Courtesy of swimming coach Jozsef Nagy
Finding out and utilizing the rules of physics the idea of wave-action breaststroke was birthed by swimming coach Jozef Nagy. Earlier than him breaststroke was flat with swimmers driving low within the water–pushing plenty of water. By the mid Nineteen Eighties Coach Nagy was working Mike Barrowman, innovating and creating Barrowman’s stroke into an undulating movement. Barrowman broke document after document and ultimately received gold on the 1992 Olympic Video games within the 200m breaststroke. Coach Nagy is a extremely sought-after swimming knowledgeable who contributes to swimming media when he has new insights to share.
How To Obtain An Even Extra Steady Breaststroke?
by Jozef Nagy
I started to doodle, to work out and design the Wave Breaststroke in 1977 (most readers most likely hadn’t even been born on the time). The seed that sparked my thoughts into motion was that I used to be a swimmer (breaststroker clearly) on the time and I seen that there was a virtually ubiquitous inefficiency in the best way most of my contemporaries have been swimming breaststroke. That frequent function was a visual drop in ahead momentum – a stale level — in everybody’s stroke immediately after the lively section of the pull and earlier than the lively section of the kick. A part of the answer, I figured, was to provoke a ahead movement with the shoulders and arms after the lively section of the pull and instantly previous to the kick. If this driving movement could possibly be considerably quicker than the swimmer’s velocity by the water, it might thus join the lively phases of the pull and kick.
When this movement is executed accurately, a side-on view of the swimmer’s shoulder motion will draw a clean wave. If this wave deteriorates in any route, it implies that the velocity of the swimmer shouldn’t be even or constant. However this unique wave approach was developed and carried out over 40 years in the past.
I’ve been pondering ever since about how the stream could possibly be extra fixed inside the stroke. Although I feel all of us should understand that the mechanics of breaststroke forestall it from ever being completely steady.
Initially, I approached the issue by measuring the velocity of the breaststroker with the assistance of a vertical line superimposed over the swimmer on a pc monitor. The velocity of the road might be adjusted to finest observe and measure velocity modifications within the strokes after the beginning and the turns. The article about that was revealed on SwimSwam in 2017 “The Vertical Line”.
Later I measured the velocity modifications inside a stroke by making use of a plastic sheet over a monitor or pill display. Because the swimmer transits throughout the vertical strains we glean a concise measurement. These vertical strains have been drawn roughly 1-2cms aside on the sheet, and was an easy factor to do for anybody, with out using the pc’s digital enhancement. The article about that was revealed on 22. March 2021, on SwimSwam as effectively: “Measuring a Breastsroker’s Pace Inside a Single Stroke: Made Easy & Exact”.
The measurements confirmed what my eyes have been seeing: these ‘stale factors’ in momentum have been apparent and clearly detrimental. That left me with two questions:
What’s the root trigger of those velocity modifications?
the place do they happen and what are their sizes
How can we get rid of the decreases in velocity?
even on a something-for-something foundation
Answering the primary query — with out being absolutely exhaustive — let’s concentrate on essentially the most vital movement that slows down the breaststroker and the physique half that causes it. This movement is the passive section of the kick when the swimmer pulls up the legs. At this level the thighs create a big resistance that’s outlined by the angle between the thighs and the water floor. For some breaststrokers it is a highly-resistant 90 diploma angle!
Based mostly on my experiences and research, if somebody pulls his/her knees as much as 90 levels whereas competing in opposition to somebody whose angle is 120 levels, the time distinction between them – solely because of the much less resistant angle – is a minimal of three seconds over 50m! That is solely a theoretical illustration of the issue to visualise the distinction between two breaststrokers who in any other case swim identically.
For a lot of breaststrokers, pulling the knees up too excessive is energy-negative for an additional motive. As a result of a scarcity of flexibility within the ankles and hips, the swimmer is unable to show the ft out at the beginning of the kick. Thus the important thing angle of assault for the ft doesn’t exist for a time frame, that for some, could devour over half the facility section of the kick.
It’s futile to tug up the legs past the purpose the place the swimmer is ready to flip the ft out. A major waste of effort and causes extra resistance for no constructive achieve. That is the precise motive why in some circumstances, a shorter kick is more practical than an extended one.
Because the thighs trigger the best resistance – and so the largest lack of velocity inside the stroke – it’s crucial that the swimmer pull the thighs up as little as potential. Many coaches in my clinics remark that if the knees don’t go deep sufficient, then the ft rise above the water.
It turned clear to me that these coaches educate their swimmers to maintain their knees/their kick slim as a result of they imagine it will create much less resistance through the up-sweep, than wider knees. It is a large misunderstanding, as a result of the width of the thighs and the knees – or how shut they’re collectively – don’t trigger any distinction within the ensuing resistance (this deserves a separate article). The true distinction is a consequence of the beforehand talked about angle. On account of these details, the knees ought to be opened no less than as huge because the hips are.
I might extremely suggest to each coach who works with breaststrokers to movie them underwater from a side-on view. One stroke is sufficient with a nonetheless digicam – the swimmer swims out and in of the image. Then have a look at it in sluggish movement, observing the velocity on the fringe of the swimsuit (on the thighs), and any vertical motion in any respect relative to the lane rope.
It’s worthy for each coaches and swimmers to spend time and concentrate on the inefficient motions that trigger lack of velocity inside the stroke. It isn’t straightforward to appropriate it however when it’s finished it pays off!
This concern is critical for some and fewer vital for others however as it’s a part of the elemental mechanics of the stroke, it IS current in all breaststroker’s strategies. Lets repair this!
Jozef Nagy’s spouse Eva Feher translated, and Mike Barrowman helped with correcting, modifying.
