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Training und Technik von Kosuke Kitajima

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Kategorie: Training
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Standing Tall
Although short in stature, Japan's Kosuke Kitajima_blessed with extraordinary technique_is a giant among breaststrokers.

Size doesn't always matter. But let's face it: elite male swimmers, such as Australian Ian Thorpe and American Michael Phelps, are usually big, strong fellows.

Kosuke Kitajima is an exception to the rule. The skinny, 5-foot-8 3/4-inch Japanese native is a world-class swimmer who relies more on skill than size.

The 20-year-old from Tokyo had a breakthrough year in 2002, highlighted by a gold medal finish in the 200 meter breaststroke at the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea in October.

In that race, Kitajima shattered the oldest record in men's swimming, winning the 200 meter breaststroke in 2:09.97. That bettered the mark (2:10.16) set by American Mike Barrowman in 1992 at the Barcelona Games. With the record, Kitajima became only the second Asian male to set a world record in the pool since 1972 when Nobutaka Taguchi set a WR in the 100 breast. (Kitajima's mark was lowered even further as Swimming Technique was going to press, when Russia's Dmitri Komornikov clocked 2:09.52 on June 14 at the Mare Nostrum meet in Barcelona.)

Kitajima and his Tokyo Swimming Center teammates trained at Northern Arizona University's High Altitude Sports Training Complex this past spring for three-and-a-half weeks. After a morning workout in early April, Kitajima and his longtime TSC coach, Norimasa Hirai, sat down with Swimming Technique and spoke about Kitajima's success, his beginnings in the sport as well as his training.

That record-shattering performance last October shocked even Kitajima.

"I honestly didn't know I was going that fast," says Kitajima through interpreter Eri Ono. "It was only when I hit the wall and looked up that I realized it was a world record."

"A world record at this Games_in Asia_is a big, big thing for me," he continues. "I have worked hard for this for a long time, and I don't feel I have even reached my limit."

Neither does Hirai: "We believe Kitajima will break the world record again." Others share the coach's opinion, because, in the words of Japanese team manager, Shigeo Ogata, "His technique is perfect."

Natural Ability
But it didn't happen overnight.

Kitajima hasn't always been a world-class athlete. Like many children growing up in Tokyo, Kosuke began swimming at a young age.

Between the ages of 5 and 7, "I just swam with the other kids for fun," he recalls. Then it got more serious_a scheduled activity, not just a hobby.

When he turned 7, Kosuke joined a swim team. By age 10, he began competing in Japan's Junior Olympic national championships. And this forced him to expand his in-the-water skills.

"When I turned 10, I used to do the individual medley," he says. "But in order to attend these competitions, I added the breaststroke to my repertoire."

At 14, he started preparing for years of international competition by joining the Tokyo Swimming Center, where he started working under the watchful eye of Hirai.

That was in 1996, and instantly, Hirai became aware of Kitajima's unique ability.

"His strength is that he really has strong ankles," Hirai says.

The coach provided a fine analogy to explain why strong, flexible ankles are vital to a swimmer's success. He likened the ankle snap to a baseball pitcher's wrist. That quick snap enables the pitcher to get more movement on his pitches. Similarly, for a swimmer, a quick ankle snap is an integral part of swimming side by side against Olympic-caliber foes.

Says Hirai: "He had it naturally. He originally had this ability, so we put more attention to developing it.

"When I met him for the first time, I knew a lot about the strengths and weaknesses of his swimming techniques, but I thought the ankle snap was really a strength for him," the coach continues. "So I encouraged him to develop the ankle snap instead of finding out his weaknesses. I know gliding is a really important factor to have higher speed, but when I met him and saw his strengths, I knew that the ankle snap could be applied to him. I just put more attention on developing his strengths rather than changing his weaknesses."

Says Kitajima: "He encouraged me to develop this technique since the very beginning."

Key Components
Recalling Barrowman's gold medal-winning, record-setting performance a decade ago in Barcelona, Hirai says his philosophy and Barrowman's share one common characteristic: "Strong gliding is a key."

In simple terms, according to Hirai, Kitajima's formula for success in the breaststroke consists of four key aspects:

  • Ankle snap
  • Kicking
  • Glide
  • Strokes

The process of mastering these steps, Hirai explains, begins by improving the ankle snap.

