What Is Breaststroke? How It Works, Timing and Common Mistakes
Breaststroke is the stroke where your arms and legs move together in a wide, symmetrical pattern and your head comes up to breathe on every stroke. Here is how it works and how to get the timing right.
Breaststroke in one sentence
Breaststroke is a swimming stroke done on your front, in which both arms pull at the same time and both legs kick at the same time, followed by a short glide. It is one of the four strokes used in competition, alongside freestyle (front crawl), backstroke and butterfly, and it is the slowest of the four.
What it lacks in speed it makes up in control. Your head lifts on every stroke, so you can see where you are going and breathe without turning to the side. That is why many beginners, and many people who learned to swim years ago, feel at home with it.
The four parts of the stroke
1. Body position
Start flat and long on your front, arms stretched ahead with hands together, legs straight behind you and face looking down at the pool floor. This streamlined position is where every stroke starts and ends. The flatter you are, the less water you push against.
2. The arm pull
From the stretched position, turn your palms slightly outwards and sweep your hands apart until they are a little wider than your shoulders. Then bend your elbows and sweep your hands down and inwards in front of your chest, keeping your elbows high rather than pulling them back to your ribs. Finish by squeezing your hands together under your chin and shooting them forward again. The pull stays in front of your shoulders; pulling all the way back to your hips is a common mistake.
3. The breath
As your hands sweep inwards, your shoulders and head rise naturally. That is when you breathe in, through your mouth, while looking slightly forward and down. As your hands shoot forward, put your face back in the water and breathe out slowly through your nose and mouth. You breathe once per stroke.
4. The kick
The breaststroke kick drives most of the stroke's speed. Bend your knees and draw your heels up towards your bottom, keeping your knees roughly hip-width apart. Turn your feet outwards so the soles face back, as if you were wearing flippers on the insides of your feet. Then push your feet around and back in a circular whip until your legs are straight and together. Your feet should finish pointed, like a ballet dancer's.
A wider, slower version of this kick is often called the frog kick; see our guide to frog-style swimming. It is easier for beginners, but it creates more drag than a narrower whip kick.
The timing that makes it work: pull, breathe, kick, glide
Most breaststroke problems are timing problems. The arms and legs must take turns, not work at the same time. Say it to yourself as you swim:
- Pull with your arms while your legs stay straight.
- Breathe as your head rises at the end of the pull.
- Kick as your arms shoot forward and your face returns to the water.
- Glide in a streamlined position for a moment before the next pull.
If you kick and pull at the same time, the two movements cancel each other out and you feel as though you are working hard without going anywhere. If you skip the glide, you lose the speed the kick gave you.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Lifting the head too high. Lifting your whole head and chest out of the water to breathe makes your hips sink. Lift only enough to clear your mouth, and keep your chin close to the water.
- Knees too wide. Knees spread far apart push water forward and slow you down. Keep them about hip-width apart and draw your heels up, not your knees forward.
- A scissor kick. If one leg kicks differently from the other, your body twists. This is common in people who learned to swim on their own. Kicking drills with a board, done slowly, help fix it.
- Pulling too far back. If your hands go past your shoulders, it takes longer to get them forward again and the timing falls apart.
- No glide. Rushing from one stroke into the next is tiring. A short, controlled glide makes breaststroke more relaxed and often faster.
Simple drills to practise
- Kick with a board. Hold a kickboard at arm's length and practise the kick only, breathing out with your face in the water.
- Kick on your back. Lie on your back with your arms by your sides and do the kick. You can see whether your knees come out of the water or spread too wide.
- Pull with a pull buoy. Hold a pull buoy between your thighs and practise the arms and breathing without kicking.
- Two kicks, one pull. Do two kicks for every arm pull. It forces you to glide and separate the arms from the legs.
- Count your strokes. Count how many strokes it takes to cross the pool. As your glide improves, the number goes down.
Breaststroke rules in competition
In competitive swimming, World Aquatics rules require the arm and leg movements to be simultaneous and symmetrical. After the start and after each turn, swimmers may do one arm pull back to the legs and a single butterfly (dolphin) kick before the first breaststroke kick. At every turn and at the finish, the swimmer must touch the wall with both hands at the same time. You do not need to follow these rules for fitness swimming, but they explain why coaches insist on a symmetrical stroke.
Is breaststroke good for you?
Breaststroke works the chest, shoulders, back, inner thighs and glutes, and it is a good aerobic workout. It is a practical stroke for water safety because you can keep your head up and see around you. Some swimmers find the whip kick puts strain on the inside of the knee, especially if they swim a lot of breaststroke. If you have knee pain, ask a doctor or physiotherapist, and consider mixing in other strokes.
Learning breaststroke in Singapore
Many learners pick up breaststroke as their first or second stroke, alongside front crawl. Children usually learn it as part of a structured programme; adults often come to us wanting to tidy up a breaststroke they taught themselves. A few lessons focused on the kick and the timing usually make the biggest difference. See our kids swimming course, adult swimming course or private swimming course, and read how long it takes to learn swimming.
More in swimming technique
- What is bilateral breathing?Breathing to both sides in front crawl, why it helps and how to learn it
- Freestyle swimming technique: how-to guideLearn freestyle step by step, from face in the water to side breathing
- Front crawl swimming technique: 11 tipsBody position, kick, breathing and arm stroke tips to swim smoother
- Frog-style swimming: 5 tipsMake head-up breaststroke easier on your neck, knees and lungs
Sources
- World Aquatics, Swimming reference card (2023). Breaststroke (SW 7): one butterfly kick allowed before the first breaststroke kick after the start and each turn; touch with both hands, separated and simultaneous, at turns and the finish.
Want help with your breaststroke?
Tell us the swimmer's age, how they swim now and what they want to improve. We will suggest a suitable course, format and pool. Lessons run at public swimming complexes, private venues and condominium pools across Singapore.