Interesting video on floswimming. Sean Hutchison at King Aquatics is having his team wear tech suits during workout: www.floswimming.org/.../84660-everyday-is-suit-day
Looks like Ande is on the cutting edge again.
The one thing that bothers me in all this is the buoyancy issue. That is basically the crux of the coache's argument that the most efficient technique may change when wearing the suit: that body position is significantly affected. FINA supposedly tests these suits and finds them to be non-buoyant, but most swimmers who wear them report that they feel more buoyant.
Which is true? Until that question is answered, the rest is just hand-waving.
I'd love to see some tests to show how much of a difference in "real" buoyancy (body position) these suits actually make, both passively and while swimming. Is the difference enough that the most efficient stroke changes significantly? I am not familiar with all the high tech testing toys that they can play with in the swimming world, but if they aren't looking at this sort of thing -- it seems a pretty important question to me -- what the heck ARE they doing? Maybe I'm overestimating the kinds of tools they have at their disposal.
The difference is in the air these suits trap.Take a Nero Comp and wring it out carefully underwater.It will now slowly sink.Now wring it out carefully in the air and set it in the water and watch it float.The material sinks so FINA says "legal' but the suits float in competition conditions.
The one thing that bothers me in all this is the buoyancy issue. That is basically the crux of the coache's argument that the most efficient technique may change when wearing the suit: that body position is significantly affected. FINA supposedly tests these suits and finds them to be non-buoyant, but most swimmers who wear them report that they feel more buoyant.
Which is true? Until that question is answered, the rest is just hand-waving.
I'd love to see some tests to show how much of a difference in "real" buoyancy (body position) these suits actually make, both passively and while swimming. Is the difference enough that the most efficient stroke changes significantly? I am not familiar with all the high tech testing toys that they can play with in the swimming world, but if they aren't looking at this sort of thing -- it seems a pretty important question to me -- what the heck ARE they doing? Maybe I'm overestimating the kinds of tools they have at their disposal.
The difference is in the air these suits trap.Take a Nero Comp and wring it out carefully underwater.It will now slowly sink.Now wring it out carefully in the air and set it in the water and watch it float.The material sinks so FINA says "legal' but the suits float in competition conditions.
