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Cagayan State University

www.csu.edu.ph

COLLEGE of HUMAN KINETICS

Lesson 5: Learning the Mechanical Analysis of Breast Stroke

Introduction
The breaststroke offers perhaps the greatest variability in style among the strokes.
There are almost as many styles of breaststroke as there are breaststroke coaches. In swimmers
who have excellent upper-body strength relative to their kicking power, we see more emphasis
on the arm action, a high head lift, and an almost butterfly undulation in the body action. For
swimmers who have most of their power coming from their legs, the head action may be less
prominent and the stroke may be flatter. Determining the best style for each swimmer can be a
bit of an art, and lots of variation is seen.
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
A. familiarize with the different skills involved in breaststroke;
B. execute the different drills in breaststroke; and
C. master the mechanics in executing breaststroke.

Readings:
BODY POSITION DRILLS
Drag is an inherent part of the breaststroke, achieving excellent body position is
essential in maximizing the forward motion of the stroke. Like freestyle and backstroke, the
core is the center of power, but in breaststroke, there is no side-to-side roll, instead, there is a
tipping or rocking type motion. Achieving an effective rocking motion requires the swimmer to
maintain a stable hip position, while the head and legs switch back and forth between the
extremes of the tipping float. The goal of the following drills for breaststroke body position is to
learn to use core tension to achieve the best floating technique, while minimizing drag and
maximizing glide productivity.
Activity 1
Direction: Read and analyse how the activity is being executed. Click the link so you can watch
the video. This will be your basis in answering the Self-Assessment.
1: Position your feet wide apart on the wall and push off on your front still with your legs apart,
arms extended but with your hands about thirty-six inches apart. You should be floating like an
“X”. With your face in the water, look forward. Float until you stop. Notice the distance you
travelled.
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2: Again push off the wall in the same “X” position, put this time, lower your chin and look at
the bottom of the pool. Float until you stop. Notice that the distance you travelled is farther.
Simply by eliminating the frontal resistance of your face being forward, you bump into less
water, and move forward better.
3: Now push off the wall, with your legs apart, looking at the bottom of the pool, and this time
clasp one hand over the other, and straighten your elbows so you are squeezing your ears
between your arms. Your arms should be pointing forward, like an arrow. Float until you stop.
Notice that the distance you travelled is even farther. By narrowing your leading edge, you
bump into less water, moving forward better.
4: Now push off the wall, looking at the bottom of the pool, clasping one hand over the other,
with straight elbows, squeezing your ears between your arms. This time position your legs
closer for the push off, then when you leave the wall hold them together, thigh to ankle. Float
until you stop. Notice that the distance you travelled is much farther. By reducing the total
space you take up, you bump into less water, and move forward better.
5: Now push off the wall, looking at the bottom of the pool, clasping one hand over the other,
with straight elbows, squeezing your ears between your arms, legs together, thigh to ankle.
Engage your core, so that your spine becomes straight. Pull your belly button back toward your
spine. Float until you stop. Notice that the distance you travelled is farther still. By creating a
firm straight line with your body, you bump into the least water possible, and move through the
water in the most streamlined manner. This is the glide or “home base” position for
breaststroke.
https://you.be/GIT5MUK954M
Self-Assessment
Direction: Give the necessary modification to the following problems.
Drill Feedback Chart

Problem Modification

With my face forward, I cannot push off

underwater

It is hard to get a strong push off with my

feet apart.

It is hard to get a strong push off with my

feet apart.
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COLLEGE of HUMAN KINETICS

Readings
KICK DRILLS
Unlike other strokes, the kick in the breaststroke produces more forward motion than
the arm stroke. It also has a great deal of potential drag. It is a unique kick that uses rounded,
lateral and completely splash less leg motion, where the soles of the feet push the water rather
than the tops of the feet as in other strokes. The goal of the following breaststroke kicking drills
is to experience positioning and, using the hips, knees and feet most advantageously, maximize
forward motion, and minimize drag for the most effective breaststroke kick.

