BYU Swim Camps 2014

What percentage of your power in Breaststroke comes from the legs?

What percentage of your power in Breaststroke comes from the legs?

80%

Who is the current American Record Holder in the Men’s 100 Breaststroke?

Who is the current American Record Holder in the Women’s 100 Breaststroke?

Who is the current American Record Holder in the Men’s 100 Breaststroke?

Kevin Cordes

Who is the current American Record Holder in the Women’s 100 Breaststroke?

Breeja Larson

Science of Sport performanceRebecca Soni / Breaststroke

1. Pull2. Kick3. Timing4. Pulldowns

Breaststroke PullThere are four parts

1. Outsweep 2. Insweep (Catch) 3. Setup for Recovery 4. Recovery

1. OutsweepPalms face outSet up for the catchThe rest of your body remains in a tight lineDon’t lift the head yet, that comes next

2. Insweep / CatchHands sweep down and inward Keep Elbows high and fingertips low (have we heard this before?)

Thumbs upAs we start our insweep, we also start our breath

3. Setup for RecoveryElbows come in next to the bodyHands come up toward the surface (naturally

face up)Elbows stay wide. They don’t squeeze

together in front

4. RecoveryHands shoot forward FASTPress with the elbowsRotate palms down for a full extension during

the shoot

Hand Pattern

KickHeels Up: -Heels come up toward bottom. -Knees separate SLIGHTLY. About shoulder

width. -Fast heels so we don’t have a long resistance.Toes Out: -Feet turn out; toes point to the side. -Feet should set up at about the width of knees.Pushback: -Push with the inside (arch) of foot.

TimingStart your Breath on the Insweep.Bring heels up as your arms start recovery.Kick legs back as your upper body gets into

streamline.

Pull and Breath, Kick and Shoot

Kevin Cordes

Kitajima

Rebecca Soni

Key Points to remember!Shoot into a straight line between each

stroke.Don’t breath until the Insweep of the stroke.Fast heels up then turn your toes out.Don’t let knees go more than shoulder width

apart.Finish every Kick!

Coach McAllister’s Drills for BreaststrokeBreaststroke kick on your back in a streamline- don’t let knees

come out of the water.Slide and Glide- this is a kicking drill. Arms stay on top of one

another. As you start to bring the heels you will slide your hands in and then shoot together into a streamline fast.

I Y Drill- Start in a streamline. Start outsweep and pause for one second, then Insweep and breath at the same time. Legs will come up as you recover. This drill will help you breath at the right time.

Piece by Piece- Pull. Pause 1 second. Kick. Pause 1 second. Focus on each component separately.

Progressive drill- Start with Piece by piece. By the end of the 50 let your legs begin sooner and sooner until you feel the correct timing.

2 Kick/ 1 Pull- 1 Full cycle. Pause in ‘I’ position, then do 1 additional kick. This drill will help you feel your momentum between strokes.

Body line is the absolute priority •Put kick where the line stays best –For most people, it’s after hand separation and before pull down •A big dolphin kick isn’t necessarily best –Kick from the knees

Pulldown Video

“A great turn is a momentum maker, but a poor turn is a momentum breaker.”  -Coach Charlie Kennedy

Open TurnsThe Set-up: -Touch wall with palms & outstretched arms -Count your strokes to get timing correctThe Pivot: -Snap knees to chest as you rotate toward one

side. -Plant feet on wall. -Drop bottom arm, bring top arm right past ear

and meet in a streamline.The Pushoff: -Power position pushoff and rotate to stomach.

Start pullout

-In control of your emotions-Being poised when challenged and under pressure-Maintains focus -Resilient though intimidation -Ability to bounce back from adversity -Learning how to deal with the fear of failure

The problem is NEVER the problem.The problem is ALWAYS how you REACT to the problem.

Bob Bowman, Michael Phelps' coach, wanted to teach his then-young swimmer that a lot of upsetting things can happen to you over the course of your career and during a meet or race that can send your confidence and performance spiraling downward. 

How you handle these mishaps, either before or during your event can make or break your race performance. So Bowman would sometimes purposely step on Michael's goggles without him knowing about it before a race to insure that they would leak, and Phelps had to figure out how to maintain his composure under pressure when these things suddenly happened.

As a result, Michael got really good at effectively handling these unforeseen, oftentimes upsetting events. His approach was that you can look at these unexpected upsets as a “disaster,” and an excuse to get emotional and not do well, or you can look at them as a “challenge,” and figure out ways of rising above them so that they actually make you a stronger, mentally tougher swimmer. And that's exactly what Phelps got incredibly good at! He would practice racing with his goggles leaking and figured out different strategies of coping with this so that if it ever happened in a big race, he would know exactly how to handle it.

Story of Michaels 2008 200 Butterfly

What do you think he did?

He simply counted his strokes on the way to the

wall. He ended up winning his record setting

8th Gold medal.