PURPOSE:To assess the effect of adding a dolphin kick to a breaststroke pullout.
METHODS:Eleven (20.9±2.3 yrs, 1.86±0.05 m, 79.6±5.5 kg) swimmers experienced with performing traditional and dolphin kick breaststroke pullouts participated in the study. Underwater video analysis was used to track whole body center of mass kinematics during a pullout. Time for the center of mass to travel distances ranging from 2.5-4 m from the initiation of the pullout were computed. Hand force data were derived from differential pressure measurements during the pulling phase of the pullout.
RESULTS:Use of a dolphin kick in a breaststroke pullout significantly (p=0.016) improved performance. Time for the center of mass to travel 4m after the initiation of the pull was reduced by 0.19 s. This performance improvement was not attributable to enhanced force production from the pull. Hand force was not significantly different between pullout techniques for the right hand (p=0.142) nor left hand (p=0.303). Total impulse produced by the pull was reduced by 3.6% (p=0.039, ES=0.34) when using the dolphin kick pullout.
CONCLUSIONS:These data suggest that the use of a dolphin kick during a breaststroke pullout provides a significant advantage over the traditional no-dolphin kick pullout. Furthermore, this advantage comes from enhanced propulsion from the kick but not the pull.
It's good to see validation, but I thought most breaststrokers now did a butterfly kick during their pulldown. What I want to know is when is the optimal time to do it. I've had this debate before, but Kitajima and Liesel Jones both do their butterfly kick BEFORE their pulldowns. Most Americans do their butterfly kick near the end of their pulldowns. Arguably, doing the butterfly kick first is not consistent with the rules (and if so, the rule should be revised to clearly permit this). It FEELS faster to me to do the butterfly kick first, but I don't know if this is true for a fact. My times don't appear to bear that out, though clearly there are many factors to take into consideration...
It's not hard to do the butterfly kick near the end of the pulldown, since the pulldown is close enough to a butterfly pull that the kick can feel very natural. It sounds like at a minimum, everybody should at least do that.
It's good to see validation, but I thought most breaststrokers now did a butterfly kick during their pulldown. What I want to know is when is the optimal time to do it. I've had this debate before, but Kitajima and Liesel Jones both do their butterfly kick BEFORE their pulldowns. Most Americans do their butterfly kick near the end of their pulldowns. Arguably, doing the butterfly kick first is not consistent with the rules (and if so, the rule should be revised to clearly permit this). It FEELS faster to me to do the butterfly kick first, but I don't know if this is true for a fact. My times don't appear to bear that out, though clearly there are many factors to take into consideration...
It's not hard to do the butterfly kick near the end of the pulldown, since the pulldown is close enough to a butterfly pull that the kick can feel very natural. It sounds like at a minimum, everybody should at least do that.
