Building the third ring: the book of fire.

When I started piecing together the third chapter of my Book of Five Rings for Swimming project, Ring Three: The Fire Book (Breaststroke). I had a very clear vision of what it was going to be, the stroke, the master, the connection. The more I wrote however, the more it changed. Like a fire consuming and growing.

This stroke and chapter turned out to be pretty tricky. I found myself battling some biases, and perhaps a few old-fashioned ideas. Eventually. I got there. Combining old and new, sharing some history and connecting to the present, and that’s breaststroke. The first stroke done in competition. Some fundamental principles haven’t changed and at the same time modern masters are reclaiming it and redefining what is possible.

If freestyle feels like solid ground and backstroke feels like flowing water, breaststroke really is fire, sharp, explosive, and super unforgiving if you get the timing wrong. It’s all about those pulses: arms strike, legs ignite, then back to line. When it clicks, it feels powerful and clean. When it doesn’t, you just… sink into drag.

What I love about this chapter is how much of it comes down to control. Fire can burn hot and fast, or it can be contained and released at just the right moment. That’s what breaststroke asks of you, precision, patience, and rhythm.

Waste even a little energy, and the stroke punishes you.

Without spoiling too much, I’ve been looking at the lineage of master's here, Mike Barrowman, Ed Moses, Adam Peaty, Evgeniia Chikunova. Each of them shows a different way fire can be used: explosive sprints, sustained distance, disciplined timing. It’s inspiring to see how much restraint actually plays into racing fast.

The theme of the chapter is simple but tough to live out: Respect the fire. Contain it. Time it. Release it.

That’s the heart of breaststroke, and the lesson I’m trying to put into words.

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