I've been swimming my entire life yet the fastest my 50m freestyle ever got was 28.7 seconds while using a tech suit. Yet I see many Olympians and others that have almost the same muscle mass and proportions and they swim consistent 23's.
How is this so?
Well, I'm not entirely sure if the ratio itself is important on its own, but you want to be tall, and it also helps to have short legs because you can maintain a higher frequency of kick with a lower amplitude that stays within your slipstream easier. So that ends up with preferably a long torso to make up the height difference.
Famously, Michael Phelps, who is 6'4", has the torso of an average 6'8" person and legs of an average 5'10" person.
My checkoffs in the physical advantages column are pretty few - I'm 6'1" but with a 6'7" wingspan, and I have ridiculously flexible ankles. But I have really long legs and size 10 feet which is tiny for someone over 6'...
BTW, cinc, I would say that Cody Miller probably does have some good lung capacity. You kind of have to to be effective at breaststroke pullouts with the dolphin kick these days. Also from pictures he does seem to have long arms, at least relative to his height.[/QUOTE
There are articles about why Michael long toso and short legs helped him. He is suppose to have less drag compared to your average swimmer.
Well, I'm not entirely sure if the ratio itself is important on its own, but you want to be tall, and it also helps to have short legs because you can maintain a higher frequency of kick with a lower amplitude that stays within your slipstream easier. So that ends up with preferably a long torso to make up the height difference.
Famously, Michael Phelps, who is 6'4", has the torso of an average 6'8" person and legs of an average 5'10" person.
My checkoffs in the physical advantages column are pretty few - I'm 6'1" but with a 6'7" wingspan, and I have ridiculously flexible ankles. But I have really long legs and size 10 feet which is tiny for someone over 6'...
BTW, cinc, I would say that Cody Miller probably does have some good lung capacity. You kind of have to to be effective at breaststroke pullouts with the dolphin kick these days. Also from pictures he does seem to have long arms, at least relative to his height.[/QUOTE
There are articles about why Michael long toso and short legs helped him. He is suppose to have less drag compared to your average swimmer.
