In breaststroke, timing is everything.

When you get it right, it can feel like you’re flowing or actually surfing across the water.  

In this clip, Brendan is swimming race-pace breaststroke.  At speeds like this, the arms and legs seem to be moving nonstop.  

But if we slow it down, you can start to see how all the parts fit together.

And it becomes clear that the starting point for each stroke is here...streamline.

Here it is again…streamline.  Arms fully extended.  Eyes down.  Head between arms.  Body fully extended and level.  Feet together and toes pointed.

No matter how fast Brendan swims…no matter how quickly he moves his arms and legs…he starts and finishes each stroke in streamline.

In this clip, try not to watch the kick or the pull.   Focus only on what happens between the kick and the pull.  Watch for the streamline.
  
**COMMON ERROR**
Some swimmers never get to streamline, and this throws off their timing.  They look like a water bug skittering across the surface.  

The best way to practice correct timing is to hold your glide out front.

Hold the hands out front and don’t start to pull until you finish your kick.

This may feel awkward and slow at first – like you’re not moving your arms fast enough -- but it’s the key to correct timing in breaststroke.

By getting into streamline at the start and finish of every stroke, Brendan takes away resistance and lets the power of the kick move him forward. 

Let’s watch a few more lengths from different angles.  Look for the streamline, and then see if you can add this to your own stroke when you practice.   


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Streamline Timing