We have all been there – sitting behind a breaststroker, trying to overtake them, trying to get around their wide kicks and slow speed. Frustrating!!!

However, to get good at breaststroke – you have to swim breaststroke! That is to say, if you want to swim fast breaststroke in competition you have to train to swim fast breaststroke.

Many swimmers wonder why their breaststroke does not improve. Often the reason is simple…they don’t swim it enough in training.

How often do you do a full session of breaststroke? That’s breaststroke warm up, breaststroke kick, breaststroke pull, breaststroke drills, breaststroke main set, breaststroke starts / turns / finishes.

Many breaststrokers find themselves doing a few breaststroke drills in warm up, a few 50’s of breaststroke kick and then freestyle or medley main sets. Now often this is because of crowded lanes and the need to get the work done – particularly during main sets – but there is an old saying, “train the way you want to race”.

Allocate two to three sessions per week of nothing but breaststroke.  Breaststroke specific sessions, and especially timed breaststroke main sets. Then, watch how much you improve!

 2. Think SHAPE not STROKE

There are as many views and opinions on what constitutes perfect breaststroke technique as there are swimmers who swim it and coaches who coach it!

Don’t think too much about the stroke. The basics you learn in stroke school or in your junior squad program will take you a long way.

Instead think SHAPE.

There are three key shapes in breaststroke:

TORPEDO SHAPE – At the end of recovery with hands and arms stretched forward, legs squeezed together, toes pointed and everything is tight.  Although this shape is only held for a fraction of a second, it is important to extend yourself to be in this shape after every single stroke.

COBRA SHAPE – After the torpedo shape, you move into the cobra shape. This is when your legs are still long behind you, your arms are pulling in towards your chest at maximum strength position and your head is up looking directly ahead at the end of the pool (and you are taking an in breath).

FROG SHAPE – Directly following the cobra shape comes the frog shape. This is a shape that you would be familiar with when learning the breaststroke kick. Your feet are close to your backside and turned outwards with your toes pointing towards the sides of the pool. Your hands are under your chin/chest, about to push forward to regain that torpedo shape while your chest, hips and knees are making a long slightly outwards curved shape (hips are extended, not flexed).

 3. DON’T OVER THINK OR OVER COACH BREASTSTROKE

In keeping with the SHAPE NOT STROKE concept – don’t over think (or over coach) breaststroke. Learn the basics well, learn to do them consistently in training and learn to maintain them at high speed and under pressure in competition.

Too many swimmers (and coaches) catch the PBA disease: PARALYSIS BY ANALYSIS. That means that they spend too much time and energy getting breaststroke “just right” and are constantly tweaking, fiddling and adjusting timing, rating, pull width, kick depth, head position etc etc.

Once you get a good basic breaststroke – LEAVE IT ALONE!

Keep it simple. Think SHAPE.

4. LONG AND STRONG / LONG AND STRONG / LONG AND STRONG / LONG AND STRONG / LONG AND STRONG

Once you have a good concept of SHAPE, focus on long powerful kicks and strong powerful arms: or long and strong for short.

The critical shapes in breaststroke – the Torpedo shape and the Frog shape allow maximum distance per stroke from a position of maximum kick propulsion: maximum propulsive force at the point of least resistance.

Reach long – (torpedo SHAPE) and kick strong – (frog SHAPE)

The long and strong becomes a mantra and helps to develop rhythm in the overall stroke: reach long / kick strong, reach long / kick strong, reach long / kick strong etc etc.

5. SMALL, HEAD MOVEMENTS AND ALL OF THEM FORWARD.

In all swimming strokes (and just about everything else you do), your body follows your head. If your head is moving fast and excessively up and down, chances are in breaststroke, your body will also be moving up and down excessively creating too much drag.

In breaststroke, small head movements can help when there is too much height at the breath point and therefore not enough forward propulsion.

Try thinking FORWARD rather than UP and DOWN, i.e. push your chin forward to breathe then gently push your forehead forward back into the water. The total distance your head needs to move throughout the stroke is about 3-5 inches – the distance between your chin and forehead.

Whether breaststroke is the best stroke – you can decide. It is certainly ONE of the best four strokes and a stroke that can be fun, enjoyable and rewarding to swim.

WAYNE GOLDSMITH AND HELEN MORRIS

In swimming, effective propulsive movements are SLOW to FAST.

In Fly, you reach long, feel the water, catch then accelerate through the stroke to recovery. Same in back. Same in breast (arms and legs). Same in free.

It starts with an effective feel on entry and a strong catch then…..throughout the stroke it is acceleration that makes all the difference.