How is this accomplished? For Kitajima, "We've done training-in-the-water sessions using a pull-buoy," Hirai says. "Usually when we're using a pull-buoy, he wouldn't use the snap_well, maybe a little bit."

Essentially, the kinetic energy of the snap to the kick to the glide serves as a catalyst for the most important part of the race, i.e., the actual breaststroke.

Or as Hirai puts it: "At that moment, his speed comes so fast."

Ideally, in Hirai's master plan, the well-orchestrated gliding will cut down on the number of strokes his pupil has to take.

By observing many breaststroke specialists, Hirai estimates that most of them use between 21 and 24 strokes per 50-meter lap. He's fine-tuned Kitajima's process to have him get it down to an average of 18-20 strokes per lap_which still is several more than Ed Moses takes.

Why is this so critical? Less repetitions help Kitajima maintain his arm strength as well as power and quickness in the final stages of each race.

"This is one component that helps contribute to (a quicker) time," Kitajima says.

Another component of Kitajima's success is his unique dryland training. He became the first swimmer in Japan to make Olympic weightlifting a part of his workout regimen. These are the type of exercises_squats, snatch and clean-and-jerk, for example_that are generally done by rowers and speed skaters, not swimmers.

...

Kitajima's Ankle Snap
By Hideki Mochizuki

TOKYO_The ankle snap, a key breaststroke technique used by Kosuke Kitajima, is a major component of his success, according to his coach, Norimasa Hirai, of the Tokyo Swimming Center. But what, precisely, is the "ankle snap"? Coach Hirai explained the technique as follows:

  • After a breaststroker pulls the legs inward toward the body, the ankle is flexed at about a 90-degree angle for the outsweep.
  • The swimmer then kicks hard to straighten his knees.
  • Just before the kicking action is completed, the swimmer snaps his ankle much as a baseball pitcher snaps his wrist when he throws a 100 mile-per-hour fastball.
  • This is when Kitajima reaches his maximum speed_right after he "snaps" his ankle_and this is what Hirai means when he refers to the "ankle snap."

"This technique is not unique to Kitajima," Coach Hirai says. "To a certain extent, every top breaststroker does it. However, since the Sydney Games, we have emphasized it and worked constantly on improving it.

Hirai explains further: "As I said, when Kitajima executes the ankle snap, he reaches his maximum swimming speed. Meanwhile, right before the ankle snap, he thrusts both arms forward in the arm recovery.

"Accordingly, body position in the water and the ability to glide with minimal resistance are vitally important to take advantage of the ankle snap action." This skill, Hirai says, contributed to Kitajima changing from a 100 meter breaststroke specialist after the Sydney Games to a multiple-event breaststroker who now is among the best in the world in both the 100 and 200 meters.

Hirai says, "Ed Moses, (Domenico) Fioravanti and to some extent every top swimmer uses this ankle snap technique, whether they are consciously aware of it or not. However, Kitajima's ankle snap technique is currently the best in the world, especially in terms of kicking speed and the ability to 'catch' the water with his feet."

Hideki Mochizuki is Swimming World's correspondent from Japan.

