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So I read this and the study did not take into account physiology, or more specifically height when measuring underwater kicking performance.
I would be curious if shorter swimmers can underwater kick as fast or faster than taller swimmers and if they should work to exploit this more than the typical effort given to underwater kicking.
My 12 year old is tiny, not yet 5 feet tall, and 80 pounds or so. Breaststroke has always been her best event. At the start after her single dolphin kick and pull down she is always in the lead. Then the tall 11-12 year old girls do(SCY) 9 or 10 strokes to her 15 and beat her, but at the wall she gains on them again. This probably explains why she does so much better in short course than long course against the same girls.
My 12 year old is tiny, not yet 5 feet tall, and 80 pounds or so. Breaststroke has always been her best event. At the start after her single dolphin kick and pull down she is always in the lead. Then the tall 11-12 year old girls do(SCY) 9 or 10 strokes to her 15 and beat her, but at the wall she gains on them again. This probably explains why she does so much better in short course than long course against the same girls.
