Breaststroke

Breaststroke is a way to swim.

You swim on your chest.

People call it the frog stroke. This is because your legs move like a frog.

It is a very old way to swim.

Many people like this style. You can swim it at a slow speed. It is also a popular way to play in the water.

In races, you must be very strong. You use your arms to pull the water. Then you use your legs to kick hard.

It is a fun way to move in a pool. Do you want to try it?

Breaststroke is a popular way to swim.

You swim on your chest. This style is very old. Some people think it started in the Stone Age.

Many people like it for fun. You can swim it at a slow speed. Your head stays out of the water a lot. This makes it easy to breathe.

In races, you must be very strong. It is the slowest competitive stroke. The arm moves have three steps. First, you sweep your hands out. Then, you sweep them in to push water back. Finally, you move your arms forward again. This is called the recovery. People call the leg move a frog kick. This is because it looks like a frog.

Experts call it a whip kick. The legs move fast to push you forward. You can also glide underwater for a long time. This happens because the kick has a lot of power. At the start, you can do a pullout. You pull your arms down past your hips. You can even do one dolphin kick. This helps you move fast in the pool.

Breaststroke is a unique way to swim while lying on your chest.

Many people love it for fun because it is very comfortable. You can swim at a slow speed and keep your head above water easily. This makes breathing much simpler than in other styles. However, racing with this stroke requires great strength and endurance. It is actually the slowest of the four official competitive swimming styles.

Even though it is slow, it is very powerful.

To perform the stroke, you must master specific arm and leg moves. The arms follow three steps called the outsweep, insweep, and recovery. First, you sweep your hands out slightly past your shoulders. Next, you sweep them inward to push the water backward. Finally, you move your arms forward again to start over. The legs use a move often called a whip kick. You move your feet outward and then snap them back quickly. This powerful kick helps you glide through the water for a long time.

This way of swimming has a very long history. Some people believe it began as far back as the Stone Age. Ancient images in the Cave of the Swimmers in Egypt show early swimming.

In 1538, a German professor named Nicolas Wynman wrote a book about swimming. He wanted to help people avoid the dangers of drowning. Later, in 1696, a French author wrote a book that helped make this style popular. People have been using these moves to stay safe in water for thousands of years.

Competitive swimming has many important dates and records. In 1875, Captain Matthew Webb used breaststroke to swim the English Channel. He swam 21.26 miles in about 21 hours and 45 minutes. The 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis were the first to have a separate breaststroke race. In 1934, a coach named David Armbruster helped change the stroke. He found a way to bring the arms over the water to gain speed. This change eventually led to the creation of the butterfly stroke.

Today, the rules for breaststroke are managed by a group called FINA. These rules help keep the races fair for everyone. For example, swimmers must break the surface of the water during every cycle.

You can also perform a special underwater pullout after a start or a turn. This move allows you to pull your arms down past your hips. Since 2005, rules even allow one single dolphin kick during this part. These rules help swimmers balance speed with the right way to move.

Breaststroke is a unique swimming style performed while lying on the chest. Unlike other strokes, the torso does not rotate during the movement. It is the most popular recreational style because the head remains above water frequently. This allows swimmers to move comfortably at slow speeds. However, competitive breaststroke requires immense strength and endurance. It is the slowest of the four official competitive swimming styles.

The fastest professionals can reach speeds of about 1.70 meters per second.

The mechanics of the stroke involve precise coordination between the arms and legs. The arm movement consists of three distinct phases: the outsweep, the insweep, and the recovery. During the outsweep, the hands separate to slightly past shoulder width. In the insweep, the hands point down and push water backward to create thrust. Finally, the recovery phase moves the arms forward to the starting position.

Most competitive swimmers use a variant where the arms recover over the water to reduce drag.

Leg movement is equally vital and is often called a whip kick. This name describes the whip-like motion that starts at the core and moves through the legs. The movement begins by bringing the feet toward the body while keeping the knees together. The feet then point outward to prepare for the thrust phase. During this thrust, the legs move elliptically and very quickly to push the swimmer forward. This powerful kick allows for a long glide underwater.

Competitive swimmers also utilize a special move called the underwater pullout, or "pull down." This occurs after the start and after every turn at the pool wall. The swimmer starts in a streamline position and pulls their arms all the way down past the hips. As of the 2024 season, FINA rules allow one optional downward dolphin kick during this phase. Following this, the swimmer recovers their arms to a streamline position and performs a breaststroke kick.

Mastering these turns and starts is essential for improving race times.

The history of this stroke may stretch back to the Stone Age. Images in the Cave of the Swimmers in Egypt suggest very early swimming. Later, Babylonian and Assyrian drawings also show versions of the stroke. In 1538, Nicolas Wynman wrote the first swimming book, titled *Colymbetes*. He wrote it to help reduce the dangers of drowning. In 1696, Melchisédech Thévenot wrote *The Art of Swimming*, which popularized a modern version of the technique.

Significant milestones shaped how we swim today. In 1875, Captain Matthew Webb used breaststroke to swim the 21.26-mile English Channel. He completed the feat in 21 hours and 45 minutes. The 1904 Summer Olympics were the first to feature a separate breaststroke competition. In the 1930s, coach David Armbruster and swimmer Jack Sieg developed techniques that eventually became the butterfly stroke. This happened because bringing the arms over the water increased speed significantly. By 1952, the butterfly was officially recognized as its own separate style.

Rules have also evolved to ensure swimmer safety. In the 1950s, some swimmers tried to stay underwater for long distances to increase speed. This led to swimmers passing out from oxygen starvation. Consequently, FINA introduced rules requiring the head to break the surface during every cycle. Other rule changes, such as those in the mid-1960s, prevented arms from going beyond the hip line. These regulations ensure that breaststroke remains a distinct and safe discipline within the sport of swimming.