It is practise, study the videos and work in technique. Not all swimmers are tall ir should be physiological specimens but like any sport or endeavour, they should have a passion to be the best and yet, have fun! Ps, I have Adhd and like Michael, I have to be more goal oriented than most or I get into trouble lol! Hi Susan, Thanks so much for providing an example of determination! The bottom line is that those who can maximize their controllable attributes can achieve success, even right up to the highest levels.
Keep swimming! Thank you again Coach Rick! The example of Janet Evans swimming with a high stroke rate and odd stroke did pretty well! As you mentioned, you can have the ideal attributes but neglect the passion and fail to reach your goals. The high level achievers have an intense curiosity coupled with the passion to tinker and hone their respective activities to do better because ultimately they please themselves by pursuing inner driven goals no matter what.
Btw, I was a junior Olympian and just came back after 50 years off. Now, I appreciate it even more and know it can never be mastered but I try…. Sorry about that Clint. If it helps, just look at the results of the first race here.
Or do you suggest the same workouts for a taller swimmer and a shorter swimmer just more intense. Hi Kevin. There are no specific workouts or routines that help short swimmers more than others. Even more, your coach will have a carefully prepared training program that pays attention to energy systems, periodization, technique, etc.
Just follow your existing training program, and give it your all. Hi Matt. Since our pull is out major way of moving forward, your long arms should really help you out. The main thing you need to do is nail down your technique to get the most out of those long arms.
Make sure you good extension and finish your stroke. But mainly just listen to your coach! So what does that mean to me? But in sprinting, will there be any advantages to me being smaller than the rest of the sprinting world? Thankfully was was blessed with strong shoulders, and legs and arms. Hi Ian, longer races changes the nature of the training, and increases the need for incredible aerobic conditioning.
That would make the height of the swimmer less important than races that have a substantial anaerobic component. In other words, out train them! Hi Kevin, there is no doubt that the truly elite athletes are, generally speaking, several standard deviations above the mean in terms of genetics, trainability, proprioception, height, etc.
Height is just one of those factors, and nobody is superlative in all. But then its extremely unlikely that any individual swimmer will make Rio finals. All we can do is aim to be the best version of us possible. Hi, Rick! Thanks for amazing article and blog. Your version of nature vs nurture nuanced debate is mesmerizing. Here is an interesting nuance: his m medley on short course Is there a point here?
Ya thats not true at all, because a taller swimmer can be further away from the wall and start their turn. Again, taken the same skill level the person with the height advantage will be the faster swimmer…. Josh, the distance gained in a turn by a taller swimmer is a function of their height.
The speed of a turn is a function of the mass to be moved, and the distance in which the mass must be moved. Since a shorter swimmer has a shorter distance to move their mass, and since mass is based on volume which is a function of height cubed, a shorter swimmer will flip more quickly and has a slight advantage based on the physics of the turn skill. As I said earlier, its a minor difference, but it is a difference.
Its pretty simple- The longer a person is they have a natural advantage because of their reach. The only decided difference is that a short swimmer will be able to flip through the turn more quickly due to shorter torso and legs.
However, that is a very minor difference. It all comes down to streamline and underwater kicking abilities as those dominate the SC vs LC differentiators. To be brutally honest, swimming is still immature in terms of underwater practice, and so somehow who excels at these skills would be expected to be relatively faster at SC, independent of height. We clearly come from different eras! Everything else is never the same. And yes, it also depends on height. A short swimmer is certainly capable of swimming short course fast.
Just look at the World SC Championships. Height is just one factor. However, what I lacked in both experience and height, I made up in technique. The real advantage to maximizing technique is immediate results in the breaststroke, IM and IM. Shorter children can stay dominant longer if they focus on mastering the IM because it requires excellent technique in all 4 strokes. Most kids take the path of least resistance relying on natural physical talent and go for the easy long axis win: freestyle sprints.
