By Mat Luebbers

Has freestyle technique changed?

How did de Bruijn, van den Hoogenband, Klim, Torres, and the rest swim so fast in the 2000 Olympics? How are swimmers continuing to get faster - and what will we see at future Olympics?

While some may say it could be due to performance enhancing substances, I prefer to think it is from improved nutrition, better training methods, better understanding of how each athlete reacts to training stress, and the natural evolution of swimming technique. I may be seeing things that aren't there, but I think the swimmers have made some changes to their arm pull that are making them faster. I also think there may be other things, like breathing more often than used to be thought prudent. In this article, I am going to review some of the things I saw in the freestyle races.

You may have seen the same things differently

There are many ways for a swimmer to cover a set distance in less time. Faster turns, a better start, decreasing resistance (through technique or suit materials), or a more propulsive kick could all help to improve a performance. Two other ways for a swimmer to go faster that involve the actual arm action of a swimmer are to increase the stroke rate (while maintaining the distance per stroke), and to increase the distance each stroke takes them (while maintaining the same rate). I think these fast, sprint-distance swimmers have found a way to maximize the distance covered per stroke while maintaining (or even increasing) their stroke rate. Some of the things they do could be applied to other distances, and be used by other swimmers, too.
Swimming is not an isolated body part sport; what your head is doing while you are kicking has an effect on your body and arm action. These ideas have been studied and tested various times, and it seems that the experts are still not exactly sure what is the single best way to swim freestyle. There are general ideas, but nothing that can be called the single best way. From coach to coach, and from author to author, you may hear slightly (or massively) different ideas on what comprises good freestyle technique. But when Inge de Bruijn and Michael Klim swim freestyle, I see similar things. According to de Bruijn's coach, this should be the case; he wanted de Bruijn to have the same basic technique as Klim. A few of the technique points I think I saw include a straighter arm recovery, a more pinky first entry, a fairly straight high elbow pull pattern, and more shoulder than hip roll.

Some key points to fast freestyle swimming

I beleive the freestyle pull-pattern has changed, but more in how it is described, not on what actually happens. This newer pull pattern does not have the "S" pattern that is sometimes taught - at least not from the point of view of someone standing on the pool deck. The arm does move in an "S" from the swimmers point of view - but I don't think they see it that way, either. I think they imagine it as a straight lower arm, high elbow compared to the wrist pull. The timing of the pull also seems to change as the race distance increase. There is a longer lag in timing - a catch-up timed stroke - in longer races. Swimmers seem to be keeping an arm extended as long as possible (like the lengthening the vessel ideas from Bill Boomer). This same timing pattern appears to be true in Popov's 50 meter and 100 meter stroke, but not in the others in the same races, and certainly not by the fastest women swimmers. He may have a better feel for the technique at a higher velocity that other swimmers have not yet developed.

Freestyle Check Points

Above the water - Exit to the Entry:

• Exit the water by lifting the elbow/arm just past the top of hip.
• Straighten the arm and keep it straight during the recovery.
• Once the hand has exited the water, lead with the back of the hand, thumb side down.
• Rotate the arm from thumb down to thumb forward as the hand moves forward towards the entry.
• Enter the water with a straight arm and flat to slightly pinky down orientation.

Under the water - Catch to the Finish:

• After a slight delay and gliding or stretching action the hand begins to move.
• The hand flexes at the wrist and begins to catch the water.
• The hand moves towards the bottom of the pool while the elbow maintains a fairly high, traditional position.
• Imagine a line beginning at the tip of the middle finger and extending up the hand and arm, exiting at the elbow - that line moves through a plane that is perpendicular to the bottom of the pool and parallel to the direction of movement.
• The swimmer's shoulders must roll from pulling arm side "high" to pulling arm side "low" as the action progresses.
• The swimmers are moving their shoulders more (more degrees of rotation) when compared to their hips - more twist in the trunk or more difference in degree of rotation when compared to some other stroke theories.
• The straight pull pattern continues through the stroke, with a change in shoulder roll and degree of bend at the wrist and elbow changing to keep the elbow to fingertip line within the proper pull plane.
• The swimmer releases the water - stops trying to push it - when their hand reaches the top of their hip.
• They begin to lift the arm and hand out by raising the elbow and then straightening the arm - not a "full push to the end of the stroke" in the traditional way of thinking.

It also appears that in races longer than 50 meters, swimmers follow a breath every two pattern. It makes sense to me - air is good, and up to a point more air is better. If the swimmer can breath every stroke cycle while minimizing any affect this has on their technique, they should breath. These swimmers do just that. They also seem to breath "off the turn" as opposed to waiting until they have completed one or two stroke cycles after a turn. Again - looks like air is good for maintaining speed!

Swimming will continue to evolve. I think we saw some of the big changes at the Sydney Games. What will we see in future Games?

Swim On!

Reprinted from About Swimming - http://swimming.about.com

Click here to return to the Articles page