Breaststroke - Body-Dolphin Straight Arm

iswim

When doing drills, it's important to understand how all the pieces fit together to get the most out of every drill

Why Do It:
When practicing body dolphin for breaststroke or butterfly, it's important to understand what you want your arms to be doing, and how the arms tie into the whole stroke.  Don't allow the arms to lead the body up and down, but demand a direct line forward from the arms.
How to Do It:
1.  Start with regular body dolphin, but focus on what your hands are doing.
2. If you feel them leading the body up and down, like our swimmers are doing...
3.  Then lock, or straighten, your arms out front with strong integrity.
4. Do your best to continue moving your body around your arms, but keep the arms heading forward.
How to Do It Really Well (the Fine Points):
A quick indicator of the loss of connection is when the arms drop below the chest during the press.  If you're tight, muscular, or have limited range of motion through the shoulders and upper body, keeping the hands up and arms straight can be very tough.  Give yourself a bit of leverage by putting on a pair of paddles.  This will slightly increase the surface area of your hand, and help you feel the press, and stretch through your shoulders and chest.  That connection is what you're seeking when trying to swim fast breaststroke and butterfly.