Breaststroke
A swimming stroke with a simultaneous arm sweep, a whip-like frog kick and a glide, performed on the front.
Overview
Breaststroke is swum face-down with symmetrical arm and leg movements. The arms sweep out and back in front of the chest while the legs perform a whip kick, and the two are separated by a streamlined glide.
Timing is the essence of breaststroke: pull, breathe, kick and glide follow one another in a smooth rhythm.
How to do it
- 1Start stretched out face-down in a streamlined position.
- 2Sweep both arms out and back toward your chest.
- 3Lift your head to breathe as the arms sweep in.
- 4Draw your heels up and whip your feet out, around and together.
- 5Extend the arms forward and glide before the next stroke.
Key points
- The stroke is a rhythm of pull, breathe, kick and glide.
- Draw the heels toward the hips, then whip the feet out and around.
- Stretch into a streamlined glide after each kick.
Where it’s used
Sports that use breaststroke:
Related techniques
Freestyle Stroke
The fastest swimming stroke, using alternating overhead arm pulls, a flutter kick and rhythmic side breathing.
Backstroke
The only competitive stroke swum on the back, using alternating overhead arm pulls and a steady flutter kick.
Flip Turn
A fast turn in freestyle where the swimmer somersaults at the wall, pushes off on their back and rotates to continue swimming.
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place Breaststroke in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
Frequently learned together
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Movement patterns
- GlideGlide is continuous, low-resistance locomotion in which the body holds a streamlined shape so that momentum generated by a preceding propulsive action carries it smoothly across a surface or through a medium.
- PullDrawing a load or your own body toward the torso — horizontal rows and vertical pull-ups — building the lats, mid-back and biceps and balancing the push.
Skills
- BreaststrokeA swimming stroke using a symmetrical arm sweep and a frog-like kick, with the head lifting to breathe.
- Front crawlThe fastest swimming stroke, using alternating arm pulls and a flutter kick while face-down.
- ThrowingThe skill of propelling the ball accurately and with control using the arm.
- BreathingThe skill of controlling the breath rhythmically to sustain effort and stay relaxed.
- Running formThe skill of running with efficient, relaxed and balanced movement.
Facilities
Disciplines
- BreaststrokeBreaststroke uses a simultaneous, symmetric arm sweep and a whip-like frog kick, with a distinct glide between strokes — technical, rhythmic and the slowest of the four strokes.
- Individual medleyThe individual medley (IM) combines all four strokes in a set order — butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, then freestyle — testing all-round swimming across a single event.
- FreestyleFreestyle is the fastest swimming stroke, swum face-down with an alternating arm pull and flutter kick — the stroke most people picture when they think of swimming.
- ButterflyButterfly is swum with a simultaneous over-water arm recovery and an undulating dolphin kick — the most physically demanding stroke, built on rhythm and core-driven body movement.
- BackstrokeBackstroke is swum face-up with an alternating arm pull and flutter kick — the one competitive stroke where you breathe freely because your face stays out of the water.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Technique
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-07-09
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