How to Swim Breaststroke: Faults Only a Coach Sees

To swim breaststroke, follow one clear sequence: pull, breathe, kick, glide. Sweep the hands out and scoop them in under the chin, breathe as the hands come together, drive a whip kick with the heels drawn to the seat and the feet turned out, then stretch into a long streamlined glide. The timing – not the effort – is what makes it work.

Breaststroke is the stroke swimmers think they are doing well when they are not. The faults are almost all invisible from inside the water. You feel like you are gliding; from the deck I can see your hips dropping, your kick slipping, and your timing collapsing into one rushed lump. This is where a coach earns their keep, so let me show you what I look for.

How to Swim Breaststroke: The Timing That Runs Everything

Say it to yourself: pull, breathe, kick, glide. In that order, one thing at a time. The most common wreck of a breaststroke is doing the pull and the kick together, which cancels them out and leaves the swimmer bobbing on the spot. The arms go first, the legs follow, and the glide is where you actually travel. If you take nothing else from this, take the sequence.

The Steps, In Order

1. Start streamlined. Arms extended in front, body flat, face down, legs together.
2. Pull. Sweep the hands out to just wider than the shoulders, then scoop in and down toward the chest – a small, quick action, not a big lat pull.
3. Breathe. As the hands scoop in, the chest rises and the head lifts naturally to breathe. Do not crane the neck; let the body lift you.
4. Kick. As the hands shoot forward again, draw the heels up to the seat, turn the feet out, and whip them back and together.
5. Glide. Stretch long, face back down, and hold the streamline for a beat. This is the free distance.
6. Repeat one movement at a time. Never let the pull and kick fire together.

The Faults You Cannot Feel

Here is what I see from the deck that the swimmer never feels:

• Overlapping pull and kick. It feels powerful; it actually stalls you. From the side it is obvious.
• No glide. Swimmers rush straight into the next stroke and lose the cheapest metres in swimming.
• Lifting the head instead of the chest. The neck cranes up, the hips drop, and drag doubles.
• A screw kick. One foot whips and the other slides – asymmetric, and often the first sign of a knee that is being stressed.
• Pulling too wide and deep. Breaststroke pull is small and in front, not a big sweep past the hips.

None of these feel wrong in the water. All of them are plain from the side of the pool, which is exactly why filming yourself or getting a coach’s eyes on your stroke matters more in breaststroke than in any other.

Protect Your Knees: The Real Risk in Breaststroke

I need to be straight with you about this. The breaststroke whip kick puts real rotational load through the knee. A kick that is too wide, combined with poor ankle mobility that forces the knee to twist for the turnout, is how swimmers develop what is often called breaststroker’s knee. The turnout should come mostly from the hip and ankle, not by wrenching the knee outward.

Keep the kick within roughly shoulder width, not splayed wide. Work on ankle flexibility so the feet can point out without the knee doing the twisting. And if you get knee pain that keeps coming back after breaststroke, do not push through it. Ease off the breaststroke volume, swim more freestyle or backstroke, and get a physiotherapist to assess the knee. Persistent knee pain is a signal, not a weakness to power past.

Breaststroke Kick vs Other Kicks

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Pulling and kicking at the same time – break them apart.
• Skipping the glide and rushing the next stroke.
• Craning the neck to breathe instead of letting the chest lift you.
• A wide, splayed kick that stresses the knees.
• A big, deep arm pull – keep it small and in front of the chest.
• Ignoring returning knee pain instead of getting it checked.

Building a Smoother Breaststroke

Drill the parts separately. Kick with a board to groove the whip and feel the glide. Do two kicks to one pull to slow the stroke down and force the glide. Practise the pull with a gentle flutter kick to isolate the arm timing. Then rebuild the full pull-breathe-kick-glide slowly. For related technique work, this breakdown of breaststroke tips for faster technique is worth a read, and a solid freestyle technique gives your body the balance breaststroke relies on. If your timing keeps collapsing, a few private swimming lessons will fix it faster than solo repetition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I feel like I am not moving in breaststroke?

Almost always because the pull and kick are firing together and cancelling out. Separate them: pull first, kick second, then glide. The glide is where you travel.

Why do my legs sink in breaststroke?

Usually from lifting the head too high to breathe, which drops the hips. Let the chest lift you instead of craning the neck, and hold a flatter body line through the glide.

Is breaststroke bad for the knees?

It can be if the kick is too wide or the knee is forced to twist for the turnout. Keep the kick within shoulder width, improve ankle mobility, and see a physiotherapist for knee pain that keeps returning.

How wide should the kick be?

Roughly shoulder width. A splayed, very wide kick looks powerful but stresses the knee and adds little speed.

Should the arm pull be big and strong?

No. The breaststroke pull is small, quick, and stays in front of the chest. A big pull past the hips wastes energy and disrupts the timing.

How do I get more distance per stroke?

Hold the glide longer. Finish each kick fully stretched and streamlined, and let the body run before starting the next pull.

Final Word

Breaststroke is a timing stroke that hides its faults well. Groove the pull-breathe-kick-glide sequence, keep the kick tidy to protect your knees, and get eyes on your stroke because you will not feel the errors yourself. For coaching that catches what the mirror cannot, reach us at SwimmingCoach.sg.