Activity 2 (Breaststroke Kick on Your Back Deck Drill)

Direction: Follow the procedure given below. Record your presentation and send it in my
account.

Procedure

1. Lay on your back in the in a bench or in a bed, hands at your sides, and slightly behind you,
fingertips extended. Begin to kick breaststroke kick on your back. Bring your heels back to the
point that they touch your fingertips. Then with your feet flexed and pointed outward, use a
quick motion to trace a rounded sweep with your feet, outward then inward, maintaining water
pressure on the soles of your feet until your legs are straight. Repeat several times, drawing
your heels back slowly and smoothly, then engaging the water with the soles of your feet and
pressing firmly against the water until your legs are straight.

2. Now, continuing the same kicking action on your back, focus on your knees. They should
remain under the surface of the water as your heels come back and touch your fingertips. If
your knees are coming out of the water, it means you are folding at the hips. For many people,
this causes a wave of water to wash over their face. If you were swimming on your front doing a
breaststroke kick folded at the hips, that wave would work as drag, greatly slowing your
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forward motion. Try again, maintaining a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
Produce a knee bend by drawing your heels back, rather than by folding at the hips.

3. Still focusing on your knees, positioned under the surface of the water in a straight line from
shoulder to knee, position them about shoulder width apart. As you draw your heels back to
touch your fingertips, hold the position of your knees steady. Notice that with your knees held
still, your feet will be farther apart than your knees when your fingertips touch your heels.

4. Continue your kick, holding your knees steady at shoulder width apart. Trace a rounded
sweep with your feet, outward then inward, without your knees moving wider apart. Only at
the very end of the kick, as your legs straighten do your knees also move, coming together as
the feet also come together. Notice that with firm knees, your lower leg, ankle and foot are
rotating around your knees as they sweep out and straighten. Practice again.

5. Once you are able to achieve a kick without folding at the hip, and you are able to maintain a
stable knee position, try kicking with more force. You should be able to produce enough
forward motion with each kick that you can glide in the straight leg position for three to five
seconds before slowing down. Practice this several times.

Activity 3 (Film Viewing on the Kick used in Breaststroke)

Direction: Watch the video presentation on the link below. Observe the execution of the kick.
This will be your basis in answering the Drill Feedback Chart.

https://youtu.be/spbF-OELqoQ

Problem Modification

My heels don’t touch my fingertips.

I get more power when I fold at the hips.

My knees are farther apart than my feet.

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COLLEGE of HUMAN KINETICS

Readings

ARM STROKE DRILLS

In an effort to overcome drag, and increase forward motion, the breaststroke arm
stroke has evolved immensely over time. While it has remained a simultaneous stroke, many
theories about what the arms do have been developed. The arm stroke has been described as a
heart-shaped pull, a box-shaped pull, even a straight-arm circle, half formed with each arm. It is
now accepted that the legs are where the majority of the potential power is in breaststroke, so
the arm stroke has evolved into a compact, lateral action, with its main function being to
balance the action of the kick, and to facilitate breathing. The goal of the following arm stroke
drills for breaststroke is to learn to enhance the breaststroke balance and breathing using a
quick, compact arm stroke.

Activity 4 (Deck Drill Arm Pull)

Direction: Follow the procedures below. Record your performance and send the video in my
account.

Procedure

1. Stand in a stride standing position.

2. Bend forward and arms extended forward as in streamline position.
3. Begin your arm stroke, sweeping out, then accelerate around the corners, and in
towards the middle to the “praying position” before recovery. This is also the point in
the stroke when you draw your heels up toward your buttocks, preparing to start the
power phase of your kick. In this position, your head and chest should be higher than
your hips. You have a brief window of opportunity for breathing between the corners
and the praying position.
4. As your elbows fold quickly inward to the “praying position”, shrug your shoulders up.
Then, as you transition to your quick, narrow recovery, shrug your shoulders forward
and down. Notice that with this shoulder shrug, your upper body becomes more
involved in the recovery. Kick as your arms approach the streamlined position. Glide and
rest for three to five seconds.
5. Continue to do the movement.

