The Breaststroke Workshop: A Parent's Guide to What We Really Teach

If you watch a swimming lesson from the poolside, Breaststroke looks like the calmest, easiest stroke. The head comes up, the movements are symmetrical, and it looks relaxing. But looks can be deceiving.

As competitive swimmers, we know that Breaststroke is biomechanically the most complex and technical stroke to teach correctly. It requires a level of coordination and timing that is far more difficult than Freestyle or Backstroke.

At Dreamers Swim Academy, we often see children joining us from other programs with "broken" breaststrokes—weak kicks, incorrect timing, and a reliance on flotation aids. To fix this (or prevent it entirely), we use a specific, technical approach. Today, we are inviting you into our "coaching workshop" to explain exactly how we build a powerful Breaststroke, from the legs up.

Part 1: The Engine is in the Legs (The "W-Y-I" Kick)

The single biggest misconception about Breaststroke is that the arms pull you forward. They don't.

In an efficient Breaststroke, 70-80% of the propulsion comes from the kick. The legs are the engine. If the kick is weak, the swimmer goes nowhere, no matter how hard they pull with their arms.

Wedge Kick vs. Whip Kick

Historically, swimmers were taught a "Wedge Kick" (knees wide apart, squeezing legs together). Modern competitive swimming has moved to the "Whip Kick" (knees narrower, feet whipping around). The Whip Kick is far more powerful and reduces drag, but it is harder to learn.

To teach this complex movement to children without confusing them, we use a simple visual cue: W - Y - I.

• W (The Setup): The swimmer brings their heels up towards their bum. The knees are shoulder-width apart, and the feet are turned out (dorsiflexed). Looking from above, the legs form a 'W' shape. This is the "catch" phase for the legs.

• Y (The Power): This is the whip. The swimmer pushes their feet back and out in a circular motion, whipping the water. The legs extend into a wide 'Y' shape.

• I (The Glide): This is the most important part. The legs snap together aggressively, squeezing the water out, and the body returns to a tight, straight 'I' shape (Streamline).

The Dreamer's Insight: Many children struggle with the "W" phase because turning the feet out requires ankle flexibility and hip mobility. We spend weeks drilling this "W-Y-I" sequence on the pool deck and in the water because without a propulsive kick, the rest of the stroke falls apart.

Part 2: The Arms Are For Breathing (Not Speed)

This is the concept that surprises parents the most. If the legs provide the speed, what do the arms do?

The primary purpose of the Breaststroke arm pull is to lift the body to breathe.

When a child tries to use their arms to pull themselves forward, they usually pull too wide or too far back (past their hips). This is a disaster for efficiency.

1. It creates massive drag.

2. It causes the hips to drop.

3. It stops the forward momentum generated by the kick.

How We Teach It: We teach the arms as a "Scoop and Shoot" motion. The arms scoop outwards just enough to lift the head and chest up for a breath. As gravity pulls the body back down, the swimmer "shoots" their hands forward into a streamline.

Think of it this way: The arms lift you up so you can take a breath, and then you use gravity to throw your body forward into the glide. It is a rhythmic lunging motion, not a pulling motion.

Part 3: Why We Don't Use Backfloats or Noodles

You will rarely see a Dreamers coach using a backfloat (turtle) or a noodle around the waist when teaching Breaststroke. This is a deliberate choice based on physics.

Breaststroke relies entirely on pelvic control. To kick correctly, a swimmer must be able to tilt their pelvis and engage their core to keep their hips high but their heels underwater.

• The Problem with Aids: When you strap a backfloat on a child, it artificially lifts their hips for them. It does the work their core should be doing. The child learns to kick against the buoyancy of the float rather than learning to control their own buoyancy in the water.

• The "Teapot" Effect: Noodles often put children in a vertical "teapot" position, which makes it impossible to learn the horizontal "W-Y-I" kick or the forward lunging motion of the arms.

Our Method: We remove the aids. We want the child to feel the water. We want them to learn that their speed keeps them afloat, not a piece of foam. It might look harder at first, and they might struggle to stay up initially, but they are learning genuine body awareness and core control. This "struggle" is where the real learning happens.

Conclusion: Trusting the Technical Path

Teaching Breaststroke this way—focusing on the kick first, minimizing the arm pull, and removing flotation aids—takes time. It is not the fast way to get a child "swimming laps."

But it is the dreamers' way to build a stroke that is powerful, efficient, and injury-free. We are not just teaching your child to survive a lap; we are teaching them the mechanics of an athlete. We are building a foundation that will allow them to swim Breaststroke gracefully for the rest of their lives, rather than struggling across the pool.

So, the next time you see your child doing endless "W-Y-I" kicks on the side of the pool, know that they are building the engine that will power them for years to come.