Breast Stroke Tutorial

Perfect your breast stroke technique.

The breast stroke is a basic swimming stroke consisting of a somewhat circular arm movement and a frog kick. Proper timing is absolutely crucial in the breast stroke and if your timing is off, you may find yourself swimming extremely slowly or not moving forward at all. Practice the arm movement and frog kick of the breast stroke independently before you try to put them together if you experience difficulty learning this stroke.

Things You'll Need

• Kick board

Instructions

1. Begin with your head down in the water, your arms straight out in front of you and your legs straight behind you. Your entire body should form one straight line in the water at this point.

2. Bring your arms out to the sides as you bend your elbows. When your upper arms are perpendicular to your body, begin to bend your knees and bring them forward while spreading your legs.

3. Move your hands in to the center of your chest. Your knees should be bent at this point with your legs spread wide and your feet near the surface of the water. Your head will be above the water at this point.

4. Kick your legs back and together while pushing your arms forward with your fingers tightly together and pointing straight in front of you to propel yourself forward. Keep your head down in the water during this movement to keep your body streamlined and minimize drag, which will slow you down. Repeat this step to continue moving forward in the water.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your fingers together while swimming to minimize drag and increase your speed.

• Hold a kick board in your hands to keep your upper body afloat while you practice the frog kick.

References

• Gator Swim Team: Breast Stroke Technique