How to improve your Breaststroke the van der Burgh way!

Who better than an Olympic 100m breaststroke Champion to offer advice and tips on breaststroke.

So what are Cameron’s top three tips?

1. Find the proper timing – Arms & legs

Only begin the arm pull once your feet touch and finish the kick. You should always be in a kind of streamline, initiating the next arm stroke only as your feet are finishing the kick. If you start the pull before the kick is finishing then you are allowing a lot of water in, therefore your stroke is not efficient. Good timing is essential to making you hydrodynamic and efficient in the water.

2. Try and increase your stroke frequency

I practice a lot of short sprints, such as 15 meters, where I try and obtain the highest frequency. My stroke rate can get up to 65 to 70 sometimes which helps boost maximum frequency, so that in a 100m breaststroke race for instance, coming down to a swim frequency of between 45 – 50 feels a lot easier because your max frequency is a lot higher.

3. Improve your kicking power

Your legs are the body’s engine so if they are conditioned and strong it helps greatly. It has helped me, certainly in my 100m breaststroke. In the last 40 to 50 meters, a powerful kick can help you to finish the race stronger. Spend time conditioning your legs.