Full disclosure: I am a pure (i.e. "drop dead") sprinter :)]
Watching Track & Field, I'm always struck how they offer what can truly be described as "pure" sprints: the 100m dash (and in indoors, the 60m). These are races that time sub-10 and sub-7 seconds at the elite level. Yet swimming's shortest race is 21 seconds (for the rest of us, quite a bit more than 21 seconds ...).
I was speaking with some sprint swimming coaches who agreed that even our "splash & dash" 50 free is not a true sprint ... it's close, but the best sprinters actually back off a tiny fraction from their absolute max to maintain a greater speed overall. At my USMS level, the winning times are in the low 25's. There's no way that's a true sprint -- 25 seconds is not entirely ATP-fueled. And while it's mostly anaerobic, is it entirely? Certainly a sub-10 or sub-7 race would be.
Time-wise, our 50 parallels Track & Field's 200 rather than their marquee sprint, the 100.
In my fantasy world, I imagine a 25m race at the international level (swimming through the finish like Track & Field athletes) ... fastest reaction, fastest acceleration, fastest underwater & surface, fastest ABSOLUTE speed.
Before 1988, our "shortest" Olympic race was the 100m!
For one thing a race ending in the middle of the pool would require a completely different timing setup and this would be way too costly at any events except the very highest level. A short course 25 would be fun, though. I've seen it at a few meets as a novelty event.
I thought there is no pacing in the 100M dash, just hit and maintain max speed. In the 50M swim, if I reach top speed anywhere after breakout I would die near the 35 M. For example, I can push 25M 2 sec quicker than I can take a 50 home.
I'm with spock on this
I thought there is no pacing in the 100M dash, just hit and maintain max speed.
I don't think there is any pacing, but most sprinters can't maintain their max speed either. I heard one announcer at some point (maybe during the Beijing Olympics) say that's what set Usain Bolt apart from the herd. His speed doesn't fall off as quickly as the other runners. It looks like he's kicked it into another gear, but that's only in comparison to the other runners, who are slowing down.
I would love to see the measured evidence of this, some sort of velocity v. distance graph for several elite sprinters.
S
During the 100m dash the announcer said that Usain Bolt takes 41 steps and everyone else takes about 44. In the 50m free the stroke counts range from about 34-38. If you account for the time flying through the air and the breakout, swimmers don't get into there all out stroke until 3 or 4 seconds into it. In swimming, you are maintain the speed from the start in the very beginning of the race. The beginning of the 100m dash takes a lot of energy to accelerate to top speed. I ran track in middle school and the 100m dash definitely isn't easy even though it's a really short race time wise. I think the 50 free and 100m dash are pretty close in how much energy it requires.
I think a huge reason you don't see this in short course pools is that many venues have a hard time affording enough timing equipment for one side of the pool let alone both. Instead of double pads, You could either move the blocks or the timing equipment, but neither of these are typically logistically feasible for the middle of a swim meet.
Plus, if masters swimmers are any indication, this nation pretty much hates sprints, sprinting, and sprinters in general, so this would never happen anyway. :bolt:
Plus, if masters swimmers are any indication, this nation pretty much hates sprints, sprinting, and sprinters in general, so this would never happen anyway. :bolt:
Ha! Yet another reason I've never found a masters team that actually sprints! ;)
In swimming, you are maintain the speed from the start in the very beginning of the race.
Interesting reply, Warren. I've sprinted for 40 years and I definitely change speeds in the 50 (as Steve pointed out, I'd fry by 20 meters were I to max out effort)
I find backing off 5% or so after beeakout in the 50m allows me to finish stronger and with a better time. Were it a 10 second race, I'd max out.
