Breaststroke Kick and long legs

Allen is absolutely correct. There are three ways of increasing power: 1) Get stronger - hard to do 2) strength over a longer distance - hard to do on the kick 3) faster speed - by far the easiest way to increase power output. It is always far better to have a short snappy kick that a wide lazy one.

Wayne thanks for all of your information on Breaststroke. I have a question regarding your thinking on breathing. I also believe that breathing every stroke in the 50 may not be the most efficient. My question is regarding the first stroke after surfacing from the turn, or after the start. I read an article and have since not been able to find it again, about a study conducted at the University of Buffalo. In it they explained that when breaking the surface after the underwater pull the swimmer comes to an almost complete stop. They claimed that by not breathing on that very first stroke you could vastly improve that hesitating. What are your thoughts on that? Also do you know of the article I am refering to? I believe it was on this site somewhere. Thanks for your help.

ArtShark, You just need to go to my web site http://www.breaststroke.info, look Breaststroke Articles by other coaches. Just happens to be the first article. Bud Termin asked me to put it in web format. We discuss this often. There are many merits to his proposal. The best would be no underwater stroke at all and coming to the surface after one second. The rules do not allow for this, and you will be disqualified:mad: There would be at least 5-6 strokes more per race, so you would have to be in better shape than every one else.

I can believe that about coming up ahead of the freestyle flipped turn.

My confusion was in your response about getting disqualified. I didn't see anything in the article suggesting anything illegal or in the original question about the article. It would be interesting to see the same velocity tests done on better swimmers. The ones in the test were good but not great. It's hard to believe someone has done it already and if they have I'd like to see it to compare the results. In your case, you are willing to live with a decrease in velocity on your pushoff because of your physical condition. Overall swimming for an extended period would cause an even larger decrease in velocity? Something like that?

Fritz, In your case, you are willing to live with a decrease in velocity on your pushoff because of your physical condition. That is not correct in my case. I am a human torpedo, shaped like a killer whale. I can easily go 14-15 yards off the wall in practice, and can do 11-12 in races with no loss of race speed. All from many years of perfecting body alignment, and very strong legs. I love it when after a practice someone new comes up to me and described me shooting by them when they are swimming freestyle. For most swimmers, I can do an open breaststroke turn against their free flip turn, and push off and come up at least one body length ahead of them:D Best thing about good streamlining and good starts is no matter what your physical condition they will still be good.

Originally posted by breastroker ArtShark, You just need to go to my web site http://www.breaststroke.info, look Breaststroke Articles by other coaches. Just happens to be the first article. Bud Termin asked me to put it in web format. We discuss this often. There are many merits to his proposal. The best would be no underwater stroke at all and coming to the surface after one second. The rules do not allow for this, and you will be disqualified:mad: There would be at least 5-6 strokes more per race, so you would have to be in better shape than every one else. Granted I'm just a backstroker but If the best is no underwater stoke then why do you try to go so far on your starts and turns? I must be missing something. What they suggest in the article about changing the timing of your pullout to keep your velocity up makes sense. I also don't study the *** rules but I don't think there is anything in the rules that would stop you from coming up after a second. I was under the impression the underwater pull and kick were optional. Did something change?

I use what I got. Most people do not go far underwater. Too skinny:D Plus I am not in shape to race 200 yards when I can go 110 yards underwater and only have to swim 90 yards! The underwater is optional, the key word is "may" take a underwaterstroke. The kick to the surface is good, the pulldown not so good for most people. The problem with Bud's theories is not one world class breaststroker uses the one second pulldown. At a world class level swimmers are so strong they can keep their underwater velocity higher than their swimming speed for more than two seconds, pushing three. This might be perfect for short course yards and meters for swimmers who do not have a great pushoff. More for an arm dominant swimmer. Just most breaststrokers have the great leg strength.

Being an underwater missle is FUN:D The hard part is getting off the walls of the turn as fast as the freestyler. For me every turn is a race turn, done correctly, no cheating. Followed by a great underwater and no breath on the first stroke up. Try that one out:D

yep its gotta be sleek,doesnt matter length o leg but the leg kick should happen sleekily whilst finishing the pull,remember to glide for an unnaturally long length of time with the arms full out in front,this takes lots of practice because at first you feel slow and lazy doing it....just watch your times diminish as you also improve stroke count...technique is proving to beat hard work recently!!!!