How to Teach Young Children to Swim Breaststroke

Breaststroke is perhaps the most difficult aspect of swimming to teach to children. It requires specific elements that do not usually come as naturally to children as the crawl or even backstroke. Also, to be successfully competed the stroke must be executed with perfectly in order to avoid disqualification. Nevertheless, the breaststroke is a skill which can be accomplished with patience, practice and most importantly good coaching. Read on to learn how to teach young children to swim breaststroke.

Instructions

    • 1

      Get children used to dunking their heads in the water quickly and bringing their heads up with their chins pointed down when they breathe out. During breaststroke it is important to keep the head positioned downward to ensure forward propulsion. Do practice drills in which the children do nothing more than repeat this breathing technique until it feels natural to them.

    • 2

      Teach the children how to "pull" the water with their arms. Have them act as though they are carrying a large bowl that they can just barely get their arms around. Ask them to hold this position with their fingertips touching. Then go around to each child and turn their hands over while they maintain their arms and elbows positioning. Now, have them "cup" their hands with their fingers together and push as much water away from them as possible. Repeat this exercise watching to make sure elbows and arms stay elevated just below the surface of the water.

    • 3

      Illustrate the "froggie" kick to the children and then have them replicate it. Have them hold onto the edge of the pool and then tell them to bring their feet together and up toward their backs. Explain they will need to forcefully kick out of this position with their heels turned out (as if they were going to simultaneously kick both sides of the pool). Have them repeat this exercise over and over until the kick becomes second nature to them. Get them off the wall and onto kickboards to further their progress just on the kicking aspect of the stroke.

    • 4

      Put the entire stroke together now that you have taught the key aspects of pull and kick. Emphasize to the children that the stroke requires them to pull and kick at alternate times rather than at once. For many children, this is the most difficult aspect of performing the breaststroke correctly. Have them start out slowly calling out to them to "Pull, kick, glide". Explain that the glide is when you allow the momentum of the stroke to push your body forward on its on.

    • 5

      Watch for head positioning during the stroke now that it is being taught as a whole. The children need to be putting their heads under the water with each stroke and breathing with their out of the water but positioned toward the water. Encourage them to keep their elbows up and not to pull to deep under the water. Check to make sure fingers are together, shoulders pulled in on the pull, full kicks with the feet being pulled up before kicking out and that they are not performing the kick and pull simultaneously.