Breaststroke - Band Kick
Too often, especially when kicking with a board, many swimmers search for the most power possible, which causes the legs and knees to go too wide.
Too often, especially when kicking with a board, many swimmers search for the most power possible, which causes the legs and knees to go too wide.
Such a simple drill, but carrying a good amount of teaching. Underwaters isn't just about finding out how long you can hold your breath; in fact, these can be quite dangerous if done alone, or to a point beyond discomfort. So, BE CAREFUL.
Using fins - especially a Monofin - can help you simulate race-pace breaststroke in practice. Here's how to do it.
This week's DOTW features Erik Vendt and one of his favorite breaststroke drills for working on the recovery of the kick.
Learning to get the most out of every underwater pull can make the difference between winning and losing any race that has breaststroke in it. One of the oldest stand by drills to help with this, is the Double Underwater Pull.
During the breaststroke underwater pullout, the arms pull down during the power phase, and then recover back UP to start the first stroke. This week's drill will help you isolate and work on this move -- the arm recovery after the breaststroke pulldown.
So you've been working on a nice, undulating breaststroke... getting your body to ride up and down and flow through the water. Now along comes a drill that looks like a throwback to the days of waterbug, flat breaststroke.
Getting into the groove of a flowing breaststroke isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Mixing up the strokes sometimes gives you an advantage toward this, if only for a few strokes.
Until FINA decides on the rules for the underwater pull, we'll give a quick illustration of what's "legal" in the U.S., as well as a few fine points that need to be considered no matter what the rules end up being.
A great coach recently said that the biggest problem with breaststroke is "the kick." This confirms our belief that working on when and how you initiate the kick is a much bigger concern than most people think.
Here's a quick example of a complete breaststroke stroke cycle. While the subject isn't exactly contemporary, the technique is, at the very least, solid and should serve as decent reference material.
Knowing how to move your hands side to side in breaststroke, rather than pulling back is a skill all swimmers need to learn. This "fun" drill is a great way to see if you're able to do it effectively.
With it being election day, we're going to give two variations on this great teaching drill. You could also say that timing an election campaign is as tricky as creating a smooth rhythm in breaststroke. Too much too soon, or too little too late can give or take away the desired results.
This drill is simple to do, and helps you work on a few key aspects for fast breaststroke. An added benefit of using the snorkel is that you don't have to hear your coach (or your swimmers, in my case) while they yell, or complain.
If you're an older (Masters) breaststroker, you may or may not know how to REALLY sprint in breaststroke. Catching the water immediately at the beginning of the pull becomes essential to really swimming fast. To illustrate this very small fine point, we've recruited one of the fastest breaststrokers in history.
We are a group of swimmers who swim really fast, and like to help others learn how to reach their competitive potential in the area of professional swimming.