Strokes and Heredity

Body and muscle type do have some relation to swimming success. Sprinters tend to be tall and have fast twitch muscles. Being tall is an advantage in all strokes except breaststroke where flexible knees and ankles trumps all other physical attributes.

Originally posted by Karen Duggan I do believe that genetics play a role in sprinting vs. mid-distance and distance abilities. You do not need to believe it. It's a fact ;) Wheter you are a sprinter or a distancetyp is defined by the muscles fibers of the muscels used in this event. There is a difference between Slowtwitching-Fibers and Fasttwichting-Fibers. If you happen to have more ST-Fibers you will be slower using the muscles as if you have more FT-Fibers you will be faster but you will also encounter problems while using these muscles for a longer period of time. So this is basicly a genetics thing. But here are the good news for all kids out there. In the age of around 10-14 (whould have to check on that again if someone would like to know exactly) kids usally have a third type of muscles fibers called "MidTwichting-Fibers" which you can easily train to become FT-Fibers. If you miss this chance they will turn into ST-Fibers which won't be able to become FT-Fibers again. That's the reason why most good sprinters started young and the older ones of us who start a sport happen to be better on the distance events than becoming a good sprinter. Brgds Matthias

It probably is body type somewhat. I was swimming with DD in her age group practice one day. We started doing a fly set, and the coach started chuckling. She said we both did it exactly the same way! We both have best strokes of free and ***, and cannot backstroke to save ourselves! DS is a flier and backstroker...he has those broad shoulders, although he is not bowlegged. I have seen a lot of good freestylers be long torsoed, and short legged.

I don't think it's necessarily heritary. I'm a firm believer that "it's all in the presentation." If there is nothing physically or mentally wrong with someone I don't see why they can't learn to do something and well. Of course we've all seen "the naturals" but I know I am not a natural swimmer and I've learned to do all of the strokes whereas I can get by. I do believe that genetics play a role in sprinting vs. mid-distance and distance abilities. I'll never be a "sprinter" but I have gone 26.2 in the 50 free which isn't bad. But I also know I'm not the first choice in the 200 free relays! So, what I mentioned, "it's all in the presentation" I will liken to training Auggie Doggie. Auggie was (she passed away this time last year) our 120 pound Anatolian Shepherd, bred to be a shepherd (2.000 years worth of breeding!). Learning to acclimate to a crate was certainly not even a thought in her gene pool. My husband spent several days "presenting" the crate: leaving the lid off, putting a nice blanket in it, getting in it himself, etc. She loved the crate. I'm sure if we had just stuffed her in it and slammed the door, she'd have hated it. I use this theory all the time with parents at school too (no, not the crate thing)... I sometimes suggest, for example, where homework is concerned, "Do you ask if there homework is done? or Do you ask what they learned today, and if they could share it with you?" I know from parent feedback that this has been successful. So, in all my ramblings about dogs and students, she'll be the best breaststroker she can if it's presented positively :)

I remember reading an article in a swimming journal years ago that looked at that question. It actually looked at the body type of swimmers and what strokes they were proficient at. Now don't necessarily quote me on this, but here it goes... Flyers have broad/square shoulders Backstrokers have sloping shoulders and are bow legged Breaststrokers have "duck feet" I suppose that they walk around with feet pointing outward a bit... Cant really remember about freestylers --I think they were very lean and tall... The line that stuck in my head was something to the effect of.. If there was a broad-sloping-shoulder-bow-legged-duck-footed-tall-lean-swimmer, they probably swim the IM! :p P.S. (Personal Story) I am a very good flyer, Rock and Roll as a backstroker --come to a dead stop on the ***, float to the top D.O.A. on the free! It has nothing to do with practice --at least for me, I swam so much free as a youth, I just didn't go anywhere with it. The team laughed at me with the *** stroke too. However, as "nonproductive" as I was --technically proficient ~personally slow, my fly and back were ranked pretty high on the state and regional levels. We all have our talents, I think there is a bigger genetic piece for stroke performance that we know...

Interesting, because my daughters legs have grown quite long in proportion to everything else this year. I am 4 inches taller, yet her hips are at the same height as mine, and my legs are not short. This year her breastroke has plateaued a lot and in talking with one of her coaches, I was told she is not finishing her kick before her next pull. Her private coach is working on that, and will hopefull straigten it out, because she loves breastroke!

ANYONE, and I do mean ANYONE who can do a good or great butterfly can do a decent breaststroke. There have been many arm dominant breaststrokers, that did not have the great kick. Of all the stokes, breaststroke has the most physical variations. There have been great breaststrokers at 6 foot 6 inches, and great ones at 4 foot 6 inches. You can be skinny, medium or large, the only requirement is correct technique in the stroke. I think the real problem with people not swimming a good breaststroke, is their coaches. Coaches who grew up swimming only free, back or fly and become coaches generally do not coach breaststroke well. The great coaches like Councilman and Nagy swam breaststroke. This is not a stroke you can power through, the water resisitance is higher and will beat you down.

Originally posted by breastroker ANYONE, and I do mean ANYONE who can do a good or great butterfly can do a decent breaststroke. There have been many arm dominant breaststrokers, that did not have the great kick. Of all the stokes, breaststroke has the most physical variations. There have been great breaststrokers at 6 foot 6 inches, and great ones at 4 foot 6 inches. You can be skinny, medium or large, the only requirement is correct technique in the stroke. I think the real problem with people not swimming a good breaststroke, is their coaches. Coaches who grew up swimming only free, back or fly and become coaches generally do not coach breaststroke well. The great coaches like Councilman and Nagy swam breaststroke. This is not a stroke you can power through, the water resisitance is higher and will beat you down. Almost every coach I've had, including my mother were *** strokers. While technique is very important, tall, thin peole with long legs have a terrible time with *** stroke. I've heard it said repeatedly that one reason why Michael Phelps can do a good *** stroke and Arron Perisol can't is because Michael has relatively short legs for his height. I truly believe that to be true. Most writers comment that up to 65% of the power in *** comes from the kick. People with long legs have to create so much momentum to get their feet through the whip that it is difficult.

It is almost totally body-type with *** stroke. I'm very tall & have long legs. It is very hard for me to move my feet fast enough to get a good kick.

Swimmign is on of the most difficult sports ot write technique about becasue hte language is so limitting. I love when people talk about holding on to the water. To swimmers it makes perfect sense. To otheres it is nonsense. the kick on your back drillis really a great indicator of how strong a *** stroker some one is.