2. The relationship between HIPS and HEAD is critical

There is a critical relationship between the HIPS and the HEAD in swimming. Simply, when the head is up, the hips go down and if the hips are down three important things happen:

• Hips down means you kick down – instead of back.
• Hips down means your body is in an inefficient position
• Hips down means that your body is not streamlined

Be aware of this relationship and keep your head and hips in the right positions.

3. SOFT HANDS and feel!

If someone gave you a rose and said, “feel this – it is so soft” – what would you do with your hands? Cup them tightly? Clench them into a fist? Force your fingers wide apart with lots of tension? Or……..would you relax your fingers and hands and wrist and gently feel the rose?

You can’t feel anything with tight, tense hands. To improve your feel of the water, relax and think soft hands.

4. Think tall – think long

There is no doubt that objects that are long, tall, thin and streamlined move better through water than things that aren’t!

• Streamline off every turn.
• Streamline on entry at each dive and start.
• Streamlining off walls is important but………….think tall and think long all the time!

Believe it or not, an awareness of being tall and long in the water is important. For example in breaststroke recovery, think tall and long as you stretch and reach forward – reach long…..then kick strong.

It is the combination of long and strong that produces the most efficient swimming movements.

This “tall” thinking and awareness really helps your body move and flow through the water.

5. The faster you want to go, the more relaxed you have to be

Watch a little kid running. Now tell him to run as fast as he can…..what happens? He clenches his fists. He gets red in the face. He holds his breath. And he lasts about twenty yards!!

The faster you want to go, the more relaxed you have to be.

Speed is about relaxation – not grunting – not fist clenching – not tightening up – not breath holding – relaxation.

If you want to go fast, focus on staying calm, relaxed and moving easily.

6. The POWER Circle – POWER ON – POWER OFF.

Swimming has two primary phases – the “propulsive” phase and the “recovery” phase. For many swimmers, the recovery phase is actually an extension of the propulsive phase in that they don’t actually recover. The recovery phase is a time to relax and allow muscles to switch off in preparation for the next propulsive pull. Learning to do this can make a big difference to a swimmer’s ability to maintain a strong powerful stroke throughout a race.

Think POWER CIRCLE – POWER ON / POWER OFF. When the hands and arms are under the water and pulling it is power ON. As the hands leave the water to recover, it is power OFF.

The ability to turn the power off and relax during recovery is an important skill for all swimmers to develop.

7. Finishes – Head forward / Hips high / full kick / full stroke

Good finishes in all strokes have four common elements: HEAD – HIPS – KICK – STROKE

• Head – leaning forward towards the wall – as opposed to turning and looking at the opposition or the results.
• Hips – high and in a strong position – to keep the body in a streamlined position and moving towards the wall.
• Kick – still working and driving the body forward at the wall. In fly finishing with a strong down kick and in breast finishing with the feet accelerating all the way to a toes touch position.
• Stroke – finishing in a long, strong, tall position at the end of recovery so that the body is streamlined and capable of reaching and stretching towards the finish.

Every finish in training is a race finish and should include these four elements.

8. Starts – Key words = focused thinking

There are many distractions at the start of a race – noise, crowd, media, other swimmers, etc etc. The world is not going to shut down for you – you need to “shut” the world down.

To do this, try the simple “key word” technique.

 Find a word that means “start” to you – something like:

• Power
• Explode
• Drive
• Strong
• Relax

Take a long, deep breath – and if you can, take 5 seconds to inhale fully. Then on the exhale, say your key word quietly to yourself, taking 5 seconds to exhale fully. Repeat this for about a minute, continuing to breath deeply and slowly (about 5-6 breaths per minute), focusing on the key word every exhale.

This does three things:

• It gives you confidence and control over the pre race environment
• The slow deep breathing keeps you relaxed
• The focus word allows you to eliminate external distractions and focus on a good start.

 9. Turns – tight

 Turns are an important part of swimming and invariably great swimmers are great turners.

 Turns need to be tight.

•  Heels up close to the buttocks.
• Legs tucked up and under the body.
• Arms in close and held near the centre of the body.

 Being tight keeps the body in an efficient minimum resistance position but it also allows the swimmer to adopt the “coiled spring” position.

 Muscles can contract with greater power after being stretched and put under tension. By pulling the limbs in close to centre of the body, the large, powerful muscles of the legs, shoulders and back are placed on stretch.

 Then coming out of the turn, the body can open up with power and explosiveness and use this elastic energy to drive off the wall and get back into fast swimming!

 10. Consistency is the key

 The key to it all is to take the first nine tips and practice them consistently – every session – every day – every week.

 Consistency provides opportunity – opportunity provides the talented swimmer with the chance to achieve anything.

 We are creatures of habit. What we do repeatedly and what becomes habit, is what we do instinctively in times of fatigue and pressure, i.e. racing. If you practice doing things consistently well in training and doing things well becomes your “habit” under the pressure and pain of racing you will always come out on top.

