COACHING
SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS BY ROD HAVRILUK , Ph.D.
MAXIMIZING SWIMMING VELOCITY (Part 4):
MINIMIZING THE ARM ENTRY PHASE TIME IN BACKSTROKE AND BREASTSTROKE
A
s shown in a previous “Swimming Technique Concepts” article (SW June 2021), when swimming velocity increases, the time of all four stroke cycle phases decreases. Conversely, swimmers decrease the time of all four phases of the stroke cycle to increase swimming velocity. Of all four phases, the greatest decrease was in the entry phase. A swimmer who can further decrease the entry phase time will be able to further increase swimming velocity. The graph in Fig. 1 shows the time for the four phases of the stroke cycle in backstroke (Chollet, Seifert & Carter, 2008) and breaststroke (Leblanc, Seifert, Baudry & Chollet, 2005) for elite male swimmers. (The breaststroke glide phase is the equivalent of the arm entry phase in the other three strokes, as it occurs between the end of the arm recovery and the beginning of the pull. The inward and outward sculling motions of breaststroke are the equivalents of the pull and push phase of the other three strokes.)
FIG. 1 >The graph shows the time for the four phases of the stroke cycle in backstroke and breaststroke from two studies.
1.
Entering the hand behind the head instead of behind the shoulder (Fig. 2), and
2.
Moving the hand primarily sideways instead of primarily downward after it submerges (Fig. 3).
The underwater front-view video image of the backstroker in Fig. 3 shows that he moves his hand primarily sideways instead of downwards on the entry phase. He required 3-tenths of a second from when the hand submerged until the hand was below the shoulder and in position to generate propulsion.
[PHOTO BY CONNOR TRIMBLE ]
BACKSTROKE ENTRY PHASE Backstrokers often increase the arm entry phase with two ineffective motions:
FIG. 2 > Backstrokers often add time to their arm entry by flexing at the elbow so that the hand enters behind the head instead of behind the shoulder (yellow line).
STRATEGIES TO MINIMIZE BACKSTROKE ENTRY PHASE TIME An effective arm entry in backstroke is very similar to freestyle in that the hand moves downward until it is below the shoulder (Fig. 4). From the position in the bottom images, the hand can immediately begin to generate propulsion. Strategies to minimize entry phase time in backstroke are similar to freestyle. For backstroke, it is important to: 1. 34
See the arm move back and down and in-line with the side of the body (top right image). AUGUST 2021
SWIMMINGWORLD.COM
2.
Feel the hand submerge directly behind the shoulder (middle right image).
3.
Feel the hand continue to move downward until it is below the shoulder (bottom right image).
BREASTSTROKE ENTRY (GLIDE) PHASE Breaststrokers can often decrease the entry (glide) phase time to swim faster. Typically, a swimmer finishes the propulsive action of the kick just prior to the glide phase. It is only natural to glide and wait to begin the propulsive action of the arms. However, swimmers often glide too long so that the body velocity slows below the
