ARM PULL

In the breaststroke, both arms pull simultaneously under the water in a heart-shaped pattern, the elbows always remaining high (see Figure 9.4).

The arm stroke consists of five phases:

1. a wide outward sweep

2. the catch

3. a downward sweep

4. an inward sweep, followed immediately by

5. the recovery

In the next few pages I will describe each of these phases. But remember that the arm pull and the recovery are one continuous motion, and that your hands should accelerate as they sweep outward until they come together under your chin, then slide gently forward.

What follows may seem complicated, but it really is not. Canadian coach Paul Bergen describes the breaststroke arm stroke as “like wiping the inside of two big bowls.” Keep that overall description in mind as I detail each phase of the stroke.

The Out Sweep

Begin the stroke with your body in a streamlined position and your arms stretched forward about six inches below the surface of the water. Your elbows are extended. By flexing your wrists turn your palms out and back at about a forty-five-degree angle.

The Catch

As your hands sweep outward just past your shoulder width, you can feel them grab or “catch” the water. At this point, your hands, about two inches below the surface, gradually change pitch, from out and back to out, down, and back. Your thumbs are now pointing down. This change lifts your upper body high in the water and allows your head and body to surge over your arms.

The Down Sweep

After the catch is made, you begin the down sweep. Sweep your hands down and out in a circular path, remembering to accelerate throughout. Your elbows should remain high. Think of them as two shafts, with your hands rotating around them like propellers.

The In Sweep

The in sweep produces much of the lift and arm propulsion in the breaststroke. After your hands reach their deepest point, they continue their circular motion, sweeping inward as they rotate around your elbows. Still accelerating, your hands sweep first down and in, and then in, up, and back. During the down sweep and in sweep, the pitch of your hands gradually changes from out and down to in and up. Your elbows follow your hands down, in, and up until you finish the in sweep by squeezing them in under your chin.

The Recovery

When your hands are nearly together under your chin, begin the final stage of the stroke, the recovery. As you release the pressure your hands are exerting on the water, slide your hands smoothly forward together, remembering always to keep them streamlined. At this point your palms should be facing either upward or inward. I prefer to have them face upward. This position helps me bring my elbows within the plane of my shoulders. You might want to try both positions and choose the one that feels more natural to you.

When your arms move forward, the pitch of your hands will change quickly from upward (or inward) to downward. Finally, your arms are fully extended, about six inches below the surface of the water, and you are ready for the next stroke.

As mentioned earlier, it sounds complicated, but it’s not. Practice each phase, then put them all together in a single rhythm:

out, down, in, recover

out, down, in, recover

out, down, in, recover

Figure 9.5 illustrates the complete sequence of the breaststroke arm pull, as seen from the front.

In teaching the breaststroke arm pull, I have found two common errors: (1) people pull their arms back too far during the down sweep; and (2) they hesitate as they lift their heads to breathe at the completion of the in sweep.

The arms should be pulled back only to a point at which they are parallel with the chin. If you pull them back too far, you will sink in the water and thus encounter increased resistance during the recovery. Similarly, there should be no hesitation in the arm pull. If you hesitate as you breathe, you will lose much of your forward momentum. (If you want to glide, you can do so as your arms shoot forward during the recovery.)