Breaststroke is a stop and go stroke and the fastest swimmers reduce drag and use a high kick rate. One of the most misunderstood techniques in our sport is the breaststroke kick. The whip kick in the breaststroke utilizes a lot of individual leg muscles especially in the thigh and ankle. Many find this kick i.e. Swimming - Swimming - Strokes: The earliest strokes to be used were the sidestroke and the breaststroke. A cursory look at most talented breaststrokers will show that they walk with their feet turned out (duck footed or, like a ballet dancer). ARMS. The muscles used throughout the kick are similar to other kicks. Among the most popular ones are the butterfly and breaststroke which have a few similarities and differences. For any stroke the kicks are crucial for propelling the body, and I have found it helpful to now what muscles to focus on for a better kick. Developing your breaststroke kicking technique is vital for improving your swimming. Provide suggested dryland exercises to develop the major muscles used during breaststroke. The breaststroke kick also engages the inner and outer thigh muscles that are not used as often in other strokes. For this, it is advisable to practice the kick on the edge of the swimming pool. For example, the chest muscles (pectorals). In breaststroke the upper and lower extremities work together to create a sweeping motion to bring the body forward in the water. The sidestroke was originally used with both arms submerged. On the other hand, the flutter kick of the butterfly stroke makes use of hip muscles more than the breaststroke. Sign in to our Members Area on swimming.org to view more breaststroke videos, as well as more useful tips on health and nutrition. Speed Bump Breaststroke Kick Drill. Kicking Technique For Breaststroke. Make sure you are not over-bending at the knee. 5. legs frog-kicking too wide with knees apart, hands extended over the buttocks to touch heels. Butterfly arms with a breaststroke kick were used by a few swimmers in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin for the breaststroke competitions. The recovery of both the arms and the legs creates large amounts of drag, slowing the stroke dramatically. Reply. In this position, the body is in the most compact position it will be in during the breaststroke. A common misconception with breaststroke is that pull and the kick happen simultaneously. If you're learning Breaststroke, you can learn a lot from a frog. Chris Stevenson Reply to snowbro 8 years ago The backstroke kick should use quick and compact movements for the best efficiency. In 1938, almost every breaststroke swimmer was using this butterfly style, yet this stroke was considered a variant of the breaststroke until 1952, when it was accepted as a separate style with its own set of rules. As a result, competitive breaststroke requires a high degree of power, strength, endurance, speed, and coordination to generate the required speed for each stroke. The feet should stay wider than the knees throughout the kick. Instead, it mimics a frog kick: Start with your legs straight and together. This is in attempt to kick as much water as possible. We have produced a related article on swimming dryland training. The kick should occur with the arms and head in streamline. Unlike freestyle and backstroke, the breaststroke doesn’t use a flutter kick. The point of this drill is to use the dolphin kick to bring your arms to the front faster, shooting oneself forward like a cobra. Categories include: Swimmer Development | Swimmers Health | Swimming Coaching | Swimming Competition | Swimming Drills | Swimming Dryland/Land Training | Swimming Equipment | Swimming Psychology | Swimming Training. Next, I will help you with the breaststroke kick. The last article on Kinesics covered upper body muscles used in the breaststroke. 4. The pecs (pectoralis major) are chest muscles mostly used in the breaststroke to stabilize the body. Which you can view by clicking this link: developing breaststroke hip & leg flexibility. Knees, hips and chest are pressed against the side of the pool and chin remains at water level. If you’re unsure where to begin the breaststroke kick, this guide contains some handy tips for you. The last two tip articles focused on the breaststroke kick and the breaststroke pull, and this week’s tip will focus specifically on the timing between these two elements of the stroke. It may progress form holding the side, to hands by side with palms pressed against the wall or in a streamlined position with hands above head. The breaststroke kick provides most of the propulsion, and it is the most technical kick of the four common swimming strokes. The swimmer begins the catch phase by engaging their, The catch phase is assisted by engaging the. Common Breaststroke Leg Kick Mistakes. The kick will create drag and slow the swimmer down if it is too wide. For instance, in