I know their are many factors why some people are freestylers or breastrokers or flyers or backstrokers. Body type is one factor and interest is another. I wonder about the influence of first coaches as a kid, my first coach ran a swim school and she was on the Dutch National team in the early 1940's. She was a breastroker and seem to emphisized the kick in the stroke.So she practice the kick with me and of course breastroke was one of my beststrokes during the age group period and in masters its my best stroke as an adult when I returned in my 40's. So does anyone else agree that first coaches in either age-group or novice swimming or masters swimming influences the strokes we tend to be better at.
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This is interesting. I started all of this late in life, so it isn't a childhood choice with me. I really like breaststroke and the coach I work with did tell me once I have the right body for it. But I never got her to explain fully what she meant. Part of what I like about the breaststroke is the technical nature and timing of the stroke. She also says I should be good at fly and while I enjoy the motion of it I don't think I'll ever develop the endurance to do much of it. By doing some dryland work I've improved my fly though so maybe there is hope.
My backstroke is bad although I just recently fixed a problem with my turns and I'm now doing more laps just to make sure the turns stay fixed. The more of it I do, the better it feels. If I ever get to the point where I don't take in so much water, maybe I'll even like it.
I hated freestyle for a long time because it was so hard - endurance again - but it is now the most reliable stroke for me i.e. I can always do it even when I'm tired.
I've read a couple comments from people who say the underwater pull for the breaststroke really tires them. From the first time I did it I loved it and seldom find it tires me - on the other hand flip turns exhaust me. I'm getting better through practice, but they deplete my oxygen much more than the underwater pull does. Curious how experiences differ.
This is interesting. I started all of this late in life, so it isn't a childhood choice with me. I really like breaststroke and the coach I work with did tell me once I have the right body for it. But I never got her to explain fully what she meant. Part of what I like about the breaststroke is the technical nature and timing of the stroke. She also says I should be good at fly and while I enjoy the motion of it I don't think I'll ever develop the endurance to do much of it. By doing some dryland work I've improved my fly though so maybe there is hope.
My backstroke is bad although I just recently fixed a problem with my turns and I'm now doing more laps just to make sure the turns stay fixed. The more of it I do, the better it feels. If I ever get to the point where I don't take in so much water, maybe I'll even like it.
I hated freestyle for a long time because it was so hard - endurance again - but it is now the most reliable stroke for me i.e. I can always do it even when I'm tired.
I've read a couple comments from people who say the underwater pull for the breaststroke really tires them. From the first time I did it I loved it and seldom find it tires me - on the other hand flip turns exhaust me. I'm getting better through practice, but they deplete my oxygen much more than the underwater pull does. Curious how experiences differ.