What to Know About Breaststroke Swimming Before Learning?

If you’ve recently started swimming, your coach will undoubtedly tell you about the advantages of learning the breaststroke swimming technique. Also referred to as the frog style, this technique is one of the oldest and most popular swimming styles. At its core, it’s known for its unique frog-like leg kick and simultaneous arm movements.

Most swimming coaches will also recommend that beginners start their swimming journey with the breaststroke, formerly known as frog style years ago. This is because it involves a slower pace and natural breathing rhythm. The breaststroke is also an effective way to increase your overall fitness and also build endurance. This post takes a closer look at the key techniques needed for breaststroke swimming.

What are the Key Techniques in Breaststroke Swimming?

The secret to becoming a safe and effective swimmer involves learning the necessary strokes that make up each style and technique. There are a few key techniques to know when you’re first setting out to learn the breaststroke. This section takes a look at the following:

  • Body position
  • Arm movement
  • Leg movement
  • Breathing technique

1) Body Position

Body position is essential in swimming because it controls the water resistance, or drag, and allows you to move through the water more efficiently. Maintaining a streamlined body position where the head and chest are slightly raised to create horizontal alignment. This engages the core, creates stability, reduces drag, conserves energy, and also maximises speed with each stroke.

2) Arm Movement

Arm movement is essential in your swimming technique because it enables you to generate the majority of your propulsion which allows you to move effortlessly through the water. When learning your arm movements for the breaststroke technique, keep the following in mind:

  • Outward sweep: Start by extending your arms and then sweep them outwards and downwards in a circular motion. Use your hand with a slight inward angle to help you initiate the pull more efficiently. Dills such as the “high elbow pull” will go a long way toward helping you correct your hand entry.
  • Inward sweep and glide: In this movement, the palm of your hand should rotate inwards toward your body. It should look as though you are scooping water to gain propulsion. Do this by bringing your hands together in front of the chest and extending forward to glide.
  • Timing: Move arms in a coordinated rhythm that lines up with the leg kick. Remember that it’s essential for your arms and legs to work together for the breaststroke to be effective.

3) Leg Movement

Leg movement during swimming is essential in this swimming technique because it provides propulsion and helps to maintain body position and balance. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Whip: It is essential to making the breaststroke effective. Start by bending the knees and bringing the heels towards the hips. Push your legs outwards and backwards. Here you want to focus on simultaneous, strong kicks for propulsion.
  • Foot position: It’s important to keep your feet flexed and turned outwards as this maximises thrust.

4) Breathing Technique

Breathing is important in all types of swimming because it affects the endurance a swimmer requires to create and maintain speed, endurance and general efficiency. This happens because correct breathing ensures a steady flow of oxygen to the muscles, which in turn minimises drag.

This also allows for proper body positioning between each stroke. Here you want to keep the following in mind:

  • Natural breathing rhythm: Breathe correctly during the arm pull phase when your head rises above the water. You’ll want to focus on inhaling quickly at the peak of your pull phase. As your shoulders naturally rise, focus on exhaling, your head lowers back into the water, and your body enters the glide phase. You’ll want to focus on keeping your head as low as possible. Aim to breathe with each stroke to create a smooth and steady rhythm.

Head movement: Keep your neck and head aligned with the spine, and avoid excessive lifting, as this will push you out of alignment. Rotate your shoulders slightly when you need to breathe. You’ll know you’re doing this right when your chin breaks the surface just enough to inhale. Refrain from lifting your head too high, as it will slow you down and push your body out of alignment.

What are the Common Mistakes in Frog Style and How to Avoid Them?

Experts regard the breaststroke as the easiest swimming style to learn, making it the best option for beginners. This section looks at the common mistakes beginners of all ages make when first learning the breaststroke technique. These typically include the following:

  • Incorrect body position
  • Inefficient arm and leg coordination
  • Poor breathing timing

1. Incorrect Body Position

An incorrect body position in the breaststroke technique happens when the swimmer is too flat in the water. This can easily be caused when the swimmer submerges their face too much which in turn results in the legs, hips, and feet rising to the surface. This creates unnecessary drag making breathing difficult.

