Breaststroke Technique Question--What to do with the Hands

There was a woman from out of town who swam with our team last week. She had these new Speedo breaststroke fins: www.kastawayswimwear.com/product.asp I was quite skeptical. I'm always worried about hurting my knees. (I tried some other fins a few years ago that were supposedly OK for breaststroke, and they immediately hurt my knees.) Anyway, I tried her fins for 50 meters. WOW. They are unique. They didn't seem to put any strain on my knees at all. When I got back to the wall, she said, "Now take them off and try to swim." It was a strange feeling. I think the fins, if used regularly, would help to speed up the "whip" portion of the kick. Anna Lea

I changed my breaststroke twice in my career. The first time was in 1994. I was told to lift my head higher to help my body position. It didn't work. I was swimming slower with the "new" stroke because my hand speed slowed down considerably. I didn't get the opportunity to fully change it until 1997, to the stroke I use today. It's a mix of the stroke I swam as a teenager, with a little wave action mixed in. It works wonders for me. So Karen, I know what you mean about changing your stroke and going slower. Now's the time to fix it. But you have to be seriously committed to doing it, or it won't happen. Start by understanding the type of stroke that works for you through drills. Once you find that happy medium, continue those drills, and don't change. It took me six months to fully get the stroke I learned in 1997 down. I still have to do drills to keep my mind focused on it, but it's not as bad as it was then.

I felt really good about my breaststroke and then went to the 2003 OTC camp where I discovered a panoply of problems. It took 6 mo. of work before I felt comfortable with the new stroke.When I did I began swimming times I hadn't done in 9 years.I read one famous coach(I think it was Marsh) has his swimmers start from scratch every year to relearn their strokes.

I haven't had a breaststroke since, I think, 1999. I had hurt my knee skiing (last run of the day!) in 1997 and I couldn't do br, so I switched to back. That year (97) I went 1:03 and 2:16 for the backs :) I was happy, I didn't know I could do a decent backstroke. Anyway, when I went back to swimming br "it" wasn't there. My arms were NEVER tired, even after a 200, and suddenly they were exhausted. I've always had the stronger kick part of my stroke- gone! I just have no feel. Roque Santos tried to help me do the wave, and then I was caught with some half-bred wave/flat stroke!!!! WWAAAHHHHHH- I know, but it's frustrating because I don't know how to go about getting something back that 1) was natural, and 2) I took for granted (so I didn't really pay too much attention!)

Anybody, or does anyone know anybody, that completely dismantled their breaststroke and started over from the beginning? I'm thinking that's what I need to do. If I go slower than 2:40 again in the 200 I'm going to scream! I used to be in the high 2:20's, low 2:30s and now a 2:40 is a good swim! My husband said, "Oh dear, you WERE a breaststroker." As I write this he says that he'll fix it... Help I'm being hijac.... ed. ...The other side of the story...by someone who apparently is "Sooooo fast he doesn't even have to swim to make all American..." When Karen gets on the computer I usually go downstairs or play with the dog but I can't let this go any further. When I start getting slammed in the magazine as well as online well... I have offered and continue to offer to work on Karen's breastSTROKE. I don't claim to be a great breaststroker. Quite the contrary but I've had a lot of good coaches make chicken salad out of chicken &*^%$ (I was just told I couldn't finish that sentence) and I thought that their input might help. It's simple, effective but not at all flashy. The offer stands....of course with some trepidation. The last time I made a suggestion to her about her swimming it was me telling her to "get tough and swim another set with me." That was about an hour before she ended up in the emergency room with meningitis. Still, maybe things will be better this time.... Fearfully, I return control of this device to her... -Pat Duggan And now back to our regularly scheduled attacks. This time when Pat "helps" me, I'll probably give birth! Good night all, and someone, Jeff?, please answer my original question.

I had hurt my knee skiing (last run of the day!) ... If you hurt your knee skiing isn't that sort of by definition the last run of the day? ;) Skip Montanaro

Anybody, or does anyone know anybody, that completely dismantled their breaststroke and started over from the beginning? Karen, I did that very thing beginning in 1999 when I got a stroke coach who I had seen teaching BR the way I thought I wanted to swim. This year, eight years later, I finally finished the conversion. My 100 BR is now 2.5 seconds faster than my fastest college time and 1.25 seconds faster than my best-ever master's swim. In other words, it really is a lifetime best, at age 65. On the way out to my 100 BR at nationals, I also got a lifetime best in the 50. I would recommend making changes but be prepared to take years to find the right groove. One thing you may notice is that once you begin to tinker with the stroke your endurance will go down the tubes. That will take some time to regain, so shorter distances will get there before longer ones.

I've never tried the breaststroke fins, but if someone at the pool had them, I'd try them out. That'll never happen, because everyone on my team is a freestyler.

I've never tried the breaststroke fins, but if someone at the pool had them, I'd try them out. That'll never happen, because everyone on my team is a freestyler. That is so sad . :shakeshead: OK, Dana, my BR kick absolutely sucks, so I'm trying them out my next practice.

Imspoiled, have you found that *** fins have improved your kick a lot? Or is it more of a regular fins effect, where you feel super fast with them on, and then once you take them off you've lost all your feel for the water and feel like you are going backwards?