Breaststroke Technique: 6 Steps to More Speed

Breaststroke is the stroke almost every adult learns first — and the one almost nobody improves systematically afterwards. That is why so many recreational swimmers are stuck at 2:00 to 2:20 per 100 metres for years. The difference between 2:15 and 1:45 is not strength: it is five to eight seconds per 100 metres that come purely from the timing of the arm pull, the kick and the glide phase. This article shows the six steps that turn breaststroke from draining into efficient.

Why breaststroke works differently from front crawl

In front crawl, propulsion is continuous: while one arm pulls, the other is already reaching forward, and the kick contributes the whole time. There is no moment in the cycle where nothing happens. Breaststroke follows a completely different principle: it is a sequence of propulsion phases with braking moments in between. Arm pull, kick and glide alternate — and in every transition the body decelerates if the swimmer does not actively work against it.

Physically, what decides the outcome is not maximum force but the ratio of propulsion to drag. Water resistance grows with the square of speed, while propulsion grows roughly linearly. Put differently: anyone who brakes by dropping the hips or drawing the knees far under the stomach loses disproportionately. This is exactly why technique work pays off so much more in breaststroke than in any other stroke — and why the same concepts as in building better freestyle technique apply, just with different timing.

For endurance athletes there is a second point: breaststroke is energetically more expensive than front crawl, because the legs work harder and the arms pull from a less favourable position. Anyone swimming long distances in this stroke accumulates more load at less speed — a fact load management has to account for, whether you calculate it as TRIMP or as TSS.

Steps 1 to 3: position, breathing, arm pull

Step 1 — body position. Breaststroke is not a stroke for the waterline of a torpedo, but it has a clear ideal line: the crown of the head points forward when the head is lifted, and the hips stay close to the surface. The decisive lever is the hip. Every movement that lets the legs sink deep opens the brake. The rule of thumb: an ankle should never feel as if it is scanning for water while swimming forward — the heels stay just beneath the surface.

Step 2 — breathing. Breaststroke is the only stroke in which the head inevitably leaves the water — and that head lift is exactly the most common mistake. The right way: breathe by rising the torso, not by craning the neck. The head follows the spine, the gaze goes diagonally forward and down during the pull, and the exhale happens underwater during the glide. Anyone who yanks the head up in isolation pushes the hips down and loses the entire gain of the pull to the braking moment.

Step 3 — arm pull. The arm pull has four parts: first the arms glide forward stretched, then they open flat outwards — not downwards, but almost in the surface of the water. Then the elbow sweeps inward while the hands come together under the chest. The last part is the quick snap together followed by reaching forward. Mistake number one is an arm pull with straight arms: it pushes water down instead of back and only lifts the torso instead of driving you forward.

Steps 4 to 6: kick, timing, glide

Step 4 — the kick. The breaststroke kick is not a scissor kick but a symmetrical circular movement that happens almost entirely behind the body. The order is: draw the heels in, rotate the feet outwards, then sweep back and outwards with the inside of the foot until the legs are extended again and the feet are together. Two details decide the effect. First: draw in from the heels, not over the knees. Anyone pulling the knees under the stomach creates a large braking surface as well as pressure on the inner collateral ligament of the knee. Second: the feet must be rotated outwards, otherwise the swimmer pushes the water away with the top of the foot instead of the sole.

Step 5 — timing. Timing is the core of the whole thing, and it is the phase almost nobody trains deliberately. The correct order is: arms pull and reach forward first, then the legs start to draw in. The kick ends while the arms sit in the glide position. The most common mistake is the exact reverse: drawing the legs in while the arms are still pulling — then both propulsion surfaces lie across the water at the same time and brake. A coaching cue: “hands first, then legs.” A further test is stroke rhythm: a swimmer holding an even stroke count of roughly 30 to 38 strokes per minute has usually staggered the sequence cleanly.

Step 6 — the glide phase. After every complete cycle belongs a deliberate glide: 0.3 to 0.5 seconds in a stretched arrow position, arms forward, legs together, trunk braced. That short pause costs no speed — it preserves the propulsion the kick has generated. Anyone starting the next pull immediately interrupts the movement before it can work. Rule of thumb: gliding does not mean waiting, it means taking the distance for free.

