Breaststroke creates more drag than any other competitive stroke. Both your arms and legs recover underwater, which means every stroke cycle is a battle against frontal resistance. Body position is where most of that drag either gets managed or gets worse.
Most swimmers put all their focus on the pull or the kick. Small adjustments to how you carry your body through the water can produce noticeable speed gains. This article covers what correct position looks like, why it breaks down, and exactly how to fix it.
What Good Breaststroke Body Position Actually Looks Like
The Flat-and-Streamlined Starting Point
Swim to breaststroke is a bit tricky. In fact ideal breaststroke body position is as close to horizontal as possible, with a slight downhill angle from head to feet. Your arms extend forward, legs stay together and straight behind you, and your head sits in line with your spine eyes looking down and slightly forward, not straight up.
Your shoulders should be level and your hips near the surface. Dropping either creates resistance that costs you speed. The muscles holding this together are your rectus abdominis, obliques, and spinal extensors. These connect your shoulders and hips as one unit. When they’re working, your body moves like a single plank. When they’re not, your hips sag and your stroke becomes inefficient.
Why Your Position Changes During Each Stroke Cycle
Unlike freestyle, breaststroke body position is not static. It shifts within every single stroke cycle. As you pull, breathe, recover your arms, and kick, your position moves through a sequence of changes. This is normal and expected.
The goal is not to stay perfectly flat throughout the whole stroke. The goal is to return to flat as quickly as possible between movements. When one part of your body is propelling, the other end should be still and streamlined. The less time you spend out of a flat line, the less drag you carry.
What is the correct body position for breaststroke?
Correct breaststroke body position means your body stays as horizontal as possible with your hips near the surface, arms extended forward, head in line with your spine, and eyes looking down. Your core muscles hold your shoulders and hips together so both ends move as one unit.
Why do my hips sink when I swim breaststroke?
Hips sink when you lift your head or chest straight up instead of forward. This creates a seesaw one end rises, the other drops. Lifting too high and too late is the most common cause. A quick chest press back down after breathing helps bring your hips back to the surface.
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Not sure if your body line is costing you time? The coaches at Rocket Swim Club work with swimmers of all levels across the Greater Toronto Area. Book a tryout at rocketswim.com and get feedback from coaches who have competed at the national level. |
Undulation: How Much Movement Is Too Much?
What Undulation Does for Your Stroke
Undulation is the rise and fall of your chest followed by the rise and fall of your hips. You need some of it. When your chest lifts, your arms are in a stronger catch position. When your chest drops back in, that downward momentum helps your kick push you forward. Controlled undulation also keeps your arms and legs recovering at angles rather than driving straight into the water which actually reduces drag during both recoveries.
Think of it like a shallow wave moving through your body. The wave helps. The problem starts when the wave gets too big.
Finding the Right Amount of Undulation
Too much undulation means you’re spending energy going up and down instead of forward. Your drag increases and your stroke rate drops. Too little means a weak pull position and awkward breathing. The sweet spot is enough lift to breathe and catch well, with your hips staying near the surface throughout.
When swimmers describe their breaststroke as ‘bouncy’ or ‘exhausting,’ excess undulation is almost always the reason. The fix isn’t trying to swim flatter it’s learning to separate the chest wave from an exaggerated hip dip. Your hips should rise and fall gently, not dramatically.
Should breaststroke have undulation?
Yes. Some undulation is necessary to breathe effectively and create a strong pull. The rise of the chest puts your arms in a better catch position. The issue is controlling how much hips should stay near the surface, not dip deeply on every stroke.
How do I stop my breaststroke from being too bouncy?
Focus on keeping your hips near the surface instead of letting them dip every time you lift to breathe. Press your chest down quickly after your breath. The faster you return to a flat line, the less your hips will follow the bounce.
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Rocket Swim Club’s training sessions across the Greater Toronto Area work on exactly this teaching beginners to find a flat, comfortable position before introducing the wave. Competitive and FswFsf are available at Rocketswim.. |
What Happens When Your Hips Drop (And How to Fix It)
Why Hips Sink and Why It Costs You Speed
The seesaw effect is simple: when you lift your head or chest straight up, your hips go down. Hips low in the water means dramatically more frontal drag. Some swimmers never fully recover their hip position before the next stroke begins their hips just stay low the whole race. That makes breaststroke feel slow and exhausting.
The fix is changing the direction of your lift. Instead of rising straight up like a plank, arch through your upper back. Think ‘lift forward’ rather than ‘lift up.’ That keeps your hips from paying the price every time you breathe.
How to Keep Your Hips at the Surface
Two things help. First, arch your upper body when you lift to breathe this keeps the seesaw from tipping too far. Second, press your chest back down aggressively after each breath. When your chest drops fast, your hips pop up. The seesaw works for you.
Your rectus abdominis and obliques are what connect your upper and lower body. When these are engaged, your shoulders and hips move as one unit rather than independently. Your spinal extensors allow you to arch and lift without collapsing. Swimmers who have weak core engagement often find their hips drop regardless of what their arms and legs are doing.
How do I keep my hips up in breaststroke?
Arch through your upper back when you lift to breathe, not straight up. Then press your chest down quickly after this pops your hips back to the surface. Keeping your core engaged throughout the stroke stops your hips from drifting independently.
