Breaststroke Timing Drills

The best group of drills to help you focus on improving your breaststroke timing. They range from basic to more advanced so you can progress along the drills as you get more comfortable.

Three Pulls, One Kick

This drill helps with timing. Because you do multiple pulls for each kick, you'll practice pulling while your legs are extended behind your body in streamlined position. This can help you feel how to separate your arms and legs.

To do this drill, take three pulls for every kick. A light dolphin kick during the strokes in which you're not doing a breaststroke kick can help you maintain a proper hip position and rhythm.

Three Kicks, One Pull

This drill helps with timing. Because you do multiple kicks for each pull, you'll practice kicking while your arms are extended in front of your body in streamlined position. This can help you feel how to separate your arms and legs.

To do this drill, swim breaststroke as normal but take two additional kicks while your arms are streamlined in front. Aim to transition smoothly into your kicks, as well as back into the single pull after you do all three kicks.

Delay Breaststroke

Delay breaststroke helps you feel how to separate your pull and kick and learn how to control how much separation is present in your stroke. When you can control the amount of separation you create, you'll be better able to choose your timing, whether for a race or a workout.

To do delay breaststroke, swim normal breaststroke except that you'll purposely increase the amount of time between your pull and kick and your kick and pull. You'll delay the action that follows, waiting to execute each action. This can help you feel how to pull without kicking and kick without pulling.

Two Pulls, One Kick

Two pulls, one kick works on the timing of your arms and legs and helps you learn how to separate the two actions.

To do this drill, take two pulls for every breaststroke kick. A light dolphin kick during the strokes in which you're not doing a breaststroke kick can help you maintain a proper hip position and rhythm.

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Two Kicks, One Pull

Two kicks, one pull works on the timing of your arms and legs and helps you learn how to separate the two actions.

To do this drill, swim breaststroke as you normally would but take one additional kick while your arms are streamlined in front. Aim to transition smoothly into the kicks as well.

Underwater Breaststroke

Underwater breaststroke is one of those magic drills in which you tend to perform the correct skills naturally. Underwater, you'll find that your arms and legs move with excellent timing. This is because extra resistance tends to make it much more obvious when you should kick and pull.

To do underwater breaststroke, simply swim breaststroke underwater for a comfortable number of stroke cycles. Don't do pullouts, in which your arms recover to your hips, or move your head up and down as if breathing—just focus on the arm and leg movements.

Upside-Down Underwater Breaststroke

By performing breaststroke upside down and underwater, you can get a better feel for the up-and-down nature of the stroke and how that relates to the timing.

To do upside-down underwater breaststroke, swim breaststroke underwater while upside down for a comfortable number of stroke cycles. Don't do pullouts, in which your arms recover to your hips, or move your head up and down as if breathing—just focus on the arm and leg movements.

Stroke-Count Gears

Breaststroke timing changes depending on how long you're swimming. The easiest way to change your stroke length is to take a different number of strokes. This helps you learn how to change and control your timing, which is key for managing and creating speed.

To do stroke-count gears, swim normal breaststroke but deliberately take more strokes, fewer strokes, and alternate between the two by 25s. Pay attention to how your timing, your effort, and your speed change as the stroke count changes. Aim to be able to consistently decide to swim at a certain stroke count.

Breaststroke With Parachute

Swimming with resistance makes you more aware of changes in speed and requires you to be effective with creating propulsion. It also tends to slow you down, which can be useful because you have more time to execute great timing. If you're struggling to feel what you're doing, a parachute can be useful for increasing your awareness.

To do this drill, swim breaststroke or any of the drills above with a parachute. Other forms of resistance, such as a cord or towing a large sponge, can work as well. Aim to swim with great timing despite the added resistance.

Speed Gears

You can change your breaststroke timing to increase how fast you're swimming without an increase in effort. Of course, when you add effort, you can go even faster. The goal of this drill is to help you learn how to use your timing to go faster.

To do speed gears, swim breaststroke and try to increase your speed by changing your timing without changing your effort. Aim to go faster by reducing the amount of time between your pull and kick rather than working harder.