Breaststroke Breathing Explained: Technique, Timing, and Training Tips

Welcome Back! In today’s blog, we are going to discuss something a bit more uncommon about Breaststroke – it’s breathing cycle. Breaststroke Breathing is a very interesting topic because compared to the other 3 strokes, Breaststroke requires athletes to be very comfortable with very little oxygen.

Let’s dive further into why…

Whenever I coach an athlete about a more technically sound Breaststroke stroke, one of the key points I make is how Breaststroke requires a large oxygen deficit. The deficit starts as soon as they leave the wall or block and go right into their Breaststroke Pullout. While the pullout isn’t required, most athletes choose to use it—immediately putting themselves in a hypoxic state. This differs from the other three strokes, where swimmer’s can decide how far they want to take their underwater dolphin kicks, or if they use them at all.

On top of that, the Breaststroke stroke itself can be a very long and drawn out stroke. This stroke, traditionally, takes less strokes per lap (when done efficiently) compared to the other 3 strokes. This keeps the swimmers’ heads underneath the water more causing an even bigger oxygen deficit. I wrote a blog where I break down the two technical styles of Breaststroke, helping explain how I classify and subdivide this stroke.

Think if an athlete comes off a wall with a long pull-out, that athlete is carrying a faster speed underneath the water than they would on the surface – with a diminishing air supply. Then, once they get to the surface and start to complete the stroke, they will swim with an uneven ratio of breathing to not breathing time.

Why is there an Uneven Ratio during Breaststroke Breathing?

Due to the 3 phases of a Breaststroke Pull. The first phase is the Outsweep, where the athlete’s head stays underwater. The second phase is the insweep, where the athlete’s head starts to comes up for air. And the third phase is the recovery or shoot of the hands forward, where the head goes back down underneath the water. Out of those 3 phases, it is PART of the second and third phase that allows swimmers to breathe.

Think about it like ~1/2 of the insweep and ~1/2 of the outsweep that swimmers are actively bringing in air. This puts them at ~33% of their entire Breaststroke Pull where they can get oxygen! AND, this doesn’t even include the time required to complete the Breaststroke Kick!

Why Does the Breaststroke Kick Matter?

To have a great Breaststroke stroke, the kick FOLLOWS the pull – so athletes will always have to wait for their kick to finish before they even think to initiate their next stroke.

I categorize the Breaststroke Kick for swimmers depending on the widths of their kicks. The kick width determines the total time athletes will spend in their glide phases. If swimmers have a wider kick, they will glide more than athletes who have more narrow kicks. In both cases, the Breaststroke Kick adds to the Breaststroke Pull’s recovery phase, keeping swimmers in an oxygen deficit for even longer.

To Excel at Breaststroke, Swimmers Must Master Breath Control.

My message to athletes is simple: if they want to excel at Breaststroke, they have to love hypoxic training. Since racing naturally puts them in that state, practice needs to mirror it—teaching them how to manage discomfort and perform through it.

Lots of coaches use drills like 2K/1 Pull Breaststroke or Breaststroke with Double Pullouts, as these are drills help get swimmer’s set up for success in Breaststroke. It also challenges them to hold their breath and be ready for when the next breath is about to happen.

Ideally, swimmers should have their lungs emptied of excess CO₂ before the next breath to have the space/capacity to bring in another bout of oxygen. That is the only way to effective Breaststroke Breathing.

The best way to conduct Breaststroke Breathing is have swimmers hold their breath through their recovery phase and glide, but when they open up their hands on the outsweep – they should exhale really fast and forcefully. The purpose of holding the CO₂ in their lungs during the recovery and glide phases is to improve their bodyline. Their bodies will sit higher (and better float) on the surface of the water with gas in their lungs, than without. Obviously, I want swimmers to exhale BEFORE they should be inhaling. This is a common error amongst younger swimmers in all four strokes.

Conclusion:

I’ve always believed Breaststroke is the toughest stroke, not only to teach but also to execute. That’s because the stroke is highly technical and demands great finesse. This is one of my favorite races of all-time in Men’s 200 Yard Breaststroke from 2015 NCAA’s.

Count how many strokes Kevin Cordes takes per lap. Then, correlate that to how many breaths he had per 25 yards! Crazy, right?

Unlike the other 3 strokes, where we see much HIGHER tempos and a lot more breaths (in all events besides the 50), Breaststroke it its’ own way is unique and fun.

Who else out there could swim a 200 yard Breaststroke in 37 strokes?

Until Next Time,

Abbie Fish