Breaststroke has always been my favourite stroke, but I've had these questions/problems for the longest times, could someone answer them for me? By the way, I'm 15.
1) How in the WORLD is it possible to do that ankle snap thing? I've been trying to turn my ankle out and in but it just wouldn't budge. It's just stuck there, and it cannot move side to side. I've seen some pictures of breaststrokers' feet turning 90 degrees in, but how can I do that? What are some exercises to improve side-to-side ankle flexibility?
2) I have a pretty narrow kick, and I think it is decent. However, I never feel the "explosion" everyone's talking about. I try my hardest to kick hardest, accelerating, but my legs just feel like pasta at the end of each kick. I can get pretty far with my kicks, but I feel like I can do better - I sometimes don't feel a lot of water resistance against my feet.
3) I've been having a bit of trouble with slipping recently. When I'm doing a 50 or 100m *** at a faster pace, my hands will sometimes fail to grab water, and sometimes a foot, sometimes both feet! I think it has to do with my pulling too fast, but I dunno.
4) When I go into a wall during ***, I am usually not tired, not even in a sprint (Short Course). However, the minute I complete my turn and start my underwater pull out, all hell breaks lose. I feel like my lungs will explode, and right after my first breath every single muscle begins hurting like never before. All fatigue comes at this one turn, and worsens every turn, until the last turn my underwater pullout is much shorter than my first pullout (from pushoff, I can usually do 10 meters from the pushoff while still maintaining a decent speed).
5) What are some workouts I can do to improve my sprint 50m and 100m breaststroke (short course)? I think I can do a near 40s 41s for 50m short course breaststroke from pushoff, but I want to get close to and under 35s.
6) What are some dry-land exercises I can do to improve my breaststroke?
7) Any other advice for faster sprint breaststroke?
Thanks A BUNCH to everyone who replies. I am really frustrated right now. Thanks again.
Parents
Former Member
All, if you took the American Swim Coaches Association Level 3 Physiology School, page 22: "In action, anerobic glycolysis occurs first, up to 40 seconds on intense exercise, and then shifts to aerobic glycolysis over 40 seconds."
I asked John Leonard the following: Does anerobic glycolysis always come first and if so then is there any reason to breath on any 50 event (under 40 seconds)? In a 50 breaststroke there would be no physiological reason for breathing.
His answers were YES!!!
GoRedFoxes, in World Cup, where there is a LOT of money at stake, many European swimmers are beating us for the money, better starts (grab), better turns and no breathing. Someday you will find a breaststroker going 25 seconds high for 50 meters short course by holding their breathe! That is worth $5000 for the win and $25,000 for the World Record!
All, if you took the American Swim Coaches Association Level 3 Physiology School, page 22: "In action, anerobic glycolysis occurs first, up to 40 seconds on intense exercise, and then shifts to aerobic glycolysis over 40 seconds."
I asked John Leonard the following: Does anerobic glycolysis always come first and if so then is there any reason to breath on any 50 event (under 40 seconds)? In a 50 breaststroke there would be no physiological reason for breathing.
His answers were YES!!!
GoRedFoxes, in World Cup, where there is a LOT of money at stake, many European swimmers are beating us for the money, better starts (grab), better turns and no breathing. Someday you will find a breaststroker going 25 seconds high for 50 meters short course by holding their breathe! That is worth $5000 for the win and $25,000 for the World Record!
