Breaststroke` is one of the four major strokes that is used as a competitive swim leagues. It is also regulated by the IOC. Breaststroke has been around fo a long time. In 1538, Nicolas Wynman, a German professor wrote the first swimming book, Colymbetes. He wasn’t trying to get people to exercise but instead trying to reduce the amount of deaths that come from drowning. Nevertheless, the book contained a few smart and easy ways to learning how to do breaststroke. Then later in 1696 Melchisédech Thévenot wrote the Art of Swimming. This book popularized the breaststroke we see here today. But the only reason it got all the fame it did was because a man name Benjamin Franklin popularized the book.
Breaststroke is the most popular stroke and is the easiest stroke to perform for starting level swimmer. The reason it is the easier is because you stay on your stomach the whole time. Your head is also out of the water most of the time. Making breathing easy the whole race. When do this stroke your arms make a semi circular motion. And your legs make a motion that resemble a swimming frog. This particular stroke Requires a stronger core more than the other strokes. Therefore you must keep your hips directly behind you in the water instead of letting them sink under you. If you let your legs sink your kick will lose lots of its power and you will be slowed down tremendously by the drag of the water.
Here are some tips you should know to improve your Breaststroke form.
- To reduce the amount of time you have during a race. Make sure you alternate your arm pulls and legs kicks. So when your arms are recovering your legs should be kicking just as when your legs are recovering your arms should be pulling.
- Instead of lifting your head to breathe use your shoulders. Your head will naturally follow the shoulders. This will help keep your body more parallel the the bottom of the pool helping to reduce drag.
- For this stroke you want to look for. To reduce drag don’t look downward.
Swimming Tips 