Found another swimmer who looks just like Hackett, only this man appears to be left-handed. Donal
tries to make the point from time to time that Hackett's style is very unusual, so it's nice to
refute that notion. (At least I don't think this guy is Hackett, certainly doesn't seem to have the
same body and I've never seen Hackett breath right)
It's at:
buehlerbluemarlins.netbuehlerbluemarlins.netOpen ↗
Click on:
World Championships, Barcelona 2003
The very last video in the freestyle section is:
Men's 400m free, heat 8; Ian Thorpe, Australia 3.2
The man in the background next to Thorpe swims exactly like Hackett, except he breaths left. That
is, one beat on the breathing side, three on the non-breathing side. Prominant head and chest lift
while going to catch on the left side.
So this is a great way to swim for distance freestyle men who don't want to use a 6-beat kick.
Unfortunately, it seems a bit tough for this particular recreational swimmer. But men who use 4-
beats at the elite level seem to gravitate to this style.
It did solve one "problem" I have when trying to emulate their technique. After stretching out on
the breathing side arm, Hackett actually LIFTS his leg as his arm starts to descend to catch. That
seems impossible to do and still keep balanced in the water. The man in this video does not do that.
He kicks very early during his pull on the breathing side - THAT feels a lot more natural than the
way Hackett does it.
Eric