During the TV coverage of the olympic trials this weekend, Rowdy Gaines mentioned a few times that Phelps has "a long body and short legs" which gives him a perfect build for swimming. (In addition, of course, to his long wingspan.)
I can understand the long body. But why would short legs be an advantage?
My recollection of these sorts of discussions was that the longer your "boat" is, the faster you can go. It would seem, therefore, that both a long body AND long legs would be an advantage.
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Former Member
Range of motion in their limbs is just as important as how long the arms are. Phelps has incredible flexiblity. Watch how he whips his arms back and forth just before stepping up on the blocks. He's got the wingspan of an albatross, and his hands actually clap when he swings them behind his back. Talk about flexibilty.
Pieter Hoogenband the 100M freestyle world record holder is a mere 6'-3 compared to the bigger guys like Popov and former champion Matt Biondi who stand closer to seven feet than they do six. (Not that 6'-3 is considered short, but being several inches taller can offer a greater advantage in arm length.)
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Former Member
Range of motion in their limbs is just as important as how long the arms are. Phelps has incredible flexiblity. Watch how he whips his arms back and forth just before stepping up on the blocks. He's got the wingspan of an albatross, and his hands actually clap when he swings them behind his back. Talk about flexibilty.
Pieter Hoogenband the 100M freestyle world record holder is a mere 6'-3 compared to the bigger guys like Popov and former champion Matt Biondi who stand closer to seven feet than they do six. (Not that 6'-3 is considered short, but being several inches taller can offer a greater advantage in arm length.)
