Breaststroke is a swimming stroke where you move through the water by pushing your arms forward together, sweeping them out to the sides and back, while kicking your legs in a distinctive frog-like motion. It's one of the four major competitive swimming strokes, along with freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly.

Breaststroke is often the first stroke young swimmers learn because you can keep your head above water and see where you're going. Unlike freestyle, where your arms alternate, both arms move at the same time in breaststroke, making wide circular motions. Your legs don't flutter-kick like in freestyle either: instead, you bend your knees, bring your heels toward your body, then snap your legs outward and together, like a frog jumping through water.

It's the slowest of the competitive strokes but requires good technique and timing. Getting the breathing rhythm right matters: you lift your head to breathe as your arms pull back, then glide forward underwater as you kick. When swimmers master this coordination, they can move through the water smoothly and efficiently, even if they're not breaking any speed records.