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By Terry Laughlin Glenn Mills, 1980 Olympic Trials 200 meter breaststroke champion, did countless hours of vertical kicking for endurance and strength while training at the Cincinnati Pepsi Marlins and the University of Alabama. Twenty years later, as a Masters swimmer and Total Immersion workshop director, his focus has shifted to impeccable technique. "Unless you are really careful about technique, this drill won't teach you much about breast kicking; it will just be an exercise in keeping your head above water." Here is his advice on how to go vertical to improve your own breaststroke. Posture "Stay as tall as you can and avoid arching your back." Mills advises. "I do that by crossing my arms and leaning slightly forward." Body Position There’s more of a tendency in breaststroke than in other vertical kicks to bob up and sink down because your leg recovery can pull you under. "Once your body is straight," Mills says, " put your focus on maintaining a stable position and to keep your chin at the water line." Recovery The effort to stay at a consistent level in the water will improve your leg recovery, Mill says. "Make your recovery quick and sharp. Drawing your legs up too far will pull you under." Catch This is a fine balancing act. You want to try to catch the water as high as possible, but not so high that your face sinks under. Turn your heels in and toes out to grab the water with your instep. Drive This isn’t the old Red Cross "frog" kick. Concentrate on pushing water directly toward the bottom for as much of the kick as possible," Mills instructs. "Don't sweep your feet in a triangle, out and in. They will move out and in naturally, but if you focus on pushing down, you’ll push more water in the right direction." Finish Mills warns that the hardest part is finishing the kick. "You have to be really good to bring the feet together because most people finish with legs wide and knees pitched out," he says. You can improve by pushing down until you feel your feet snap together, as if you were trying to squeeze all the water out from between them. Practice. "You have to keep your tempo fairly high and steady to maintain a steady body position, so vertical breast kick may become a fast-feet drill," according to Mills. While in college, he would do endurance sets of 45 seconds kick and 15 seconds rest for 10 minutes, while holding 5 or 10 lb. weights. Now he would reverse that, kicking for only 15 to 30 seconds, while resting 30 to 45 seconds, with no extra weight. You might try initially to do just 10 to 15 kicks, focusing on one of the points mentioned above. Then do a length of horizontal kicking and a length of breaststroke swimming, counting your kicks on the first length and your strokes on the second, before you go vertical again. Happy Laps!!
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