changes in swimming

Former Member
Former Member
So I just saw a poll at the US Swimming web site that asked: In the last twenty years, who do you think has changed more in the sport of swimming? The choices were swimmers or coaches. Thought it would be a good thread to talk about. Should we also throw in swimming equipment for good measure? Talk amongst yourselves...
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  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Just a frivolous thought: Swimming would be a lot more interesting to watch if it was viewed in "Matrix time". Imagine being able to see the dives at a slowed down rate where you could actually see the differences between the swimmer's diving styles, actually make out who got furthest, watch the water splash etc. Be able to watch two swimmers, one doing a track start the other a grab start and actually see the differences in timing, speed and distance. During the Olympics watching the diving events only in real time would not have been nearly as interesting, it just happens too fast, at least for an untrained eye like mine. Especially in the syncronized diving the slow motion gave you a much better appreciation and ability to critique. For the 50m free, imagine being able to actually perceive who broke out first and ahead etc., to be able to watch one swimmer continuing under water while another surfaces, and at the finish, being able to see who had the wall timed right, who was gliding, etc., etc. If the viewer could actually see what was going on at a rate that they could absorb I think it would be really interesting viewing. People would love to be able to pick out flaws or just differences in technique. The slow motion would allow the individualization of the swimmers and there would be room for viewers to become "knowledgeable" about the sport and the individual competitors, which is largely opaque when viewed in real time. You get a tiny fraction of this in the replays but even then all the potential suspense is lost by having already seen the result in real time. And to do it right you would need to use a lot more cameras than they did at the Olympics.
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  • Former Member
    Former Member
    Just a frivolous thought: Swimming would be a lot more interesting to watch if it was viewed in "Matrix time". Imagine being able to see the dives at a slowed down rate where you could actually see the differences between the swimmer's diving styles, actually make out who got furthest, watch the water splash etc. Be able to watch two swimmers, one doing a track start the other a grab start and actually see the differences in timing, speed and distance. During the Olympics watching the diving events only in real time would not have been nearly as interesting, it just happens too fast, at least for an untrained eye like mine. Especially in the syncronized diving the slow motion gave you a much better appreciation and ability to critique. For the 50m free, imagine being able to actually perceive who broke out first and ahead etc., to be able to watch one swimmer continuing under water while another surfaces, and at the finish, being able to see who had the wall timed right, who was gliding, etc., etc. If the viewer could actually see what was going on at a rate that they could absorb I think it would be really interesting viewing. People would love to be able to pick out flaws or just differences in technique. The slow motion would allow the individualization of the swimmers and there would be room for viewers to become "knowledgeable" about the sport and the individual competitors, which is largely opaque when viewed in real time. You get a tiny fraction of this in the replays but even then all the potential suspense is lost by having already seen the result in real time. And to do it right you would need to use a lot more cameras than they did at the Olympics.
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