Comments on: How to Swim the Breaststroke

on 6/25/2007 Doing the kick properly is the most important part of the breaststroke. When the head is up, let the hips drop. This keeps your knees from pushing water the wrong direction. Bring your feet up, causing your knees to bend at no more than a 45 degree angle. At the peak, pull your ankles up as you would if you were wearing heelies. As you whip your feet around in a circle, keep your knees closer together than your feet at all times until your legs are straight again. Practicing this with a noodle under your armpits is best as it keeps your upper body in the correct postion without having to work your arms too hard.

on 7/30/2006 It's is very important to finish your kick when you swim. Glide, too. But it really helps you go further and faster if you finish your glide. I recall my coach making me do 20 push-ups because I didn't do this, and the breaststroke soon became my best stroke!

on 7/27/2006 When you do the pull-out, remember to incorporate one powerful dolphin kick with the pull. The rules (NCAA/USA/FINA)changed recently, and this makes for a much faster pull-out.

on 1/27/2006 When you bring your hands back (to the recovery position) bring your hands on the surface of the water, not over and not under!

on 12/16/2005 I myself swim on a team at school. And I swim the breast stroke. The main problem I see, when people are doing this stroke wrong, is that they are doing the motions in the wrong order. The order is pull, breath, kick, glide. The glide is very important, if you don't stay underwater for a little bit and glide, you won't get anywhere too fast.

on 11/22/2005 1. Keep your body completely relax. If your body are completely relax, you should feel your body floating up naturally.

2. When you kick out, try it softly. After the kick and the legs are fully extended like a 'V' shape, try to close them straight smoothly. At this moment, you should your body is being propelled forward.

on 11/22/2005 Do not look straight forward. Look 45 degrees down from the horizon line. This will prevent one form bobbing up and down in the water. Another tip, just hold the final glide for a moment. If you feel yourself slowing down, you were probably gliding for too long.

on 11/22/2005 To swim faster, you need to undulate in the water. To do this, press your chest down. As your chest (lungs) is the most buoyant part of your body, it will force the water to support your hips, thus making those heavy legs float better. The wave-style breaststroke is generally faster than the flat style, with the body high up in the air and lunging forward.

on 11/22/2005 When you're sweeping out in the pull, go slow. When you're going to sweep in and squeeze, and shoot your hands forward, do that fast. Remember sweep out like the letter Y.

on 11/22/2005 Kick with the inside of your foot. After taking a stroke, stay tight so you will glide forward.

on 11/22/2005 Start streamline and do one big pull with your arms all the way past your hips. Then do a kick with a regular pull and break the surface. That's how you do the underwater pull and kick. That's what you do every time you get off the wall. Then, take a big stroke with your hands (keeping them symmetrical) and shoot your hands out from your chin and back into streamline. While your hands are almost at your chest, take a kick. Always flex your feet and kick symmetrical. Bring your feet to your butt, so that they point behind you, and then whip them around fast and all the way in, so your feet touch. As soon as your feet touch, start your pull again and keep rotating - pull kick, pull kick.

on 11/22/2005 When starting with the pull, use the cobra-action. From the side, it looks like a cobra striking. Put your hands together (like you're praying) and twist them sideways, as an attacking cobra. This should help a lot.

on 11/22/2005 Remember, try not to move your head often when you breathe. Don't bob your head, keep it still!

on 11/22/2005 Never start the pull till your feet are together again. Trying to keep the body streamlined at least for the initial part of the pull should help.

on 11/22/2005 Another tip on breathing is to remember to "blow your hands away" from you!