Intermediate Breastroke
The breastroke is a critical skill for swimmers who want to compete. Most swimmers cannot easily perform the breastroke well as it is a very complicated move to execute. Once you teach yourself how to perform this efficiently, it will become much easier to win races, beat your own records, and have a great time doing it.
The best place to start is to find out whether or not you are doing a proper breastroke. Begin by reading our “breastroke for Beginners” article that is featured on our website. You should also check with a certified swimming instructor or coach to make sure you are doing the moves properly. This can be very helpful, as most instructors and coaches will point out what you need to improve in order to get to the next level.
Emily is a 16-year-old competitive swimmer in Lapeer, Michigan. Emily is the current record holder at her school in the 100-meter breastroke. One thing she has noticed is that many of her competitors have a sloppy style in the breastroke. “Keep your elbows out whenever your arms are moved towards your chest. Emily says that by keeping the elbows out, you will have more momentum to push ahead into the next stroke, with your shoulders out of the water at this point. Likewise, Emily said intermediate breastrokers can get a little lazy with the feet. She says that you will be much faster if you can get the feet moving correctly.
The real power that helps a swimmer to propel forward comes from the glide portion of the breastroke. At this point, the arms and legs of the swimmer should be held together tight at the end of each stroke. In order to have a more powerful glide, it is essential to strengthen the legs for a more powerful kick. Leg stretches are Emily Emily’s secret to strengthening her legs for this purpose. She says you should hold each leg for a period of 10-seconds, release and then stretch the other leg. Every time you do it, try to get it higher.”
Another trick to increase your speed is to use stretch bands. Conduct your stretching exercises with these wrapped around your legs. For example, tie the ends of the band together and then wrap it around the ankles. For an out-of-the-pool workout, sit down to do this stretch and try to move your legs apart from each other. Repeat as long as it feels comfortable to you. You can use the bands in the water too. With the stretch wrap’s ends tied together, you can use it around either your thighs or your ankles. For this exercise you should use a kickboard as you try to move your legs. Doing this exercise in the water will not just add strength to your legs, it will also help you to work on and perfect your kicking motion.
As you teach breastroke to yourself, your legs will learn these motions more effectively if you kick widely. However, a wide kick is not so good for competitive swimmers because the wide leg provides resistance to the next stroke. When your kick is more narrow, each subsequent stroke will have less resistance working against it. As Emily said, leg strength is very important in improving your breastroke. You can also exercise by performing the lunge to improve leg strength. Stand up straight, and then move forward with one leg until your forward knee is bent at an angle of ninety degrees, moving your body downwards. Hold this position for a moment, and then move both legs back together. Repeat this with your other leg. Many swim coaches recommend doing these three times each week, working up to 25 lunges per leg. This is followed by leg stretching exercises.
Other exercises should be used to help strengthen and stretch the arms, especially the triceps muscles. Triceps dips are excellent exercises to do just that: Sit on the floor with your legs in front of you. Lean back, extending your arms behind you so that you are resting on your hands. Lift your bottom off the floor simply by using your arms. Hold for a count of 10 and release.
Some experts believe, however, that the best exercise you can do that will help you to improve your breastroke is the breastroke. Emily practices swimming with her high school swim team two hours each day, one hour of which is devoted to the breastroke. Emily says that the more she does it the better she is at doing it. You can break down your practice to concentrate on various components. You may want to try performing the kick ten times, or work on your arms for a period of time in order to give the rest of your body time to recover. Most racers who engage in competition also concentrate on how long they spend making their breastroke turns after every length. For example, in the breastroke it is essential that both legs and both hands touch the wall during the turn. Immediately after contact, push an arm towards your new direction as you are propelling yourself from the wall. At the point of the “push off”, the swimmer’s body should be streamlined and straight in order to achieve a powerful glide motion.
However, too much of anything is not good for you. There are countless stories of swimmers who injured their knees from overdoing it on the breastroke. This is because the force of the kick occurs on the outer side of the knees. This is why swimmers truly need to be aware of what their bodies are telling them. If you are beginning to feel pain, abstaining from heavy practice for a certain period of time might be necessary. Strengthening exercises and stretches can help you to stay strong and heal during this off time. There are always other swimming strokes to focus on.
While you are competing against others, it is important to put your focus on your own efforts during a race. Prior to the race, be certain to stretch, and don’t lose your confidence or calm. You need to be single-minded and only focus on what you are doing once you get in the water. Never look to see how your competition is doing, and focus entirely on your own movements.
Improving your breastroke is largely a matter of practicing the fundamentals as efficiently as possible. If you learn how to practice and build up your strength and stamina wisely, listen to your body and take breaks when you need to, you could become an advanced breastroke swimmer.
Category: Contributors
