Breaststroke - Amanda Beard

One of the BIG THINGS I think about when I swim breaststroke is having “skinny arms in front.”  I want to stay as narrow as possible as I come up out of the water…and as I drive back in…to create as little resistance as possible.

Let’s take a look at this at race pace, and then we’ll slow it down.

As I come up out of the water, I keep my arms skinny by holding my elbows close to my body and shrugging my shoulders up toward my ears.  

I also bring my hands all the way out of the water on the recovery.  

Keeping everything narrow and skinny like this…and moving the hands over the water…reduces drag and helps me get more power from the kick….  

…Which brings up timing.  Remember:  Fast breaststroke is all about minimizing resistance.  To get the most power out of my kick, I want the front part of my body to be totally streamlined before I start the kick.  

We can see the timing better from under water.  Right…here…we’ll freeze-frame everything at the beginning of the kick.  When I have the timing just right, my arms will be in streamline before the kick even starts.  Watch for this timing as I continue to swim.

Getting streamlined like this is soo important in breaststroke.  It takes a lot of practice to get the timing, but thinking about skinny arms in front can make it easier for you.


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Skinny Arms In Front