Techniques of breast-stroke

Nowadays teaching breast stroke is not about making students learn wide arm-and leg motions. At first children practice arm-, leg motions and breathing in isolation on dry land. Then they practice each part of the swim stroke in water using pull buoys for additional support.  Flat position: swimmers keep their head more in line with their head. Hip does not sink deep into water. Prone position: both arms move synchronously and execute short and half circular movements under water, the legs execute whip kick. There is not a fixed posture in case of breast stroke.  The movements and postures are similar to dolphin technique. Body lies, floats on the breasts while both shoulders are parallel with water level. It is forbidden to change breast position except for turning.

Leg kicks in breast stroke has several phases. They consist of passive and active kicks. Feet kick backwards and apart while arms extend forward under water, chest and head drop into water again. Once the legs are completely extended they are brought together. Hip continuously is bended (30-35 degree); in case of flat style it is at 60-90 degree. Feet suddenly turn inside out dynamically at the end of the passive phase. Propulsive feet tempo begins.  After the active phase of the feet swimmers lift their feet to achieve streamlined position. It is followed with a short gliding. It is forbidden to use dolphin type motions.

Breast-stroke is regulated and controlled by rules, which means that arms are stretched apart from the chest and arms are pushed either over or down the water. The initial position is a horizontal one on the stomach. Arms are close together, elbows kept under the water, palms facing downwards. Legs are pressed together and toes are pointed. The active phase of the arms starts. Palms rotate outwards and arms are separated. Learners’ elbows flex, and hands continue to move backwards and also downwards. Knees start and feet start to recover towards the buttocks. Once the hands have moved past behind the shoulders they move towards each other, until they meet under the chest. Swimmers push arms forward dynamically until arms are wholly stretched. The propulsive phase of the legs is when feet kick backwards and apart while arms are extended forward under water. The legs are completely extended and they are brought together. Then swimmers glide in that position for a short time.

To be able to push forward without loosing too much energy the synchronous motions between arm strokes and feet kicks are crucial. Therefore velocity should be unchangeable, propulsion is continuous and arm strokes and feet kicks alter each other and maintain speed. The majority of propulsion comes from leg kicks. Swimmers will favour a wedge kick or a whip kick depending on which comes natural. Feet kicks have three different techniques: continuous, waiting, overlap. The continuous technique means that just after feet are closed together at that very moment breast strokes start. The waiting technique means that swimmers wait between leg tempo and arm stoke while in the overlap phase arm stroke starts right after finishing feet stroke. The two tempos overlap each other. The latter one is the most effective technique. Here the decrease of speed is little. Even if this technique is almost perfect speed rate cannot be maintained. The reason for this is that 70% of propulsion is provided by feet kicks. Because of disproportion the velocity of body increases during feet kicks, while during arm strokes the velocity achieved during feet kick will decrease with one third.

Learning the proper breathing technique during breast strokes is the easiest one out of the other techniques. To maintain smooth swimming style breathing is very important. Breast stroke breathing occurs naturally. Inhalation takes place at the end of the in-sweep as the body allows the head to lift clear of the water. The head should be lifted enough for the mouth to clear the surface and inhale so as to keep the frontal resistance created by this movement to a minimum. The head returns to the water to exhale as the arms stretched forward to begin the recovery phase. According to the rules of breast stroke swimming style at each arm stroke swimmers should inhale.