During breaststroke, my coach tells us that we should look downwards and never to the front, and keep our heads down. However, all the videos I've seen of great Olympic and Worlds breaststrokers such as Hansen and Kitajima look forward when they take their breaths. Even Phelps looks only slightly downwards but mainly forwards when taking a breath. In fact, the women breaststrokers supposedly swimming "like men" are the major swimmers that swim breaststroke with their heads down (Kirk, Hardy...).
So why are the male breaststrokers swimming with their heads up when everyone has told me to keep the head down during breaststroke?
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Thanks Allen Stark! That explains everything. I didn't understand when my coach wanted us to look down when I wasn't looking up. My head was kinda like Phelps's, at about a 30 degree angle to the water. I don't lift my head.
I have one more question tho :). Still in the Olympics and Worlds I see Hansen and Kitajima, when taking their side views, look as if they don't move their heads at all. With a close up and slow motion I see that their heads turn downwards very close to the water with their body. However, some Olympians actively bring their heads down before entering the water again during recovery (they are usually the slow ones :D). Does this slow you down?
Thanks Allen Stark! That explains everything. I didn't understand when my coach wanted us to look down when I wasn't looking up. My head was kinda like Phelps's, at about a 30 degree angle to the water. I don't lift my head.
I have one more question tho :). Still in the Olympics and Worlds I see Hansen and Kitajima, when taking their side views, look as if they don't move their heads at all. With a close up and slow motion I see that their heads turn downwards very close to the water with their body. However, some Olympians actively bring their heads down before entering the water again during recovery (they are usually the slow ones :D). Does this slow you down?
