What a wide breaststroke kick is
In a wide breaststroke kick, the knees spread far apart as the heels come up, instead of staying about hip width.
The kick then comes mostly from the knees opening and closing, a little like a frog, rather than from the feet sweeping back.
Why it costs you
Wide knees push the thighs out sideways into the water, where they act like a wall.
The drive in breaststroke comes from the feet and the insides of the lower legs pushing back. Wide knees spend that effort pushing water to the side.
How to fix it
Keep the knees about hip width apart and bring the heels up toward your seat, with the feet turned out.
Then sweep the water back with the insides of the feet, in a rounded path, until the feet come together and point.
Keep the thighs fairly still. The heels come up to you; the knees do not travel forward or out to meet them.
One drill to try
- Kick breaststroke on your back with the arms at your sides.
- Keep the knees under the surface and close together as the heels drop.
- Feel the insides of the feet catch the water and squeeze it back.
How to film it so Llyr can read it
Film this one head-on. Stand your phone on the deck at the end of your lane, facing you, so both knees are in view as you swim toward it.
From the side, one knee hides behind the other, so the width of the kick only shows from the front. Llyr shows you how to frame the shot.
Already have a clip? You can import a video you filmed earlier. Read the full filming guide.
What you see in Llyr
When the knees spread wide kick after kick, Llyr names it Wide kick and shows it on a still from your own video.
Its glyph is a band: two dashed rails mark the width of your hips, and a ring shows the point that sits outside them.
The cue to take into your next set is Narrow the kick, sweep back.
Llyr is a second set of eyes, not a coach. Check each correction on the replay, and if your coach sees it differently, go with your coach.