Not surprisingly, the Olympic data shows that the shortest Olympic swimmers excelled in the breaststroke and IM. Thanks for your comments, OC Dad. Events that require technique in multiple strokes, require endurance and aggression, require discipline can make up for non-ideal physical dimensions. But I should also point out that in the earlier, non-specialized years, all swimmers should do as many different events as possible. Not only will this ultimately help an IMer, but swimmers do change their preferences over the years.
As far as height, I was definitely much shorter than the average elite height, but my eventual focus on IM ended up being my path forward. The harder the event, the more effort and focus it takes to do well. Thanks so much! I am defo short too and I found that the older I became, the better I maintained focus on technique in all strokes as I found they compliment different muscles from my preferred stroke of freestyle.
Since I am a masters swimmer- all my mates are short. I happen to be the sprinter in short course and yes, funneling my adhd along with adrenaline and focus on technical drills helps me win my events. The endurance events are much harder for me for some reason. I never let my short stature hold me me back from sprinting- I adapt my stroke to the race and length and use my powerful kick to drive it in.
Swimming challenges yourself in many ways. Thank you, Coach, for a thoughtful write-up on height in swimming. Presently, we have age-group swimmers at our house. My middle son, 12, is not too tall but not too short either, for his age. Up to this point, his technique has really propelled him to some fantastic swimming results. However, as of now, in the age group, the height differences are immense.
For example, he and his peers will all step up on the block last heats and it is them towering over him. It surprises me, in fact, to see such differences in maturity, at this age. So, I do observe height and sometimes, tend to focus on it too much.
Cheers and wishes for a great swim season! Hi Anya, thanks for your thoughts! At young ages I basically stress that they learn to love the sport, and not worry about beating others. When times get tough, push through, when you feel like quitting, think about your goals- the long-term and short-term ones and imagine the feeling of finally accomplishing them. My goals get me motivated and excited to work hard any day- so make sure to set them right and make them clear. Great underwaters is something all great swimmers have in common.
Many swimmers neglect their underwater work and this leaves a huge gap for you to slip in and gain an advantage over them. Right now, Caeleb Dressel probably has the best underwater in the world. Just look at what he is able to do with it on an international level-.
You have most likely lost a race against someone by 0,05 seconds or something like that in the past. Now imagine if you were able to just get off the blocks a bit faster, touch the wall just a little earlier, made the turn a little bit faster- you get the idea.
The amount of times I have lost a race because I got out-touched at the very end is ridiculous. On my side this is something I should have worked on more, luckily for you and me, there are still many practices and races ahead to work on this. At the elite levels of swimming, many times the race is won by the touch. So make sure to work on every detail, you will thank yourself in the future.
My point is- when you are at a disadvantage to someone, you need to make sure that you do everything perfectly because maybe they slip up, maybe they lack somewhere they most likely do , and this gives you the gap to break through and take the win.
If you want to be one of the best, you are going to have to put in extra. Nowadays, dryland and weight training is something becoming more and more common among elite-level swimmers, and there is a lot of information available about it out there.
So why not take advantage of that and make it part of your training? Dry-land and wieght training helps to build power and speed in the water. It adds muscle to your frame to help exert even more power and gain an edge over your competition.
It improves biomechanics, which in return helps with technique and stability in the water and it even helps to prevent injuries, allowing you to spend more time in the water, practicing and perfecting your craft. Want to win Olympic gold? Here's how tall you should be for archery, swimming, and more. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. Video Why movies tilt the camera like this. Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for The Weeds Get our essential policy newsletter delivered Fridays.
Thanks for signing up! Shorter swimmers are turned away from swimming based on the evidence that no short swimmer perform well at swimming.
Height plays a much smaller part in swimming performance than is commanly accepted. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Left Sidebar. Photo Courtesy: Delaney Lanker. Jenni Troyer Plane Reply. Malcolm Neely. Satara Post Reply. Julie Conner Milanovich. Deanna M Swann Reply. Deanna M Swann.
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