When scientific information doesn’t seem useful to coaches or swimmers, they may turn instead to information that is readily accessible, explained in familiar terminology, and which has demonstrated applicability. That information can encourage them to model the fastest swimmers. For example, the “noticeable” (i.e. obvious) mechanics of Olympians are often modeled. The weakness of this approach is that the characteristic technique elements of a champion are not always effective.
Olympians or Flying Pigs?
For wholesale adoption of an individual’s traits, a performance must be so outstanding that it’s the equivalent of “teaching a pig to fly” (Brewer, 1976). For example, in a 50 m race a swimmer would have to beat the field by several body lengths to meet this “statistical” standard. Since this race is usually determined by a small fraction of a body length, even the fastest Olympians can’t be classified as “flying pigs.” The danger in modeling a champion who is less than a flying pig, is that his or her success may be due to other attributes. Olympians often excel because of size and/or strength – and not technique.
Fortunately for swimmers and coaches alike, science reliably determines the relative impact of specific factors on performance. It’s time to apply proven, science-based information — and time to forget about those flying pigs!
STR Science
The STR website has considerable information about applying science to swimming technique. There are products based on science, like:
- Aquanex (synchronized underwater video and hand force)
- MONA (software with a biomechanical model of optimal technique)
- SwimCues (an iPhone version of MONA)
- ebooks (the Approaching Perfect Swimming series and the Swim Coaching Science series)
- Swim Science Courses (Powerpoints).
There are also free items based on science: pdfs, videos (conference presentations), software (Aquanex playback), and Powerpoints. There are many alternatives to conventional wisdom. You don’t have to find a flying pig!
