How to Swim the Breaststroke The breaststroke is the oldest known swimming stroke and is one of four strokes used in competitive swimming. This stroke is also very popular in leisure swimming because the head can be held up, making vision and breathing easy and because the swimmer can rest between strokes if needed. Swimmers can also use the breaststroke in survival swimming and in lifesaving situations. Since the breaststroke has many uses and is easy to learn, it is one of the best strokes to teach a beginning swimmer. When teaching the breaststroke to a beginner, it is very important to explain every aspect of the str