10 Swimming Myths Debunked

Wow, great info- thanks! :applaud: As a newbie Masters swimmer who has recently returned to competition after 30+ years, this was much appreciated! I am a breaststroker who has received great help on the forums for my breaststroke (especially from Allen Stark- thanks!), but it's time for me to start working more on my other strokes, so I can enter a pentathlon swim meet, in September. This is terrific info. to know! :agree:

Thanks, look forward to the other 9 debunks.

Thanks, Gary, for starting what is sure to be an interesting thread. But it is not because of the power out the back that we see the speed highest in this position. It is because it is by far the position of least drag (most streamlined). The propulsive power in this position actually is derived mostly from the left arm out in front and the kick, with little or no power coming from the end of the arm pull. The propulsive power may be even greater when we see the hand at the shoulder (slowest body speed), but because the arm is jetting straight out, perpendicular to the body, the drag coefficient skyrockets and our speed drops instantly. The harm that is done by pushing out the back is that it delays the recovery and slows the stroke rate. Most of the arm propulsive power is derived from the entry to the shoulder (called the front quadrant....about 1/2 of the total arm cycle time is spent there). So the sooner one can get the hand back to the front quadrant after leaving the shoulder, the better. I'm willing to grant that the front quadrant is the most propulsive part of the stroke. I'm slightly suspicious of the statement that it is drag slowing down the stroke when you describe (when the one arm is perpendicular, isn't that about when the other arm is at the end of its recovery phase, entering the water?) but don't have any basis for this other than intuition, and that is an unreliable thing to...rely on. But even granting what you say: why is *propulsion* (alone) everything? You highlight the effects of BOTH propulsion and drag, and yet insist that we should focus only on increasing propulsion. If, as you state, the end of the stroke is when we experience the least drag and highest velocity, why should it be cut short? Ultimately it is velocity that counts, after all: the net effect of both propulsion and drag. If you happened to be blessed with Mercury motors for legs, like Michael Phelps, Ian Thorpe, Gary Jr, Natalie Coughlin etc, then you can afford to use a slower stroke rate...but hold in front, not in back. For the rest of us mortals, keep your arms moving faster and in the front quadrant. Think you can't do that for a 1500? Think again. Lot's of distance swimmers use high arm stroke rates. You just have to train that way and get fit. It seems to me there is a contradiction in attitude here. A good kick is something you either have or not, but a high turnover rate is something that can be learned through proper training. Surely the same can be said of (say) a strong six-beat kick? Perhaps turnover rates in distance events have been increasing; I haven't kept up with that statistic. But I am pretty sure that I've been seeing more distance swimmers with strong six-beat kicks, too. And kicking in general seems to be getting more attention than it used to (deservedly so, in my opinion).

The harm that is done by pushing out the back is that it delays the recovery and slows the stroke rate. Most of the arm propulsive power is derived from the entry to the shoulder (called the front quadrant....about 1/2 of the total arm cycle time is spent there). So the sooner one can get the hand back to the front quadrant after leaving the shoulder, the better. This is the part I don't understand. Are you saying that the stroke should end at the lower ribcage?

Perhaps turnover rates in distance events have been increasing; I haven't kept up with that statistic. But I am pretty sure that I've been seeing more distance swimmers with strong six-beat kicks, too. And kicking in general seems to be getting more attention than it used to (deservedly so, in my opinion). Unless one can swim like Anders Holmertz :) I don't believe he kicked much except off the walls, but had one heck of a pull.

Thanks Gary! That is great information -- but it of course brings up the question about what do you do with your hands (kinda like the National Anthem ;-) ). Is it better to sweep your hand out in the back half of the stroke? This should provide some propulsion, I'd think more than just dead ending your hand at the hip like we did in the 70's and 80's, and because your hand exits with some velocity to the side it would help with getting your hand around again. By the way, I've never seen a velocity meter for swimming. How are you measuring swimming speed? Can you also measure hand speed?

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Thanks Gary! That is great information -- but it of course brings up the question about what do you do with your hands (kinda like the National Anthem ;-) ). Is it better to sweep your hand out in the back half of the stroke? This should provide some propulsion, I'd think more than just dead ending your hand at the hip like we did in the 70's and 80's, and because your hand exits with some velocity to the side it would help with getting your hand around again. By the way, I've never seen a velocity meter for swimming. How are you measuring swimming speed? Can you also measure hand speed? Don't spend so much time thinking about your hand, but preferably your elbow or upper arm. From the side view, the hand moves in a small circle (about 2 ft diameter) underwater. At the beginning, as the hand/arm are moving forward, they act like a wing and provide lift. As the hand drops down it quickly changes direction to move backward and acts like a paddle. Finally, as it releases, it moves forward and upward again, trying not to induce any more frontal drag, sliding out of the water. The bad boy in all of this arm/hand action is the upper arm, which is moving forward nearly all of the time (underwater). So the longer you can keep the upper arm in the line of motion, the better. With the hand, relax it on the recovery (soft hands) and spread the fingers slightly under water, so as to increase the effective surface area. Once the hand gets past the shoulder (under water) the power drops off quickly so release it and get it back into the power position (front quadrant) asap. Finally, in the sagittal plane, don't use the sweeping S-shaped pull of the past. As your body rotates, keep the arm to the side, with high elbow, and pull more or less straight back. You will have minimal movement of the hand in this plane (perhaps 8 to 10 inches) but no more. Hope this helps. More on the underwater stuff to come. Gary Sr.

Unless one can swim like Anders Holmertz :) I don't believe he kicked much except off the walls, but had one heck of a pull. Federica Pellegrini, Janet Evans, Brooke Bennett, Ryan Cochrane, Dave Davies....the list of high stroke rate distance swimmers goes on and on. Gary

Thanks, Gary, for starting what is sure to be an interesting thread. I'm willing to grant that the front quadrant is the most propulsive part of the stroke. I'm slightly suspicious of the statement that it is drag slowing down the stroke when you describe (when the one arm is perpendicular, isn't that about when the other arm is at the end of its recovery phase, entering the water?) but don't have any basis for this other than intuition, and that is an unreliable thing to...rely on. But even granting what you say: why is *propulsion* (alone) everything? You highlight the effects of BOTH propulsion and drag, and yet insist that we should focus only on increasing propulsion. If, as you state, the end of the stroke is when we experience the least drag and highest velocity, why should it be cut short? Ultimately it is velocity that counts, after all: the net effect of both propulsion and drag. It seems to me there is a contradiction in attitude here. A good kick is something you either have or not, but a high turnover rate is something that can be learned through proper training. Surely the same can be said of (say) a strong six-beat kick? Perhaps turnover rates in distance events have been increasing; I haven't kept up with that statistic. But I am pretty sure that I've been seeing more distance swimmers with strong six-beat kicks, too. And kicking in general seems to be getting more attention than it used to (deservedly so, in my opinion). I agree. More on the kick later. But I don't agree than just anyone can develop a strong kick. Unless you have strong legs, big feet, hyperextended knees and ankles that are as flexible as threads, you likely won't be kicking very fast. So, instead, concentrate on another way of getting the job done fast...with a high stroke rate and strong pull. Gary Sr.