What it is
The breaststroke arm action: a choreographed sequence that starts in Position 11, pulls back with the palms catching water, sweeps the hands toward the chin as the head rises, squeezes the elbows to the torso, and drives the hands forward with an explosive kick back to Position 11, then glides and repeats.
Essentials
- Shoot back to Position 11.
- Start in Position 11.
- Bend the elbows and pull backwards with the palms catching the water.
- Sweep the hands towards the chin as the head rises.
- Squeeze elbows to the torso, drive the hands forward with an explosive kick to return to Position 11.
- Glide and repeat.
Progression
- Prerequisite: Streamline and Kick Progression (SL + Flex, SL + Lift & Flex, Single kick with an exaggerated glide, SL + 1 BR K).
- Teach the choreography ("11, eat, 11") on land first.
- Move to the water, tied to a streamline with no kick.
- No breath at this stage.
What goes wrong
- Wide sweeping or circular arm motions (reverse-butterfly pattern) → keep it 11, eat, 11; no outward swinging scoop or circles.
- Hands past the hip-line (disqualification) → keep hands in front of the body.
- Chicken wings (elbows dip) → elbows stay up high.
- Adding a scull or sweep too early → it is easier to add a scull or sweep later than to take away an excessive one.
How you know it worked
The swimmer can demonstrate "11, eat, 11" on land and in the water (Level 3 testable skill).
How you teach it
Treat breaststroke arms as a specific choreography or dance move, not a propulsion problem. Break it into small chunks: Position 11, then Eat, then back to 11. Teach the choreography first without embellishing or adding flare. The rationale mirrors the freestyle approach: you can chip away at the motion like a sculptor chipping at a block of granite, making the scooping motion easier to train than the full hand motion. Start on land, then in the water.
Most or all instruction at this stage is tied to a streamline with no kick, because in breaststroke there is no kick until the arms move first. The focus is entirely on motion and limb coordination before propulsion or speed. It is easier to add a scull or a sweep to a breaststroke arm stroke than it is to take away an excessive one, so resist the urge to introduce wide arcs early.
Avoid cueing with "spreading pizza sauce" or "drawing a circle" — these invite the very wide-sweeping motions you are trying to prevent. The cue language should stay tight: 11, eat, 11.