Take a look at the press release posted on swiminfo.com: www.swiminfo.com/.../6949.asp
Here's a quote that bothers me:
By strategically increasing the surface area, TYR has increased his/her ability to pull without increasing any resistance through the recovery. Just think of it as ascending an aquatic ladder.
Should these be allowed? I would guess that they are o.k. as far as current rules read, but I don't like it. I think these sleeves amount to an aid, sort of like wearing paddles. I guess the question is: what constitutes a swimsuit? Obviously caps are o.k., so you can't argue that it must be one piece.
Former Member
I have two sets of fast skin pants. I do not have to shave my legs when I wear them. I don't mind shaving my upper body. I know that I will swim faster with the suit on, so I choose to use it. What my competitors choose to do makes no difference to me: I am only concerned about myself.
In terms of what breaststrokers wear: Hansen and Gibson wear the full length pants, so the theory on covering your calfs is just personal choice. Klete Keller only wears jammers, while Thorpe wears the entite body suit; I really think that it is just what feels best to the individual.
Originally posted by aquageek
Let's be clear - a swimsuit does not enhance performance, it limits the impact of drag. Therefore, the suit acts more like skin, not a performance booster. That is grossly different than a ski jumping suit that traps air and contributes to lift. I'm not aware of any suit that increases performance, humans increase performance.
Well, that's exactly what Tyr is claiming for this suit. Let me repeat the part that Knelson quoted at the beginning of this thread:
"By strategically increasing the surface area, TYR has increased his/her ability to pull without increasing any resistance through the recovery. Just think of it as ascending an aquatic ladder."
They are saying, in other words, that the goal of the armbands is not to decrease drag, but to increase the pulling arm's drag against the water (sort of like hand paddles do).
Of course, a manufacturer's claims about its own product may be false. But let's be clear about it: The armbands are either worthless, and therefore a waste of money, or they are a performance enhancing device, akin to a ski jumping outfit with a built-in hang glider.
Bob
although i made a few people laugh with my last jibe...if you were offended msparks378 then i'm sorry..
on another note did you see that chick advertising the new swim suit???tell me where she is!!!!!
NICE *SS...
PS..sorry in advance...
Oh Sparx, it's so nice to see someone who can be politically incorrect without being personally insulting. Please keep up the good work.
Seltzer and Aquageek, I admire your spirit and your attitude, and I agree that those of us with modest swimming ability would probably do ourselves a favor by just saving our money, shutting up, and swimming.
However, I think someone may come along some day and create a forearm band that does allow a better grip on the water, similar to the effect of a rigid hand paddle. That is not to say that TYR has created that design for their current cutting edge suit. But, it's possible.
Why do I think that? (Granted you may not care...) Well, I was a skeptic about the Fastskin/AquaBlade suits, and others of the same design, and their ability to reduce drag, until 2001 LC Nationals when I tried one. During warm-ups, I counted strokes per 50 meters, and I consistently used 2-3 less strokes per 50 with the Aquablade than without. And, I shaved for that meet. I believe those suits work, for someone at my level, because they have in fact worked for me.
Maybe this TYR things works, maybe it doesn't. But, I will not dismiss out of hand the possibility there could be something new under the sun.
I think this may be an issue for FINA because at the top of World Class swimming a couple of hundreths of a second matter. At our level, I agree with Seltzer's and Aquageek's ultimate conclusions, even if I don't follow the same chain of logic to get there.
Matt
Originally posted by Msparks378
Sparx35 - your comment doesn't add anything to the debate and the language is not appropriate for this forum.
I personally thought his comments were funny. I know I chuckled! Different strokes for different folks, I guess :)
Let's be clear - a swimsuit does not enhance performance, it limits the impact of drag. Therefore, the suit acts more like skin, not a performance booster. That is grossly different than a ski jumping suit that traps air and contributes to lift. I'm not aware of any suit that increases performance, humans increase performance.
