The breast stroke is a core stroke in swimming. It is also one of the most technically challenging because it involves a specific leg kick and arm motion. To master your breast stroke technique, break the stroke down into its component parts. These drills allow you master the individual pieces before putting the entire stroke together.
Leg Drill
The kick in breast stroke is one of the most difficult in swimming. Advanced swimmers swim with a whip-kick that maximizes the forward movement of the body. Beginning swimmers have a kick more similar to a frog. To advance your kick strength, isolate the legs from the arm movement by using a kickboard to support your upper body.
Focus the drill on the two parts of the breast stroke kick: preparing to kick and kicking. When preparing to kick, focus on keeping your knees up as you bring your feet together and draw them towards your bottom. Be aware of the position of your feet; they should begin to point outward, getting ready to kick. When kicking, focus on fully flexing and rotating your lower legs and snapping your ankles together. The goal is to minimize drag when getting ready to kick by keeping your knees up and maximizing your leg power during the kick.
Arm Drill
The arm movement in breast stroke has three parts: in, out and preparation. Use a pull buoy to support your lower body during the drill or use a flutter kick to keep your lower body afloat.
To isolate the arm movement, start with your arms directly out in front of you, legs straight behind and body floating. Draw your arms out towards your sides, just below the surface of the water, with your hands rotated so that your palms face out until you form the equivalent of the letter "Y." Lift your elbows and sweep in, rotating your hands so that they maximize their pull against the water. End with pulling your hands in to under your chin and breathe as your body lifts naturally from the water. This is the power part of the arm movement. Then shoot your arms straight out in front to start the arm movement again.
Glide
One of the keys to a good breast stroke is not to overdo it. The power of the kick and arm movement move the body forward during a glide. Use just your kick to practice gliding; the feeling of this movement helps you determine when to start your next stroke.
To practice gliding, use a 1-2-3 count. Keep your arms straight out in front of you and don't use a kickboard. Push off from the wall and kick powerfully. Then count to three, gliding down the lane. Use your arms to bring your head up to breathe, if necessary. Then kick again and count to three. Continue for at least four laps to get the hang of the glide.
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