Five drills with the best transfer

• Kick with a board (6 × 25 m). Legs only, arms stretched on the board. Forces a clean draw-in from the heels and an active extension.
• “Heels down” (4 × 50 m). Deliberately hold a longer glide after the kick, counting out loud to three. Trains the feel for the transition phase.
• Three-pull set (6 × 25 m). Three arm pulls without a kick, then three complete cycles. Makes you aware of how much propulsion the pull delivers alone — and how little it does when it pulls flat downwards.
• Double pull (4 × 50 m). Two arm pulls per kick. Exaggerates the timing and makes mistakes immediately noticeable.
• Stroke-count set (4 × 100 m). Count only the strokes per length and try to use one stroke fewer at the same time. This is the single most effective measure.

How many strokes, what times?

For calibration without competitive ambition: on a 25-metre pool, 9 to 12 strokes per length is a good benchmark, ambitious swimmers reach 8 to 9. Over 100 metres, recreational swimmers typically sit at 2:00 to 2:20; with clean technique and regular training, 1:45 to 1:55 is realistic. Over 1,500 metres, 30 to 38 minutes is a normal level; anyone wanting to stay under 30 minutes permanently should shift the focus to front crawl — endurance output per stroke is clearly higher there.

• Over 12 strokes: glide phase too short or too much water resistance — fix position first, then build endurance.
• 9 to 12 strokes: solid recreational level; technique work pays off directly.
• Under 9 strokes: very good gliding efficiency; here conditioning decides the pace.

The five most common mistakes

• Yanking the head up. The classic beginner mistake. The head goes up in isolation, the hips sink, the propulsion of the kick disappears. Fix: rise from the torso, let the head follow.
• Arm pull with straight arms. Pushes water down instead of back. Fix: high elbow, pull inward with the forearm.
• No glide phase. Always pulling again immediately because it “feels faster”. In reality it costs time: without the glide the kick's effect is lost.
• Legs drawn too far towards the stomach. A large braking surface plus knee pressure. Fix: draw in from the heels, knees not under the stomach.
• Poor sequence — arms and legs at the same time. The most expensive mistake of all and the hardest to feel. Fix: the double-pull drill and counting.

One further point that is often overlooked: breaststroke loads the knee more than front crawl. Anyone with a sensitive meniscus or an unstable collateral ligament should not push the leg work through. If pain lasts longer than 24 hours after a session, the traffic-light logic from injury prevention helps.

Breaststroke in your training plan

For triathletes, breaststroke rarely makes sense in a race — front crawl is faster and flows straight into the bike transition. As a training form, however, breaststroke has its place: as a technique variation, as variety for swimmers with shoulder problems, as a strength element because the legs work actively, and as the foundation for everyone starting from scratch. How to build up from zero is described in learning to swim as an adult — it covers body position, breathing, first sets and the question of when front crawl is added.

To place the swim session sensibly within the week in the first place, you need a load measure. A moderate 45-minute breaststroke session generally equals about 35 to 55 TSS, a hard interval session 60 to 80 TSS — values that Peakora brings together in one shared load curve from TSS, CTL, ATL and TSB. Because breaststroke draws more energy per stroke, the session should not sit directly next to a hard run in the week. The build phases and week-to-week dosing are laid out on the triathlon training page — which also describes how swim block, bike and run volume are increased together.

Frequently asked questions about breaststroke

What is the most important technique point in breaststroke?

The glide phase. Most recreational swimmers pull their legs back in immediately and lose the propulsion the kick just created. After the kick, hold 0.3 to 0.5 seconds in a stretched arrow position — that alone is worth several seconds per 100 metres, with no extra effort.

Why am I not moving forward when I swim breaststroke?

Almost always because of excess water resistance from a poor position: the head is lifted instead of the torso rising, the hips hang low and the knees are drawn too far under the stomach. Fewer strokes with a better position are faster than more strokes with a poor one.

When should I draw my legs in during breaststroke?

Only after the legs are extended again following the arm pull — and from the heels, not over the knees. The recovery starts as the hands reach forward at the end of the pull, so arms and legs are never loaded at the same time and you avoid a braking moment.

How many strokes per length is normal in breaststroke?

On a 25-metre pool, 9 to 12 strokes is a good benchmark for recreational swimmers; under 9 is ambitious. Stroke count is a better progress measure than time because it shows directly whether the distance travelled per stroke is growing.

Can I train breaststroke instead of front crawl for triathlon?

As variety and in winter training yes, in a race no. Breaststroke loads the knee and hip differently, works with shorter strokes and delivers less continuous propulsion. It also costs more time in the first transition to the bike.