The latest threads clearly reveal that the vast majority of masters swimmers wish breaststroke did not exist (except Peter, Allen, Aquafeisty, and a possiblely experimenting SCY freestyler). So why does everyone hate breaststroke? :mad:
I'll go first. I hated it when I was young because it was too slow, I never learned how to do it right, and I never learned the wave action because it didn't exist when I was young. I can't seem do get the timing right now. And I have no excuse. Unlike my shoulder, my knees are fully intact. Not sure I have the gumption or time to put in 100,000 yards for a complete overhaul on a stroke I don't swim in meets. But I'd like to be able to fake it in IMs ...
Former Member
If I can make them (in the other real strokes) I'm sure you can too.
What's that mean? Breaststroke isn't real? Huh?
LOL I am not trying to go for national cuts in my ***. I decent perfomance and looking good in the dive will do ;)
So your breastroke is pretty hot afterall, huh?
Donna
No, it is still my worst stroke by far. I have awful technique and muscle through the water trying to make the most of my pullouts where I get to use a dolphin kick. I will only post breaststroke pictures/avatars of "rude hormonal fortress," the family breaststroker. Maybe I'll put up Leisel Jones if I can find her ... Or maybe Heather can put one up, although I do believe that her detestation of the stroke exceeds mine.
My main point was that KNelson was giving me hell on another thread for not loving to wake up at the crack of dawn. He asked how many people wouldn't get up early to swim an event at Nationals. And, well, I decided not to. :rofl:
If the truth be known, I am envious of those who can swim it because for me it's a struggle. Fly is easier.
Floyd if we ever get to the same water...we'll do 50 of yours and you can do 50 of mine :D
I'm tempted to try fly at my next training session just to report how comedic it was :rofl:
Surely the Fortress would not have said this, it must have been Bunny Girl:
"I am actually a vocal distance free hater. I always say, "oh no, not another 400 free." I'd much rather work on *** than pounding out junk yardage doing long free."
And Scarlett says to Rhett: I think I am going to faint here.
I have always liked breastroke even though I wasn't great at it; technique wise pretty good, swift, NOT. But I liked the stroke, but it too, took a great deal of energy being underwater so long on turns.
And Bunny Girl: I used to always swim 50,100,200back and those aren't distance, but I had it then, I have lost it now, so distance free is now my swim by design. I think many people who don't like distance don't like it because they can find it boring; something I had to overcome, too. But I am heavily protected now with dementia so I can't tell the difference:rofl:.
Donna
With a good coach who understands breaststroke (usually a breaststroker) almost anyone can swim a nice looking and somewhat fast breaststroke.
Ther are really only two things to remember
1) use a pull ....... kick....... and glide form
2) Pull the heels up to the butt, not stopping yourself with high resistance knees.
A good breaststroker can swim right next to a wall and not kick the wall!:coffee:
Wayne:
I know you are the *** guru. And I've followed your advice. I got my daughter coaches who were former breaststrokers. Unfortunately, for me, my age group/masters coach(es) don't fit that bill. In fact, my masters team is full of anything but breaststrokers. I only have one teammate, Wally Dicks, who can give me pointers. He is, as you may know, quite speedy. But I'm usually busy doing some other stroke while he's swimming ***.
I agree with the :coffee: . I think I agreed with you on another thread that a :coffee: was good before a sprint. I need a few of those in the morning too before I get up and work out.
Why did this thread get resurrected.Hate is too strong a word to use among swim friends.I don't even hate backstroke. Some of my best friends are backstrokers(poor misguided souls:rofl: ) Probably if I was tall and my feet turned in instead of out I might like another stroke. We need all 4 strokes for the Medley Relay,so we need to get along:hug:
I can't say that I love the stroke but it sure does present it's own unique challenges to learn correctly. I recently found the "rhythm" to my own breastroke, (although ithas a nasty habit of coming and going when I least expect it). It is a much slower lap time but I was quite pleased to look in the adjacent lane and find myself not so far behind a freestroking high school swim team member. I agree the energy expediture is probably 3:1 to freestyle, but the finesse of the breastroke is quite sublime once accomplished. I'll not break any yardage, distance or speed records but the accomplishment was well worth the energy expediture.
But Fortress, I was being kind when I said you were swimming low in the water; I really meant plowing through the water (oops, did I say that?). But I am with you on distance in a pool, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, and there are no pretty fish to see (Sharks?). And in the ocean, there is only one length to worry about, the first one for it goes on forever (LOL).
So your breastroke is pretty hot afterall, huh?
Donna
