Teaching Breastroke

Breastroke Drill 1: Wall Kick (Focus on frog kicking)

Breastroke kicking is very different and a struggle for many kids. Remove all the other parts of the stroke and just work on the kick at first.

Breastroke Drill 2: Wall Arms (Focus on small pulls)

Most kids take too big of an arm pull in breastroke. Using the wall to limit the motion helps teach small, fast pulls.

Breastroke Drill 3: No Arm Breastroke (Focus on Timing: Breathe, Kick, Glide)

The timing for breastroke should be: Breathe, Kick, Glide. By removing the arms, it keeps their motion small and fast, helping train proper timing.

Breastroke Drill 4: 2 Kicks 1 Pull (Focus on body position)

We want kids to return to streamline with each stroke cycle. By taking 2 kicks, this forces them to spend more time in the streamline position and get their body position right.

Breastroke Drill 5: Breast to Streamline (Focus on body position)

We want kids to return to streamline with each stroke cycle. By returning to a full streamline in between strokes, this forces them to spend more time in the streamline position and get their body position right

Breastroke Drill 6: Full Breastroke (Focus on putting it together)

Put it all together: Small kick, Small arms, BKG timing (breathe, kick, glide), Return to streamline.

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Optional drills are not for every day use. They can cause more problems than they solve. We use them to fix specific problems. Just a tool in the toolbox.

Optional Breastroke Drill: Breastroke with Freestyle Kick (Focus on faster tempo)

Sometimes kids don't move their arms fast enough or glide too much. By taking out the breast kick, now there is no reason to wait and tempo can increase. Use with caution!

Optional Breastroke Drill: Breastroke with Butterfly Kick (Focus on popping hips)

We want kids to drive through an imaginary Hula-Hoop in front of them, and to get their hips to follow through into the Hoop.

Optional Breastroke Drill: Ankle Touches (Focus on narrow kick)

If kids kick too wide, forcing them to touch their ankles may teach them to keep their kick narrow and short.