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[**Play the Breakout Game**](https://claude.ai/code/artifact/38384e56-7022-49ce-8017-6aa5934dd582)

Glenn Mills discussed his fundraising efforts for the Chicago River Swim, aiming to raise money for ALS. He emphasized the importance of maintaining speed during the breakout phase in swimming, focusing on the first two strokes. Glenn introduced a game designed to teach kids the math of swimming, explaining how to add velocity through kicks and strokes. He highlighted the significance of proper push-offs and breath control, sharing techniques and drills to improve breakout efficiency. Glenn also mentioned using nose clips to enhance oxygen control during turns and underwaters, and encouraged participants to practice various breakout variations to enhance their swimming performance.

The importance of the breakout and first two strokes can’t be overstated.  They set the cadence, tone, and velocity of every length.  Execute those two things poorly and you lose valuable momentum off every wall.   Execute them well and you gain an edge – and distance -- on every single length.  Join us as we share simple techniques and drills to improve your breakouts and those all-important first two strokes.

[**Body-Driven Newsletter Link:**](https://sinosend.com/w/2r5yLhj)

 

**Monday**

[**Free Drill:  First Breath Second Arm**](https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1483-freestyle-first-breath)

 

**Tuesday**

[**Free Drill: Breakout Breath Variations**](https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1675-freestyle-breakout-breath-variations)

 

**Wednesday**

[**Free Drill:  Give Me One!**](https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/3255-freestyle-breaststroke-give-me-one)

 

**Thursday**

[**Free Drill:  Phelps-Like Breakouts**](https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1047-freestyle-phelps-like-breakouts)

 

**Friday**

[**Martin Liivamagi:  Freestyle Below Water**](https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1842-martin-liivamagi-freestyle-below-water)

 

**Saturday**

[**Kim Vandenburg:  Below Water (Free and Fly)**](https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1515-breakouts-below-water)

 

**Sunday**

[**Start Drill:  Cord Breakouts**](https://www.goswim.tv/lessons/1073-starts-cord-breakouts)

**Chicago River Swim Fundraising Update**

Glenn discussed his upcoming Chicago River Swim for ALS fundraising, mentioning he has less than 4 weeks to meet his goal and has been training daily. He then presented a new educational game he developed with Claude to help teach swimmers about maintaining exit velocity during breakout strokes, explaining how the game uses keyboard keys to simulate kicks and strokes while factoring in water viscosity. The game includes a coach's view feature that shows the optimal run combination for reference.

**Swimming Technique Timing Discussion**

Glenn discussed the challenges of determining optimal timing for adding techniques like dolphin kicks during swimming training, emphasizing the importance of feel and experimentation. He shared his experience building a game to help swimmers practice timing and explained how Olympians like Kate Douglas demonstrate perfect technique execution. The discussion then shifted to focusing on maintaining velocity off the wall, with Glenn highlighting that the timing of breathing, particularly the first breath, is crucial for race performance.

**Swimming Technique Breakout Strategies**

Glenn discussed swimming techniques, focusing on breakout strategies and proper arm pulls after starting from the wall. He explained different levels of breakdown in swimming performance, from the best alternative to a bad breakout (following the second arm to air) to the worst scenario where swimmers give up velocity and breathe too early. Glenn noted that Rachel had started swimming again at a club and was implementing proper technique with one dolphin kick off each wall, though she was still working on the second arm pull sequence.

**Master Swimmer Technique Discussion**

Glenn and Barbara discussed techniques for master swimmers, emphasizing the importance of patience and proper glide before starting dolphin kicks. They highlighted how delaying the start of dolphin kicks can significantly improve performance and efficiency in the water. Glenn shared a video demonstrating streamlined dolphin kicks and explained how teaching young swimmers to focus on patience and proper positioning can help them develop better technique and achieve greater distances in the pool.

**Swimming Technique and Breathing Drills**

Glenn explained the concept of a contrast drill in swimming, which involves showing both bad and good techniques to help swimmers identify and correct their mistakes. He demonstrated how to vary breathing patterns during different strokes and discussed the importance of breath control, especially after flip turns. Glenn also shared his personal experience of using mental strategies to manage breathing while swimming, and mentioned using nose clips as a tool to improve turns and underwaters, particularly as an older swimmer.

**Nose Clips Swimming Technique**

Glenn shared his experience using nose clips while swimming, explaining how it helps maintain oxygen control and improve underwater performance, particularly during flip turns. He described how he discovered this technique through years of filming and noted that a young swimmer in Arizona improved their 100 backstroke time from 59 to 57 seconds after using nose clips. Glenn also demonstrated a training method called "give me one" where swimmers practice a single extended stroke to improve their breakout technique in freestyle.

**Swimming Breakout Technique Discussion**

Glenn and Orin discussed techniques for measuring swimming performance, focusing on exit velocity and push-off strength rather than having an endless pool. They reviewed video footage of Phelps-like breakouts, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a low head position during the breakout to merge with the surface rather than breaking through it. Glenn explained that proper breakout technique involves keeping energy forward rather than upward, using fins for speed, and transitioning from dolphin to flutter kick while maintaining a low head position.

**Swimming Breathing Techniques Discussion**

The group discussed swimming breathing techniques, focusing on a video analysis of Martin Livimagi's second arm stroke breathing at around 15 meters. Glenn explained that while breathing during races is not necessarily bad if done properly, top athletes like Phelps and Dressel are exceptionally efficient breathers. The discussion included examples of other swimmers' breathing habits, including Gretchen Walsh's world record performance and Katie's demonstration of breathing techniques with a milk cup on her head. The conversation also covered balance exercises and the importance of both muscularity and flexibility for swimmers, with Monty noting that practicing balance with a bottle on the head can be challenging due to head lifting.

**Swimming Techniques Discussion Session**

Glenn led a discussion on swimming techniques, focusing on head stability during breakouts and the differences between meters and yards in pool measurements. The group analyzed videos of swimmers like Kim and Leah Neal to demonstrate proper breakout techniques and discussed breathing strategies in distance events. Glenn announced that a guest from Finland's Olympic training center would join next week's session to discuss variations in breaststroke kick and biomechanics.


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Aug. 25, 2026 - The First Two Strokes (AKA Maintaining Exit Velocity)