the water, and your body is in the prone position.
Technique in breaststroke
The breaststroke arm stroke consists of four parts: glide, outward swing, inward swing, and recovery.
- Slide: Start with your arms fully extended in front of your body, with your palms facing down and your fingertips facing forward (the sides of your thumbs should be touching). Hands together in front of the chest in a praying position, fingertips pointing forward, away from the body. Then bring your arms forward and fully extend your arms straight in front of your body.
- Outsweep: Turn your palms slightly outward (so your thumbs are pointing slightly down) and, keeping your arms straight, sweep your arms out to your sides until they form a “Y” with your body.
- Insweep: Bend your elbows and move your forearms down and back as you gather your hands together in front of your chest in a praying position. This is the all-important phase of the breaststroke as it serves as the force that pulls your body forward. This is also the phase when you lift your head out of the water to catch your breath.
- Restoration: Extend your arms forward just below the surface to enter the gliding phase and begin the cycle again.
Step technique in breaststroke
Unlike the freestyle and backstroke, the breaststroke doesn’t use a flutter stroke. Instead, it mimics a frog kick:
- Start with your legs straight and closed.
- Bend your knees so they point to the side while keeping your feet together. Your feet should come towards your torso.
- Keeping your knees where they are, separate your feet to extend your legs diagonally in a “V” shape, then quickly squeeze your legs together to return to the starting position. This step should be quick and fluid.
“The timing of your kick should be pretty natural,” says Chris Georges, USA Masters swimming coach. “Your kick should begin with your head and shoulders lifting for air, and it should end with your knees powerfully straightening and your feet slapping together as your arms shoot forward to end in the slide position with your face stretched out in the water.”
Another difference between the breaststroke and other swimming styles is that there are moments of stillness instead of constant movement.
“When you slide, your hands touch, your feet touch and you don’t do anything else,” says Coach Georges. “Always glide with every stroke.”
Breaststroke spins
The twists in the breaststroke are much easier than the twists in freestyle and backstroke, largely because there’s no flipping underwater.
- As you approach the wall, try to time it so that your arms are fully extended. When competing, both hands must touch the wall at the same time and be at the same height.
- Swing your body and legs up under you, bring your feet to the wall, and rotate your body sideways so you’re facing back in the direction you just swam.
- Release the wall and push off with your feet in a streamlined position: arms fully extended, ears squeeze with biceps, core engaged, legs straight and ankles together.
- Perform a full arm pull and leg kick underwater before surfacing and taking your first pull.
Common breaststroke mistakes
A common mistake beginners make in breaststroke is pulling your arms back too far.
“This leads to more drag because the further the arms are pulled back, the more distance they have to pull back underwater to return to the planing position, which creates more drag,” explains Georges.
As you swing your arms to the side, you should stop when your arms form a “Y” shape as they extend to the sides.
Then bend your arms to draw your hands toward the center of your chest. “No part of your arms or hands should ever come back over your shoulders,” says Georges.
A good exercise to fix this common mistake involves a simple foam noodle.
“Lay over the noodle so it runs across the upper chest and under both armpits, and then do your breaststroke,” says Georges. “The noodle keeps you from pulling your arms back too far and keeps them in front of you where they belong.”
And while swimming has a relatively low risk of injury compared to most sports, too many elements of swimming technique can be done incorrectly and you can be at risk of swimmer’s shoulder over time.
swim training
Incorporating breaststroke into your swim routine is a great way to add variety to your swimming routine and improve your feel for the water, which in turn can help improve your freestyle.
Swimming is one of the best ways to improve your aerobic endurance while having very low impact unlike running or cycling.
It’s also an excellent way to burn calories! Check out our must-do swim workouts for further inspiration.
The slide is the beginning and ending position of the swim cycle and the foundation of the breaststroke: your body is in a straight line with your legs and arms extended, your face is in the water, and your body is in the prone position.
