We've all done it, or seen it being done - used our breaststroke arms to haul ourselves through the water, only to find we don't seem to go far for the effort we've put in.

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Hi, Mark here. I hope you've had a great week.

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Swimming teachers will tell you that it's the leg kick and not the arm pull that provides the boost to move along during breaststroke. Although arm pull technique is needed to assist the movement, it is mainly to keep the stroke streamlined and efficient.

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The arm pull technique can be broken down into three parts. Those parts being:

Catch

Arm action begins with the arms fully extended out in front, fingers and hands together. Hands pitch outwards and downwards to an angle of about 45 degrees at the start of the catch phase. Arms pull outwards and downwards until they are approximately shoulder width apart. Elbows begin to bend and shoulders roll inwards at the end of the catch phase.

Propulsive phase

The arms sweep downwards and inwards and the hands pull to their deepest point. Elbows bend to 90 degrees and remain high.

At the end of the down sweep, the hands sweep inwards and slightly upwards. Elbows tuck into the sides as the hands are pulled inwards towards the chest and the chin.

Recovery

Hands recover by stretching forwards in a streamlined position and they recover under, on or over the water surface, depending on the style of stroke to be swum.

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Do You or Your Pupils Make These 2 Common Mistakes?

Mistakes often made with basic breaststroke arm technique are:

• relying on the arms for propulsion
• pulling too wide

The arm technique for breaststroke usually becomes the dominant force when it should not. It is very common for swimmers to put more effort into pulling themselves through the water, when it should be the leg kick providing the power and momentum.

In an attempt to haul themselves through the water the arm pull is too big and too wide. It is not uncommon to pull arms completely to the side, making for a inefficient recovery under the water surface, which will almost certainly result in the swimmer slowing down.

Try this...

An easy exercise to practice to help perfect the arm pull technique is to walk slowly through shallow water of about shoulder depth, ensuring the arms pull in small circles and the hands remain in front of the swimmer at all times. They should also extend forwards and remain there momentarily for the glide phase.

For some more breaststroke drills, to improve the whole stroke, click here or the button below.

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Teaching Resources for Swimming Teachers

Head over to my Teaching Resources section of Swim Teach to find everything you need to make your swimming lessons complete. Everything from drills to ready-made lesson plans. It's all there! Click here and grab what you need.

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That's it for this week. Take care and stay safe.

Happy swimming!

Cheers

Mark

​Swim Teach​

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