OK this sounds like a stupid question but someone at the pool told me that my hand needs to be open with my fingers apart when I swim. i normally cup it which is what I thought was the best way. Today I tried my fingers together and my thumb out a little bit from the hand.
The cupped hand seemed best but what do the experts say?
One thing Colwin brings up, is that what swimmers *think* they are doing can be very different from what they *are* doing. The example that comes to mind is arm bend during the pull. The elbow has a lot of bend (some forming 90 degrees), but when the swimmers were asked, they thought their arms were relatively straight. :)
I haven't read Coach Maglischo's book, but I wonder if it is the same thing: if you are trying to scull, then you'll be doing it too much. Some article (sorry, don't remember which one) mentions you should *try* to pull straight back, and that your body rotation will naturally create the "hourglass" curve motion.
(I'm taking a lot of this on faith. I have no idea what I look like when I'm try to swim faster/smoother/stronger. In fact, my fastest swims are usually when my mind zones out. :D )
Originally posted by LindsayNB
I was just curious if there was anyone here with a more solid knowledge of fluid dynamics than my own that might enlighten me on what the dominant forces are.
I've got a pretty solid knowledge, though I admit I'm a little rusty from being out of school for a decade without really using much fluid mechanics in the interim.
I've been following along, but don't have much to add. I can't think of a more complex problem to look at then the motion of the hand and arm in swimming. You have a highly complex, dynamic interaction between the body and the water, and then you throw in the interface between air and water!
I agree that many of the "coaching" books by Colwin and others can be frustrating, but I have to hand it to the guys for at least giving it a try. One thing that I definitely agree with is that some people have a natural "feel for the water" and can intuitively alter the pitch of their hand throughout the stroke to give the maximum propulsion. I think this continuously changing pitch of the hand is the key to the stroke.
I think we get too technical...
Here is how I did it.
How the hand enters the water. It really doesn't matter.
I found it easier to place my hand in the water with the thumb and all of the fingers entering the water at the same time. The elbow is at 90 degrees away from your little finger with a slight bend in your arm. As your hand enters the water press the hand down and out from the center line of the body (about 3 to 5 lbs pressure per sq inch) very gently for about 6 to 8 inches.
Then you press the hand back towards the center line of the body (at 9 to 12 lbs pressure per sq inch) not applying full pressure and take it to the catch point of your stroke.
When you get to the catch point max it (about 25 lbs per sq inch) keep the hand as close to the body as practical and press down to your thigh.
George Park www.swimdownhill.com
Although a definitive answer would of course require further measurements, published species-wide averages of wing length and body mass, initial Strouhal estimates based on those averages and cross-species comparisons, the Lund wind tunnel study of birds flying at a range of speeds, and revised Strouhal numbers based on that study all lead me to estimate that the average cruising airspeed velocity of an unladen European Swallow is roughly 11 meters per second, or 24 miles an hour.
From Estimating the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow
Doc Counsilman... I first met him at Watertown NY his main swimmer there was George Breen. He asked me if he could take movies of me when I was swimming of course I told him he could.
He was a great coach. In 1956 George Breen set a new worlds record in the heats of the 1500 meters at the Olympics in Melbourne Australia. In the final George swam slower than he did in the heats and the winner of the 1500 was also slower. When I talked to Doc after that race, he told me the reason George B did not win, it was because he did not finish his stroke.
George Park www.swimdownhill.com
I'm a big fan of the brits and of Monty. Isn't it funny though that someone actually did a study like that? Kinda like me asking about the hand for swimming.
NiH!
Originally posted by tjburk
u352, if you haven't seen it, the quote is from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" Must watch it, if you like British Humor!
Great movie, full of classic lines.... two of my personal favorites are...
"It's just a flesh wound!"
"It's a killer rabbit."
