The Breaststroke Lane

[Allen Stark]

On review not sure you would call this breast stroke!!!

Which lane?

[Allen Stark]

Hi, i am new here and i hope that you guys can help me with technique tips and drills. My head goes too much high (really high) while i'm swimming breastroke and my trainer says that i go upward while i'm getting out of the water, not in front... Despite that, i swim 34,67 50LCM (i guess that this isn't such a bad time).

And by the way, i can get myself on the video and post it here if that is necessary.

I would appreciate your help .

Yes a video would help.Are you raising your head too much or are you arching your back too much?For raising your head too much a good drill is putting a tennis ball under your chin and swimming BR.I don't really like this drill as it makes me keep my neck too tight,but it is effective.If you are arching your back too much,that can be harder to correct,but if your hips aren't dropping it really doesn't hurt your speed too much.

[Allen Stark]

Assuming you are in lane 3,it is good for "flat"BR.I think you could glide further on your dive,especially the pulldown.Your head comes up too high on your first stroke,also the first stroke off the turn.You are overlapping your stroke,not finishing your kick before beginning your pull.It looks like you aren't getting a good grip on the water with your pull the first 25,"spinning your wheels'".The 2nd 25 was better.You grab the wall on the turn and pull your self up and around.Hit the wall ,get into a tight ball,spin around with no twist by pulling your lower elbow back fast and pushing back with the upper hand (it is easier to show than describe.)
Over all a great first effort.

[Dulee]

Yes a video would help.Are you raising your head too much or are you arching your back too much?For raising your head too much a good drill is putting a tennis ball under your chin and swimming BR.I don't really like this drill as it makes me keep my neck too tight,but it is effective.If you are arching your back too much,that can be harder to correct,but if your hips aren't dropping it really doesn't hurt your speed too much.

My head is normal with my back, so yes, i arch my back too much. Is there any drills that can help me with this problem?

[robertsrobson]

I'm quite excited as I'm going to a dedicated facility with continuous pool this Friday to get some video analysis done. Will most certainly be doing breast and will get a DVD so will try to share some snippets and would appreciate any commentary or analysis, whether its the good, the bad or the ugly (that would be my backstroke) in the interests of mutual learning.

[sok454]

Hey thank you for the review! I was in lane 3! The big snow plow! Or water plow. Obviously I learned back in the early 80's!

My goal is to work on getting under the water and working on streamlining. Yeah my turns totally sucked too!!! Thank you for the critique! I've enjoyed reading thru the advice you give on here as well as everyone elses!

[Allen Stark]

My head is normal with my back, so yes, i arch my back too much. Is there any drills that can help me with this problem?

Try breathing every other stroke as a drill.On the non-breathing cycle do a regular stroke except don't lift your head completely out of the water.That should give you a better experience of shooting forward instead of up.

[Dulee]

Try breathing every other stroke as a drill.On the non-breathing cycle do a regular stroke except don't lift your head completely out of the water.That should give you a better experience of shooting forward instead of up.

Can i do that with snorkel?

[Allen Stark]

Can i do that with snorkel?

Yes,I saw the drill online without a snorkel,but I do it with a snorkel also.If you have a swimmers snorkel here is another drill.Take the snorkel,turn the mouth piece the wrong way(facing out.) Now put the snorkel on upside down and backwards so the long end runs down your back.Then just swim BR.This is especially good to change raising your head too much,but it should help with arching your back too.

[Yosemite]

Swam 1,000 yards of breaststroke today just for extended fun.

[ElaineK]

Swam 1,000 yards of breaststroke today just for extended fun.

Way to go, Yosemite! I'm a breaststroker, but I would never even attempt it, given my legs. As a matter of fact, I would rather repeat my 2,000 yards of fly than swim 1,000 yards of breaststroke!

[robertsrobson]

Here are my videos from my recent video analysis session. I've added comments on the youtube videos, but we noticed first that my head wasn't getting down between the hands, and my hands were pointing up during the glide (because they were starting too deep). Then, in the second we noticed that my hips were dropping, and on closer inspection, that was due to late initiation of the kick. I've always done this, and it has some benefits on the 200, but can really hold my sprints back...

Another thing we discussed which I'd be interested in comments on is that I think my bad habits creep in when I'm doing slow breastroke, i.e. aerobic. The coach recalled Lochte's comments before the Olympics that he doesn't see any value in swimming breaststroke at anything other than race pace (except kick, drills). After this I might be inclined to agree...

Anyway, comments appreciated..

Before:
During (with fulcrums to limit hand flexion)
After:

[Allen Stark]

Here are my videos from my recent video analysis session. I've added comments on the youtube videos, but we noticed first that my head wasn't getting down between the hands, and my hands were pointing up during the glide (because they were starting too deep). Then, in the second we noticed that my hips were dropping, and on closer inspection, that was due to late initiation of the kick. I've always done this, and it has some benefits on the 200, but can really hold my sprints back...

