David Marsh's Next Wave Technique: Breaststroke

with David Marsh,
Cal Berkeley Men's Assistant Coach;
Team Elite Aquatics (San Diego) Head Coach;
Israel Swimming Association Professional Adviser;
UCSD Head Coach from 2017 to 2019;
2016 USA Women's Olympic Team Head Coach;
14 Marsh-coached athletes competed in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympians Games;
Head Coach, SwimMAC Carolina from 2007 to 2017 (3 consecutive USA Swimming Club Excellence Championships);
Auburn Head Men's and Women's Coach - 1990 through 2007;
12x NCAA Team Championships - 7x for the Men's program, 5x for the Women's program;
including Men's/Women's sweeps in 2003 (1st time in NCAA history to have a Men's/Women's coach sweep Championships) , 2004, 2006 and 2007 ;
8x NCAA Coach of the Year;
3x USA Men's Olympic Team Assistant ('12, 00, '96);
has coached 49 Olympians from 19 different countries;
2000 & 2003 National Collegiate and Scholastic Swimming Trophy;
North Carolina Swimming Hall of Fame - 2016;
Auburn Swimming Hall of Fame - 2015;
competed at Auburn (5x All-American; backstroke)

Efficiency, not raw power, is the key to a quality breaststroke. In this presentation, legendary swim coach David Marsh shares effective drills for achieving maximum speed by building the breaststroke around a strong body line. With the assistance of Micah Lawrence, a member of the 2012 United States Olympic team, Coach Marsh demonstrates all aspects of the stroke from the fundamentals to the critical details that can easily be overlooked. Now, you can use Marsh's tips and techniques to develop a powerful, masterful, and efficient breaststroke.

Breaststroke is one of the most unique swimming strokes. Using drills that Coach Marsh has developed along with drills he has learned from elite U.S. and international coaches and athletes, Marsh breaks down the stroke into individual parts to strengthen the athlete's technique. He incorporates advanced drills to put the stroke back together. These drills focus on all aspects of the stroke, including the streamline, hand cycle and kick.

Coach Marsh begins by examining the components of an ideal breaststroke kick. Watch as Lawrence demonstrates her world-class breaststroke kick and the drills that build each component of it. Next, Coach Marsh concentrates on the pull, using drills to build strong, fast sculling capability and to address common pull flaws. Lastly, he looks at the full stroke breaststroke, showing swimmers and coaches alike how to connect the kick and pull through the breaststroke line for maximum speed.

Whether you are a coach or a swimmer, you'll feel like Coach Marsh is personally coaching you as he shares the how and why of each drill, as well as key things to look for as it's being executed. Coach Marsh encourages coaches and swimmers to be creative with equipment available on most pool decks-from kick boards to parking cones-to safely add the resistance that the swimmer needs to build power, heighten water sensitivity, and correct stroke flaws.

These dryland and pool exercises and drills combine to build the critical element of a fast breaststroke-a long, straight body-line that runs from the tips of the fingers through the crown of the head and down to the toes. The drills in this presentation helped Lawrence become a world-class breaststroker and they will help you improve your breaststroke, too!

BONUS
In an Endless Pool bonus session, you will see Coach Marsh dissect the breaststroke of some of his developing swimmers from SwimMAC Carolina. The uniqueness of this session allows you to watch a master technician take the drills and concepts that he used throughout the presentation and effectively evaluate, teach, and correct the strokes of his developing swimmers. The Endless Pool creates a one on one coaching session that is up close and highly effective. This segment is an invaluable lesson on how to teach the breaststroke.

63 minutes. 2014.