In several threads folks have hinted that flyers make good breaststrokers and vice versa. What makes you say that? And, can you name some great well known flyers who are also great breaststrokers?
Former Member
I cannot name any swimmers who are great at fly and ***.
I have mentioned how you can use similar drills for fly and ***. They are both short-axis strokes and good short-axis body pulsing, which is needed in fly can be used in *** to help to get the undulation needed for the Wave style of breaststroke.
Natural Breaststrokers have such "weird" feet, can they keep them together to do the fly kick ??
Just joking as i feel inferior. I can swim every stroke well but i can't do the breaststroke kick. Due to tight range of motion, sideways on hips, knees and ankles, exactly where you need to be loose for the *** kick.
Breaststrokers that have made nationals in fly. Amanda Beard has swam fly at nationals. I think the best she did once was 8th place. Steve Lunquist placed in fly at the NCAA's. The most famous Lynn Colletta. A silver medalist in the 200 meter fly at the 1972 olympics and who also placed in the top 3 in 200 breaststroke at the US Nationals. In my age group. C Crabb who won both breaststrokes and the 200 and 400 Im and the 200 meter fly and placed 3rd in the 100 meter fly in the 45-49 age group in women at this year's long course nationals. Some breaststrokers sometimes have fly as a second stroke and others don't. As a teenager fly was my second best stroke. Now its the third. On the other hand, few flyers have breastsroke as their second stroke.
Michael Phelps is also a sub-2 minute 200 yard breastroker (if I remember correctly). I don't recall which meet but I think I remember a 1:58 or 1:59 from last year or earlier this year? Someone help me out here. :confused:
Well, I forgot Tracey Caulkins. The breaststroker who at one time set the 200 meter butterfly world record in 1978. She also won nationals in 200 yard backstroke and one of the freestyles. As well as winning both Im's at the 1984 olympics.
One of the fliers on my son's team, (2:06 200 fly) is also darn good at *** stroke, and IM. She really has the wave breaststroke down well and it suits her body type which is petite.
they are similar strokes,pulling torso forwards using both hand/arms together also using feet/kicks together,dolphin movement also enhances both *** and fly after kickoff for *** and all the way for fly,i'm just learning fly now but have done lots of ***,i am slowly incorporating fly as suggested to me on this forum and find that the dolphin kick particularly helps on kick off.i get very tired doing fly even though i do lots of *** with ease,fly to me is the hardest stroke,this is why i have to do it to prove to myself i can,maybe top level competitors think the same way and strive to perfect both strokes...maybe...
In March Michael Phelps swam a 1:59.50 in the 200 *** at Maryland Swimming All-Star Meet. Michael also swam a 55.92 late last year in the 100 ***.
But it’s a relative thing; his 200 *** time is 18 seconds slower that his 200 Fly time and there are a lot of people who swim there breaststroke with less of a difference than that ;)
And that's his worst storke. Most men breaststrokers would love to be able to go under 2:00 in the 200 yard. I think he did swim a 1:59 or 1:58 at a meet back east. But I did know a butterflyer and a breaststroker who were not that good at each others strokes. Valarie Lee who almost made the 1976 olympics in 200 meter butterfly, had a breaststroke that bordered B and A age group times which is pretty poor for an elite swimmer. Stacey P, who made nationals back in *** at 1:09in the 1970's, use to do fly and back at 1:08 and 1:09, which according to her *** time she should have been down to at least a 1:05 and 1:06.
You right, I know that Amanda Beard swam a 1:01 or 1:00 something 100 meter butterfly and a 1:07 something breaststroke. If she swam 200 meter fly it would probably be at 2:13 and we know she swam her 200 meter *** at 2:22