Another thing we discussed which I'd be interested in comments on is that I think my bad habits creep in when I'm doing slow breastroke, i.e. aerobic. The coach recalled Lochte's comments before the Olympics that he doesn't see any value in swimming breaststroke at anything other than race pace (except kick, drills). After this I might be inclined to agree...

Anyway, comments appreciated..

Before:
During (with fulcrums to limit hand flexion)
After:

I couldn't pull up anything but the before video and the main thing I saw with the pull and streamline is what you were told.I couldn't see your kick well,but it appeared that in your recovery your knees are outside of your feet.If so this is another breaking of streamline.I do agree with the commentary that you are obviously a strong breaststroker.

[robertsrobson]

I couldn't pull up anything but the before video and the main thing I saw with the pull and streamline is what you were told.I couldn't see your kick well,but it appeared that in your recovery your knees are outside of your feet.If so this is another breaking of streamline.I do agree with the commentary that you are obviously a strong breaststroker.

Thanks -
Hopefully this will fix the link
2.
3.

[Allen Stark]

Thanks -
Hopefully this will fix the link
2.
3.

I still can't get # 3 to play.

[fdtotten]

I still can't get # 3 to play.

I was able to play #3 when it showed up as a related video to #2 and/or #1.

[Allen Stark]

I was able to play #3 when it showed up as a related video to #2 and/or #1.

Thanks,that worked.Robert,you are still going a little down with your arms on the recovery.A good drill for that is to recover with your thumbs up and have the thumbs break the surface.At the end of your recovery you move your hands out keeping the palms nearly horizontal.While this positions you to get into a good catch,it is non-propulsive.I had a velocity analysis of my stroke and I was doing pretty much what you were with my hands and there was a noticeable drop in velocity.I found that digging my hands in at the beginning of the pull eliminated the velocity drop.

[biestieboy58]

On February 24th I started a thread about my increasing (rather than decreasing) times in the 50 breaststroke, as I try to learn the newer techniques. Someone suggest I post video of my swims.

The first is of me swimming 50 METER breast this summer in a non-santioned meet. I am the third from the left (the guy with big gut, which I have fortunately lost most of at this point) and the eventual winner of the heat (please don't mind my screaming girlfriend and mother). http://www.youtube.com/watchv=zWRNJ4Bl458&feature=youtu.be

The other two are me swimming breaststroke in my workout Sunday (I have been in two other races, but no one taped me)...mind you, both of them were after I had already completed about 2100 yards. BTW...the YMCA pool in Park Slope, Brooklyn is only 20 yards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4S6-...ature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5Kld...ature=youtu.be


If Allen or anyone else can help, please have at it...don't hold back. I need to get better.

GB (Biestieboy58)

[Allen Stark]

On February 24th I started a thread about my increasing (rather than decreasing) times in the 50 breaststroke, as I try to learn the newer techniques. Someone suggest I post video of my swims.

The first is of me swimming 50 METER breast this summer in a non-santioned meet. I am the third from the left (the guy with big gut, which I have fortunately lost most of at this point) and the eventual winner of the heat (please don't mind my screaming girlfriend and mother). http://www.youtube.com/watchv=zWRNJ4Bl458&feature=youtu.be

The other two are me swimming breaststroke in my workout Sunday (I have been in two other races, but no one taped me)...mind you, both of them were after I had already completed about 2100 yards. BTW...the YMCA pool in Park Slope, Brooklyn is only 20 yards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4S6-...ature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5Kld...ature=youtu.be


If Allen or anyone else can help, please have at it...don't hold back. I need to get better.

GB (Biestieboy58)

Your workout swims were better than your race.Your kick has some power and that is a good start.In the race you start with what looks like it will be a grab start,but then you do an arm swing start,which is slower.If you are going to do a grab start,then your head should be looking back through your legs,not forward.At the beep pull down with your arms and explode.
You are not getting streamlined on the turns.Overlap your hands and squeeze your ears with your biceps.You don't glide far enough on the start or on the push from the wall.The pulldown should be very much like a fly pull,maybe a little wider.your was too narrow.
On the breakout you lift your head too high.You keep your head raised the whole time,it should never be raised.
The actual pull is good,but you hesitate between the pull and the recovery getting caught in "prayer" position,which is very high drag.Accelerate from the insweep through the recovery.
You are lifting your head and looking forward on the turn.As you reach for the wall you should get in as tight a ball as you can,rapidly pull your lower elbow back and just push down with you other hand to spin yourself around.With your kick this is a good start.

[biestieboy58]

Thank you, Allen. Great advice, which I will work on incorporating. Gary