Phelps at World Cup

"Colin Priest" <[email hidden]> wrote in
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I wish that I could swim like that!

So does Ian Thorpe.

"Colin Priest" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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I've been watching the Melbourne World Cup on TV and have noticed a couple of things about Phelps.
Firstly, he has added some muscle. Perhaps this means that he wants to be part of the 4x100 free
at Athens?

It's genetics, dude. You can't simply slap on muscle. As a 16 year old boy, Phelps looked like a
man. His father was a football player and is now a State Trooper - I haven't seen a picture, but
he's evidently a mountain of a man.

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Secondly, his breaststroke is not very good (perhaps it used to be better). His splits in the 200IM
had him well under (> 1 second) the world record split until he swam the breaststroke leg (from -1
sec vs WR to + 1 sec vs WR) and was pulled back to the field

This makes no sense. Phelps IS the world record holder in the 200
I.M., and it's his most dominant event. So if he went -1 to +1 on the breastroke leg as you say, it
means he had a terrible breastroke leg compared to HIMSELF during his World record swim. So
don't know what could be up there. I didn't think his breastroke was actually that bad - worst
of his strokes by far but he does have a top 200 time in the world for the 200 meter breast.

Eric

World Cup is *short course*. According to the FINA web site, Phelps doesn't hold the short course
200IM record. Jani Sievinen does.

Regardless, my point is that I think that he used to be better at breaststroke. Perhaps he has been
concentrating on his free and back (to broaden his range of events) at the expense of his breast.

"4precious" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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"Colin Priest" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

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I've been watching the Melbourne World Cup on TV and have noticed a

couple

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

of things about Phelps. Firstly, he has added some muscle. Perhaps this means that he wants to
be part of the 4x100 free at Athens?

It's genetics, dude. You can't simply slap on muscle. As a 16 year old boy, Phelps looked like a
man. His father was a football player and is now a State Trooper - I haven't seen a picture, but
he's evidently a mountain of a man.

Quoted message said:

Secondly, his breaststroke is not very good (perhaps it used to be better). His splits

in

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the 200IM had him well under (> 1 second) the world record split until

he

Quoted message said:

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swam the breaststroke leg (from -1 sec vs WR to + 1 sec vs WR) and was pulled back to the field

This makes no sense. Phelps IS the world record holder in the 200
I.M., and it's his most dominant event. So if he went -1 to +1 on the breastroke leg as you say,
it means he had a terrible breastroke leg compared to HIMSELF during his World record swim. So
don't know what could be up there. I didn't think his breastroke was actually that bad - worst
of his strokes by far but he does have a top 200 time in the world for the 200 meter breast.

Eric

[email hidden] (Larry Weisenthal) wrote in message
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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

And Dean Kent from New Zeland finished second - one place better than the All Blacks managed at the
World Cup (Colin will understand this reference though it might be lost on some of the rest of you).

Liz D

"Colin Priest" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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I've been watching the Melbourne World Cup on TV and have noticed a couple of things about Phelps.
Firstly, he has added some muscle. Perhaps this means that he wants to be part of the 4x100 free
at Athens? Secondly, his breaststroke is not very good (perhaps it used to be better). His splits
in the 200IM had him well under (> 1 second) the world record split until he swam the breaststroke
leg (from -1 sec vs WR to + 1 sec vs WR) and was pulled back to the field. Then his strong
freestyle leg got him back into the running for a great time. Thirdly, he does a LOT of stretching
IMMEDIATELY BEFORE the race starts. This has even caused him to receive a warning from a referee,
when after the whistle was blown and he was on the blocks, he continued to do stretches and wave
his arms around, delaying the start. Finally, his fly is beautiful to watch, long, balanced and
flowing - I wish that I could swim like that!

Dean swam very well - was it a pb for him?

"Liz D" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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And Dean Kent from New Zeland finished second - one place better than the All Blacks managed at
the World Cup (Colin will understand this reference though it might be lost on some of the rest
of you).

Liz D

"Colin Priest" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've been watching the Melbourne World Cup on TV and have noticed a

couple

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

of things about Phelps. Firstly, he has added some muscle. Perhaps this means that he wants to
be part of the 4x100 free at Athens? Secondly,

his

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

breaststroke is not very good (perhaps it used to be better). His splits

in

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the 200IM had him well under (> 1 second) the world record split until

he

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

swam the breaststroke leg (from -1 sec vs WR to + 1 sec vs WR) and was pulled back to the field.
Then his strong freestyle leg got him back

into

Quoted message said:

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the running for a great time. Thirdly, he does a LOT of stretching IMMEDIATELY BEFORE the race
starts. This has even caused him to receive

a

Quoted message said:

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warning from a referee, when after the whistle was blown and he was on

the

Quoted message said:

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blocks, he continued to do stretches and wave his arms around, delaying

the

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start. Finally, his fly is beautiful to watch, long, balanced and

flowing -

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I wish that I could swim like that!

[email hidden] (4precious) wrote in message >

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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.

You recall correctly. A young Hungarian fellow named Lazslo Cseh (born in 1985) finished second to
Phelps at Worlds in 4:10.79 (versus Phelps' time of 4:09.09). So, it could be accurately said that
Cseh is within 17 tenths of Phelps.

To put Cseh's accomplishment in perspective, I believe that Tom Dolan's best time ever was 4:11.76
and Cseh's time at world's was within a tenth of the Phelp's pre-worlds WR. Like Phelps, he is also
"just a kid".

Could be quite the race ... If the Olympics follow the same schedule as Worlds, the 400 IM will be
on the last day .... if it is possible for Phelps to get tired, it could happen in the 400 IM.
Phelps shouldn't be too concerned, though, after all what kind of track record do Hungarians have at
Olympic swimming anyway? (especially the men's IM) :-)

Not sure - quite possibly. The only "coverage" has been a 10 second item about it on the radio and a
1 line result in the daily newspaper. Unlike that other World Cup which is _still_ being debated
endlessly (but we won't talk about that, will we?).

From recollection, he swum very well in World Cup short-course meets in Europe last year as well.
Though wasn't placed at the Commonwealth Games (he was apparently very ill with the flu or somesuch
during the Games so performed below expectations, I think).

Lucky you that you actually get some TV coverage of swimming. At least the World Triathlon champs in
Queenstown this weekend are getting some coverage.

Liz D

"Colin Priest" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Dean swam very well - was it a pb for him?

"Liz D" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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And Dean Kent from New Zeland finished second - one place better than the All Blacks managed at
the World Cup (Colin will understand this reference though it might be lost on some of the rest
of you).

Liz D

I have cable TV - so I was able to see the races live. There was also a delayed telecast on
free to air.

"Liz D" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Not sure - quite possibly. The only "coverage" has been a 10 second item about it on the radio and
a 1 line result in the daily newspaper. Unlike that other World Cup which is _still_ being debated
endlessly (but we won't talk about that, will we?).

From recollection, he swum very well in World Cup short-course meets in Europe last year as well.
Though wasn't placed at the Commonwealth Games (he was apparently very ill with the flu or
somesuch during the Games so performed below expectations, I think).

Lucky you that you actually get some TV coverage of swimming. At least the World Triathlon champs
in Queenstown this weekend are getting some coverage.

Liz D

"Colin Priest" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

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Dean swam very well - was it a pb for him?

"Liz D" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

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And Dean Kent from New Zeland finished second - one place better than the All Blacks managed
at the World Cup (Colin will understand this reference though it might be lost on some of the
rest of you).

Liz D