How to Do a Fast Breaststroke

Competitive swimmers are always looking for an edge that will decrease their swim time. The breaststroke is a challenging swim style that requires you to develop stamina as well as possess strength in your arms, shoulders and legs to compete successfully in swim meets. But even if you are just a recreational swimmer, you can perform a fast breaststroke by learning how to decrease your resistance in the water.

Instructions

    • 1

      Dive into the water with as little splash as possible. The more streamlined your body is on entry, the less resistance you will have, which helps you ease into your breaststroke.

    • 2

      Maximize your pull-down once you're under the water. A pull-down is when you pull through the water with your arms from above your head to your thighs, then perform a kick that takes you to the surface. To increase the effectiveness of your pull-down, pull your arms through the water first, glide for three seconds and then perform your kick.

    • 3

      Begin your first stroke when you're still several inches below the water, so you lift your head out of the water with your first stroke. If you begin your first stroke too far below the surface, you slow your body down and throw off the rhythm of your stroke.

    • 4

      Keep your palms facing downward as you stroke through the water and maintain a consistent rhythm by never pausing between strokes and alternating between the pull and the kick, instead of executing both movements at the same time.

    • 5

      Point your toes toward the bottom of the pool during your kicks, which creates more forward momentum by raising your hips and reducing resistance through the water.

    • 6

      Breathe by angling your head at a 45-degree angle instead of looking straight down, which may cause you to take some water into your mouth and slow you down.

    • 7

      Use a short, compact pulling style by pointing your fingers downward and keeping your wrists straight. Keep your strokes shoulder-width in length. Wide strokes increase your resistance because you are pulling through more water than is necessary to propel you forward.