"What do YOU need to do to have a major swimming breakthrough?"

Anyone working on one? Ande Help! The one that has got me puzzled is lowering my stroke count on the 50 breaststroke vs. ALSO keeping my time down. When I try to "ride the glide" more and lower my stroke count, my time goes up. I'm working hard on drills to strengthen my shoulders, so I can get a stronger pull (breaststroke pull with legs trailing behind in streamline, sculling drills, etc.). And, I am CAREFULLY trying to do more weights in the gym. I am also doing the same for my kick; more drills, more weights. BUT, I can't get my stroke count below 14-15 without my time going up. I'm working on my streamline, too! Ande, for a 5'7+ feet tall 125lb., 49 year old woman, what do you think my stroke count should be on the 50yd and 100yd breaststroke? On the 200yd breaststroke, I can get it down to 10-11, but my times are sloowww. My USMS PB's are: 50yd br.- 38.90 100yd br.- 1:30+ 200yd. br.- 3:20+ Training in a 86 degree pool is killing those times, so I will be heading over to another pool for my speed workouts, whenever I can carve out the extra time for the commute.

Elaine, keep lifting strengthen your arms and legs work on your maximum speed and easy speed breastroke do the ride the glide drill where you exaggerate and maximize gliding find out how few strokes it takes you to get across the pool I can do it in a pull out and one stroke when you're gliding, keep your head neutral breakdown and get a TECH SUIT for racing ande Help! The one that has got me puzzled is lowering my stroke count on the 50 breaststroke vs. ALSO keeping my time down. When I try to "ride the glide" more and lower my stroke count, my time goes up. I'm working hard on drills to strengthen my shoulders, so I can get a stronger pull (breaststroke pull with legs trailing behind in streamline, sculling drills, etc.). And, I am CAREFULLY trying to do more weights in the gym. I am also doing the same for my kick; more drills, more weights. BUT, I can't get my stroke count below 14-15 without my time going up. I'm working on my streamline, too! Ande, for a 5'7+ feet tall 125lb., 49 year old woman, what do you think my stroke count should be on the 50yd and 100yd breaststroke? On the 200yd breaststroke, I can get it down to 10-11, but my times are sloowww. My USMS PB's are: 50yd br.- 38.90 100yd br.- 1:30+ 200yd. br.- 3:20+ Training in a 86 degree pool is killing those times, so I will be heading over to another pool for my speed workouts, whenever I can carve out the extra time for the commute.

Right now I'm working on getting my endurance up in preparation for the 500 free. Last summer when I got the competition bug back, I did the summer meets, which were mostly sprints, so it is now time for some proper :afraid: swimming. My target in 3 weeks time is to make the NQT in all 5 events I enter so I will also need to factor in some speed work soon. I am planning on doing 500, 200, 100, 50 free and probably 50 fly. I have in the summer (just) made the 200 free and 50 fly, and was 0.2 outside the 100 free. I'm sure the hardest one to make will be 50 free, but you just never know :D

Elaine, I'm not real sure what your strokecounts should be swim those distances & count your strokes I need to watch you swim make a video & youtube it Perfect your technique Increase your power Here is a video from Saturday's 200 breaststroke. (Lane 2 in royal blue cap) I was 3 seconds off my PB; you can see how I pooped out at the end. My stroke count went up and my splits got worse. :blush: : YouTube - 200yd BR 2-5-11.MOV For other videos ( :afraid: ), they are posted at: www.youtube.com/EKrugman1 Several of those are short videos of my strokes, so my part-time coach and view and critique them. Others are from my meets. Today, I did your speed workout (the sample you gave me) at the Steve Lundquist Aquatic Center (Home of 2011 SwimFest! :banana: ). At the end, during my warm down, I tried to see how few strokes I could get on a length. 7 was the lowest I could go and at that stroke rate, my time was :50 for 50yds.:bitching: My 38.90 NQT was more like 17 strokes on the second 25yds! :afraid: So, I'm trying to work on dropping my stroke count AND my time, so I can be efficient AND fast in my races! Thanks, Andy! :bow:

What I need for a major breakthrough? Well…currently I need my right shoulder to get better. I'm thinking it might be bursitis, it's tender like a bruise on the tip of the shoulder blade. Doesn't really hurt during swimming, but again, feels like it's bruised afterward. This has forced me to shy away from more strenuous swimming because I don't want it to become a permanent issue. Perhaps it's a breakthrough in disguise, it's forcing me to kick much more, do more sdks, and work on cleaner stroke technique. I'll find out later this April if my "breakthrough" works or not. :)

I need to keep kicking as hard as I can, all the time.

