Technical Discussion Thread

Phil, a great topic to which I am well qualified on. I teach perhaps 4 -5 different underwater styles, because everyone in breaststroke is different. But there are common areas that always apply. First, the further you get out, through the air on the start, the better you will be. Also being underwater is faster than being on top of the surface. This is simple (not so simple) physics, Air has little resistance, (form resistance ) body square area is basically squared with increase in speed. Wave friction (at the surface is cubed) while underwater resistance is squared. Using this, Breaststrokers usually go very high and very far out to maximize the distance with the smallest resistance (air), and then maximizes the distance with the next smallest resistance, the underwater portion. Swimming not underwater- Now the greatest resistance is at the waters surface, which is why very slim swimmers can sometimes beat very muscled breaststrokers. So as a coach I want to maximize the part of the stoke that is after the kick and allows the head to be underwater. I also want the breaststroker to minimize their frontal area both diring the underwater strokes and during each stroke. This can be done by the two hunch method, the first to narrow the body profile after the arm scull (no PULL in ***) and this allows the body to get underwater quickly to maximize the time with the arms streamlined and the head is underwater. Getting back to the underwater strokes, swimmers and coaches must always work on their streamlines. The modern streamline is worth one to three yards for free!! And this works for all strokes, so everyone should work on it every practice. My article at http://www.breaststroke.info called "Stretching my way to a National Championship" applies to very sinle swimmer. Next the coach and swimmer must review what works for each breaststroker. For instance I can push off the wall and go 11 yards faster than anyone I know. But my underwater stroke is not as good as others I know. I ofter get flyers to beat breaststrokers on their underwaters because they can generate great speed on the underwater pull portion. We used to coach to stay at one depth before coming up, and much has been written on how deep to stay. Briefly is there is any water disturbance you are causing extra resistance. Usually one foot to 18 inches. But great swimmers such as Dr. Kurt Grote started going down much deeper, then coming up using the bodies buyoancy at a much steaper angle. Against the Russians in the Goodwill games he came up one body length off each turn!!! So the goal is to go farther underwater in the same or less time, because there is less resistance. The next thing for the coach and swimmer to work on is the timing of when to begin the pulldown. I have the U of Buffalo article on my web site. There is interesting information gained there, but I truly feel that the biggest difference between great breaststrokers is not the swimming, but the starts and turns and underwater time and length gained. I can truly say there has never been a 100 meters or 200 meters breaststroke race at any Olympics where the winner went all out the entire way. It is just too exhausting a stroke. The winners seem to be able to conserve energy and do this by having great starts and turns. One day Ed Moses is going to destroy the world records, he has more pure speed, but his real advantage is almost 0.5 to 1.0 seconds faster underwater to 15 meters, and again almost 0.5 or greater turn time between 5 meters into the turn and 5 meters going out. Now what is the proper timing, 1 second, two seconds or three? Again the coach and swimmer will have to determine what works best for them. I happen to have a great pushoff and streamline, so at the count of three I have not slowed down and am approaching the 11-12 yard mark. Those with a less power full pushoff should still strive for 3 seconds in the 200 breaststroke, 2.5 seconds for the 100 and 2 to 2.5 seconds for the 50. Bottom line streamlining is more important than leg strength, before I changed to the Modern Streamline I used to go 9-10 yards before slowing down. A couple of years ago I helped coach a women in Glasgow Scotland. The first meet she swam 180 meters out of the 200, with poor distance and streamline. She watched me swim less than 100 meters out of the 200, so I got her attention. One week later she did her best time and did almost 11 yards off each turn and 13-14 meters off the start. She only had so much energy, it is much easier to put in into 120 meters rather than 180. So I do try to get the maximum distance without slowing down out of each of my swimmers. I have had a couple of ten year old girls do sub 35 for a 50 ***, but they were so slender they could go through the eye of a needle. Both had perfect streamlines, but I had to guard from them trying to stay underwater too long and slowing down. Both could do 12 yards from a push, but slowed down too much. But when an older masters swimmer would get in they would love to show off. I also have a Masters All American breaststroker who has a poor pushoff of perhaps 8 yards, so I get him into his pulldown at about 2.5 seconds. Next post I will discuss the numerous ways to perform the pulldown. NOTE: I never use the word pull in breaststroke, there are sculls and a pulldown, NO pulls. Coach Wayne McCauley

