Why are kids faster now days?

I think kids today start earlier with year round programs, swim more/harder, and have better coaching. Their technique is better. They have also benefited from rules changes in some events like back/***. But watching my two teenage boys swim - I'd say the single biggest thing is that they got "serious" earlier than me. My 16 yr. old is about my height (5'8) but weighs 20 lbs more than I did when I was 18 and just as lean. He is far stronger than I was and his technique is similarly better.

It is all time related we had great swimmers for our day but techniques are better, the kids get more time in the pool. When we swam everyone tried to swim like Johnny W - Tarzan, now everyone tries to swim like Thorpe, Hacket or Phelps.

Technique wins out in comparison to what we were doing thirty years ago. Have a look at this clip of Mark Spitz for example. (His start is nearly a perfect belly flop.) The whole bunch of them for that matter create a mini tsunami in unison. We don't teach any of our kids stuff that was promoted back in the 70's. Lots of underwater "swimming"....hand over hand...squeeze the ears with the biceps. Big difference. I've high school got kids who can darn near kick a 100 yds dolphin in a minute. video.google.com/videoplay

I think kids are bigger these days. When I went to HS, I was one of the bigger people at 5-4. There were some girls bigger, but not many. Now if you go to a HS, there are not many girls that are small. It seems each generation is getting bigger, and I am not talking weight.

Technique, training, and size...probably in that order. Consider this: My daughter is 14 years old, 5' 0", less than 100 lbs. and swims the 100yd free regularly at 56 seconds untapered and unshaved. If technique and training improvements were not made over the past 30 years then you would expect her to be incapable of breaking a minute. There is no doubt that size (especially height) gives you a distinct advantage, but that would not necessarily explain the improving times of all swimmers. I believe it is a scientific fact that the human race is increasing in size, so you cannot discount this as part of the reason that times as a whole have dropped - I just don't think it's the biggest factor.

I don't know, are kids really that much faster now? I think if you go back far enough then, yes, they are. But I swam in high school 20 years ago and I think my times would put me pretty close to where they did at that time. Now if you go back 40 years I'm sure it's a different story.

Technique.

These are in addition to the other answers. Goggles - When your eyes aren't burned out from pool chemicals, it's easier to train longer and farther and still get homework done. Swimsuits - good riddance to the ill-fitting swimsuits that trapped air and water and rode up and made it hard to feel the water flow around the body. Improvements in pools - waveeater laneropes, starting blocks, and electronic timing (the humans who manage the timing in meets can be very inaccurate). Changes in the rules allowing breaststrokers to dolphin off the start/turn, go underwater; allowing the backstroke flip turn. Innovations such as the underwater race and dolphin-kicking off walls vs flutter, the butterfly itself. Technique - more use of the core muscles, timing, more emphasis on holding a good line, better streamlining. Finally, mental. Once one swimmer proves that something is possible and breaks through a barrier, others also will follow.

I agree with John. Heck, the time that got me third at NCAAs in the 100 *** in 1993 would have been sixth two years ago. The best way to determine if swimmers are getting faster is to take the first and 16th times from the age group Top 16 lists and compare them. I doubt the average swimmer is getting faster, if you take out the rule changes allowing dolphin kicks and whatnot.

How many seconds are gained due to the changes. Better dives the dolphin kick, the wave buster lane ropes, the turn not having to touch the wall with the hand, again the dolphin kick off the turn, the thousands of yards more of training. The new bathing suits mine as a kid a double knit Janzen. I am sure I missed a couple.