Free !! Learn to swim breaststroke in WEST swimming technique

10 easy steps to Learn to swim breaststroke in WEST swimming technique while protecting your neck and back.

For only 25$ you can get the learn to swim breaststroke in WEST swimming technique, sometimes it’s bust not to think just to follow the course and you will swim amazing>>

The breaststroke swimming style has many advantages as well as some drawbacks: it employs many muscle groups, but also arches the neck and lower back if we don’t separate the movements correctly, as advised by the West technique principles.

In Water World in particular, and WEST swimming technique in general, we believe in matching the swimming style to the person, according to age, gender, flexibility and elasticity level, pain types and more. In the following 10 steps we take into account the least common denominator to allow learning the breaststroke swimming style the easiest way possible, while applying minimal pressure to the joints and protecting the neck and lower back.
It is always recommended to learn to swim freestyle in WEST swimming technique and only after you did the ” learn swimming online” program in freestyle, start learning how to swim breaststroke.
Fill in the WEST swimming technique questionnaire and get 50% off on your first learn to swimming online course>>>

Video + exercise objective
1.learn how to swim breaststroke 1: Walking with arms circling:

We walk in the water and perform wide circles with our arms. We want to stretch our arms forward shaped like an arrow with one palm touching the other.

We do a wide slow circle in the water, keeping our arms underwater the whole time, till our hands touch our belly, at which point we go back to the arrow position.

We try to keep our back as straight as possible during the walk. We take a breath the moment we open our arms, and exhale once we close them to an arrow. We do it all very slowly and calmly.

Exercise objective:
To get the body and muscles used to the breaststroke motion, warm up our lower back while walking and produce a slight water pressure on our chest, to open up the breathing and let more oxygen in with every breath of air.

This exercise should be done in the early stages for 5-10 minutes when we first enter the water.
2.learn how to swim breaststroke 2: Floating in arrow + slowly standing up

We lie on the water in an arrow position and with a swift motion we enter our head first in the water, and then let our body float, one palm facing the other at about 20-30 cm deep and our head down. We wait without exhaling for 3 seconds. If we feel our body tilts to one side – we can open up our arms a bit so we can float easier.

After 3 seconds we slowly start to exhale and bring our knees to our belly and our arms to the back. Only when our feet touch the floor, we lift our head.

Exercise objective:
To get the body used to floating straight for 3 seconds, to get a feel for our floating skill and practice holding our breath. Many times during West swimming we swim in an arrow position without exhaling to get the body floating rather than sinking. Standing up slowly helps reinforce our arms and abdominal muscles while protecting our neck and lower back
3.learn how to swim breaststroke 3: Arms circling without breathing + slowly standing up

We move our arms in circles, keeping our legs closed. The circles are done slowly while stretching at about 20-30 cm deep, keeping our arms underwater and our head looking down the whole time without exhaling.

Once we run out of air we will slowly stand up while exhaling through our nose. Only when our feet touch the floor we slowly lift our head and stand up. We take a few breaths of air and repeat the exercise.

Exercise objective:
After getting our body used to breathing and circling we are trying to achieve progress and buoyancy.
This exercise incredibly opens up our breathing and allows us to reinforce the specific arms' muscles without straining our neck and back in order to prepare these muscles for future elevation and breathing while protecting the all important joints.

In addition, once we are able to easily swim 12.5 meters holding our breath, when we finally breathe, it will be a slow and calm breath of air that will release tension instead of creating it.

For information, the breaststroke arms motion is excellent for protecting the shoulders and this is one of the exercises commonly used in hydrotherapy and in general to strengthen the muscles in cases of delta muscle inflammation.
4.learn how to swim breaststroke 4: Arms circling, legs kicking using fins + flipping on our back and standing up

We move our arms in circles and wait 3 seconds in an arrow position. During the wait our legs gently kick using fins. We do this drill without exhaling throughout the swim and shortly before we run out of air, we exhale through our nose, flip on our back and slowly stand up. Unlike swimming without fins, where we can bring our knees to our belly, we shouldn’t try this with fins because we might cause unnecessary pressure to our back, swallow water, and find it very hard to stand.

We'll try this drill for 10 minutes each time till we are able to swim about 25 meters holding our breath.

Exercise objective:
To keep on the arms' movements without straining the joints, increase our lungs capacity and extend our muscles. The use of fins in this exercise adds an additional element which improves foot elasticity and stabilizes and strengthens the ankle, knee and back supporting muscles, so we can optimally prepare our body for the next stages of breaststroke swimming
5.learn how to swim breaststroke 5: Walking with arms circling + lifting the head after 3 seconds

We walk for 3 seconds with our arms in an arrow position, head in the water facing down, slowly exhaling through our nose. After 3 seconds we open up our arms in the water and lift our head using the arms' strength and not the neck's.

