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Learning the Breast Stroke
Description
Basic Description - Swimming on your
front, pulling with an simultaneous, symmetrical short arm pull and an
underwater recovery and a simultaneous, symmetrical leg kick.
Its co-ordination is roughly
PULL-BREATHE-KICK-STRETCH & HOLD.
Simultaneous - both at the same time
Symmetrical - they are mirror images of each other
Basic Problems
- Learning the Whip Kick
- Arms and
Co-Ordination
1. Learning the Whip Kick:
We will start by looking at the kick on our back. Right now, sit down on the
floor and bend your knees to 90°, with your knees about 1 fist apart. Place
your heels on the floor about shoulder width apart and your toes pointing up
and away. It should look like this:
Put your legs back down flat on the floor and do it again a few times until
you can find this position easily. Now, close your eyes and find what feels
like the same position. Open your eyes and check. Practice that a few times
with your eyes closed and check it each time until you can get the position
right every time without looking at it.
Next, find this position against a wall. Only your 2 big toes should touch
the wall, your heels should be very close to the wall, your knees should
still be only 1 fist apart and knees should be bent exactly 90° still. Find
that position a few times, then try to find the same position with your eyes
closed. Lie on your back on the floor, now and put your arms at your side.
Before you open your eyes to check this time, feel your big toes against the
wall, see if you can touch each outside ankle with your fingers. Then open
your eyes to see if your knees are 1 fist apart. Great work so far!
The most important part of the "whip" kick is the push or propulsion part.
Have a look at your position against the wall. The inside of your foot and
your lower leg are facing the wall. These surfaces are the blade of your
paddle that is going to push you through the water. Sir Newton tells us that
"for every action there is an equal, but opposite reaction". So, If I want
to move head first in the water I have to push the opposite way with my
kick. Now we are going to finish our whip kick homework by practicing the
push part of the kick. On a slippery floor, keeping your knees strong and
steady, slowly push your big toes against the wall and you will get pushed
head first away from the wall. Keep pushing until your feet come together. Do
it again a few times and gradually increase the push. [Make sure you have
room to slide and that your head does not hit anything!]
Now you are ready to do some pool practice. Do the same exercises at the
pool. Then start to float and kick on your back using your new kick until
you can feel the water being pushed away and you start to move head first.
2. Arm Action:
The breaststroke pull is a complex 3 dimensional skill that eventually has
to be co-ordinated with the kick and the breathing to create an efficient
stroke.
In this work at home exercise we will start you on your way to learning the
breaststroke pull. You will need to draw the following diagram on a large
piece of paper (flipchart size).
In creating your diagram, the distances are as follows:
A to D is the distance from your chin to your finger-tip when your arm is
straight out to the side
B to C is 1/3rd the distance from A to D
C to D is the distance from your chin to your elbow when your arm is
straight out to the side
When starting to practice, have someone read the steps to you and do them
slowly at first until you can do them perfectly with your eyes closed before
adding the breathing steps.
Step 1: Place the diagram on the wall with the D directly in from of your
chin. Stand 2 of your feet away from the chart (i.e.: put the toes of one
foot against the wall, and place the toes of the second foot at the heel of
the first foot. Put the first foot beside the second foot.
Step 2: Reach up and put the longest fingers of both hands on the A of the
diagram. You should have to stretch a little to reach it. Your palms should
be facing the floor as much as the wall.
Step 3. Bring your fingertips to point B. As you are doing this, make sure
that a) your palms always face the floor, and b) your elbows don’t go past
B. Your forearms should now be parallel to the floor. Have a look to see how
you are doing so far.
Step 4: The next motion involves your shoulder action only. Keeping your
fingertips on the paper and using your shoulders, bring your fingertips to
point C. Your palms should still be facing the floor and your forearms
should still be parallel to the floor.
Step 5: Keep your palms toward the floor and bring your fingertips almost to
your chin.
Step 6: At the same time do these 3 movements. a) move your fingertips
toward A, b) your palms toward the chart, and c) your elbows toward D
Step 7: Continue this action until you stretch up and touch A with your
fingertips. Hold in this position for a full 5 seconds EVERY time. This
s-t-r-e-t-c-h position must be held in your breaststroke every stroke. As
you get better you will feel how long to stretch it for but it must be there
every time.
As you practice, try to make the action smooth and continuous from A to B to
C to D to A, s-t-r-e-t-c-h, then A to B …
When you get to the pool to practice, use a noodle and watch your arms to
make sure that you are doing it correctly.
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