Theory

Breaststroke is the most popular recreational swimming style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water at all times. In most swimming classes, beginners learn either breaststroke or front crawl first.

Lifesavers use breaststroke when approaching casualties. They can keep an eye on them and can talk to them reassuringly. The downside is that it it not as fast as front crawl. You may want to do the initial approach with front crawl and switch to breaststroke during the final approach.

Practice

You swim breaststroke while leaning forward. The body is often at a steep angle to the forward movement. This slows down the swimmer more than any other style. Try to position yourself as level as you can.

Your arms only slightly break the surface of the water and your legs stay always underwater. Your head may be underwater for the second half of the stroke to trim your body into a more level position. Keep as level as you can.

The leg kick is sometimes referred to as a "frog kick". Some people use the abdominal muscles and hips to add extra power to the kick, although most do not perfect this technique until the collegiate level.

Breaststroke suffers greatly from sloppy skills. Make sure you do it right before you put on more clothes. Otherwise you barely move forward. Thus your clothes force you to do the breaststroke correctly. Begin in swimwear. When your skill improves put on more kit until you're fully clothed.