The key breaststroke pulling skills are simple, but they’re not...
Andrew Sheaff@AndrewKSheaff
71 views
Jan 02, 2026
~1 min read
1
The key breaststroke pulling skills are simple, but they’re not easy to do.
Swimmers have to use their whole arm to move water backward over an appropriate range of motion, accelerating throughout.
Swimmers have to use their whole arm to move water backward over an appropriate range of motion, accelerating throughout.
2
We have two world record breaststrokers here in their prime, executing awesome pulling skills.
Pay attention to how both use their whole arm to create propulsion.
Pay attention to how they move everything backward.
Pay attention to how they accelerate through the pull.
Pay attention to how both use their whole arm to create propulsion.
Pay attention to how they move everything backward.
Pay attention to how they accelerate through the pull.
3
While both are executing these skills, they do so in different ways.
Who is wider and who is narrower?
Who is deeper and who is shallower?
Who is straighter and whose arm is more bent?
Who is wider and who is narrower?
Who is deeper and who is shallower?
Who is straighter and whose arm is more bent?
4
A key concept is that while the principles of fast swimming remain the same for all, the individual strategies that swimmers use to go fast will be different, even among the very best.
5
The key skills of underwater kicking. A visual 🧵.
1. Great underwater kicking starts with great alignment and posture.
The more swimmers can keep drag low as they travel underwater, the faster they’ll go.
Straight lines great speed.
Cont.
1. Great underwater kicking starts with great alignment and posture.
The more swimmers can keep drag low as they travel underwater, the faster they’ll go.
Straight lines great speed.
Cont.