I am trying to figure out how much hip movement to employ in my own breastroke. When I swam in college (85 - 89) we still had to keep some part of our heads above water during each stroke. So, the stroke tended to be more flat compared to breastrokers today. I used some hip movement on the end of my kick back then, but really very little.
Now, since the head can go completely under water during each stroke, it seems to follow that there is more hip movement. I'm talking about an almost sinuous movement to the stroke - getting some benefit of a dolphin kick at the end of each kick, as you feet go up to follow your hips.
However, how much hip movement seems to vary from swimmer to swimmer. At a glance, it seems that the higher a swimmer brings his head out to breath, the more hip movement seems to be used. I'm wondering if the hip movement itself is an advantage - or if it is used to adjust for a breastrokers breathing style? Would appreciate hearing any other thoughts on the subject.
For example, Phelps seems to have the most hip movement (due to extensive work with fly and dolphin kick ? )
www.youtube.com/watch
Hansen seems to have very little hip movement
www.youtube.com/watchwww.youtube.com/watch
and Kitajima seems somewhere in the middle
www.youtube.com/watch
Parents
Former Member
In general, yes, undulation during breaststroke definitely helps your overall movement through the water. With regard to the videos, I would say that the two that you should be concentrating on are Hansen and Kitajima since Phelps isn't really "known" for his breaststroke (it's his worst stroke while swimming the IM).
In general, yes, undulation during breaststroke definitely helps your overall movement through the water. With regard to the videos, I would say that the two that you should be concentrating on are Hansen and Kitajima since Phelps isn't really "known" for his breaststroke (it's his worst stroke while swimming the IM).
