Can you start on both sides?

RE: Can you start on both sides?

knelson — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:18:59 GMT

In the grand scheme of things I'd say it's not that important.

RE: Can you start on both sides?

smontanaro — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:18:16 GMT

Unless your name is Sun Yang, apparently. Then breathe as many times as you can off the wall. :)

RE: Can you start on both sides?

knelson — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:11:59 GMT

How much time is lost breathing on the first stroke off the wall, compared to waiting for the next stroke? Hard to say, but you want to carry your momentum from the turn. If you breathe first thing it's like throwing an anchor out.

RE: Can you start on both sides?

Elaine Krugman — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:08:42 GMT

How much time is lost breathing on the first stroke off the wall, compared to waiting for the next stroke?

RE: Can you start on both sides?

smontanaro — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 09:13:00 GMT

In the grand scheme of things I'd say it's not that important. Agreed. One thing I would consider is whether or not you are trying to breathe on the first stroke. I breathe to my right side almost exclusively. I generally try to take my first stroke off the wall with my left (no breath). If I'm gassed (more common nowadays...), then I sacrifice a little efficiency and take the first stroke with my right arm and take that all-important first breath too. If you are having trouble starting with one side but not the other, I wonder if you're trying to breathe on that first stroke and that's to your normally non-breathing side.

RE: Can you start on both sides?

Former Member — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 15:49:44 GMT

Thanks for the replies. It seems you all can start on either sides. I don't do the dolphin kick to start. I just push off the wall, and if I try to start on the side that I'm not used to, it is extremely awkward, almost impossible. I wonder if this is something I should overcome, to get used to both sides, or it is unimportant--maybe the main disadvantage is that in the long run it can result in the asymmetrical muscle development. I wonder if the professional swimmers deliberately train both sides, or are even required to do so?

RE: Can you start on both sides?

Sojerz — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:11:35 GMT

He's a whale, they have a breathing hole on the back side it's ok, unless someone hits a golf ball that lands in the breathing hole. :D I learned to streamline off the dive and walls with the strongest hand underneath, so the first pull would then be by one's stronger arm; this should result in more pulls per length by that stronger arm over the long-run. It's like a lead-off hitter in a baseball lineup - the lead-off hitter gets more at-bats per game and over the season, so you want a lead-off hitter to have the highest on-base percentage and be in position to score more often. For me, my right arm is stronger and dominant, i also come off the wall on my right side, and breathe on the right. Based on James Adams' coaches' admonitions (you could hear it all the way over to the east coast), I'm trying not to breathe right side on breakout. I think phelps and other elite swimmers don't have a "stronger arm," so for them the decision is technique based.

RE: Can you start on both sides?

Elaine Krugman — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 09:45:59 GMT

He's a whale, they have a breathing hole on the back side :lmao: :applaud:

RE: Can you start on both sides?

__steve__ — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 06:19:07 GMT

He's a whale, they have a breathing hole on the back side

RE: Can you start on both sides?

Allen Stark — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 09:10:22 GMT

In both ,I pull on my breathing side to get an earlier supply of air after a turn or start. I'm sorry,how can you have a breathing side in backstroke?

RE: Can you start on both sides?

orca1946 — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 05:56:13 GMT

In both ,I pull on my breathing side to get an earlier supply of air after a turn or start.

RE: Can you start on both sides?

Former Member — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:28:36 GMT

I took note today of what I actually do: When I streamline off the wall for freestyle, I have my left hand on top and right hand underneath so pull with my right arm first. When I turn I push off on my side, left down, right up, and still right hand underneath left so I SDK, rotate and pull with my right arm first. Also on backstroke I start with my left hand on top of my right, so my right hand still pulls first. If you think about it, I've now switched hand positions as I'm now on my back!

RE: Can you start on both sides?

Former Member — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:48:38 GMT

I don't see any advantage of starting with one arm versus the other in backstroke, so I'm sure I always pull with the same arm at the breakout. In free I can use either. I try to always pull with my right arm first. This is because I breathe to the right, so by pulling with my right arm first it causes me to breathe on the second pull rather than the first. When I get really tired in practice I'll sometimes pull with my left arm first and breathe right away, but I really try to do this as little as possible. On starts, I have no idea which arm I pull first with. Since I always come off the wall on my left side after a turn, that dictates my left (bottom) arm must pull first. I suspect, due to that habit, I probably always pull with the left first off a start too.

RE: Can you start on both sides?

__steve__ — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 09:21:44 GMT

When I break out I lift the shoulder of the arm that pulls first (right, stronger, arm). When I turn, left side is down (rotating up) and right side is rotating down, but most of the time the left arm digs first I've been told in free the first stroke should be with the arm on the side which is lower. Unless your Phelps, he pulls with the shoulder that was upper from the turn. But in his case it's not a transitional movement, for he's already done 10 meters on his belly.

RE: Can you start on both sides?

jaadams1 — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 07:04:19 GMT

I don't see any advantage of starting with one arm versus the other in backstroke, so I'm sure I always pull with the same arm at the breakout. In free I can use either. I try to always pull with my right arm first. This is because I breathe to the right, so by pulling with my right arm first it causes me to breathe on the second pull rather than the first. When I get really tired in practice I'll sometimes pull with my left arm first and breathe right away, but I really try to do this as little as possible. This is my "normal" breakout. When I get tired, I streamline to the surface and I take a breath to the right as I'm starting my pull with my right hand. Coach really likes it when we do this. :afraid:

RE: Can you start on both sides?

knelson — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 02:16:32 GMT

RE: Can you start on both sides?

rxleakem — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 09:07:23 GMT

I've been told in free the first stroke should be with the arm on the side which is lower. Agree, so it would depend on which side you rotate when leaving the wall. For me, it's the right side, also the side I usually breathe on.

RE: Can you start on both sides?

Allen Stark — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 07:41:19 GMT

I've been told in free the first stroke should be with the arm on the side which is lower.

RE: Can you start on both sides?

Celestial — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 06:13:10 GMT

I avoid backstroke & so I don't know about that - but after reading something about Phelps going into the turn with his last stroke on the left & then his first stroke out of the turn was on his left, I've been watching myself - and it doesn't matter which arm I start with, but I definitely am trying to come out of the turn pulling with the opposite arm that I ended with before the turn. (I take an odd number of strokes/lap - like 17) Did any of that make sense?

RE: Can you start on both sides?

Patrick W. Brundage — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 05:07:14 GMT

I can start my pull on either arm, but I almost never do. I generally pull first with my left arm on free, which is my weaker side, but also the side to which I like to breathe.