A False impression That Might Be Hindering The Growth of Breaststroke Swimmers Across the World

Courtesy of swimming coach Jozsef Nagy

Studying and utilizing the ideas of physics the idea of wave-action breaststroke was birthed by swimming coach Jozef Nagy. Before him breaststroke was flat with swimmers using low within the water–pushing quite a lot of water. By the mid Nineteen Eighties Coach Nagy was working Mike Barrowman, innovating and growing Barrowman’s stroke into an undulating movement. Barrowman broke document after document and ultimately received gold on the 1992 Olympic Games within the 200m breaststroke. Coach Nagy is a extremely sought-after swimming professional who contributes to swimming media when he has new insights to share.

Currently, I work in Hungary on behalf of the Hungarian Swimming Federation, however I additionally journey to different international locations — when invited — to carry coaching camps and provides lectures. I work solely with breaststroke swimmers, particular person medley swimmers who need to enhance their breaststroke, and with their coaches. During classes, I spend a number of hours consulting with coaches, whereas with swimmers I conduct coaching classes, technical work and video evaluation.

Based on my expertise throughout a number of continents, I can confidently say that roughly 80% of swimming coaches don’t possess a correct understanding of the basic anatomical, biomechanical, and technical ideas of breaststroke. (You could argue with me whether or not the quantity is larger or decrease than 80%, however truthfully, that’s inappropriate.)

When I ask coaches throughout a lecture who really likes breaststroke, just a few arms go up. Most swimming coaches practice breaststrokers along with swimmers of the opposite strokes and make them do precisely the identical coaching applications. And that, frankly, displays within the state of breaststroke at this time.

Breaststrokers are the uncared for youngsters of the swimming world.

One can win an Olympic gold in breaststroke whereas doing such technical nonsense in the course of the underwater part that it will not even be acceptable from a newbie swimmer!

But now I wish to get to the true purpose why I began penning this textual content: Most swimming coaches (!) train their newbie, superior, grownup, and even elite breaststrokers that in the course of the breaststroke kick — in the meanwhile the backward kick begins — the knees ought to keep as shut collectively as potential.

This is a big mistake.

Such an enormous mistake that it’s really holding again the event of breaststroke usually.

The guidelines of breaststroke clearly require that in the course of the kick — for a shorter or longer time frame — the ft have to be turned outward. If this outward rotation occurs initially of the backward kick and is maintained till the top of the kick, then the kick turns into propulsive. This is the place our anatomical capabilities — or limitations — come into play, as proven within the first, and second footage.

The foot can rotate outward by roughly 45 levels. If the knees are saved shut collectively, it’s merely unattainable to rotate the ft to 90 levels relative to the route of motion and the backward kick. This is precisely the place the narrow-knee breaststroke kick idea collapses. The resolution nevertheless is straightforward, as a result of the opposite 45 levels can come from the hips.

As proven within the third and fourth footage the hip can also be able to rotating outward by roughly 45 levels.

And with this, we arrive on the resolution. Of course, no two folks —  or swimmers — are similar, so these numbers can fluctuate relying on particular person anatomy and the swimmer’s flexibility.

Still, most coaches defend the concept of preserving the knees as slim as potential in the course of the breaststroke kick as a result of they worry that wider knees create extra drag. This just isn’t  the case. This thought is an illogical idea that demonstrates a scarcity of anatomical understanding.

Our femur is related to the hip joint as a ball-and-socket joint. It capabilities very like the tip of a cone, that means the thigh can transfer alongside the floor of a cone. As we all know, the resistance of a cone is decided by the cone’s angle, not by any particular level on its floor. This is why this can be very essential that breaststroke swimmers pull their knees and thighs upward as little as potential in the course of the kick restoration part, as a result of this creates the best resistance in the course of the stroke cycle.

At the identical time, the knees ought to open extensive sufficient to permit the ft to rotate outward completely, as proven within the fourth image.

I hope the earlier paragraphs and the photographs had been convincing.

Pictures #2 and #3 courtesy of Dr Marta Miltenyi’s “The anatomical foundations of sports movements.”