After the I.M. thread and watching my daughter at her meet I got to wondering if being good at certain strokes has anything to do with heredity. If you read the I.M. thread you know that I am terrible at the breaststroke. Today my daughter had to do the 100 I.M. She was second after the fly and doing the backstroke. She had at least a 1/4 of a pool length on the two swimmers behind her. All the parents around me were commenting on how good she looked. I told them to wait and see what happens on the breaststroke. What do you know the two swimmers behind her caught her and past her on the breaststroke. She dropped down to fourth place. Is she destined to be a terrible breaststroker like me? Keep in mind that she has always done lessons at the Y and not with me.
Parents
Former Member
Something tells me you guys need help. When you say you get to the flags, that is not very far:rolleyes: The lane lines are 5 meters out from the wall, usually the lane lines are the same distance. The latest rules 107.13.2 specify 5 meters! Most male breaststrokers in the Olympics cover 10-12 meters off each wall.
Remember the first 2 to 3 seconds you will never swim as fast as you push off the wall. You should be near 6-7 meters before the pulldown even starts.
In our old pool, there is a line down the center distance at 12.5 yards. When I am having an especially good day I can reach that line at about 3.5 seconds and then beging the pulldown and kick to the surface.
Scansy and others, do you breathe the first stroke up? MOst non breaststrokers kick to the surface, take a BIG breath, and then begin the stroke with the pull, kick and glide.
Breaststrokers will begin the pull outwards scull before the head breaks the waters surface. We then pull very hard to lift our head to get that first breath and start the stroke. Breathing before the start of the pull will slow you down between one and two seconds per length.
Now if you read my articles on my web site, I want my swimmers to not breathe at all on the first stroke up. You can gain a half second by not breathing, there is plenty of time to breath on the second stroke up:D
Something tells me you guys need help. When you say you get to the flags, that is not very far:rolleyes: The lane lines are 5 meters out from the wall, usually the lane lines are the same distance. The latest rules 107.13.2 specify 5 meters! Most male breaststrokers in the Olympics cover 10-12 meters off each wall.
Remember the first 2 to 3 seconds you will never swim as fast as you push off the wall. You should be near 6-7 meters before the pulldown even starts.
In our old pool, there is a line down the center distance at 12.5 yards. When I am having an especially good day I can reach that line at about 3.5 seconds and then beging the pulldown and kick to the surface.
Scansy and others, do you breathe the first stroke up? MOst non breaststrokers kick to the surface, take a BIG breath, and then begin the stroke with the pull, kick and glide.
Breaststrokers will begin the pull outwards scull before the head breaks the waters surface. We then pull very hard to lift our head to get that first breath and start the stroke. Breathing before the start of the pull will slow you down between one and two seconds per length.
Now if you read my articles on my web site, I want my swimmers to not breathe at all on the first stroke up. You can gain a half second by not breathing, there is plenty of time to breath on the second stroke up:D
