Swimming: Stroke Development Breaststroke

Pulling Pattern
From the stretch position press the water with your hands outwards and slightly downwards pushing your upper arm, forearm, wrist and hand out sideways just wide of the shoulders. The hands lead the forearm in a downwards and inwards circling action bringing the hands close together under and in front of the chin with the hands facing each other continuing with immediate forward recovery of the hands to full stretch and the starting position for the next stroke cycle.

Kicking Action
Recovery of the feet from the extended position is achieved with the knees bent drawing the heals up close to your seat and bringing the knees in line with the hips little more than hip width apart. Both feet then flatten and turn out into a frog like position, kicking back, round and slightly downwards with your soles pressing on the water until the legs are almost straight. The feet will be pointed as they finish together and the legs fully extended.

Timing
From the fully extended streamlined position the arms pull, the breath is taken, the arms begin to recover, the legs recover and kick back to the full stretch position. Pull, Breath, Kick, Stretch.

Breathing
Once in each stroke cycle to the front as the hands and arms pull before the kick. Inhale during the arm pull and exhale with face on the water during the stretch and glide position.