Why is my breaststroke so slow?
Low hips create the most drag in breaststroke. If your hips are sinking on every stroke, you’re fighting resistance the whole race. Check your breathing height first lifting too high usually starts the chain reaction that drops your hips.
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Coaches Alina and Ivan at Rocket Swim Club — former members of the Moldova National Swim Team regularly spot and correct hip position issues from the pool deck. If you’re swimming in the Greater Toronto Area and want a trained eye on your stroke, visit rocketswim.com to get started. |
Breathing and Arm Recovery: Two Things That Shape Your Position
How Breathing Height Affects Your Whole Stroke
You need to breathe high enough to get a good pull, but not so high that your hips drop. The right breathing height is different for every swimmer body type and flexibility both play a role, and you have to find what works for you through practice.
Here’s the timing: as your hands sweep out, your head stays at the surface. As your hands pull down and back, you breathe. As your arms shoot forward, your head goes back in. Everything arms and head should return to the water as a unit. A breath that is too high slows your stroke rate and adds recovery time with no extra benefit.
Why Fast Arm Recoveries Matter More Than You Think
Slow arm recovery keeps your head and chest in a poor position longer. Your arms should slice forward through the surface not drive downward, not travel upward. Arms too deep create drag. Arms that travel up and down take too long to return. The recovery path matters almost as much as the pull.
Don’t pull too far back. A long pull creates a long recovery path, which delays everything. When your arms go forward, your head goes forward with them. Think about slicing your hands through the surface like a knife forward and low, arriving at extension at the same moment your head goes back in.
When should I breathe during breaststroke?
Breathe as your hands pull down and back this is when your chest is naturally rising and your arms are in the strongest position. Your head should return to the water as your arms shoot forward. Timing the breath to the pull, not before it, keeps your stroke rate consistent.
Why are my arms slow in breaststroke recovery?
A long pull is usually the cause. If your hands travel past your hips before recovering, the return path is too long. Keep the pull shorter and tighter. Your arms recover faster when they don’t have as far to travel forward.
Body Position Adjustments by Skill Level
Beginners Get Comfortable Being Flat
Beginners often swim too upright because putting their face in the water feels uncomfortable. The first priority is getting horizontal and staying there. Push-and-glide exercises with buoyancy aids if needed are a good starting point. Don’t worry about undulation yet. Head-above-water breaststroke is fine as an introduction, but understand that it creates significantly more drag, it’s a stepping stone, not a permanent position.
Intermediate Swimmers Refine the Breath-Position Connection
At this stage, focus on your breathing height and getting your head back in the water faster. Work on feeling the seesaw press your chest down and notice your hips respond.
Competitive Swimmers: Own the Glide
Sprint and distance breaststroke use position differently. Sprinters spend less time in the glide phase but still return to streamline every cycle. Distance swimmers hold the glide a fraction longer to conserve energy. Fine-tune your undulation depth and breathing height for your specific event and body type. The other factor competitive swimmers have to manage is fatigue body position almost always breaks down in the last 50 metres of a race. Practice maintaining your line when tired, not just when fresh.
How should a beginner position their body for breaststroke?
Beginners should focus first on getting horizontal with their face in the water. Arms extended forward, legs together and straight behind, hips near the surface. Getting comfortable with that flat position is the foundation everything else builds on.
What is the difference between beginner and competitive breaststroke?
Beginners prioritize comfort in the water and basic horizontal alignment. Competitive swimmers fine-tune undulation depth, breathing height, glide length, and stroke rate for their event. The fundamentals are the same the competitive level just demands more precision and consistency under fatigue.
| Rocket Swim Club’s program structure follows exactly this progression from Non-Competitive (Novice 3-1) through Junior and Senior competitive levels. Whether you’re new to the water or training for provincial competition in the Greater Toronto Area, there’s a program designed for where you are right now. Explore your options at rocketswim.com. |
Three Drills That Fix Breaststroke Body Position
Push and Glide for Distance
Push off the wall in streamline and glide as far as you can without kicking. This is a simple self-assessment it shows your baseline drag. If you stop quickly, body position needs work. Repeat it with your head in the water and then with your head up. The difference in distance tells you exactly how much your head position affects your drag. Most swimmers are surprised by the gap.
Alternating Head-Up and Head-Down Strokes
Swim one stroke with your head exaggeratedly up, then the next stroke normally. Feel the difference in drag and hip position between the two. Most swimmers can’t feel how much drag they’re creating until they contrast it with something worse. This drill builds the awareness that transfers to real race-pace swimming.
Conclusion
Three things make the biggest difference in breaststroke body position: keep your hips near the surface, get your head back in the water fast after every breath, and return to streamline every single stroke cycle. Miss any one of these consistently and you’re carrying unnecessary drag through every length.
Don’t try to fix everything at once. Pick one thing breathing height, hip position, or arm recovery speed and focus on it for a full practice. Body position improves through awareness and repetition, not through trying to overhaul your stroke in one session.
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If you’re training in the Greater Toronto Area and want hands-on coaching, Rocket Swim Club offers competitive and recreational programs for all ages and skill levels. Coaches Alina and Ivan use Eastern European training methodology alongside Sportecos performance tracking technology to give every swimmer concrete, measurable feedback. Visit rocketswim.com or email info@rocketswim.com to book a tryout. |