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Is breaststroke the fastest stroke in swimming?

Author

Emma Payne

Published Jan 20, 2026

Swimming statistics show freestyle remains the fastest stroke, according to world records posted on USAswimming.com, followed by butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke, the slowest competitive swimming stroke.

What is the fastest stroke in swim?

Front Crawl/Freestyle

It is one of the first strokes learnt by young swimmers. Front Crawl is also known as freestyle, as it is the most used stroke in freestyle events. This is because it is the fastest and most efficient of all the strokes.

Is the breaststroke the fastest stroke?

Breaststroke. The front crawl is popular because it's fast, but the breaststroke is the most popular swimming stroke of all. It is, however, the slowest competitive swimming stroke.

Is breaststroke or freestyle faster?

It's faster. Subject: RE: freestyle vs breaststroke which is better? Take the time to learn freestyle properly. Breaststroke will help if you merely need to get some yardage in, but in the long term its not going to serve you well.

Which is faster breaststroke or backstroke?

Backstroke and butterfly are much faster than breaststroke by an order of 3-4 seconds per 50m on the elite level. Also, if you are not training race pace (why aren't you training race pace?), then backstroke will be much easier to do at below race pace, for longer distances.

39 related questions found

Why breaststroke is the slowest stroke?

In terms of speed, breaststroke is the slowest swimming stroke. This is due to the fact that during the leg recovery, the thighs are pulled forward into the water against the swimming direction, which creates a lot of drag.

Which swim stroke is the slowest?

Some people refer to breaststroke as the "frog" stroke, as the arms and legs move somewhat like a frog swimming in the water. The stroke itself is the slowest of any competitive strokes and is thought to be the oldest of all swimming strokes.

Why is breaststroke The hardest stroke?

Breaststroke: Your head comes out of the water after each stroke, so it's an easier option to start with. But it's the hardest stroke to do correctly because of the timing between arms and legs.

Which stroke burns the most calories?

“The butterfly stroke is the most demanding, working the entire body and will burn the most calories,” says Hickey. “The breaststroke would come in second, and the backstroke third.” Mixing up the intensity of your workout also has great results, notes Rizzo.

Which is harder breaststroke or freestyle?

If you are looking for a particular swimming stroke to tone your back muscles, freestyle is definitely the way to go. While freestyle has multiple benefits, keep in mind that this stroke can be more difficult to master than other options, such as breaststroke.

What is a good speed for breaststroke?

masters swimmers hits the water at around 5.7 miles per hour (8.3 ft/sec.) (2.5 meters/sec.). For a 50, this would be 16.7 sec. The average 30 sec per 50 yards master swimmer hits the water at around 4.7 miles per hour (6.9 ft/sec.)

Which swimming stroke is best?

1st place: Butterfly

It's most effective all round stroke for toning and building muscles. It helps with upper body strength, toning your chest, stomach, arms (particularly your triceps) and your back muscles. It helps to increase your flexibility, suppleness and stretches out the body to improve posture.

What is the fastest to slowest swimming stroke?

Swimming statistics show freestyle remains the fastest stroke, according to world records posted on USAswimming.com, followed by butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke, the slowest competitive swimming stroke.

Which swimming stroke works the most muscles?

The front crawl is a fast-paced stroke that tends to work muscles harder because of the greater force it generates. It's the stroke most often used in the freestyle event because it's the fastest and most efficient, and tends to be the preferred stroke of experienced swimmers.

Does breaststroke tone the stomach?

Head down the pool to burn calories and target your tummy with specific strokes and exercises. Breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke all engage your core, length after length, while movements like water crunches give your abs a run for their money.

Which swimming style is best for weight loss?

Best Swimming Stroke for Weight Loss

  • Butterfly. The butterfly stroke is generally considered to be the most effective stroke for losing weight and toning your muscles. ...
  • Front Crawl/Freestyle. ...
  • Backstroke. ...
  • Breaststroke.

Is breaststroke swimming easy?

Breaststroke. The breaststroke is arguably the easiest swimming stroke for any beginner. Because you keep your head out of the water, you may feel most comfortable starting with this basic stroke.

Is breast stroke the slowest?

Breaststroke is the slowest of the four strokes due to the glide or streamline portion, when no action is taken that contributes to forward propulsion. Extra diligence is needed to minimize the resistance throughout the stroke.

What is the most difficult and exhausting swimming stroke?

The most difficult and exhausting stroke is the butterfly; second only to the crawl in speed, it is done in a prone position and employs the dolphin kick with a windmill-like movement of both arms in unison.

What is the 2 fastest stroke?

There are two underwater strokes that are faster: the dolphin kick and the fish kick. These involve moving the legs together up and down while flexing the body and keeping one arm straight out in front in the direction of travel.

How good is breaststroke swimming?

Since The Breaststroke uses different parts of the body, it helps in building strength, power, and endurance. It's considered a short-axis stroke, which means there is a desirable rotation or bending at the short axis of the body through the hip. This makes breaststroke an effective core muscle group exercise.

Which is the hardest stroke to master?

Butterfly expends the most energy of the three, and is usually considered the hardest stroke by those endeavoring to master it.

What is the best stroke for long distance swimming?

Freestyle is also known as the front crawl and is the fastest and most efficient swim stroke. That means you can get much farther on the same amount of energy used for other strokes. It is the preferred stroke of many swimmers and is used for long distance swimming because of its efficiency.

How long should it take to swim 1km breaststroke?

On average, swimming 1 kilometer can take between about 20 and 40 minutes. Top athletes can swim that length in 15 to 17 minutes, and the world record is around nine minutes.

How fast is an average swimmer?

The average swimmer can move at a speed of about 2 miles per hour, which is about the same as taking 56 seconds to swim a 50 metre length of a pool. For comparison, Michael Phelps, the aquatic champ, swims at a speedy 6 miles per hour, according to ESPN.