Sample Workouts 

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TYPICAL WEEKLY SCHEDULE
MORNING SESSIONS
(Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays)
7 to 7:30 a.m. Stretching and exercising of core muscle groups, which includes the use of a balance board.
7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Long course swimming (5,500 to 6,000 meters of freestyle and individual medley.
(Mondays and Thursdays)
8 to 10:30 a.m. Weight training (bench press, squat, lat pull-down, snatch and clean-and-jerk).
10:30 to noon. Long course swimming (2,000 to 3,000 meters of sprints).
AFTERNOON SESSIONS
(Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays)
4:15 to 5 p.m. Stretching.
(Tuesdays and Saturdays)
5 to 7 p.m. Long course swimming (aerobic emphasis: 5,000 to 5,500 meters of freestyle, IM and breaststroke).
(Wednesdays and Saturdays)
5 to 7 p.m. Long course swimming (anaerobic emphasis: 5,000 to 5,500  meters of only breaststroke).
MARCH 30, 2003 (Sunday morning)
TYPE	DISTANCE	CYC	DESCRIPTION		SYS	M	TIME
Warm-up	1x 800 		14:00	Swim/kick/pull/swim 200	REC	800	14:00
Swim	12 x 50		:55	IM order x 3	EN1	600	11:00
Kick	1 x 800 	14:00	Fly-back-free (fins)-breast x 200	EN2	800	14:00
Recovery	1x 100 	5:00	Recovery	REC	100	5:00
Pull	8 x 150		2:15	Free (3-count breathing)	EN3	1200	18:00
Recovery	1x 100 	5:00	Recovery	REC	100	5:00
Swim	2 x 300 	4:30	Free locomotion alt. hard/easy x 25s	EN2	600	9:00
Swim	8 x 100 	1:40	Mini Medley	EN2	800	13:20
Swim	4 x 50 		1:15	Choice 2 hard, 1 easy, 1 hard (descend)	REC	50	5:00
			Stroke count	EN3	100
				AN1	50
Warm-down	1 x 400 	10:00	Swim/kick/pull/swim 100	REC	400	10:00
MARCH 30, 2003 (Sunday evening)
TYPE	DISTANCE	CYC	DESCRIPTION	SYS	M	TIME
Warm-up	1 x 800 	14:00	200x Swim/pull/kick/swim	REC	800	14:00
Swim	8 x 100 	1:40	Free-Mini Medley/alt.	EN2	800	13:20
Swim	4 x 25	 	2:30	Sprint assisted (stretch cord)	SP3	100	10:00
Kick	12 x 50 	1:10	Side-on back/Alt.	EN1	600	14:00
Swim	2 x 100 	2:30	Breast alt. hard/easy (x25s)	EN3	200	5:00
Recovery	100 x 1	5:00	Recovery	REC	100	5:00
Pull	12 x 50		1:10	Odds choice; Evens hard breast	EN2/3	600	14:00
Pull	2 x 100 	2:30	Breast 25 hard/25 easy	EN3	200	5:00
Recovery	100 x 1	5:00	Recovery	REC	100	5:00
Swim	3 x 200 	3:40	25 breast/25 free Br=technique	EN1	600	11:00
Swim	4 x 100 	2:00	Easy	REC	400	8:00
Swim	4 x 100 	2:00	Breast hard (at 200 pace)	SP1	400	8:00
Warm-down	1 x 400 10:00	100x Swim/pull/kick/swim	REC	400	10:00
APRIL 2, 2003 (Wednesday evening)
TYPE	DISTANCE	CYC	DESCRIPTION	SYS	M	TIME
Warm-up	1 x 800 	14:00	200x Swim/pull/kick/swim	REC	800	14:00
Kick	1 x 400 	8:00	IM	EN1	400	8:00
Swim	4 x 50 		1:15	Breast alt. hard/easy 25s	EN2	200	5:00
Pull	2 x 200		3:30	IM	EN1	400	7:00
Swim	4 x 50 		1:15	Breast alt. hard/easy x25s	EN2	200	5:00
Drill/Swim	8 x 50 	1:00	3 Kick, 1 pull & kick on back/alt	EN1	400	8:00
Swim	4 x 50		1:15	Breast descend	EN3	200	5:00
Swim/Drill	2 x 25 	2:30	Choice/specialty max	SP3	50	5:00
L	1 x 100 	10:00	Recovery	REC	100	10:00
Swim	2 x 100 	16:00	Breast from dive (results below)	SP1	200	32:00
Warm-down	1 x 800	14:00	Kick 200, pull 100, swim 100 x 2	REC	800	14:00
		1t	13.0-29.0-44.8-1:02.6 (25m splits)	Heart rate 192 bpm
			Lactate after = 13.1mmol
		2t	12.9-28.8-44.5-1:01.8 (25m splits)	Heart rate 195 bpm
			Lactate after = 15.1mmol
			3 minutes later = 15.6
			5 minutes later = 15.6
Legend
CYC	Cycle
REC	Warm-up/recovery
EN1	Basic endurance training
EN2	Threshold endurance training
EN3	Overload endurance training
SP1	Lactate tolerance training
SP2	Lactate production training
SP3	Power training

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