 Wayne Goldsmith

1. BK – SK – FK – SK (Kick Drill)

The trick to great fly kick is to learn to kick with strong, flowing, even power and rhythm in both directions.

Try this drill:
Push off in with your arms by your side. Kick six kicks on your back, rotate to your left side and kick six kicks on your side, then rotate over to your tummy and kick six kicks on your front and rotate over again to your right side for another six kicks.

The aim is to keep a strong, even, flowing kicking movement throughout the drill particularly the first and last kicks after and before you rotate to a new position.

2. Power On, Power Off Drill

Without doubt the single most important concept in FLY. When your arms are under the water it’s Power – feel, catch then pull with power and acceleration. But..as soon as your arms leave the water it’s POWER OFF – long, loping, relaxed, easy arms in recovery.

To practice, put on your fins. Push off in streamline. Do slow motion one arm fly with the resting arm by your side. As you complete the one arm fly say to yourself:

• Power On (on hand entry)

• Power Off (as your hand – little finger first) exits the water.

Get a flowing rhythm going: Power On – Power Off, Power On – Power Off, Power On – Power Off , Power On – Power Off ….you will be amazed how well this works!

3. O’Neil Strength Drill

Lots of variations of this drill but I like Susie O’Neil’s version best.

• 5 x 50 Fly on 1:30 as (25 kick on your back / 25 sprint) – short course pool.
• 1st 50. 25 Fly kick on your back carrying your water bottle with both hands and straight arms. The bottle should be pointed straight up to the sky and your arms at right angles to the water. Leave your bottle at the end of the pool and sprint 25 fly.
• 2nd 50. Same as the first 50 but this time carrying your pull buoy straight overhead – arms at right angles to the water surface.
• 3rd 50. Same as above but this time carrying your fins.
• 4th 50. Same as above but carrying your kickboard overhead – arms at right angles to the water surface.
• 5th 50. Dive sprint 25 fly. At the end where all your swim gear now is, load up your kick board with your water bottle, pull buoy and fins (lay them on top of the board as if it was a table), hold the fully loaded kickboard straight above your head – arms at right angles to the water surface and kick 25 fly on your back.

Do it again if you liked it!

This is a really fun drill and yet it actually helps build strength and kicking ability.

4. Best of All Fly Kick Drill

Dolphin kick with arms folded over your head!

5. Countbacks

Great fly swimming is about combining maximum distance per stroke (long strokes) and speed (fast strokes).

This drill is called countback.

3x (8 x 25 on 1:00). Easy 100 backstroke every 8.

1. Aim to swim 25 fly in 10-12 strokes. Hold 200 metre pace.
2. Do it again and aim to do it in one stroke less – hint: you can go up to 15 metres underwater!! Same pace.
3. Do it again and aim for one less stroke. Same pace.
4. Do it again and aim for one less stroke. Same pace.
5. Now hold the number of strokes you achieved in the 4th repeat and pick the pace up to 100 pace.
6. Repeat.
7. Repeat.
8. Now increase your speed to 50 metre pace but maintain the same stroke count.

The aim over time is to do the same drill but over long distances and with shorter rests, e.g. possible progression might be:

• 3 x (8 x 25 fly countback drill on 45)
• 3 x (8 x 25 fly countback drill on 40)
• 3 x (8 x 25 countback drill on 35)
• 3 x (8x 25 countback drill on 30)
• 2 x (8 x 50 countback drill on 1:30)
• 2 x (8 x 50 countback drill on 1:20)

To make it more challenging, as you improve try to breath every two or even three strokes.

6. Drill, Kick, Swim Combinations

The great swimming coach Einstein said training set designs are only limited by your imagination. Try these fly – kick – swim – drill – speed sets.

• 4 x (4 x 50) fly on 60 Each set of four as 1-2. Drill 25/Swim 25, 3. stroke count. 4. explode first 25 metres.
• 8 x 50 fly drill on 60 (25 fast and with power / 25 easy but long strokes).
• 5 x (2 x 50 fly on 60 as drill 30 / explode final 20 metres with no breathing last three strokes to the wall). Easy 100 free between each 2 x 50.
• 4 x (3 x 50 fly on 60 as 1. Drill 50, 2.Swim (stroke count), 3. 25 Moderate / 25 m Fast)

7. Long Flowing Fin Fly

One of the best ways to develop rhythm in fly is to do long reps with fins. Start with 100 metres. Then add 100 metres per week. Aim to be able to swim 800 – 1000 metres fly with fins easily and with flow and rhythm.

Swim only fast enough to maintain momentum and flow. Breathe every two or three if possible concentrating on a relaxed, neutral head position and the “power on / power off” mantra. Try to hit a consistent stroke count and even pace throughout the swim.

Wayne Goldsmith