SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: MAXIMIZING

BY ROD HAVRILUK , Ph.D.

MAXIMIZING SWIMMING VELOCITY (Part 5): MINIMIZING THE ARM RECOVERY PHASE

As shown in a previous “Swimming Technique Concepts” article (SW June 2021), when swimming velocity increases, the time of all four stroke cycle phases decreases. The greatest possible time decreases for additional swimming velocity increases are in the non-propulsive phases (entry and recovery). Strategies to minimize the entry phase were covered in previous articles (SW July and August 2021). This article includes strategies to minimize the recovery phase time of all four strokes.

RECOVERY PHASE

The recovery phase time at sprint speed is shown for elite male swimmers in Fig. 1 for butterfly (Seifert, Delignieres, Boulesteix & Chollet, 2007), backstroke (Chollet, Seifert & Carter, 2008), breaststroke (Leblanc, Seifert, Baudry & Chollet, 2005) and freestyle (Seifert, Chollet & Bardy, 2004). The graph shows that recovery time varied from less than 3-tenths of a second (for butterfly) to more than 6-tenths of a second (for backstroke).

FIG. 1 > Recovery phase time for elite male swimmers at sprint speed for all four competitive strokes.

FIG. 2 > Butterflyers have an incentive to recover the arms quickly to submerge body segments and regain buoyancy.

BUTTERFLY

As shown in Fig. 1, butterflyers had the shortest recovery time. This is not surprising, when considering the incentive to recover fast due to the loss of buoyancy (see Fig. 2).

According to Archimedes’ principle, buoyant force depends on the weight of the displaced water, which, in turn, depends on the volume of the body below the surface. When multiple body segments (i.e., head, arms and part of the torso for about onethird of the body volume) are elevated above the surface, there is a considerable loss in buoyant force. In response, the body quickly sinks (i.e., submerges body volume) to regain buoyancy. Consequently, a butterflyer has an incentive for a fast arm recovery to regain buoyancy and an effective body position. BACKSTROKE

As shown in Fig. 1, backstrokers had the longest recovery time. The time was more than 6-tenths of a second and about double the time for any of the other three strokes. A common reason for the long recovery time is that backstrokers often finish the push phase below and/or to the side of the hip (as shown by the red circle in Fig. 3). The resulting position typically requires 3-tenths of a second for a backstroker to move the hand from the finish of the push to the surface of the water and then another 3-tenths of a second to move the arm through the air and back into the water. Most backstrokers can substantially decrease their recovery time by finishing the push phase fairly close to the hip (as shown by the green circle in Fig. 3). BREASTSTROKE

The breaststroke recovery time is often longer than necessary

FIG. 3 > In the left image, the backstroker’s hand is at the finish of the push phase (red circle). The hand is below and to the side of an optimal position (green circle). He then required almost 3-tenths of a second to bring the hand to the surface (right image).

FIG. 4 > The hand path for an above-surface recovery (red arrow) is about oneand-a-half times the distance for a below-surface recovery (green arrow). when a swimmer recovers the hands above the surface. The model in Fig. 4 shows a longer hand path (and longer recovery time) for a recovery above the surface as opposed to below the surface. Breaststrokers can minimize the recovery time by moving the hands underwater into the streamline position.

FREESTYLE

In freestyle, swimmers typically move the recovery arm above the surface at the same speed as the arm below the surface (see Fig. 5, top image). However, the arm above the surface is moving through air (with minimal resistance) as opposed to the arm below the surface moving through water (with considerable resistance). It is possible for swimmers to reduce the recovery time by moving the recovery arm faster than the other arm (bottom image). v

Dr. Rod Havriluk is a sport scientist and consultant who specializes in swimming technique instruction and analysis. His newest ebooks in the “Approaching Perfect Swimming” series are “Optimal Stroke Technique” and “Swimming Without Pain,” and are available at swimmingtechnology.com. Contact Rod through info@swimmingtechnology.com. All scientific documentation relating to this article, including scientific principles, studies and research papers, can be provided upon demand.

SUMMARY

Decreasing the time for the non-propulsive recovery phase results in a decrease in the time for a stroke cycle, an increase in stroke rate and an increase in swimming velocity. While there is the potential for minimizing the time of the recovery phase in all four strokes, there is the greatest potential in backstroke.