I submit that swimming is one of the worst sports in terms of following fad techniques simply because someone has been successful using that technique.
I submit that talent or genetics, aerobic capacity, workout intensity as well as mental toughness play a far greater roll than mere stroke technique in the end.
Seems like the US latches on to the winner's stroke techniques all too often as the way explain success and teach kids. Front quadrant swimming like Ian Thorpe..... head down sprinting like Popoff..... these guys would be successful in their events with or without these techniques in my opinion.
Except for the latest cheating techniques...... i.e. flip turns on backstroke, underwater dolphin kick on backstroke, head under on breastroke, full body suits, and the soon to be dolphin kick on breastroke pull outs, the sport has not improved a whole lot in the last 25 years.... especially when you compare it to 25 years previous to 1980..... (1955)
Thought for the day...... :-)
John Smith
Parents
Former Member
I disagree with the claim that swimming is one of the worst sports to follow fads, i.e. the stroke technique of whoever's on top at the moment. Fencing, which has far fewer technique restrictions in the rule book than swimming, is practically all about copying the world's best.
In the 1970s and earlier, blade technique was the big thing. If you could clash your foil/epee/saber better than your opponent, creating ever-more complex moves, you were likely to score more points. That all changed starting around the mid-1990s, when the world's elite fencers found they could win better with superior footwork and simple attacks (one movement from the attacker to the target: his/her opponent, avoiding the other blade if possible). This took no time at all to trickle down to the salles and fencing clubs around the country, and soon every coach/maitre was teaching footwork over bladework.
As I said, there are no technique rules in fencing; a simple attack is a simple attack, whether or not your elbow is straight, whether your back hand is up a la Eroll Flynn or dragging behind you. One former coach of mine said that proper technique is whatever the world's best fencers are doing at the moment.
This is a longwinded (sorry) way of saying that swimming is not alone in this phenomenon. One more point, which is sort of an aside but also relevant, is that both swimming and fencing lend themselves to the most efficient movement possible. At the elite levels, the top athletes have figured out more efficient ways of getting to their target, whether it's the finish wall or the opponent's chest. So I see nothing wrong with trying to emulate either.
Adam
I disagree with the claim that swimming is one of the worst sports to follow fads, i.e. the stroke technique of whoever's on top at the moment. Fencing, which has far fewer technique restrictions in the rule book than swimming, is practically all about copying the world's best.
In the 1970s and earlier, blade technique was the big thing. If you could clash your foil/epee/saber better than your opponent, creating ever-more complex moves, you were likely to score more points. That all changed starting around the mid-1990s, when the world's elite fencers found they could win better with superior footwork and simple attacks (one movement from the attacker to the target: his/her opponent, avoiding the other blade if possible). This took no time at all to trickle down to the salles and fencing clubs around the country, and soon every coach/maitre was teaching footwork over bladework.
As I said, there are no technique rules in fencing; a simple attack is a simple attack, whether or not your elbow is straight, whether your back hand is up a la Eroll Flynn or dragging behind you. One former coach of mine said that proper technique is whatever the world's best fencers are doing at the moment.
This is a longwinded (sorry) way of saying that swimming is not alone in this phenomenon. One more point, which is sort of an aside but also relevant, is that both swimming and fencing lend themselves to the most efficient movement possible. At the elite levels, the top athletes have figured out more efficient ways of getting to their target, whether it's the finish wall or the opponent's chest. So I see nothing wrong with trying to emulate either.
Adam
