I'm just curious what people favorite stroke to swim is.
Does anyone have any difficulty with a particular stroke?
Does anyone have any difficulty with a particular stroke?
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Los Angeles
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Tue, August 3, 2004 - 6:38 AMprefer butterfly over others, especially when im in shape.
hate the breaststroke. -
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Tue, August 3, 2004 - 6:41 AMYeah butterfly is tough to do if you're out of shape, usually I can only swim like a 25 or maybe a 50 if I'm out of shape, otherwise my arms turn right to rubber.
I used to swim Butterfly and Backstroke mainly. My breaststroke times are ridiculously slow.
I am from orange county though, and actually saw Amanda Beard swim breaststroke in meets. THAT was an amazing thing! I've never seen people swim it so well. I've actually see people break a minute on their 100 Breast. So I guess it's not so bad either if you know how to swim it really well, and are also in shape to do it.
-Kurt -
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Tue, August 3, 2004 - 9:27 AMBreastroke is my favorite because I was a former runner and have strong legs.
I also do a mean backstroke.
Can't butterfly to save my life.
Front crawl is my third best even though I do it the most. -
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Tue, August 3, 2004 - 9:45 AMyeah it's weird, i don't really like freestyle either.
maybe it's because I'm not 6'4", it helps to have the leverage.
It's weird cuz most people swim Freestyle so much. It's actually one of the most awkward strokes physiologically speaking. I think our bodies are built for symmetrical muscular movements and more up and down motions, since our side muscles are a lot less developed.
I think my butterfly times were like close to my freestyle times when I used to compete. But that is only because I never swam freestyle so I didn't have opportunities to train for it much.
I think breaststroke is tough if you don't have big feet. Mine aren't all that big. But i've noticed that people with big feet have an easier time with breast stroke. That, and of course muscular legs for the kick. :-)
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Fri, August 6, 2004 - 10:16 AMButterfly. Gives me the best aquatic workout.
Breaststroke is more challenging for me as far as building speed. -
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Sat, August 7, 2004 - 6:47 PMWow... regarding Kurt's comments of freestyle, I feel that's the only time my body is moving harmoniously through the water. It's definitely my best and fastest stroke.
Breast stroke feels strange, I feel uncoordinated.
Back stroke? Forget it. I'm all over the lane lines and hitting walls and swallowing water.
Butterfly feels the best physically to do, but with freestyle I can just go forever... which is what I like best in open water. -
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Wed, September 1, 2004 - 6:40 PMFLY when in shape, free in the ocean or brrrrrr cold open water (Tahoe), oh...and trudgen (which should be added to the olympics, along with feet first sculling).
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Mon, August 9, 2004 - 1:19 PMI love backstroke, even when I go a little crooked. butterfly is fun to show off. I'm not a normal "fly" body (lean & long), but I was always pretty fast when I swam it because my legs are so strong.
In high school, I swam IM, and I would always be ahead (sometimes by a whole length) until breast-stroke. I could NEVER get it to come together, and I'd always have to try and catch up with my freestyle.
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Thu, August 12, 2004 - 3:13 PMI'm just a beginner and am only learning butterfly, but ohdeargodinheaven do I love the feeling of it! Otherwise, ALL swimming is an exercise in frustration for me, as I am still very very very slow. But I'm working on getting Perfect Form in all strokes, so that won't last forever! -
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Sun, August 15, 2004 - 11:01 PMI have been swimming off and on since the "mommy and me" classes, but never competitively. Never felt that I would be fast enough. So I can relate to being slow. I do not have a swimmer body ie; short and round, but I love to swim. Was swimming almost every morning until I fractured my leg. Its killing me not to be able to get in the water. Swimming makes me feel so good for the rest of the day. As for fav strokes, my knowledge is limited, and crawl is my main one, and have been practising the breast stroke, just to get some different muscles involved. I can only watch in admiration at people doing the butterfly.
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Fri, September 3, 2004 - 10:38 PMHi, newbie here. Butterfly is my best stroke and best event. My worst is breaststroke, I dread it. -
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Tue, September 7, 2004 - 11:03 AMFly best/breast worst seems usual, even Phelps (although his worst is faster than other's best).
Welcome newbie - I forget what the initiation details are, something like 10 x 200 inverted fly but guess you might slip by this time.
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Wed, September 8, 2004 - 11:34 AMI think my immediate feeling of a favorite would be the crawl. I tend to move most smoothy and efficiently that way. If I think about it more thoroughly, I'd say that I prefer to have the combination of a different stroke every few laps. The longer I can stay in the water the better. So I look like an inch-worm when performing the breast stroke, and haven't the experience to do the butterfly effectively, but whatever keeps me there will suffice.
