Breaststroke pull-out

I love the breaststroke but am so scared of DQ and don't want to mess it up.Being DQ’ed is not the end of the world. Focus on the positives, like this is your first meet, which is a big accomplishment. Enjoy the moment and the people. If you get DQ’ed for a stroke infraction, you have still completed the race and you will have a time for your race. Is it that important it is an official time?

Yeah I second that notion, don't be afraid of a DQ. Practicing and racing are two different circumstances. If it helps, you can think of your first few meets as practice racing :) If you're interested in pullouts, here's a link to one of the videos I use when teaching stroke clinics. It shows pullouts from various elite athletes. You will see there are many variations. www.youtube.com/watch Cheers, -Isaac

Thank you!

Two questions. Is doing the pullout required in a meet (meaning if you skip the pull-out, could you get DQ'd)? And is there anyway the pull-out could be misinterpreted as an illegal stroke since it is the only time the arms are allowed to move down to the hips? I'm wondering if, in my upcoming first meet, I'd be better off skipping the pull-out (at risk of getting DQ) or studying it well and practicing it with the intention of doing it? Thanks! Hi, You do not have to do a pullout to be legal. However, there is a huge advantage to learning how to do a proper pull out so it is well worth the effort to learn. But I did see someone get DQ'ed this summer for botching a pullout (forgot to put a breaststroke kick in between the pullout and first swimming stroke) and there are a few areas where an official could DQ you if you mess it up: You are allowed one full pull (past your hips) followed by one breaststroke kick underwater but your head must break the surface before your hands scull all the way out for your next stroke. Your hands can start to scull out on that next stroke before you are at the surface but your head must come up before your hands reach the widest point of the stroke. You could possible be DQ'ed if you take the big pull down at the surface instead of underwater (could be misinterpreted as a normal stroke) or if you take the pulldown then forget to take the kick before coming up to start swimming. The rules specify one pull and one kick per stroke. I think you'd have to have a picky official for them to call this, but it's possible. Dolphin Kick- you are allowed a dolphin kick "during" the pullout. Basically you have to take this kick after your hands have split from the streamline to start the pullout. This is a tricky skill to develop and might be something you develop over time. You can do a pullout without the dolphin kick, just keeping your body in line. If you take the dolphin kick too early it is a DQ, take it too late and it slows you down. Two hand touch on turns/finish. Both hands must touch the wall at the same time and without overlap. Your hands can be touching each other, but your fingers can't be overlapped (heels of hand/thumbs/index fingers touching is ok). But IMHO pullouts are great :) Have fun! -Isaac

Yeah I second that notion, don't be afraid of a DQ. Practicing and racing are two different circumstances. If it helps, you can think of your first few meets as practice racing :) If you're interested in pullouts, here's a link to one of the videos I use when teaching stroke clinics. It shows pullouts from various elite athletes. You will see there are many variations. www.youtube.com/watch Cheers, -Isaac That was a great video.Some of those swimmers,especially Kitajima,would risk a DQ if they did that at a Masters meet.If one is going to do the early dolphin kick,make sure you "sell" the hand separation before the kick.That is an advanced skill that I would not recommend to beginners. Work on the pullout first before considering adding a dolphin kick.

Thanks for that tip!

One more thing to remember in *** is you must always start the stroke cycle with a pull. If you dive in and kick first that SHOULD be a DQ, so just be sure to start with a pull regardless of whether or not you do an underwater pullout. And agree about don't sweat it about getting DQed. My advice is read through the rules and then always swim legally when you practice. Then you won't even think about it at a meet. Good luck!

Wow! Thank you for this thorough explanation. I love the breaststroke but am so scared of DQ and don't want to mess it up. My first meet is later this month and because I haven't started training on the pull out I think I'm just going to skip it to play it safe. However, I definitely see the benefit of learning to do it well. I will be referring to your explanation as well as getting the advice of a coach before using it in a meet. Thanks for the additional info as well!

Thanks for that info!