As we open our arms we breathe slowly and then put our head back in the water and the arms in an arrow position.

Exercise objective:
To learn how to use our arms' strength to lift our head in an easy and comfortable way, and how to incorporate breathing with the arms' movement. When the arms are in an arrow, our head will face down and when they open up, we lift our head and take a breath.

In competitive swimming we open up our arms and throw them over the water causing our neck to work very hard, while in West swimming, we try to lift our head immediately after opening our arms and in a very slow fashion.

Arms circling with fins and lifting the head for breathing every 3 seconds

We kick with our legs using fins; arms are stretched out in an arrow at about 20-30 cm deep for 3 seconds. During kicking, we exhale slowly. After 3 seconds we open our arms, lift our head, breathe slowly and put our head right back in the water again and our arms in an arrow position.

Exercise objective:
To time our breath while circling with our arms and kicking with our legs. The fins help protect our back and elevate our body over the water so we breathe more easily using our arms and keep from straining our neck and lower back.

6.learn how to swim breaststroke 5: Arms circling with fins and lifting the head for breathing every 3 seconds

We kick with our legs using fins; arms are stretched out in an arrow at about 20-30 cm deep for 3 seconds. During kicking, we exhale slowly. After 3 seconds we open our arms, lift our head, breathe slowly and put our head right back in the water again and our arms in an arrow position.

Exercise objective:
To time our breath while circling with our arms and kicking with our legs. The fins help protect our back and elevate our body over the water so we breathe more easily using our arms and keep from straining our neck and lower back.

7.learn how to swim breaststroke 7: Legs circling + a 3 seconds wait without breathing

We bring our heels towards our bottom, heel facing heel and feet pointed outwards. As oppose to competitive swimming, we try not to keep our knees close together, so we don’t pressure our knees. We perform a wide circle with our legs, then close them, go back to an arrow position and wait for 3 seconds with our arms and legs closed. At the end of the drill we slowly stand up, take a breath and repeat the exercise.

Exercise objectives
To learn how our legs should work in the breaststroke style, in order to protect our knees and back. Unlike the general belief, breaststroke legs movements, when they are not done in a radical and fast manner, actually reinforces the core muscles, the adductors and abductors and improves our posture.
8.learn how to swim breaststroke 8: One circle with our arms and one with our legs + a 3 seconds wait without breathing

We lie on the water in an arrow position performing a full circle with our arms like we've learned. When our arms are in an arrow position, we do a wide circle with our legs and only when it's finished, we float in an arrow for 3 seconds holding our breath. We repeat the motion sequence till we run out of air then we slowly stand up while bringing our knees to our belly. Only when our feet touch the floor we lift our head.

Exercise objective:
To learn how to breaststroke with a completely separated arms and legs movement. This is as opposed to a competitive swimming, where we initiate the legs movement roughly around the middle of the arms movement.

In addition, we practice breaststroke holding our breath, which is excellent for reinforcing the muscles without straining the neck and back.


9.learn how to swim breaststroke 9: Breaststroke swimming with separated movements and breathing.

We do a slow circle with our arms and at the same time lift our head for breathing. It's very important to lift the head as part of the arms movement and not the neck's. All this time we keep our legs closed and straight. Once our head enters the water we start folding our legs towards our bottom, circling with our legs as we've learned, close our legs and wait in an arrow position keeping our arms and legs straight for 3 seconds.

Exercise objective:
Many swimmers know how to breaststroke but feel pressure on their lower back, knees and neck. By separating the movements, we are able to use the breaststroke style advantages that reinforce many muscles in our body and help prevent almost any pressure to our neck and lower back.
10.learn how to swim breaststroke 10: Fast breaststroke + a 3 seconds wait.

After learning the breaststroke swimming style with movement separation, we feel good and don’t feel pressure on our neck or lower back, we can move on to the next level and swim the faster style: we first open up our arms and lift our head. When we fold our arms and elbows towards our belly, we initiate the legs movement and finish with both our arms and legs stretched for 3 seconds.

Exercise objective:
To swim a faster breaststroke, while waiting for 3 seconds after each arms and legs motion sequence. This way we are able to move faster, maintain the motion all the way, get less tired and manage to protect our lower back.

If for any reason we still feel pressure on our lower back, we should follow the instructions of exercise no. 9, which is also fast, but does not arch our back during swimming.

Contact Us

Wait! Before you press the X button.
Receive FREE tips directly from Ori Sela

It will change your swimming technique forever!