What kind of body proportion is good for swimming? When one stands upright, a short torso and long legs are better proportion. Is the opposite true for swimming? Long torso is good for swimming, but seems long legs, too?
Don't get too wrapped up in what's ideal. There are many stereotype busters. At 5'4", I am always one of the shortest swimmers at meets, and I cannot do the evil stroke whatsoever. I make up for it in flexibility and strength.
mj put it best -- good to be tall, better to be efficient.
One thing that I can tell you DOES NOT help is being small-boned or medium-boned for your height. If the part of your arm from your wrist to your elbow is small, you have a much smaller "paddle" with which to pull yourself through the water. Also, if you have small feet for your height, that makes your fin smaller - a women's size 8 narrow foot on my almost 5'10" height does not give me any advantage whatsoever.
The only thing I'm blessed with for swimming is good core strength.
Long everything is good for swimming. Look at the best. They all have long torsos, long legs, and super long arms. Michael Phelps even has long feet. And the only part that should be wide is the shoulders.
*** strokers get away with out having to be so long, though.
I have proportionately long limbs and wide shoulders but am too thick about the trunk. Of course, some of that is due to my affinity for beer and burgers, and I like to think that gives me a competitve advantage in open water swimming when the water gets cold. Of course, I got run over by some thinner people at the Big Shoulders this year.:chug:
Long axis swimmers (back and free) are more likely to be long legged. Short axis swimmers (fly and ***) are often have longer torsos, and are not quite so tall overall. General rule, many exceptions exist.
It's good to be taller in general, however best to be very effective in the water.
--mj
I remember on my college team, we had one 200 flyer who looked like the prototype flyer (muscular, big shoulders), the other was a short skinny kid.
They both had great flexibility and technique (efficiency). I'd say that is the common factor.
I remember on my college team, we had one 200 flyer who looked like the prototype flyer (muscular, big shoulders), the other was a short skinny kid.
They both had great flexibility and technique (efficiency). I'd say that is the common factor.
The body type for 200 flyer always seems to change(within the last 16 years). Mel Stewart looked like the prototype butterflyer and then you had Tom Malchow with his tall skinny frame. Phelps is sort on the Malchow line of 200 butterflyers but more muscular. Back in the day(Mid 1990s), I felt that I was more in line with the Stewart line of 200 butterflyers. When Malchow came unto the scene, the Stewart line was out like the cherry curl. With Stovall coming to the scene, maybe there is a resurgence of the prototype 200 flyer.
Side note: I am in no way comparing what I look like today as the prototype 200 flyer. I am look more of a prototype football Middle Linebacker.
