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Print this entryBreaststroke - High Heels Progression 2
Here's a remake of a drill we shot back in 2005. Even with many swimmers trying to get a shallower kick, for some, they've gone a bit too far in trying to reduce the resistance of the recovery, and now get nothing out of the kick at all... time to revisit.
Why Do It:
While hiding the recovery is important, it's also important to get some payback from the kick. If the feet don't come up high enough, many swimmers don't recieve that payback.
How to Do It:
1. Start with a normal pushoff, into a breaststroke underwater pull. Once the hands pull down, leave them there, and initiate a series of kicks with the hands held back.
2. On each recovery, touch the heel with your fingertips.
3. Next, start with a few kicks with the hands back, then recover the hands as in the underwater pull, and initate a few kicks with the hands in streamline. This also has a second purpose of working the recovery.
4. Finally, take this progression to swimming.
How to Do It Really Well (the Fine Points):
The trick is recovering your feet to the same position when the hands are back, and when they're not. Continue to hide the recovery, but focus on where your feet catch the water and drive you forward.
Experiment on the proper height of the recovery with your coach, and figure out just how much you need to recover.
Peter Caswell
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