breaststroke
Sign in to savethumb|Michael Phelps swimming breaststroke at the 2008 Missouri Grand Prix.
Article
17 sectionsContents
- Speed and ergonomics
- History
- Techniques
- Arm movement
- Leg movement
- Breathing
- Body movement
- Start
- Turn and finish
- Current styles
- Competitions
- FINA rules
- Olympic or long course world champions in breaststroke
- Men
- Women
- References
- External links
thumb|Michael Phelps swimming breaststroke at the 2008 Missouri Grand Prix.
Breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and that it can be swum comfortably at slow speeds. In most swimming classes, beginners learn either the breaststroke or the freestyle (front crawl) first. However, at the competitive level, swimming breaststroke at speed requires endurance and strength comparable to other strokes. Some people refer to breaststroke as the "frog" stroke because the arms and legs move somewhat like a frog swimming in the water. The stroke itself is the slowest of any competitive strokes and is thought to be the oldest of all swimming strokes.