Breaststroke:

Novice and Expert Videos-

The following videos show an expert and a novice executing the breaststroke swimming position.

Due to camera angles, poor equipment and excessive instability of hand recorded videos the following animation is provided below. This animation is perhaps the best representation for the proper execution of the freestyle stroke due to its stability and ability to provide all aspects of movement clearly.

Phases of Breaststroke Swimming

Upper Body-

1. Initial Position Phase

The initial position includes having the body completely straight. The shoulder should be flexed and the foot should be in plantar flexion. The volar aspect of the palm should be facing down and phalanges should be adducted.

2. Outsweep Phase

The breaststroke movement starts with the outsweep. The hands should sink a little bit inferiorly and the arm should internally rotate. The hands should start adduct and move apart from the body midline. During the outsweep the arms stay almost straight and parallel to the surface.

3. Insweep Phase

The outsweep is followed by the insweep, here the elbows should flex and the arms should be tucked in underneath the chest. At this point the hands should face each other facing palms. Simultaneously the head should be picked up to take a breath.

4. Follow-through Phase

In the follow-through phase the elbow should begin extending and the head should be tucked back in between arms.

5. Recovery Phase

In the recovery phase the hands should pronate slightly to make volar aspect of hands to face the bottom of the pool, at this point the elbow is extended and the stroke is complete.

Lower Body-

Coordination between upper body and lower body is key to successful execution of all swimming strokes. I have separated upper body and lower body to explain the steps within the stroke for the lower body. *Do not execute upper body and lower body movements at different times, if you observe the videos provided you can see how simultaneously the upper and lower body work together for fluid movement*

1.This is to happen during the upper body Insweep Phase.

The knee should flex and as the head is coming back down into position you must extend the knee powerfully to propel yourself. The legs will separate from each other a little bit but as soon as the kick is made the legs should come back next to each other and ankle plantar flexed.

Common Mistakes:

Kick out too far, using upper body to do all the work

Cue: Don't forget the legs and focus on body coordination

Breaststroke Kick Drill:

This drill encourages a narrow, propulsive breaststroke kick.

-Push off the wall and pull your arms to your side lying supine. Leave them there and kick the length of the pool.

- TIP: A wide breaststroke kick may feel stronger because your legs encounter more resistance than with a narrow kick. However, it is the propulsion that counts, and a narrower kick focuses more energy on propelling the body forward.