The breaststroke pull is shorter than you think. Sweep out, scull powerfully inward and shoot the arms forward – all without ever over-reaching past your chest.
Short and honest: the breaststroke arm pull is much shorter than most people think. Your hands always stay in front of your chest – pull them back to your hips like in freestyle and you only lever yourself up, gaining almost no propulsion.
The pull has three parts: out, in, forward. Imagine your hands drawing a heart – they open outward, scull together under your chin and then shoot straight forward. The most powerful moment is the insweep, when the hands accelerate.
In breaststroke you don't pull through, you scoop. This guide shows you how to get maximum drive from a short, fast pull – and why a long pull-through actually slows you down.
The arm pull has a second job, by the way: it lifts your upper body slightly so you can breathe comfortably. It is therefore drive and breathing aid in one – all the more reason to keep it compact and round instead of long and boxy.
### 1. Start in the stretch Both arms point forward, palms turned slightly outward, thumbs about a hand's width apart. This is your zero position – every pull starts here and returns here.
### 2. Sweep out (outsweep) Turn the palms outward and open the arms until they are a little wider than shoulder-width – the shape of a Y. This part isn't propulsion yet, it's the set-up: you look for water pressure with the palm (the catch).
### 3. Scull in (insweep) Now the engine: keep the elbows high and forward, press the palms in and back and drive the hands together forcefully under the chin. This is where you accelerate most – strong triceps and chest activation deliver the main drive.
### 4. Shoot forward (recovery) Without a pause the joined hands shoot flat forward back into the stretch. The shot forward is the moment you glide. Keep the elbows close together so you present little surface to the water.
### 5. Drill the pull in isolation Slot a pull buoy between your legs and swim a length with the arms only. You'll feel how little length you actually need and how much comes from the fast insweep. Three or four such lengths per session program the short pull in – with no leg action to distract you.
The short breaststroke pull is gentler on the shoulder than an over-long pull, because the hands stay forward. Still: don't snap the arms together with a stiff shoulder, let chest and triceps do the work.
If you feel a pull or pinch in the shoulder, shorten the pull and cut the volume. Hand paddles increase the load significantly – leave them out as a beginner.
Also take care not to jerk your head up with every pull. Lifting too hard overextends the cervical spine and tightens the neck. Let the arm pull carry the head up gently instead of actively throwing it upward.
Think "accelerate the hands" during the pull: they start slowly on the outside and get faster and faster toward the inside, quickest of all under the chin.
That acceleration is the difference between pushing water and real propulsion. A pull that ends fast and starts slow carries you further than any full-tension power effort.
### How far should I pull the arms in breaststroke? Not far – the hands stay in front of the shoulder line and come together under the chin. A long pull to the hips only lifts you up and brakes. Short, fast, then straight back forward is the rule.
### Why does my arm pull give so little propulsion? Usually because you pull too slowly and too far. The drive comes from the fast insweep with a high elbow, not from length. Accelerate the hands to the centre under the chin, then shoot flat forward.
### Does breaststroke propulsion come from the arms or the legs? From both, but the kick delivers the larger share. The arm pull is short and also serves to lift the upper body to breathe. Don't underrate it, but don't over-pull – length is no advantage here.
### What does "draw a heart" mean? It's an image for the pull path: the hands open outward (the top curves of the heart), scull together inward (the point) and shoot forward. The image keeps the pull short and round rather than long and boxy.
### Am I allowed to pause briefly in the stretch? Yes – that short stretch is the glide phase and belongs to clean timing. It's allowed to feel like a moment of doing nothing. Only in a sprint do you shorten it; at steady pace it's your most important recovery.
The Whip Kick: The Engine of Breaststroke