Q&A for How to Swim the Breaststroke

The breaststroke is very much a power stroke. It's known as the slowest stroke because you have to focus on minimizing resistance, rather than just moving as fast as you can. The breaststroke is especially good for people who are short and stocky, and if you want to get really good at it, you need to put on a lot of muscle.

It should be a quick. Once you feel gravity pulling you down, it's time to end your breath. Don't try to stay up as doing so will make you tired faster.

Yes, your head should face down during the stroke and you can't look forward underwater. You should practice inhaling through your mouth and exhaling through your nose.

Your back end is too close to the surface of the water, you can still swim like this but try to angle it lower for a more powerful kick.

Inhale through your mouth, then exhale through your nose to control your breathing and establish a good pace.

Yes. Looking forward will change the way the water flows around you, causing drag. Looking up also makes your body want to sink, which will also change the way you are moving through the water. Looking down allows your body to glide easily.

Your time will not make much of a difference, but ideally, you want to have them closed.

Kicking twice will get you automatically disqualified. For every one breath, you get one kick, and one pullout with your arms.

Of course. Goggles protect your eyes and allow you to see in the water.

You first bend your knees with your ankles pointed out, then kick outwards to propel yourself through the water.

Swimming is a very tiring sport so it's normal to feel breathless. If you are feeling VERY breathless, consult a doctor because you might have some breathing difficulties.

If you haven't swam in a while or this is your first time doing the stroke, then probably. You're exercising your muscles in a way you haven't before. If the pain persists for a while, consider taking a break, swim a different stroke, or consult a physician.

Yes.

No, they should be slightly below the surface. However, make sure that you push hard.

Fly (or butterfly) has the fastest peak speed of any of the four basic strokes, so no. Fly is faster than breaststroke.

Create as little drag as possible and don't do anything that counts as a disqualification.

No. This can give your feet cramps and slow you down.

Breaststroke follows a four step pattern: pull, breath, kick, glide. You would kick right after your head comes back in the water.

Yes. The idea is to "push off" against the water, to move forward. Open fingers allow water to slip through, reducing the surface with which you push. Closed fingers turn your hands into the largest paddle they can be.

Learn from a teacher. Start doing a swim class. There are videos on YouTube you can watch for tips as well.

The answer is complicated, and depends on your technique and preference. We can agree that when your arms go backwards, they should be in the water, obviously, or you're just pushing air. But in the inhaling phase, your head and shoulders do rise out of the water, so your arms might too. When thrusting your arms forward again you want minimal water resistance, because that slows you down. Then again, lifting them up takes energy that is not spent on forward movement, so there's no point. In all, keep them in the water at all times, but during the forward thrust it's OK if they breach the surface.

It is less of a matter of lifting your head, and more a matter of using your speed to direct your entire body upward so your head briefly exits the water and you can breathe. So it's not really popping your head out, it's more coming up to about your shoulders. Practice using a float.

If you mean the way you breathe when swimming freestyle, then no. But if it's just a slight turn then yes.

For the most power, you will want to go as close to your chest as you can.

Not exactly. They are two very different strokes. It depends on how comfortable you are with each.

You want to keep your head down, then bring your head up only to breathe.

Try push-ups in multiple variations, especially tricep push-ups. Squats and running are great for the legs, also.

No. In the breaststroke, your shoulders are always parallel to the water surface. You breathe in not after every stroke, but rather after every other stroke. Breathe in by raising your head and shoulders out of the water.

Pulling downwards will help you scoop more water, and doing so in an orderly fashion will result in a faster stroke. Think of it like pulling ice cream to your mouth and then quickly shooting your arms out afterwards.

When you come up, your legs should be tucked, but immediately after your head goes down, make a strong streamline position.