Bleh...that was non-committal wasn't it? Me lycke swimmin' -
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Wed, September 8, 2004 - 2:00 PMI'm ALWAYS thrilled when Coach gives us our choice of stroke. IM breaks up the monotony of all that crawling.
Of course, I imagine I will enjoy it a lot more when I actually can DO butterfly! Hah!
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Sat, October 9, 2004 - 10:58 PMMy favorite stroke is fly using a monofin.
Without any fin or fins, my favorite is backstroke--it comes naturally,
and I love the motion of rolling my hips from side to side. It's the
only stroke any swimming coach ever gave me compliments about.
My freestyle is o.k.--just slow, and plodding. Breaststroke is my worst--
strictly for crowded pools or murky lake water.
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Sat, October 9, 2004 - 11:01 PMMy favorite stroke is fly using a monofin.
Without any fin or fins, my favorite is backstroke--it comes naturally,
and I love the motion of rolling my hips from side to side. It's the
only stroke any swimming coach ever gave me compliments about.
My freestyle is o.k.--just slow, and plodding. Breaststroke is my worst--
strictly for crowded pools or murky lake water.
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Unsu...
Re: Favorite Stroke
Fri, January 7, 2005 - 5:23 AMthis whole thing is fascinating to me, i'm sure it has something to do with body structure, bone structure etc. backstroke and crawl are crazy-awkward for me, but breaststroke is so natural and fluid for me. i think there's something screwy with my feet that i can't flutterkick right... i can barely make it across the pool flutterkicking on a board...would rather do fly! -
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Mon, January 24, 2005 - 8:17 PMIt has more to do with your own neuromotor programming. There are some movements that your body prefers, most likely because you're used to them. There are quite a few people who have issue with the flutter kick because they are unconscious of the fact that they bend their knees too much. Thers have more difficulty with orienting their head to breathe.
Just like I am used to the crawl, and you are used to the breast stroke, we both probably prefer to do that which we are most efficient at rather than put in the amount of time necessary to reprogram our brain's concept of kick/stroke/breathe.
FWIW
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Thu, April 14, 2005 - 2:42 PMIt's a dead heat between freestyle and breastroke, although I'm possibly better at breaststroke (former distance runner, long legs). Right now my training schedule invovles 1000m of each, alternating every 100m. I'm not a spirnter, more of an endurance freak.
I can't butterfly to save my life and I hate the backtroke because I hate not being able to see where I'm going. Yeah, I'm neurotic, too,lol.
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Mon, April 18, 2005 - 8:45 AMI'm defintly a backstroker.... i love the flip turns, and the streamlines w/the dolphin kick... it feels so fuckin fast.
but deep down i'm just another freestyler, that loves to get my sprint on.
and boy oh boy does doing fly make me feel powerful, but sadly enough i think i can only pull off a 25 fly, before my stroke starts to goto shit. -
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Unsu...
Re: Favorite Stroke
Thu, May 5, 2005 - 2:42 AMfly! its more fun! then you feel your arms working ;)
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Tue, June 21, 2005 - 3:49 PMbackstroke! i'm still faster at freestyle, but relatively better at backstroke. feels like i can't get as good a kick going on the free... something faulty about the body position, i think!
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Re: Favorite Stroke
Sun, October 9, 2005 - 4:23 PMbreast stroke is my favorite b/c it is a heart opening exp........love it!!!! -
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Re: Favorite Stroke ~ heart opening!!!!
Tue, October 11, 2005 - 7:56 AM
breast stroke is unique because its the only stroke that traverses the path of full to empty.. .. ...................
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Unsu...
Re: Favorite Stroke ~ heart opening!!!!
Mon, January 22, 2007 - 11:15 AMi used to hate breaststroke when i was a kid and swam a lot, it was so awkward. backstroke was my fastest and favorite next to front crawl.
now it's reverse, i love and can say i've finally have mastered breastroke, it's an amazing stroke when everything coordinates, arms legs and breath, it's zen like and very fast without the exertion.
for me it's become a longdistance stroke - i can go forever and the more i do the easier it becomes in that session. the key to is to keep the core tight and streamlined just slightly under the surface...letting go of the core (stomach and back) will make the legs drag and use too much energy. also i find this is the only stroke that works the same muscles in my ass and legs that dance does...of course this makes sense that i've come to love this stroke after years of dance.
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