Struggling to learn the breaststroke or swim fast? Here’s a guide to the core fundamentals.

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Among the various swimming strokes, the breaststroke is one of the most technically complex, involving numerous changes in the direction of the limbs and differing significantly from other strokes, making it relatively difficult to learn. To master the breaststroke, you must put in the effort to thoroughly learn the basic stroke and kicking technique.

The breaststroke technique constantly changes as the swimmer moves forward, adapting to the movements of the arms, legs, and breathing; therefore, there is no fixed body position. Furthermore, because the underwater arm pull and leg recovery in the breaststroke create significant drag, the forward speed is not as consistent as in the freestyle or backstroke. For beginners, minimizing drag is therefore the most critical aspect of learning the breaststroke. When learning to reduce drag, it is important to maintain a streamlined body position throughout the stroke by tucking the chin, slightly shrugging the shoulders, and extending the limbs as much as possible.

01 The Breaststroke Technique

When swimming the breaststroke, try to maintain a smooth, streamlined body position. This requires paying attention to the following points:

Before beginning the arm stroke, keep your head in line with your body, eyes focused on the bottom of the pool, and arms extended forward. Slightly lower your shoulders and chest to allow your hips and legs to float higher on the water’s surface. The key points of this phase are “head low, feet high; gliding downhill.”

During the arm stroke, the hips should be close to the water’s surface, aligned with the body and legs. The legs and feet should be together and extended. During the kick, the face and torso should be submerged, with the torso maintaining a horizontal position.

02 A body posture that undulates like waves

Since the body position in the breaststroke is not fixed, when learning the stroke, you can refer to the “undulating” body position currently used by most breaststroke swimmers:

As the arms pull inward, the shoulders naturally rise to facilitate exhalation and inhalation as the arms exit the water. When inhaling, there is no need to deliberately lift the head; keep your eyes looking downward and your chin slightly tucked. At the end of the pull, as the arms extend forward, the body arches upward, using the propulsive force generated by the kick to smoothly submerge the head and shoulders into the water. After one full stroke cycle, the body returns to a streamlined position.

When swimming using a “wave-like undulating” body posture, pay attention to the changes in the position of your shoulders and hips. Throughout the entire cycle, your shoulders remain above the water most of the time; even when submerged, they are only a few centimeters below the surface. As your shoulders submerge, your hips and lower back rise to a higher position; when your shoulders are at their lowest point, your hips are at their highest, and vice versa.

It is important to note that although the body moves in a “wave-like” pattern throughout the stroke, the body’s center of gravity remains stable, generally staying about 10 cm below the water’s surface and maintaining a straight line throughout the entire swim.

03 Breaststroke Leg Movement
Leg movement is far more important in the breaststroke than in other swimming strokes. This is because the breaststroke leg movement not only helps maintain body balance but also generates significant propulsion. The breaststroke leg movement can be divided into several parts: “leg pull-in, outward rotation, kick-and-squeeze, and glide.”

The leg pull-in phase involves bending the knees and hips. As the knees are pulled forward, they gradually spread apart, the ankles extend, and the calves and heels move behind the thighs. The hips are pulled forward within their projected plane to minimize drag. The leg pull-in movement stops when the feet approach the hips.

The outward rotation phase consists of two parts: rotating the feet outward and rotating the calves outward. Immediately after the leg-tuck, the feet are turned outward so that the toes point outward, while the knees internally rotate, aligning the inner sides of the feet and calves with the direction of the kick.

During the kick-and-squeeze phase, we must maintain internal rotation of the calves and feet, using internal rotation of the thighs and hip extension to drive the calves backward through the water. Note that the entire movement should be fast and fluid.

After the kick and pull phase ends, there is a brief glide caused by the momentum generated by the kick. During this glide, it is important to keep your legs straight and together, relax your leg muscles and ankles, and conserve energy in preparation for the next stroke.

Learning the breaststroke can be challenging, which is why it’s essential to dedicate effort to mastering the fundamental techniques and building a solid foundation from the very beginning. This will make advancing to more advanced breaststroke techniques easier and more efficient.