The solution here is to focus on maintaining a streamlined position with as minimal resistance as possible. Look slightly downward and focus on maintaining a straight line from your hips to your shoulders. You’ll want to keep your head as close to the water as possible to avoid excessive head lifting for each breath.

Keep in mind that this will cause your hips to drop and increase drag. It’s essential to practice gliding dills which will reinforce the correct posture to keep your body aligned. The most common drills to consider to improve body position include the following:

  • Kickboard drills (Use the kickboard to help align your body and practice your fog-kick  techniques when you’re first learning to swim)
  • Pull board drills (Use a kickboard to do arm pulls and strengthen your arm muscles to help you make general swimming easier and faster)
  • Superman drills (Float on your stomach and practice keeping your body as straight as possible at all times to keep your body streamlined)

2. Inefficient Arm and Leg Coordination

Inefficient arm and leg coordination during a breaststroke refers to when a swimmer performs their leg kick and arm pull incorrectly. Doing this causes the kicking and the arm pulls to work against each other rather than in sequence. Ideally, the arms must pull first by the leg pull.

The best solution in this instance is to break down the stroke into separate leg and arm drills. Your swimming coach will help you create a consistent rhythm to synchronise arm and leg movements. It’s essential to practice these drills as often as possible, especially if you have identified this mistake as one that you routinely make.

3. Poor Breathing Timing

Breathing in the breaststroke technique often goes wrong when the swimmer takes a breath at the wrong time in the cycle. Doing this causes unnecessary head movement which disrupts the streamlined position and causes more drag, slowing the swimmer down. Ideally, breath should be taken when the body rises naturally during the mid-stroke.

To avoid this, a swimmer should practice regular breathing drills that focus on lifting the head during each arm pull. Breathing shouldn’t disrupt the flow of each stroke and shouldn’t place the swimmer’s body out of the perfected streamlined position.

4. Excessive Head Lifting

Another common mistake in initial breaststroke training involves excessively lifting your head. Unlike poor breathing timing, the swimmer isn’t taking a breath at the wrong time but rather lifts their head too high out of the water when they take a breath. This often happens because the swimmer is untrained or still nervous about the technique. Doing this causes unnecessary drag on the body and moves your body out of alignment.

The easiest solution for this problem is to keep your head as low as possible and focus on lifting it slightly when you need to inhale. If you find yourself feeling as though you’re not getting enough air, speak to your swimming coach for the best drills and breathing techniques to help you regulate your breathing. As with the other drills, be sure or practice these drills as often as you need to master your breathing.

What are the Benefits of Breaststroke Swimming?

Swimming in general has several benefits that make it well worth taking up. Since the breaststroke technique is a low-impact, effective workout it has benefits that supersede other swimming techniques. The most significant benefits are highlighted in this section.

1. Accessible for All Skill Levels

The number one benefit of learning the breaststroke is that it’s much easier to learn than other swimming strokes. Simple, easy-to-learn techniques make this swimming style beginner-friendly for people of all ages. Many swimming schools teach this technique to all beginners in the early stages of their training.

2. Enables a Full-Body Workout

When it comes to health benefits, the number one reason to take up swimming is that it allows for a full-body workout. This happens because the different strokes engage major muscle groups such as the chest, legs, and arms. Doctors and other medical experts at ActiveSG agree that swimming is one of the more effective ways of getting a full-body workout, especially in techniques such as the breaststroke, as it works different muscles at the same time.

3. Enhanced Lung Capacity

According to a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects swimming has on the human body, medical experts agree that swimming increases an individual’s lung capacity. Styles such as the breaststroke promote steady breathing patterns which goes a long way toward improving respiratory health. This is especially the case for children and adults who suffer from respiratory conditions such as asthma.

