**Oct 31, 2023 - Fighting Athletic Instinct - Breaststroke**

**Fighting Athletic Instinct – Breaststroke**

As athletes, we have a tendency to always want to be doing \*work. \* But that instinct is often counterproductive. This week we explore things you might be doing in breaststroke that feel productive and fast and powerful, but that might be holding you back.

**Monday**

**Denniston Drills: Mini Pull**

When it comes to the breaststroke pull, bigger is not usually better. Dave Denniston shows how a mini pull can make you faster with less work.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/195-mini-pull>

Think of the equation of force over resistance.

You must be able to create more force than the resistance you create.

**Tuesday**

**Breast Drill: Forced Hand Speed**

Here’s how to use a FINIS Tempo Trainer to imprint a smaller breaststroke pull.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1235-breaststroke-forced-hand-speed>

:30 - getting stuck

:39 - Tempo Trainer - big paddles - fins

:43 - using 2 dolphins rather than 1 and continues using 2 dolphins

:55 - would much prefer he didn’t kick while waiting

:59 - pulling on every other beep

1:02 - stroke on each beep

1:13 - start to make the tempo faster

1:21 - sprint rate

1:32 - driving too much from the legs - straighter legs

**Wednesday**

**Breast Drill: Soft Outsweep**

A common place where you might be wasting energy on breaststroke: the outsweep.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2080-breaststroke-soft-outsweep>

:10 - soft out

:13 - soft out

:16 - soft out into stroke

:22 - fins with flutter kick to isolate water pressure on the hands

:32 - use the still water and the angle of your hands to push the hands out

:38 - angle the fingers out slightly

:42 - compare the first two with the third out sweep - make them the same speed prior to the pull

:50 - Slow down

1:05 - .2x speed - look how far back the elbows go - 

1:06 - watch how she keeps the hands linear as they shoot forward.

**Thursday**

**Brendan Hansen: Breaststroke Outsweep and Head to Air (side view)**

From the side, notice that Brendan Hansen doesn’t engage the palms until his hands are ready to engage with the water as they come around the “corners.”

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/876-breaststroke-outsweep-and-head-to-air>

:00 - soft hands out

:03 - high elbows - engaging lats - lifting eyes to pierce the surface

:05 - look at the depth of the elbows

:07 - linear attack forward

:09 - head falls between the arms for the delivery of the kick

:17 - elbows high - hands in line - head positioned to pierce - lats engaged

:20 - depth of elbows

:22 - fast recovery to a great line

**Friday**

A big, wide breaststroke kick feels powerful. But is it powerful enough to overcome the resistance that you set up by going wide? It’s an equation every swimmer has to solve.

Glenn EP: Kick Size

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2924-breaststroke-kick-size>

1:25 - set the water speed

1:29 - see how far back you get pressed during each set up

1:34 - start to focus more on the resistance you create rather than the propulsion you give

1:37 - smaller kick - how far back do you travel

1:45 - alternate between the two for the search and comparison

**Saturday**

If you’re going to learn a great breaststroke kick, why not study one of the best: Roque Santos.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1390-breaststroke-narrow-kick-with-roque-santos>

:12 - knees stay at or inside the shoulders

:26 - recovering the feet behind the thighs

:37 - finger touch kick - recover the heals high

:50 - heals up but look at the line from the shoulders / torso / knees

1:05 - completes each kick in line - FINISH THE JOB!

1:09 - buoy kick

1:16 - no buoy - look how similar the width of the kick looks

1:34 - .2x - maximum line between torso and knees

**Sunday**

**Breast Drill: Smaller Kick Faster Rate**

Here’s how to get started training a smaller breaststroke kick.

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2319-breaststroke-smaller-kick-faster-rate>

:14 - big kick

:24 - smaller kick

:35 - tiny kick

:51 - focus on smaller kick and increase rate

1:03 - higher rate

1:14 - highest rate

**Bonus:**

**Soft Outsweep**

Glenn EP: Soft Outsweep for Breaststroke

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3155-soft-outsweep-for-breaststroke>

**Mini Pull and Mini Kick**

**Denniston Drills: Underwater Breaststroke**

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/179-underwater-breaststroke>

**Mini Kick**

**Carlos Almeida: Kick on a Board**

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1245-drill-kick-on-a-board>

**Anton McKee: Breaststroke Legs**

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2313-preview-breaststroke-legs>

**Felipe Lima: Kick Board with Snorkel**

<https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/2662-kick-board-with-snorkel-breaststroke>


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Oct. 31, 2023 - Breaststroke Athletic Instinct Zoom