Do any coaches out there use velocity curves with their swimmers? Is
that the kind of data that someone can gather with today's technology?
We've talked a bit in another thread about technique changes. One of
the problems with technique changes is that it's difficult/impossible
to say right away whether they represent an improvement. That's
because the changes to a swimmer's technique will almost certainly make
them slower in the short term. They would have to swim a number of
weeks, or even months, to decide if any change was a good one. And who
wants to wait that long, especially if things might be worse. I run up
against this problem myself - I've got a fairly weak kick and rather
"tender" left shoulder from an old rotator cuff wound. So that limits
what I can do - I try different stuff, breath one way or the other,
long push back, or different kick rhythms, but how do you decide which
one is best and should be honed?
Velocity curves would help answer that question. For example, while
not focussing on overall speed, the different shapes of the curves
using different technique could be compared. The ones with highest
peak velocity may offer the best approach. Or maybe the ones with the
least drop off in speed but lower peak velocity offer the best
potential in the long run for sustained speed. A whole science could
be developed there which could point swimmers in the right direction
for their stroke, given their own physical talents and limitations.
But it's useless without the data. I believe that video we have of
elites training when they wear a slim white band around their waist,
indicate a data gathering system. But I don't know anything about it,
or how accurate it is? Does anyone else?
Eric