Freestyle vs. Breaststroke Swimming: Which Is Better For Your Triathlon?

[@ericgoldman7273]

I needed to see this. Have my first sprint triathlon coming and was going so nervous that I get so winded doing the freestyle. Glad to see to that it’s “ok” to breaststroke!

[@myprocoach123]

Brilliant to hear. Breaststroke is definitely not a bad thing. Hope you have a brilliant experience at your sprint tri - which one are you doing?

[@Jamesarmstrongstunts]

Same!! 🤣

[@timexironman1]

I'm convinced! Breaststroke from now for me. I am not there to win. I am there to enjoy the race with my friends.

[@myprocoach123]

Good to hear, thanks for sharing!

[@Jamesarmstrongstunts]

That’s my plan too. How was it on the day, were their many others swimming breast stroke? Were you glad you did?

[@peterhawkinmusic]

Great to hear a proper debate about this. I'm a good breaststroker and a newby freestyle swimmer so my speeds are about the same right now, but a couple of extra points that have swayed me towards freestyle... firstly, breaststroke is very hard on the legs compared with freestyle, and secondly the buoyancy of a wetsuit actually helps you swim freestyle but is quite a handicap for breaststroke swimmers who need to be able to kick and recover deeper in the water

[@myprocoach123]

You made some good points about breast stroke; thanks for sharing.

[@anetea.3903]

Thank you for this perspective! I agree 100%! I'm in triathlon for 2 years and I'm glad I started with breaststroke. I was relatively fast at it, so it helped me be relaxed about the swim - it was always solid. The downside is that I could live with it (especially in longer races - 70.3), so I postponed learning freestyle for quite a while... But now I'm very much on it!

[@myprocoach123]

Thanks for sharing - and good job for working on your freestyle; it will pay dividends later.

[@AlastairScarlett]

I'm a fan of breaststroke for many of the reasons you mention here. I like the fact that I can see where I am going and I feel much more in control of my breath. Swimming 1500 or 1900m doesn't feel too much harder than 1000m. I spent some time over this past winter attempting to boost my freestyle ability but I just couldn't get the tempo right for breathing and never felt happy getting up to even 400m. Also, a small point - I've managed to successfully draft front crawl swimmers while doing breaststroke - there are plenty of slower front crawlers out there. 🙂

[@myprocoach123]

Thanks for sharing. And good point about drafting off other swimmers while doing breaststroke.

[@otgonbayarochirbat3900]

Thanks for the clear comparison. I am planning to do breaststroke in a lake here in Mongolia in a week.

[@myprocoach123]

Glad it was helpful: have a great swim.

[@andreizelchenko934]

Also need to mention that some are 'designed' more for breaststroke (feet flex outward good) , or for crawl (feet have wide up and down range, also flexible shoulders).

[@janespalding6354]

I'm still trying to master freestyle and often use breaststroke to help relax if I feel panicky in the swim, and also for sighting. I find it's main disadvantage is that a lot of the work in the kick utilises the quads, which doesn't set you up for the bike and run.

[@myprocoach123]

Thanks for sharing, 100% agree with your thoughts.

[@kevinmithnick9993]

Mixed mode

[@Jgarnett0007]

Very helpful video Phil, thanks. If I could add something not mentioned: I think breastroke can be useful to consider when the water is rough and you have to swim out into big waves. Trying to do freestyle into big waves when you’re being lifted up and then dropped back down again can be tough and cause a sense of panic, really hard to sight also, especially in the first few minutes when your heart rate is going crazy. In that situation, psychologically at least, it might be better to get through that first phase using breaststroke and stay calm and in control, and then switch to freestyle when you’re beyond the breakers and into relatively calmer waters. I did that once in a race in rough sea off Weymouth and got out quicker to calmer waters than other athletes who were determined to use freestyle to save face but found it almost impossible to get a rhythm and got into a bit of a panic. Yes, you may lose some time at the start compared to the really strong swimmers who stick to freestyle, but remember the swim is the shortest part of a triathlon and it’s never over until you reach the pier, as they say in Kona! I’ve grown to love freestyle after lots of practice but I think in some situations breaststroke can be a great tactical card to play. Happy safe swimming everyone! 🏊‍♂️🏊🏻‍♀️

[@myprocoach123]

Thanks for sharing your experience - and yes, you made a good point. Breast stroke can be a great alternative to freestyle in those conditions and when an athlete is feeling anxious or out of breathe.

[@JimmyNaraineOfficial]

Brilliant video, thanks mate

[@myprocoach123]

Glad you found it helpful.

