Are you talking about with each stroke or on the turn? On the turn it is definitely hand over hand. With each stroke it is probably personal preference. Many world class breaststrokers extend them straight side by side. I do hand over hand as it feels more natural. The most important thing in the streamline is to REALLY shrug your shoulders foreward. Which ever hand position best facilitates that for you is the right one.
When it comes to streamline, I gotta come in.:D
I have to agree with totalswimm. It's what is behind the hands and arms that cause the most drag.
Starting with that big old head, and the usually wide shoulders of breaststrokers. It is how you configure the head and shoulders that affects streamline the most. I have seen just one half inch of head lowering cut one half second in a 50 ***! And this from one of my older (35) swimmers who was already a masters all american. This iwhere having a coach comes in.
Now most of you know how I feel about Kitijma, BUT he really had the most perfect stroke and streamline, better than Ed Moses and Hansen.
What he did was actually put his head down between his arms for a long time during each stroke.
For those of us who have access to Brent Rushall's web site, his photos show Kitijama for a full NINE Tenths of a second with his head between his arms in a streamline position, out of a total 16 tenths of a second per stroke cycle. That is way more than any other swimmer.
The pushoff and underwater is 40% of short course breaststrokes, so that tight hand over hand, thumb locked over the other hand. Even thinking streamline helps, and for some one foot tight over the other foot. It is all about hundreds of tight pushoffs, measuring each one. Sometimes just one small change can add 6 inches of distance off the wall. Combine that with other tiny changes can add up to several feet more distance for FREE!!
And when you read my articles, I believe in the two hunch system. One when you insweep or pull back on each stroke, and one hunch when you lunge forwards.
The first hunch you narrow the shoulders as much as possible during the insweep to lessen the resistance. This is easiest to do when the hands are brought together in a prayer motion and insides of the elbows are as close as 4-5 inches apart.
The second hunch happens during the lunge forwards. It does two things. By rotating the palms of the hands outwards, the elbows are pointed outwards as well. The insides of the elbows are squeezed along the ears and head during the lunge and kick.
But by doing this motion and also stretching the hands forwards as far as possible, you become very streamlined while you kick with your head underwater.
But just as important you position your arms to act like those of a butterfliers. You are in perfect position to use the shoulder muscles for the pull or scull out. These back and shoulder muscles do not tire out quickly, as the forearm muscles do when you do not do the second hunch.
Terry greatly affected how I coach. The TI method made me realise that even more than ever I wanted my swimmers to swim like a butterflyer. So with the second hunch, I also tell my swimmers "as the hands go in the hips go up". I want them to swim breaststroke downhill just like butterfly. It is important to not go too deep as this would affect streamline. So you have to think stretching forwards as the hips rise.
Amanda Beard did this so great in the last Olympics, she kept her hips up high, and her stroke length long during the entire 200 meters.
I had a lot of contact with Stanford swimmers during the 1990's. Both men and women, and I could never understand the need to push 10 kick boards underwater with the chest press. Breaststroke is all about going forwards, not just pressing the chest down. Same with having beers with David Salo. It is not about the windshield wiper to position for the Cobra action. I used to hate the Cobra drill. It was teaching some the wrong thing.
As I wrote before, coaches should have been copying Mike Barrowman and his low amplitude wave, not the high wave of the others.
Wayne,am I missing something? Is there a right way to do the Cobra drill. I always thought it was teaching the wrong thing by emphasising the up and down instead of foreward. Look how Liesel Jones swims. She has almost no up and down motion and her times are incredible.
Wayne alluded to it,but I think you can't over emphasize how important it is to keep your head down(in the so called neutral position.)When you are streamlined you should see the bottom of the pool. When you lift your chest to breath you don't bend your neck. There is no way to be streamlined and have your head up.
