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Essay about How To Swim The Breaststroke

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How to Swim the Breaststroke

The breaststroke is the oldest known swimming stroke and is one of four strokes used in competitive swimming. This stroke is also very popular in leisure swimming because the head can be held up, making vision and breathing easy and because the swimmer can rest between strokes if needed. Swimmers can also use the breaststroke in survival swimming and in lifesaving situations. Since the breaststroke has many uses and is easy to learn, it is one of the best strokes to teach a beginning swimmer.
When teaching the breaststroke to a beginner, it is very important to explain every aspect of the stroke from head to toe. The head should be positioned so the hairline is at the surface of the water, keeping the body …show more content…

At this point, rotate the wrists and sweep the hands inward, upward, and back slightly toward the feet until the palms are below the chin, facing each other and almost touching. Elbow position is important for good propulsion. The elbows are to be higher than the hands, lower than the shoulders pointing outward, not backward. They should not pass back beyond the shoulders.
Recovery of the arms should be immediate. After pulling the hands towards each other continue squeezing the elbows inward. Then, with palms angled towards each other, extend the arms forward to a glide position below the surface of the water and rotate the wrists until hands are palms down. While arm motions are critical to this stroke, the movements of the legs is equally as important.
The kick for the breaststroke uses a continuous whipping action. Press the feet outward and backward until the feet and ankles touch, extending the ankles, lifting the legs and feet slightly. Forward movement results from the pressure of water against the soles and the insides of the feet and lower legs. From the glide position, start to recover the legs by bending your hips and knees and bringing the heels up towards the buttocks. With this action, gradually separate the knees and heels until the knees are hip-width apart and the feet are outside the knees. Keep the heels just under the surface of the water and rotate the ankles outward to engage the water

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