Swimming breaststroke as a beginner involves mastering the key elements of the stroke: the pull (arm movement), the kick (leg movement), breathing, and coordination. Here's a breakdown:
1. Getting Comfortable and Body Position
- Streamlined Position: Start by getting comfortable in the water. Practice holding a streamlined position with your arms extended forward, hands stacked, and head submerged. Exhale gently into the water.
- Floating: Practice floating on your stomach in this streamlined position.
2. The Breaststroke Pull (Arm Movement)
- Outsweep: Start with your hands extended forward in the streamlined position. Sweep your hands outwards and slightly downwards, keeping your elbows high.
- Insweep: As your hands reach shoulder-width, bend your elbows and pull your hands inwards towards your chest.
- Recovery: Shoot your hands forward together in a "praying" position, extending back to the starting streamlined position. It's important that this recovery is underwater and streamlined.
3. The Breaststroke Kick (Leg Movement)
- Recovery/Heel Up: Bring your heels towards your buttocks, bending your knees and keeping your knees about hip-width apart.
- Outward Sweep: Rotate your feet outwards and sweep them outwards and backwards in a semi-circular motion. Keep your ankles flexible.
- Squeeze and Glide: Bring your legs back together forcefully in a snapping motion, squeezing your glutes and inner thighs. Hold the streamlined position for a brief glide.
4. Breathing
- Timing: Lift your head to breathe during the insweep of the arm stroke.
- Exhalation: Exhale fully underwater during the glide phase after the kick.
- Rhythm: Find a rhythm that allows you to breathe comfortably without disrupting your stroke.
5. Coordination
- Pull, Breathe, Kick, Glide: This is a simplified way to think about the coordination.
- Pull & Breathe: As you pull your arms outwards and inwards, lift your head to breathe.
- Kick & Glide: As you extend your arms forward, perform the breaststroke kick and glide in a streamlined position.
- Practice Drills: Use drills to isolate and improve each component of the stroke before combining them. For example:
- Kickboard drills focusing on the breaststroke kick.
- Arm pull drills using a pull buoy.
- Practicing the timing of the breath with the arm pull.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Knees too wide: Avoid bringing your knees too wide during the kick, as this creates unnecessary drag.
- Kicking down: Focus on kicking outwards and backwards, not downwards.
- Pulling too deep: Keep your arm pull relatively shallow.
- Not gliding: Utilize the glide phase to conserve energy and maintain momentum.
- Rushing the stroke: Focus on technique and timing rather than speed.
By practicing each component of the breaststroke and focusing on proper technique, beginners can develop a smooth and efficient stroke.
