Teach Yourself Breastroke
Posted by LD on September 5, 2010 under Breastroke | 
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The breastroke is one of the most distinctive strokes in competitive swimming. It is useful for slowly slinking through the water in your backyard pool, or it can be used to propel you to a win in a competitive race. The breastroke is also one of the most challenging for beginning swimmers to learn. Although it does take time and practice to learn the breastroke, once you have it down, you’ll be amazed by how much your other swimming skills have improved. You should definitely be comfortable with general water safety and have a basic set of swimming skills before trying to learn the breastroke, just as a general rule of thumb. Anyone attempting this stroke must be willing to put their entire body and face underwater. You should have a firm grasp of the principles of rhythmic breathing as well. Anyone who has not mastered these skills is well advised to seek additional instruction from a local swimming resource.
It would be a good idea to have basic swimming lessons anyway, since swimming is one of those skills best taught by a live instructor. All instructors should have their certification through the American Red Cross or some other national authority on water safety. Though private swim instruction may be costly, it is optimal for mastering the breastroke, as the teacher will be able to devote substantial attention to your individual technique, instead of being distracted by keeping an eye of the form and safety of the rest of the class.
