5 Most Important Things When Swimming Breaststroke

The five keys to breaststroke, in order, start with timing. This is the most critical element in breaststroke. We asked on social media which of these two styles is best. Many got it right, but many also got it wrong. The key difference between them is the timing. The correct timing is shown in gold. If you kick and pull at once, you won't be fast or efficient. See this example. The arm propulsion is halted by the kick, and then all the propulsion from the kick is halted by your arms and chest. Remember, the rhythm is pull, kick, glide. Pull, kick, and glide. Ankle circles. The second key is your ankles. When swimming breaststroke, you rotate your ankles. Let's isolate the knees so you can see it clearly. See how the ankles circle quickly? You need to practice this. Try it on land first, then include your knees. Remember, move your ankles in quick circles. Third, narrow knees. One common mistake in breaststroke is to open the knees too wide or even open them too soon. Both of these habits are wrong. The best way to swim breaststroke is to open the knees very little and quickly. What makes the ankles open wide is actually at the hip joint. Practice this on the floor. Lay face down, bend the knee to 90 degrees and then open the ankles. Repeat that exercise 10 times slowly and then 10 times fast. Be careful not to bump your ankles. Then, after you open them, stretch the knees and bring them back at 90 degrees. Do circles like this 10 times to improve your muscle memory. Remember, bend the knees but don't open them too much. Four, fast breath. The slowest part of breaststroke is right here when the upper body is out of the water. So, in order to spend the least amount of time possible in the slowest part of breaststroke, you need to take very quick breaths and move your arms quickly from this point to this point. There is no time to exhale when your head is out. You need to start exhaling underwater so you can just inhale above quickly. They don't need to be full breaths. You can do shallow breaths as long as you do them quickly. Don't worry about running out of breath. In breaststroke you breathe every stroke. It's not like in butterfly where you can keep your head down. Remember, don't spend too much time with your head above the water. 5. High hips. This point is vital if you want to swim fast breaststroke, but it's the hardest to master. Keeping hips high should be easy while gliding. Just push your chest down to lift your hips. The challenge is keeping them high while breathing. You need four elements. Core, spine flexibility, loose hip flexors, and hamstrings. Core strength, as those muscles lift your torso. Keep your head low. Arms help too, but your core must stay tight. To hold hips up. Second, maintain lower spine flexibility. If you can't do this on land with gravity's help, you won't hit that position in water, your hips will sink. If you don't arch your lower back. Loose hip flexors. If those muscles are tight, your knees will drop. Test your hip flexors with the Thomas test. Lie face up and pull one knee to your chest. If you feel tension or your other leg lifts, or if it leans inward, your hip flexors may be tight. Do this 10 times per leg to loosen your hip flexors, and then. Hold this stretch for one minute on each leg. Tighten your glutes and core, and tilt your pelvis backward. Lean forward for 10 seconds, then back for 10 seconds. For one minute each. Fourth, you need explosive hamstrings to bend your knees quickly. Every millisecond wasted pulling your ankles up increases drag. And will likely cause you to sink. Hamstring slides are great for this. Do 8 reps and rest for 3 total rounds.