History
Breaststroke started off being described as the fastest stroke and was formally introduced into major competition in 1904. It is known as one of the oldest strokes and was used primarily in lifesaving and recreational swimming. It was the best stroke to swim in rough water because you have to breathe to the front and you have the most control in rough waters. As described on the butterfly page, for around 20 years breaststroke and butterfly were just considered one stroke because they both contained the “frog kick.”
Breaststroke was formally introduced in the Olympic games in 1904. There was only was one men’s race in 1904 and the race was over 440m long. In 1908, the modern race of 200m breaststroke was first contested for men. On the women’s side the 200m race was introduced in the 1924 Olympics. Ever since the 1968 Olympics both the 100m and 200m for men and women have been contested at every summer Olympics.
Modern Breaststroke
In order to be successful at breaststroke today, there is a specific timing that the legs and arms must follow in order to maximize speed. Breaststroke is the slowest of the four strokes and is similar to butterfly as the stroke follows up and down motions rather than side to side like backstroke and freestyle. In 1987, there was a rule change, which led to a faster stroke. Swimmers are not longer required to keep their head above the water the whole time. The swimmer may push their head underwater after each pull in order to get more movement in the hips, leading to move forward movement. Breaststroke is also the only stroke, where a pull-out is required off each wall. 
How to Swim Breaststroke
Famous Breaststrokers
