BUTTERFLY TRAINING BENEFITS A good “catch” is important for propulsive forward motion in
the crawl. The catch is that moment in the swim just after the lead arm has achieved full extension and just before the pull. The elbow should stay near the surface of the water as the fingers, palm and forearm drop — as one unit — toward the bottom of the pool. The pull of the butterfly stroke is very similar to that of the crawl but done with both arms simultaneously. Discoveries made improv- ing the catch in your butterfly can be easily transferred into your freestyle.
BACKSTROKE TRAINING BENEFITS Both backstroke and the crawl are long-axis strokes. The hips
are the powerhouse here, and the hips/core/torso roll as one to drive the arms. Triathletes will improve their timing in crawl with a powerful, coordinated timing of arm action and torso roll in back- stroke. Backstroke will also stretch out the pectoral and front deltoid muscles that are so dominant in freestyle.
BREASTSTROKE TRAINING BENEFITS In triathlon, all of our movement is on the sagittal plane, mean-
ing triathletes predominately move limbs forward and back. We rarely move side to side. A triathlete fit enough to go under 10 hours in an ultra-distance race can easily be injured playing soccer with grade-schoolers! The most fragile joints for many triathletes are the hips. The breaststroke kick strengthens the muscles that stabilize the hip.
Swimming well requires a special relationship with the wa-
ter. A big part of that relationship is developing a feel for the water. There are two sides to this. The first is feeling drag and minimizing it. This requires an acknowledgment that water is nearly 800 times thicker than air and the need to be aware of all the places — big and small — that are slowing you down. The other side is feeling for propulsion and maxi- mizing it. This speaks to timing the hips and arms (and, to an extent, legs)
and coordinat-
ing their motion for best results. This also speaks to purchase on the water or gripping the water better dur- ing the catch/pull/arm sweep/finish.
Under-
standing the water and how to move through it most efficiently can be achieved by all swimmers, especially those who cross train within their swim workouts. Including breaststroke, butterfly and backstroke into your
training will make you a more complete swimmer who, on race day, is one with the water.
IAN MURRAY is a USA Triathlon Elite Coach and host of the Triathlon Training Series DVD.
USATRIATHLON.ORG USA TRIATHLON 29
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