I always thought my streamline wasn't horrible, but then I saw the movie on this page:
www.page.sannet.ne.jp/.../fusiuki_index.html
In it, the swimmer is able to float ~15 M in streamline, and his legs don't sink at all.
When I try this, I can only get about half of the distance he does, and my legs start to sink almost immediately. If I try to keep my legs completely straight I can maintain them at about a ~30-45 degree angle to the water, but no matter what I try I cannot get close to his performance.
Clearly taking a big breath and holding it is important, as well as extending arms out as far forward as possible and pointing toes, but does anyone know anything else to suggest? In some of the links he discusses that anyone can do this, but is a little vague about the details. He mentions that you need to keep your body straight (of course), and also that that the way you rest your lungs on the water is important.
The pages are in Japanese, but some of the pages have diagrams that explain what is he talking about pretty clearly. The page has the best diagrams (the left side of the diagrams is the 'old style', the right side is the 'new (correct) style'.
www.page.sannet.ne.jp/.../fusiuki_5.html
He also mentions that it isn't about forcing any body part, its about 'releasing force' and floating naturally.
If there are any native Japanese-speaking swimmers and can quickly read through this and let me know a brief summary of his suggestions I would appreciate it. My Japanese isn't bad but there is alot of explanation and some of it a little difficult to understand.
Can anyone do the streamline as far as he does? Do you think it is really possible for any body type? It seems to me that the length of your various body parts, plus distribution of fat would imply that not everyone could do it as well as he does.
Former Member
When we were kids at our club we used to practice what we called the the Long Plunge.
I could do 75 yards and of course we knew nothing about engaging the core. But that is exactly how we did it.
The long plunge was dive in and streamline as far as you could however we did not use the term Streamline.
Matt Mann told me to pop out of the water after the dive. I used to do a deep dive, not kick right away engage the kick just before you slowed down too much then pop out of the water to get up and over the bow wave. Then swim downhill (not the same swimdownhill that Terry talks about) It was get up and over the bow wave and swim down the bow wave. On a dive the undewater portion covered aprox 9 yardsto ten yards,
Budd's data about the "average freestyle swimmer" covering 1.8 meters per second has me feeling decidedly less than average. 1.8m/sec has one covering 50m in 27.78 seconds. Do that speed for 1600m and you're done in 14 minutes, 49 seconds. Record books show that's pretty good for just under a mile.
Two seconds after pushoff you've dropped way down to 1.44m/sec. That allows you to cover 50m in 34.72 seconds, and 1600m in just over 18 minutes, 30 seconds. That would topple plenty of age-group records.
I'm going to really enjoy my freebie two seconds during my next workout.
Budd
How far does a person travel in a dive, then the 1.8 seconds after entry into the water from a very streamlined dive.
Also is the dive time faster then 3.4 m/sec and does this mean the slowing to swim speed takes longer.
Something to consider when thinking about streamlining off the wall.
The image is Velocity/Video Telemetry of a swimmer pushing and gliding from the wall. The instant of peak velocity is 3.4 m/sec. (Just as the feet are about to leave the wall.) In just 1.27 sec. (the highlighted block of time) this swimmer has slowed to 1.8 m/sec. or the speed of an average freestyle swimmer.
If this swimmer continues to glide for 2.0 sec. ( .73 seconds longer) the speed is 1.44 m/sec. or 20% below regular swimming speed from above.
After the feet lose contact with the wall, velocity declines at a rate much faster than most believe or "feel".
(Data acquisition of this effect was collected at 1,000 data points per second)
Budd
Interesting data, but I dunno. I think most people who glide WITHOUT KICKING AT ALL for 2 sec off the wall in a race will think they are moving pretty slowly by that point.
Something to consider when thinking about streamlining off the wall.
The image is Velocity/Video Telemetry of a swimmer pushing and gliding from the wall. The instant of peak velocity is 3.4 m/sec. (Just as the feet are about to leave the wall.) In just 1.27 sec. (the highlighted block of time) this swimmer has slowed to 1.8 m/sec. or the speed of an average freestyle swimmer.
If this swimmer continues to glide for 2.0 sec. ( .73 seconds longer) the speed is 1.44 m/sec. or 20% below regular swimming speed from above.
After the feet lose contact with the wall, velocity declines at a rate much faster than most believe or "feel".
(Data acquisition of this effect was collected at 1,000 data points per second)
Budd
