A brief history...

The Breaststroke pulldown (or the underwater phase as its otherwise called) has been subject to several rule changes over the past couple of years. It used to be that no butterfly leg kick was permitted - only a pull down with the arms followed by a breastwork kick and arm recovery before initiating the first stroke - however with plenty of underwater footage of the pro's sneaking in a cheeky kick it was eventually permitted. At this point the fly kick was timed with the bottom part of the arm pull as the hands moved down past the hip (as the kick was allowed 'during the arm pull'). This allowance then led swimmers to try the kick at the top of the pull as it was felt that kicking in the streamline position might be more beneficial. This led to a tweak of the rules stating that the hands had to be separated in order for it to constitute being 'during the pull' and so eliminating the kick in the streamline position.

THEN swimmers found that if they separated the hands slightly (but still held them still in a streamline position) they were not breaching the rules but were still getting a similar effect. Bring on the next rule change!!!! So the latest interpretation is that as long as the butterfly kick is done before the first breaststroke leg kick i.e. after the arm pull down then it would be permissible. Great. Easy to police and clear cut for the swimmer! Or is it...

For us the best place to perform the kick is at the top of the stroke, in streamline, to maximise the propulsion off the block or wall, reduce resistance caused by an 'undulation' during the arm pull and thus allowing an arrow straight body to be explosively pulled forward through the water. Further distance off the wall, faster splits, more efficient break outs are just some of the benefits we have found through performing the pulldown in this manner.

However, it doesn't come without its difficulties. I have witnessed many swimmers recently (including my own) disqualified for a double fly kick on the pull down - experienced swimmers, inconsistently deemed to have performed double kicks. It has brought about the question of how 'safe' it is to put the fly kick in at the top of the stroke. This isn't because the swimmers ARE actually doing 2 fly kicks (at least one would hope not), but more so that during the pulldown phase, the body, not being on a fixed surface, is bound to elicit a small amount of movement. Officials are taught to determine whether the body is 'angling' or if there is actually 'propulsion' being sought, but all too often I believe and fear that the swimmer is not being given the benefit of the doubt - as is their right!! Officials should be looking for an explicit extension and flexion of the knee and the residual white water caused by rapid displacement of the water particles and changes in pressure around the moving limbs - all too often I don't think its looked at this specifically and any amount of movement is being deemed as a 2nd fly kick. Either that or an assumption on archaic rules is being made and that when the swimmer performs a fly kick at the top of the stroke they are 'bound to do one at the bottom' because 'thats where it is done!'

So if there is doubt and as a coach or swimmer you are unsure of where is best placed to perform the fly kick, here's our take on it:

Dodgy officiating or not we should not be deterred from doing the best by our swimmers and teaching them the best techniques to give them the best chance of maximising their potential. And don't get caught up thinking it is worthwhile to teach the 'bottom' fly kick to youngsters as it will be safer from disqualification in smaller league meets before attempting to correct this to a 'top' fly kick as they get older (that will lead to a DQ - believe me!!!)

At SwimPath out top technical priority is streamlining - minimising drag effects and maximising propulsion as much as is possible per individual. The very notion of an undulation of the hips at the same time as attempting to propel with the arm at what should be the fastest part of the race is non-sensical. It will cause lost energy, increased drag and most importantly have diminishing benefit to the swimmer. So how do we perform the perfect pulldown - and not risk the DQ factor...

1. Dive, push, turn - whatever your propulsion do it, then hold it for a second...
2. in as tight a streamline as possible (and preferably 1-1.5m deep) perform a quick 'stab' backwards with the lower legs (those with a more proficient underwater double leg kick will work this succinctly but still small and fast from the hip)
3. as soon as the kick is complete squeeze the legs and torso into an arrow like position and drive the body forwards explosively with the arms bringing them in tightly to the body at the end of the pull - hold for a short pause (and play around with the timing here to suit you)
4. bring the arms quickly up as close to the body as possible in order to minimise both the time in an 'anti' propulsive movement (bringing the arms in the opposite direction to travel - a necessary evil here) and also to reduce the frontal resistance (surface area exposed to the oncoming flow of water) - and keep that head still!!!
5. perform a snap kick (all about the heel speed here) as the arms drive forward and the still head nears the surface
6. for an added twist to the maintenance of streamline - try to not breathe on the first stroke (as long as a little part of the head breaks the surface we're ok) - some will get this with aplomb and may even swim a full 50 no breathing, the breaststroke revolution could be upon us...

Enjoy and comment - let us know how it works for you! And don't be afraid to tweak, we're all individuals and theres nothing cast iron in this sport (because it sinks!!!!)