Phil, a great topic to which I am well qualified on. I teach perhaps 4 -5 different underwater styles, because everyone in breaststroke is different. But there are common areas that always apply. First, the further you get out, through the air on the start, the better you will be. Also being underwater is faster than being on top of the surface. This is simple (not so simple) physics, Air has little resistance, (form resistance ) body square area is basically squared with increase in speed. Wave friction (at the surface is cubed) while underwater resistance is squared. Using this, Breaststrokers usually go very high and very far out to maximize the distance with the smallest resistance (air), and then maximizes the distance with the next smallest resistance, the underwater portion. Swimming not underwater- Now the greatest resistance is at the waters surface, which is why very slim swimmers can sometimes beat very muscled breaststrokers. So as a coach I want to maximize the part of the stoke that is after the kick and allows the head to be underwater. I also want the breaststroker to minimize their frontal area both diring the underwater strokes and during each stroke. This can be done by the two hunch method, the first to narrow the body profile after the arm scull (no PULL in ***) and this allows the body to get underwater quickly to maximize the time with the arms streamlined and the head is underwater. Getting back to the underwater strokes, swimmers and coaches must always work on their streamlines. The modern streamline is worth one to three yards for free!! And this works for all strokes, so everyone should work on it every practice. My article at http://www.breaststroke.info called "Stretching my way to a National Championship" applies to very sinle swimmer. Next the coach and swimmer must review what works for each breaststroker. For instance I can push off the wall and go 11 yards faster than anyone I know. But my underwater stroke is not as good as others I know. I ofter get flyers to beat breaststrokers on their underwaters because they can generate great speed on the underwater pull portion. We used to coach to stay at one depth before coming up, and much has been written on how deep to stay. Briefly is there is any water disturbance you are causing extra resistance. Usually one foot to 18 inches. But great swimmers such as Dr. Kurt Grote started going down much deeper, then coming up using the bodies buyoancy at a much steaper angle. Against the Russians in the Goodwill games he came up one body length off each turn!!! So the goal is to go farther underwater in the same or less time, because there is less resistance. The next thing for the coach and swimmer to work on is the timing of when to begin the pulldown. I have the U of Buffalo article on my web site. There is interesting information gained there, but I truly feel that the biggest difference between great breaststrokers is not the swimming, but the starts and turns and underwater time and length gained. I can truly say there has never been a 100 meters or 200 meters breaststroke race at any Olympics where the winner went all out the entire way. It is just too exhausting a stroke. The winners seem to be able to conserve energy and do this by having great starts and turns. One day Ed Moses is going to destroy the world records, he has more pure speed, but his real advantage is almost 0.5 to 1.0 seconds faster underwater to 15 meters, and again almost 0.5 or greater turn time between 5 meters into the turn and 5 meters going out. Now what is the proper timing, 1 second, two seconds or three? Again the coach and swimmer will have to determine what works best for them. I happen to have a great pushoff and streamline, so at the count of three I have not slowed down and am approaching the 11-12 yard mark. Those with a less power full pushoff should still strive for 3 seconds in the 200 breaststroke, 2.5 seconds for the 100 and 2 to 2.5 seconds for the 50. Bottom line streamlining is more important than leg strength, before I changed to the Modern Streamline I used to go 9-10 yards before slowing down. A couple of years ago I helped coach a women in Glasgow Scotland. The first meet she swam 180 meters out of the 200, with poor distance and streamline. She watched me swim less than 100 meters out of the 200, so I got her attention. One week later she did her best time and did almost 11 yards off each turn and 13-14 meters off the start. She only had so much energy, it is much easier to put in into 120 meters rather than 180. So I do try to get the maximum distance without slowing down out of each of my swimmers. I have had a couple of ten year old girls do sub 35 for a 50 ***, but they were so slender they could go through the eye of a needle. Both had perfect streamlines, but I had to guard from them trying to stay underwater too long and slowing down. Both could do 12 yards from a push, but slowed down too much. But when an older masters swimmer would get in they would love to show off. I also have a Masters All American breaststroker who has a poor pushoff of perhaps 8 yards, so I get him into his pulldown at about 2.5 seconds. Next post I will discuss the numerous ways to perform the pulldown. NOTE: I never use the word pull in breaststroke, there are sculls and a pulldown, NO pulls. Coach Wayne McCauley