[@anujoshi6151]

Thanks for explaining this important question 😊

[@myprocoach123]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mastergow9678]

When i was first learning swimming i have started swimming with breastroke and than i have seen some of my friends doing freestyle and off course they were faster compared to the breastroke that i was doing then i strated considering learning the freestyle and now boom i can do both the strokes and i will keep learning the other strokes like butterfly and backstroke as i improving my swimming skills.

[@myprocoach123]

Glad to hear it! Always good to mix up the strokes, it keeps your swim sessions interesting and is nice to learn something new. Keep up the great work. 👍

[@saladaufdieeichel]

I swim around 1:30/100m on breaststroke. My freestyle is a little faster but I have strong drift to right and bad breathing technique - it also fatiques me way faster. When I mix both techniqes I feel I recover from swimming freestyle even if I swim breaststroke all out. I´m thinking about swimming breaststroke for most of the race and only use freestyle for a final sprint.

[@myprocoach123]

That's a fast breaststroke, well done! It sounds like you've got a great plan in mind. You can always use breaststroke in the event and keep practising your front crawl until it's more comfortable for the longer distances. The drifting and breathing issues you highlighted can definitely be fixed, but there's nothing wrong with doing breaststroke. Enjoy :)

[@saladaufdieeichel]

​@@myprocoach123 On sunday I will see how far I come with this tactic... will attend a local 3,1km open water swimming competition.

[@myprocoach123]

@@saladaufdieeichel fantastic! How did it go!?

[@saladaufdieeichel]

Lesson learned. My Smartwatch is not to trust when it comes to measuring swimming distances. The GPS was way off. Also I ate to much before swimming and drank some beet juice - I was almost vomiting on the first km. Will go on a swimming course during winter.

[@myprocoach123]

@@saladaufdieeichel Oh no! Sorry to hear this one didn't go to plan. But remember, there's no such thing as a failure, just opportunities to learn. I'm sure the next one will be better. 🙏

[@jamescalvey5273]

Thank you making this video very helpful and insightful! I am brand new to triathlon and training for my first sprint... I can swim breast stroke to an ok standard and working on my freestyle technique and confidence every session. I think i will feel much more comfortable physcially doing breast stroke on the race but in the same respect I definitely dont want to draw attention to myself or be the only one doing it haha The plan is to do freestyle until I decide to switch, do breast stroke for a bit and then switch to freestyle again for the final section and hope no one notices 😅 Im not racing and quite happy hanging out at the back just want to finish and enjoy the experience at first!

[@myprocoach123]

I'm glad you found it helpful, good luck with your triathlon!

[@rebeccalwin707]

Thanks for this! What’s your opinion on side stroke? It’s my go-to resting & sighting stroke when I need a break from freestyle.

[@myprocoach123]

If you need a break from free style to rest - and to sight in tough conditions, any stroke that works for you (and hopefully propels you forward) is a good choice.

[@pablojimenez8837]

I will probably use fins and use breastroke in open water in a relaxing mood because I have pain in my shoulder. Can you cross the English Channell with breastroke?

[@myprocoach123]

According to my Google search, at least 12 people have crossed the English channel with breaststroke!

[@pablojimenez5736]

@myprocoach123 really? That is amazing. Thank you! What is the major challenge? I guess cold water temperature?

[@bent2517]

Should it be frontcrawl vs breaststroke? In freestyle you are free to use any style. Right?

[@myprocoach123]

Yes, you're right . I used to say frontcrawl, but not everyone knew what I meant because it's not such a recognised term globally.

[@michaelhatch1994]

As a once upon a time competitive breast stroke swimmer let me add. Swimming BR in a wetsuit is extremely difficult because body position from the wetsuit renders the kick almost useless. Also one look at Adam Peaty (world record holder) is enough to show that BR at any speed requires a lot of muscle. It's a far more difficult stroke to master than Freestyle. Better to learn backstroke....:0)

[@myprocoach123]

Thanks for your thoughts on this. They are good points. My own breaststroke kick is almost useless with or without a wetsuit 😄

[@maemilev]

In my 100m freestyle with clear sight every 2 stroke + 80% effort, my free is only 8 sec faster than my breastroke. Still think breastroke is better...

[@myprocoach123]

Thanks for sharing that information. It's a tough decision. That 8 seconds equals 2 minutes over a 1500m swim, so there's a clear gain in speed. But if you're coming out of the water really knackered then it's probably not worth it. But keep practising that freestyle as it's good to have a bit of variety in your training and it'll help it become easier in time 👏🏻

[@maemilev]

​@@myprocoach123you are forgetting about the illegal breastroke kick with a dolphin kick. In open water, it will be crazy fast and undulation perfect in wavea.