Activity 5 (Film Viewing)

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Direction: Watch the video in the link provided. The video will help you answer the
following question below.

https://youtu.be/Ut3QMtG2dAl

1. The focus points that we need to consider in performing the arm pull for breaststroke
are
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
______________________________.

Readings

COORDINATION DRILLS

Of all four competitive strokes, breaststroke requires the most precise coordination to
overcome the inherent drag in the stroke, in order to produce good forward motion. By
correctly sequencing and balancing the actions of the arm stroke, breathing, kick and glide,
each individual action of the stroke works better. The following drills for breaststroke
coordination focus on the inter-related actions of the stroke, how they overlap, and work
together to create an effective stroke.

Activity 6 (Stroke, Breathe, Kick, Glide Mantra)

Direction: Follow the following procedures below. Answer the Drill Feedback Chart below.

Procedure

1. Visualize the breaststroke in your mind. Say to yourself the steps in sequence of the
breaststroke: stroke, breathe, kick, glide. Say it again. Stroke, breathe, kick, gliiiiiiiiide,
drawing out the word glide, so it takes as much time to say as the three previous steps
combined. Match each step in the sequence to the breaststroke in your mind. “Stroke”
refers to the arm stroke, outsweep, corners and insweep. “Breathe” refers to the inhale.
“Kick” refers to the power phase of the kick. “Glide” refers to the streamlined float that
maximizes the momentum of the stroke.
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2. Push off the wall, preparing to swim breaststroke, straight spine, streamlined position. Say
the steps in the sequence to yourself again as you glide forward. Now perform the stroke
actions in slow motion, repeating the sequence of steps in your mind, beginning each
action when you say that step. Correctly timed, the glide should take as long as the other
three actions of the stroke combined. Stroke, breathe, kick, gliiiiiiiiide.
3. Do another stroke, again matching the start of each action to the step as you say it to
yourself. If you are following the stroke sequence correctly, your arm stroke and inhale
should be finished before you begin the power phase of your kick. So, you could modify the
mantra to be “Stroke, breathe, then kick, gliiiiiide.
4. Keep practicing, and repeating to yourself the stroke sequence and timing mantra. Once
you are able to perform each stroke action in order, increase your stroke rate. Notice that
while the arm stroke starts first, the breathing overlaps with the insweep of the arm stroke.
So, you could modify the mantra to be “Stroke and breathe, then kick, gliiiiiide.” The “and”
marks the corners of the arm stroke.
5. Keep practicing and repeating the mantra. Notice that your arms will have already reached
the extended position when your kick finishes, and your body reaches streamline. So, you
could modify the mantra to be “Stroke and breathe, then kick and gliiiiiide.” The second
“and” marks the point when the feet come together at the end of the kick.
6. Continue practicing with the fully developed mantra giving sequence and timing to your
stroke. “Stroke and breathe, then kick and gliiiiiide.”

Problem Modification

I breathe before the corners.

My stroke starts with the kick.

My glide doesn’t last as long as the other

three steps combined.

References:
Mood, D. et l., (1991). Sports and Recreational Activities for Men and Women. Mosby Year
Book

H. C. Dubey; Swimming; Discovery Publishing House; New Delhi- 110002; Reprint 2006
 Republic of the Philippines
Cagayan State University
www.csu.edu.ph

COLLEGE of HUMAN KINETICS

Lucero.B. (2011). The 100 Best Swimming Drills.Maidenhead: Mayer and Meyer Sports(UK) Ltd.
2008
Guzman, R. J. (2017). The Swimming Drill Book. Champaign, IL : Human Kinetics.

https://youtu.be/Ut3QMtG2dAl

https://youtu.be/spbF-OELqoQ

https://you.be/GIT5MUK954M