How do you improve swimming times for a shorter swimmer?
Former Member
After a few meets this year, I feel pretty demotivated for swimming. I am a 5"7 swimmer who has huge disadvantages against taller swimmers, I did heavy off-season training and consider myself a decent to moderately fast swimmer. I go around a 57.63 100 Butterfly SCY, 53.21 100 Free and feel like i'm running into a brick wall in the past few meets. I have natural disadvantages such as small hands and size 8.5 feet but a rather large armspan around 6 foot. I wonder what I can do to improve as a shorter swimmer, and since states is around the corner and tapering is about to start. My goal is a 52-53 100 Butterfly as that will probably bring me to all-state or a 53.27 national cut would be nice. If you can add some suggestions it would be nice.
Thanks guys for the advice. Had a big meet today completely focused on my underwaters and went 56.7 100 fly, 53.1 100 free, just need 1.8 till states. Tapering next week. :)
The current high school national record in 100 fly was set by a guy from my kids high school, Sean Fletcher. He was not very tall, mesomorphic and had great SDKs.
Lots of good comments. As another aside, a friend of mine from high school swam a 100yd free in :49, he was about 5'7", with "small hands and feet." But he was crazy competitive and had a high, but effective turnover. He'd also go :22xx in the 50yd free. It can be done. Plus, you have the added benefit of honking taller folks off when you beat them, seemingly defying logic and physics :-)
5MWC, there's plenty of 'evidence' that taller is better, but I wonder how self-selected the overall sample we're looking at is. Because then along come outliers like Ye Shiwen, rewriting the record books. She looked awfully small compared to her competition at the Olympics. Wikipedia says she's 5'8''. I'm sure. Wikipedia says Steve Nash is 6'3". In stilettos. Or Park Tae Hwan at 6'0". Yeah right. A flock of record-breaking breaststrokers have been on the smaller side. Ye Shiwen is similar in size to Janet Evans, whose records might still hold without suit and rules changes.
You got oranges, make orange juice. A shorter swimmer is often more fast-twitch, able to work stroke turnover at a higher tempo, while holding good DPS. Check out Park's stroke count and tempo in videos. Starts and turns can be quicker, more compact and nimble. SDKs are an even playing field. Endurance can be superior in a smaller body. IM, all short axis events, and distance free are your best bets. Go chop down some trees.
I don't think height is an ultimate factor. It's really about proportions within the height. You stated your armspan is 6', which is 7" longer than your height, if your legs are short then actually you have the perfect build for swimming.
Thought I would add my voice to the chorus of encouragement by giving you a link to this page where Wayne Goldsmith starts off his article on improving distance per stroke by stating what it isn't about.
Amongst other things, he says it isn't about:
how tall you are
how strong you are
having long arms
having big hands
According to him, it is all about understanding power and pressure. Certainly worth a read.
