HOW CHAMPIONS DO IT

Researched, produced, and prepared by Brent S. Rushall, Ph.D., R.Psy.

GRANT HACKETT'S FULL STROKE (FRONTAL VIEW) AT 270 m OF HIS SILVER MEDAL SWIM IN THE 400 m FREESTYLE RACE AT THE 1998 PERTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Each frame is .1 seconds apart.

NOTABLE FEATURES

Grant Hackett is a very fine swimmer. However, two aspects are of concern about his stroking. The first is his head lifting and rotation actions. They cause streamlining to be reduced and produce considerable drag resistance. The second feature is the period in each stroke where little propulsive force seems to be developed. Those inertial lags are fatiguing and also reduce the swimmer's efficiency, factors that are undesirable for a distance swimmer.

Grant Hackett front view

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