by Dr. Paul Hutinger
Question: Can a Masters swimmer change his old breaststroke to the new style used by the Olympians?
Answer: Yes. Although it's not that difficult to change from the flat, old-fashioned style to the newer wave style breaststroke, you need to make a full commitment to the new technique. At a recent meet in Sarasota, several swimmers reverted to their old stroke halfway through the race. Concentrate on the stroke rhythm and not a performance time in your event while you are changing styles.
The arm stroke uses a delayed breathing on the insweep and a pause during the streamline position. The hands accelerate from slow on the outsweep to fast on the insweep (don't stop to pray), and extend to a streamline position, head down.
DRILL: (use fins or zoomers) Use a dolphin kick and the breaststroke pull for a set of 10 x 25 on 45 seconds. The hands are about six inches under to begin the outsweep. Change from out and back to down and back to begin the insweep, then inward until palms come together and elbows are near the surface. Dive and extend the arms. Shrug the shoulders at the end to start the next outscull. Shrugging the shoulders narrows the shoulders and reduces resistance. Try to raise out of the water, keeping elbows close to the surface then dive, head down and streamlined. The hips move forward like an inchworm on the insweep. Moving the hips forward and arching the back brings the head up to breathe, with an immediate dive (lunge) forward to streamline.
The body is flat on the surface in the wave stroke, with the feet kicking downward from the surface, causing the hips to raise. Recover the legs by bringing the feet to the buttocks, not by pulling the knees forward.
Beginners should use the glide pattern with a pause after the kick in the streamline position. Some swimmers, using the wave style, come up higher than others, so find a rhythm that works for you and the flexibility that you have. If you don't have a coach, work with a swim partner to learn this new technique.