How to Swim the Breaststroke

 

 

The breaststroke can be a tricky stroke to master, but once the steps are coordinated correctly it can be a very leisurely way to swim.

   

Steps

1. Place yourself laterally in the water with your arms extended straight in front of you and your legs in back of you.
2. Push your arms apart so that they create a diagonal with your body. Make sure your palms are facing out and your elbows are straight.
3. Pull your elbows into the sides of your body, then bring your hands together in front of your chest. Now simply push your hands forward so they return to where they started. Do not make your arms go wide open, but do not make a tiny circle either. Also, when both of your hands get to your chest, shoot them out quickly side by side, palms up.
4. While completing step 3, lift your head, neck, and upper chest out of the water to breathe. Do not remove your hands from the water.
5. Bending your knees, bring your feet towards your bottom. Make a circular motion with your feet until they meet with your legs fully extended once again. Complete this step as fast as possible.
6. Do not take 2 strokes with 1 breath. This

Tips

• Remember the mantra "pull, breathe, kick, glide" while you are swimming.
• Do not be tempted to rush through the glide; it is actually the fastest part of the stroke.
• Keep your feet flexed while kicking. This provides more power to the stroke.
• Make sure your kick is no wider than the width of your shoulders. This is so your legs don't jut out on your sides. The reasoning behind this is to prevent unnecessary drag on your body. By keeping your kick the same width as your shoulders, you are making sure that when you draw back your legs towards your body for the next kick, you are remaining in a hydrodynamic position resulting in a more efficient stroke.
• For more speed, breathe between the pull and the kick as fast as possible. In the stance during the stroke when you breathe, there is resistance that can be removed if the pull, breathe, and kick portion are made in a fluid non-stop movement.
• Maintain your head position in such a way that your spine remains straight. In other words, look down towards the bottom of the pool while you are swimming and breathing. Many people tend to look straight ahead. The problem with looking forward and not down is that by looking forward, your neck and head are not in line with your spine. As a result, your head is cocked back, resulting in your hips dropping, causing you to drag your entire body. By looking down, you allow your hips to raise up, your spine to stay straight, and your body to streamline through every stroke you take.
• Remember that it is better to be able to go really far with each stroke than to be able to do tons of small strokes really fast. Try and go further with each stroke.
• The stroke should end right before the kick ends.

Warnings

• Keep your hips away from the bottom of shallow pools; this could result in serious injury to the feet, legs and hips.
• Do not over-stretch your legs. You will start to cramp up and the tightness in your legs will cause you to slow down and throw off your rhythm and timing.