The breastroke is one of the most distinctive strokes in competitive swimming. You can use it to glide lazily through the water on a hot summer day or you can use the explosive kicking movements to swim fast in races. Beginning swimmers often find the breastroke to be among the toughest strokes to master. While you may need a bit of time to get the hang of it, once you learn this stroke, you will marvel at how much strength you have gained as a swimmer. You should definitely be comfortable with general water safety and have a basic set of swimming skills before trying to learn the breastroke, just as a general rule of thumb. Anyone attempting this stroke must be willing to put their entire body and face underwater. You should have a firm grasp of the principles of rhythmic breathing as well. Anyone who has not mastered these skills is well advised to seek additional instruction from a local swimming resource.
Because swimming is a skill best taught by a live instructor, it would b a sound idea to go ahead and take the basic swimming lessons anyway. Your instructor should be certified by the American Red Cross or some other national authority on water safety. Because learning the breastroke will require your instructor to be able to devote his or her entire attention to your form, private breaststroke swim lessons are the best recourse, and the instructor will not have to worry about having his or her attention divided amongst the different students, the only downside is that private lessons usually run a little more.
As an advanced beginning swimmer, I enjoyed learning the breastroke. It has become my most frequently used stroke. The following is the order in which I was taught how to do the breastroke. Read the directions first, and then try them while lying on the floor so you understand what to do before trying it in the water. It is wise to master kicking initially, followed by the arm movements. After you have learned them individually, they can be brought together.
Learning the kick
1. Lie face down on the ground or on an armless chair, stool or bench.
2. Bring both knees upwards to the chest.
3. At this stage, imagine the form of a frog: kick both legs out to each side as broadly as possible, and then shift them into an arc to the point at which they are back together and directly behind you. You should concentrate on making this movement sharp and smooth.
4. Anyone experiencing difficulty with the kick should try standing while grasping a chair with the right hand. Then, draw the left knee upward to the chest and arc the knee in an outward direction. At this stage, your left knee should be pointing to the left. Hold steady, and then drop the leg back down. Do these same movements with the right side. This exercise will help you to get used to the feeling of your legs opening wide to the sides. It will not be long before these movements will be done simultaneously.
The breastroke pull
5. Again, while lying face down over a stool, bench or armless chair, bring your hands to your chest and hold them in the prayer position (palms together, thumbs up).
6. Keeping your palms together, extend your arms so they are above your head (similar to the exalted warrior pose in yoga). Remain in this position momentarily, as it will comprise the gliding portion of the actual breastroke.
7. Turn the palms outward away from each other. Rapidly and fluidly send the arms outward to each side.
8. As both arms move toward each side, raise the hands and forearms back up, returning to the prayer-like pose at the chest level.
Coordination
9. Lie prostrate on the stool or chair. Draw both legs and both hands as near to the chest area as you can as indicated above.
10. As your legs kick like a frog, bring your hands up into the exalted warrior position described earlier.
11. Now that your legs have reached the prone position, long and straight out behind you, now hold slightly and bring your arms down and around as described above. When the arms are in their downward motion, draw the head and chest upward, in order to simulate the necessary breathing technique.
12. Draw both the hands and knees up to the chest area in order to prepare for the next sequence of movements. As I began to attempt the breastroke, I initially found it difficult to do the arm and leg movements simultaneously. That’s why my teacher had me first pretend on a stool. Your teacher can help you get the correct positions so you will know what they feel like.
In the water
Once you have mastered these movements on dry land, you are ready to use them in the pool. You may want to warm up by doing that standing leg rotation exercise we did earlier. This will reinforce the sensation of what the kick will feel like once you hit the water.
13. Warm up with some floats and some freestyle or backstroke swimming until you feel loosened up and comfortable in the water.
14. Hold on to the side of the pool and practice the frog kicks.
15. When you feel comfortable, use a paddle board and practice the kicks: First with your head out of the water. Next, you’ll practice the kicks with your face in the water and your arms extended above your head, similar to the exalted warrior pose we mentioned earlier, and this will aid you in feeling the glide, the portion of the breastroke that gives you the most power.
16. Now that you are comfortable with the kick portion, your instructor ensures that your movements are correct, start practicing the arm movement while standing. As you are swinging your arms down to your sides, raise your chest to practice your breathing.
17. Once you have all these movements mastered, it’s time to put it all together. It was hard for me at first, but my instructor told me to imagine that I was a dolphin leaping out of the water. This is what aided me in coordinating my arm motions and my breathing as well.
Learning how to time the movements just right is the hardest part of learning the breastroke. You propel yourself most forcefully during the glide segment of the stroke. Although the motions will slow you down a bit, the trick to this is to glide forward as far as you can before you begin your next stroke.