4. Improves Mental Health

ActiveSG also highlights that aquatic exercise has many positive benefits on the mental health of both children and adults. This happens when engaging techniques such as the breaststroke releases endorphins which improve moods and also reduce stress. Swimming also increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain which makes an individual feel more alert and can even improve memory.

What are the Equipments to Aid Learning Breaststroke?

Leaning the breaststroke is made easier since beginner swimmers can make use of a variety of different training aids. The most common of these are listed and explained below:

Kickboards

Typically, a kickboard is a rectangular, buoyant, foam board that a swimmer holds onto while performing different kicking drills. The main goal of these boards is to target leg muscle development and also improve the required frog-like kicking strokes.

Using a kickboard is as simple as holding onto the kickboard and allowing your body to float while you focus your energy on perfecting the kicking motions. Swimmers of all skill levels can use kickboards to improve a particular technique. The buoyancy supplied by a kickboard makes it easy to focus on leg drills that will help you create and improve frog-kick motions.

Pull Buoys

A pull buoy is a buoyant piece of foam shaped like a figure eight. Swimmers place this foam between their thighs to provide additional buoyancy in the lower body. Doing this allows the swimmer to focus solely on their arm stroke and also builds upper body strength while at the same time eliminating the need to kick. This helps the swimmer perfect their arm and upper body technique by isolating the arms.

This type of drill not only improves overall stroke efficiency but also coaches the swimmer how to swim when their legs are fatigued. Pull Buoys can be used by swimmers of all levels such as beginners who are looking to learn stroke mechanics as well as advanced swimmers who may want to isolate arm training.

Fins

Commonly referred to as “swim fins,” this device isn’t often used to teach the breaststroke technique. It can, however, aid a beginner in developing a proper kick technique if necessary. Typically worn on the feet, the fin is designed to increase the surface area of the foot. This will allow for a more powerful kick and helps improve your propulsion through the water. You can also use a fin to develop leg strength and build technique.

Pool Noodle

Another piece of equipment that is often used to focus training on a particular stroke in breaststroke is the common pool noodle. Typically, a pool noodle is a cylindrical piece of buoyant, flexible foam that’s longer than a kickboard and pull buoy.

Pool noodles can be used for beginners as they learn the support and stability needed to keep their bodies aligned. Since these long pieces of foam are very versatile, they can be used in different ways to improve your breaststroke techniques.

FAQs

The breaststroke swimming style differs from other strokes because it involves a unique frog-like leg kick where both legs are brought together and pushed out to the side. At the same time, arms are moved in a pull motion. Unlike the freestyle or butterfly stroke arms aren’t moved alternatively, but simultaneously with the kick. As the slowest stroke, this technique is the easiest for beginners to learn.

Improving your backstroke kick is essential to mastering the overall technique. Do this by keeping your feet flexed and turned outwards during the kick. You can also speed up the improvement process by using a kickboard in your practice drills to refine and strengthen the overall technique.

The most effective way to perfect the breaststroke is to focus on proper coordination. This will ensure efficient movement in the water and reduce any drag. Doing so will ensure that you’re able to swim more smoothly and effectively.

Despite being an easy swimming style, it’s common for beginners to make a common mistake when learning the breaststroke. Newbies should avoid incorrect body positioning, poor arm and leg coordination, and improper breathing timing. Address these issues with continuous drills and regular practice. Speak to your swim coach for the best possible tips to help you master the technique.

Beginner swimmers will be delighted to learn that they can use a range of different pieces of equipment to help them learn the breaststroke. The most common of these include the following:

  • Kickboards help to maintain proper body position and aid leg movement
  • Pull buoy enables swimmers to focus on chest position and arm pull
  • Snorkels help to focus on head position and arm strokes because there’s no need to turn the head for breathing

If you’re looking for the safest and most correct way to learn the breaststroke swimming styles, you may want to consider joining the Fabulous Swim swimming school. The experts at this prestigious facility offer a range of programs for all ages and skill levels, making it the best way to learn and perfect the breaststroke technique.

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