Improve your breaststroke kick

Yesterday I wrote about some key points for backstroke that swimmers should have in mind during their practice. Today's post will be about the key points swimmers and coaches should focus on during the breaststroke kick. For the majority of the beginner or leisure swimmer, breaststroke is difficult to learn and even more difficult to master. Some coaches prefer to teach it first and before they start to teach any other stroke because it's easier to learn the breaststroke kick if you haven't learned the flutter kick. Either way, it needs time and effort to master this skill. I'll provide some key points of the breaststroke key to help you.

The aim with the breaststroke kick is to catch onto and press backward against the water with flared-out feet and sins, all the while maintaining horizontal streamlining with the rest of the body. This takes specialized ranges of motion of the hip, knee and ankle. It;s easy to describe the kick but difficult to do well.

Key points

1. Heels to your rear. On the recovery of the legs, the body should be streamlined at the surface. Keeping the knees fairly still and at about hip width, swimmers draw the heels up toward the rear with the big toes almost touching. The legs and feet should hide in the shadow of the body. Swimmers should not pull the knees up underneath the body or collapse at the hips; instead, they should try to keep a straight line from shoulders through the hips to the knees as the feet recover.
2. Flare the feet. With the heels at the rear and the feet slightly wider than the knees, flare the feet outward so the toes point to the side of the pool. The more squared the feet, the more water the swimmer will be catching hold of and pushing back against. They should keep a horizontal streamline of the torso and arms and the angle created by the thighs.
3. Kick straight back, snap, and reach. With the feet wider than the knees and flared out near the rear, the swimmer kicks back horizontally, feeling the water pressure against the inside of the feet and sins. The kick is finished with a snap of the feet and reach with the legs, bringing the feet together and streamlining the body as the legs go into glide mode. This snap and reach provides a last little surge forward, and it brings the legs near the surface. 
4. Quick feet. Quiet, streamlined legs are needed through most of the stroke cycle, but when it comes the time for the legs to move, they recover, catch, and kick backward quickly. The kick is compact and powerful. 

Image source [1]