Breaststroke Balance

Hello Moms, Dads, Swimmers, and Swim Fans,

I would like to welcome two new additions to the Ripon Aquatics Family: Maddie and Savannah! Maddie (I hope I am spelling that correctly) is a wonderful young lady who has high hopes and big dreams. We want to help her reach her full potential and we are blessed to have someone so kind on our team. Maddie is a wonderful addition and I know she will be welcomed with open arms. Savannah is a high school swimmer that trained in our winter program. She has a hunger, thirst, and desire to swim fast and improve and it is my goal to help her achieve her goals. Not only is she a superb swimmer, but I also hear she is a talented young water polo player. Ripon Aquatics is elated to have such a wonderful young lady join our family. Please take a few minutes to extend your warmest greetings to these two new families.

I was AMAZED at how full our morning practice pool was in the early hours. Ten Ripon High swimmers came to practice, this is most impressive. We were also fortunate to have Coach Sean on deck with our high school team. Six Ripon Aquatics girls were in the water working on breaststroke. We also had two Masters/Lap Swimmers doin it ol’ school and lookin good! Let’s keep this momentum going!

Today I want to talk about something I call breaststroke balance. Many people do not think of balance when it comes to swimming, but balance is essential to swimming fast. Balance also ties into timing. A balanced breaststroke will have a nice horizontal line from fingertips to toes (You may remember this as the 4 H’s from yesterday’s discussion). This balance must remain through the cycle of the stroke. “Breaking the line” is when the horizontal balance of the body is broken and it usually results in dropping the hips. If the head lifts, the hips will also sink. So you can deduce that good head position and good body position determine a balanced stroke. But how do we achieve and maintain good head and body position. “Your head looks like a frikin chicken,” all of us have heard Ervin say this, it means your head is moving too much. In breaststroke when your hands are at their fullest extension in front of you, with elbows locked, look at your fingertips; this is the position you want your head to stay in for the entire stroke (Did you get that Sarah?). Now, I know that several years back the “wave” style breaststroke was all the rave. Everyone wanted to be Amanda, and why not she was the fastest female breaststroker in the world, but only for a little bit. Her “wave” style was analyzed and many coaches pontificated on the efficiency and effectiveness of the stroke. Unfortunately as Amanda got older her body could no longer perform the stroke like she did in her teen years. Why am I telling you all of this? Because I want to give you a little history about breaststroke and why I teach a low-profile stroke. Wave breaststroke, in my never-to-be-humble-opinion, is obsolete. It had it’s day but it has given way to the superiority of the Kitajima, Moses, Soni low-profile style. Wave breaststroke obliterates the horizontal line and destroys the balance of the stroke. The key to low-profile breast is to keep the hips high by not arching the back and lifting the head. A balanced stroke has great head position and body position, an explosive and powerful pull, and superb timing. Timing is what we will talk about tomorrow.

Ryan’s coach tip of the day: Breaststroke can be summed up in two words: Technique & Power.

Until next time,
Coach Ryan