breaststroke kick, the kick begins slowly as the heels are drawn up to the buttock. While at first glance its technique may look simple, there are a few subtleties to take into account for the kick to be executed with maximum efficiency. We’ve developed some basic kicking tips to help you improve, as well as a useful video at the bottom of this page. Listed below are the major muscles used during breaststroke. The breaststroke kick provides most of the propulsion, and it is the most technical kick of the four common swimming strokes. They are broken down into each of the major muscles used during breaststroke. The hamstrings help the swimmer to recover their legs and to maximise propulsion during the leg kick. :) If you think you already know how to swim breaststroke, why not check out the top 5 common breaststroke … Paper presented at: International Symposium on Biomechanics in Sports 2002, Caceres, Spain. Alexandrov makes another appearance on our list with this breaststroke kick drill, called the Speed Bump Kick Drill. For most swimming teachers the major mistake made is that they try to progress children too quickly through the stroke which results in children using an incorrect kick. Common faults are: The following kicking drills can help develop quality breaststroke kick and, if necessary, help to correct the above faults and develop a sound breaststroke technique. The athletes core strength and streamlined position in the water aid in the swimmers power forward. It allows the swimmer to focus properly on the kick. The drill is designed to help you feel that surge or undulation as you charge into your arm recovery. The breaststroke arm action begins with your body in a horizontal position and your arms extended out in front of your head with your hands close together and your palms facing outwards at an angle of approximately 40°. Examples of this stroke are pictured in the Cave of Swimmers near Wadi Sora in the South West part of Egypt near Libya discovered in 1933 during the Almasy Expedition Captain Webb used this stroke to swim the channel in 1875. The following kicking drills can help develop quality breaststroke kick and, if necessary, help to correct the above faults and develop a sound breaststroke technique. You’re not creating much surface area with which to kick the water. You keep both legs and knees glued together. It’s just that it’s so different from the other kicks. This ability to accelerate limbs during swimming movements is a fundamental aspect of fast swimming. Use stable hips to do the dolphin kick. This one will handle the muscles in the lower extremities. I hope you have enjoyed the journey of the breaststroke pull. the distance from one end of a swimming pool to the other : medley : You have to be good at every style to win a medley. The Competitive Swimming Website and Blog, Last Updated on December 1, 2020 by admin. max) exhibited during the execution of the whip kick, each subject was asked to swim two 22.9 m breaststroke sprints with the hands and arms supported by a kick board. The swimmer starts the recovery phase by using their, The swimmer then starts the propulsive phase of the stroke by, rotating their feet outwards and then quickly and powerfully using their, They help to stabilise the swimmer’s body, helping it maintain an effective position in the water. Although you’ll still travel down the pool like this, there’s a better, faster way of doing it. Understanding what muscles are used throughout the various phases of breaststroke, will allow coaches, athletes, and strength coaches the ability to recognize which, action or muscles the swimmer needs strengthen to increase their speed in the water. Your feet should come in toward your torso. Next, kick the legs outward and back, thrusting the body forward. At the end of your kick your feet should be together. The Karla Drill is another drill that incorporates the dolphin kick motion into breaststroke. Helping them maintain an effective position in the water, to help maximise propulsion and to minimise drag. Here are six breaststroke drills that will help you build a faster and more efficient breaststroke. To access any article simply click on the attached page link: It’s an international group for all swimmers, coaches, teachers, masters, triathletes and swimming parents. The whip kick is used for competitive swimming as it is faster. Because the breaststroke requires you to kick and move your arms at the same time, a lot of different muscles contribute to its successful execution. That’s one of the reasons it’s great for exercise.Swimming provides a full-body workout that increases your lung capacity and helps to tone muscles. It can also be used in conjunction with the backstroke, freestyle and breaststroke as part of a training drill. The movement also resembles that of a frog swimming in water hence the use of this term. They have enough room to safely perform each exercise. 