More than any other stroke, the secret to great breaststroke is to maximize propulsion and minimize drag. Coaches need to analyze every aspect of each swimmer's stroke to look for ways to achieve these goals.
Ohio State Swim Coaches Bill Wadley and Bill Dorenkott take high level breaststrokers through a drill series to build a championship breaststroke. They address the three crucial aspects of the stroke necessary to maximize propulsion and reduce resistance:
- Reduce drag with great body position by lining up the four Hs (hands, head, hips, heels).
- Shorten your time outside the streamline position to maximize acceleration.
- Stay in the Power Zone during the pull with excellent kick and body position.
The Kick
Starting with the kick, Coach Wadley and Dorenkott present 14 kicking drills that create a narrow, fast kick that reduces resistance. This progression of drills begins with the technical aspects of the kick and progresses through breaststroke-specific body positioning with an efficient kick.
These drills assist with:
- Developing hip flexibility which is essential for a great kick.
- Creating an explosive finish kick.
- Maintaining a high center of gravity with a flat back, long neck and weightless arms out front.
- Timing the kick to master the rhythm of the stroke: pull, breathe and then kick.
- Developing foot speed in the kick and feet-together recovery.
Included in this section are advanced skills for the finish of the kick that allow the feet to drop into an ideal glide position following the accelerated finish of the kick.
The Pull
Discover 13 drills that teach and train the pull phase of the stroke. These drills include sculling drills to enhance the feel for each phase of the pull, small pull drills that train the catch, and out-sweep, and full pull drills that train how to properly wrap the corner and accelerate into an ideal glide position. Also included are pulling drills that assist in teaching the timing of the stroke including underwater drills that teach a swimmer to decrease resistance in all phases of the stroke.
The Pullout
Coach Wadley presents a five-phase pullout sequence that begins with how to attain the most efficient push-off, and then adds the arm movement, the dolphin kick phase, the arm recovery, and kick into breakout. Putting the sequence together ends with a fast, powerful, and effective pullout and breakout. Demonstrations of the full stroke include tempo for the 200, 100, and 50 meter distances.
The more than 35 skills and drills presented include invaluable insights from both coaches into successful breaststroke swimming. Underwater footage and expert demonstrations greatly enhance the instruction. Order now!
68 minutes. 2013.