Elaine, I'm not real sure what your strokecounts should be swim those distances & count your strokes I need to watch you swim make a video & youtube it Perfect your technique Increase your power :D Thanks for your other tips, too, Ande. I'll keep working on it... But, can you give me SOME idea of where you think my stroke count should be? Thanks!

Hey Elaine - I just watched the video ' cos I'm nosey :blush:. First off :applaud: for doing the 200 *** (one event I have no desire to do) and :applaud: for hanging in there! Two things I noticed were: 1. You appear quite shallow coming out of your start and turns and seem to start the kick before your arms have pulled back completely. It looks like you're not getting as much distance off the walls as you should be able to. 2. Going into the wall you had to take a mini-stroke a couple of times. I know its easy to say end on a full extension and harder in practice, but I try and judge if I'm going to make the wall in 8 strokes from about 1/2 way down the length. Then if I realise I'm not and will need 9 strokes, I can adjust the 2 or 3 strokes going into the wall so those 3 are slightly quicker rather than 2 full stretch strokes and 1 tiny one. I do the same on my fly - perhaps that's how I picked up that habit? Now back to Ande and any breaststrokers............

Hey Elaine - I just watched the video ' cos I'm nosey :blush:. First off :applaud: for doing the 200 *** (one event I have no desire to do) and :applaud: for hanging in there! Two things I noticed were: 1. You appear quite shallow coming out of your start and turns and seem to start the kick before your arms have pulled back completely. It looks like you're not getting as much distance off the walls as you should be able to. 2. Going into the wall you had to take a mini-stroke a couple of times. I know its easy to say end on a full extension and harder in practice, but I try and judge if I'm going to make the wall in 8 strokes from about 1/2 way down the length. Then if I realise I'm not and will need 9 strokes, I can adjust the 2 or 3 strokes going into the wall so those 3 are slightly quicker rather than 2 full stretch strokes and 1 tiny one. I do the same on my fly - perhaps that's how I picked up that habit? Now back to Ande and any breaststrokers............ Thanks, 'Fly! Hey, be nosey all you want; I appreciate the feedback! :D Your right about my starts and turns being shallow. I can't see to get my hips up on the starts! :bitching: On my turns, I've worked on deeper turns in practice, but they fall apart in a race when I'm tired and desperate to come up for air! I need to keep working on that- thanks! As for my early kick, is that just on the pullout or in my stroke? 2. The mini-strokes: :bitching: :bitching:!!! That normally doesn't happen! This is the first meet I've encountered that little nightmare... I'll work on avoiding that in this weekend's meet!

Here is a video from Saturday's 200 breaststroke. (Lane 2 in royal blue cap) I was 3 seconds off my PB; you can see how I pooped out at the end. My stroke count went up and my splits got worse. :blush: : YouTube - 200yd BR 2-5-11.MOV For other videos ( :afraid: ), they are posted at: www.youtube.com/EKrugman1 Several of those are short videos of my strokes, so my part-time coach and view and critique them. Others are from my meets. Today, I did your speed workout (the sample you gave me) at the Steve Lundquist Aquatic Center (Home of 2011 SwimFest! :banana: ). At the end, during my warm down, I tried to see how few strokes I could get on a length. 7 was the lowest I could go and at that stroke rate, my time was :50 for 50yds.:bitching: My 38.90 NQT was more like 17 strokes on the second 25yds! :afraid: So, I'm trying to work on dropping my stroke count AND my time, so I can be efficient AND fast in my races! Thanks, Andy! :bow: Your kick looks good.With your pull you need to focus on getting into EVF.You have pretty classic dropped elbows.That is even more common in BR than in free.The old advice of feeling like you are pulling yourself over a barrel is good.I'd forget about stroke count on the 50,if you are fastest taking 15 strokes take 15 strokes.It's a 50 so you won't get tired from over stroking.That said,your stroke count will go down if you get more distance from your pull. By the way,my stroke count is 9 per 25 for a 50,8 per 25 for a 100 and 6-7 per 25 for a 200.