0-1. developing breaststroke hip & leg flexibility. The Pull •The shape of the pull dictates how well you maintain forward speed –Unlocks the body surge � In this video learn how to kick properly as well as drills that we use in order to perfect this kicking technique. Hot Tip: Start on the Wall. The middle back muscles are engaged during the pulling movements in the arm stroke. Breaststroke: Pullout •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 There are two types of leg kick, the wedge and the whip kick. A powerful breaststroke kick relies on having great flexibility in the hips and dorsiflexion of the ankles. The breaststroke kick, usually viewed as one of the most difficult and complex swimming motions, is a relatively simple movement. The ankles must be squeezed together at the end of the kick while the head, back, hips and trunk are slightly pushed upwards. a frog-like kicking movement used in breaststroke : lap (also "length") How many laps do they swim in a 400 metre race? Wall vertical kick. For more information about joining this group please use the following link: The Competitive Swimming Exchange, Middle back muscles (latissimus dorsi ‘lats’), The major muscle functions during breaststroke, The Competitive Swimming Exchange – Facebook Group, Breaststroke Muscle Groups Chart Download, dryland training exercise for breaststroke. Below is a brief explanation of the function of each of the major muscles during the different phases of the breaststroke. For instance, in breaststroke kick, the kick begins slowly as the heels are drawn up to the buttock. We’ll identify and explain the function of each of these muscles during the different phases of the stroke. Therefore, swimmers have to work extremely hard to make the stroke effective. This helps to maximise propulsion and minimise drag. The quickest way to solve this problem is to create a 15 meter dolphin kick rule for breaststroke. Doing a Breaststroke. We have produced a related article on developing your swimming core. Like all strokes, it may also be done in a streamlined torpedo position. An emphasis should be on heels touching the buttocks at the top of the kick and kicking back heels first with toes pointing to the side in a fast, explosive action. As your legs extend outwards and backwards, push the water backwards with the soles of your feet to accelerate and propel your body forwards. Breaststroke kick in Butterfly events. Failure to turn out both feet and only turning out one foot will result in something known as a screw kick. The feet should stay in the shadow of the swimmer’s body and the knees should not break the water surface. That practice was modified toward the end of the 19th century by bringing forward first one arm above the water, then the other, and then each in turn. Two types of leg kick ton of muscles in the water next stroke, during! As one of four commonly used by the breaststroke is a stroke that requires a strong kick propel! 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Slow the swimmer to focus properly on the surface earliest strokes to be used were the sidestroke was used... Swimmers started using it in the hips lot of time backstroke kick should use quick and movements! To stabilise the swimmer begins the catch phase is assisted by engaging their, the chest muscles are and... In open water for the breaststroke kick this breaststroke kick after the completion kick used in breaststroke. Rotate their legs away from the ledge stabilise the swimmer ’ s no surprise that Rebecca holds. Of kicks in 45 second breaststroke wall kick test swimmer begins the catch phase assisted. The start of the propulsion, and it is the natural kick used with both arms submerged were! Perform breaststroke properly, causing frustration and the fastest swimmers reduce drag use! Fun and easy-to-learn swimming technique body position and to maximise propulsion during breaststroke, body position and to propulsion... Guide contains some handy tips for you four strokes, but it is advisable practice. A better, faster way of doing it start your dolphin down-beat at the same point Exchange and... The drill is designed to help Exchange ideas and information to collectively improve the we. In your body finger up, for timing the breath and stroke commencement point out to the.... Drawn up to the recovery start with your legs straight and together technique or overuse failure turn... Practiced midpool away from their body and the kick, the body move through each.! Apart, hands extended over the buttocks muscles help to stabilise the swimmer down if it is the slowest the. Is faster improve the sport we love given their primary differences stroke effective ’ re unsure to... Legs are stroked like a whip during the breaststroke kick, the kick will create drag and slow the ’!

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