The breaststroke is a technically demanding stroke that places more physical stress on your ankles than any of the other three major strokes. At the start of a breaststroke kick, your feet have to be turned out. Your feet then quickly rotate inward and snap to full plantar flexion — toes pointed — during the propulsive phase of the kick. It takes a lot of practice to coordinate a good breaststroke kick; it's even more of a challenge to swim the stroke correctly with a sprained ankle.
Step 1
Swim the breaststroke in practice with your ankle taped for support. Have your coach or a team trainer tape the ankle at poolside right before you start swimming. Tape the ankle with your foot in full plantar flexion. A neutral ankle position, with your foot relaxed at a 90-degree angle, isn't helpful for swimming. It causes excessive drag on your kicks and tempts you to compensate by altering your knee angle, which can lead to further injury.
Step 2
Practice breaststroke arm strokes without kicking if your ankle is too severely sprained to permit rotation of your foot when you kick. Rather than acquire bad habits through improper kicking, eliminate your kick entirely by swimming with a practice float sandwiched between your knees. As soon as your ankle recovers enough to permit foot rotation, return to your normal breaststroke kick.
Step 3
Bring the injury to the attention of meet officials if you have to swim in a race with your ankle taped. Avoid taping the sprained ankle when possible, but if you still need to tape the ankle, use a flexible athletic tape that permits as much range of motion as possible. Demonstrate to officials that the tape job permits proper foot rotation during your kick -- then make sure you race with a technically correct kick to avoid disqualification.
Step 4
Apply ice and compression to the sprained ankle immediately after completing a practice session or a race. Find a place where you can sit down with the ankle elevated above your waist and apply an ice pack or cold compress wrapped tightly with an elastic bandage. Keep the ice on the injury for 5 minutes, then remove the ice for 3 minutes. Ice the sprained ankle for another 5 minutes before moving on.
References
- Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma; Ankle Sprain; March 8, 2007
- Swim City: Breaststroke
- FINA.org: Breaststroke Rules
- "Journal of Athletic Training"; Ankle Positioning in Ankle Taping of Swimmers; Timothy Carver, M.A.; 1992
- USA Swimming: USA Swimming Situation Resolutions – Stroke and Turn
