Re: Phelps at World Cup

[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Larry Weisenthal) wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> >> Perhaps he has been concentrating on his free and back (to
> broaden his range of events) at the expense of his breast.<<
> 
> Interesting point, well taken.
> 
> Truthfully, he has little to fear in the IM...he's taken the WRs to such a high
> level that he can afford to focus more on challenging the Aussies in middle
> distance free;  plus get his 100 fly record back from Crocker.

I don't think that's entirely true.  If I recall, there are a number
of men in the World who are within a few tenths of him in the 400 I.M.
 I believe his 200 I.M. time is literally seconds below everybody
else.  So he is vulnerable in the 400 I.M.

I should have pointed people to the usa-swimming website in my first
post.  They have his 400 I.M. in their "Perfect Race" series where
both he and Eric Vendt went under the World record.  Phelps decimates
the field during the Fly and Back legs, but Vendt gets back into the
race during the breastroke leg.  The only thing that saves Phelps is
his underwater dolphin kicking off the final wall to hold of Vendt
during the free leg.

So the original post has merit - Phelps is vulernable in the
breaststroke.  That makes him not unlike Tom Dolan.  I've read
workouts of Tom.  He sometimes did breastroke kick for over 1000
meters a day.  Clearly working on his weakest link.  If you look at
Dolan's breastroke, you will see that he doesn't glide at all, like
World class breastrokers do.  Instead, instantly to arm pull.  Phelps
does glide some, obviously having more faith in his breastroke kick
than Dolan, and Phelps does swim with some "wave breastroke", diving
his head underwater and getting some body undulation into it.  Being
the best flyer in the World, that's obviously a good thing to try.

Eric