HOW CHAMPIONS DO IT

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

HANNAH STOCKBAUER AT 360 m OF HER GOLD MEDAL 400 m FREESTYLE RACE AT THE 2003 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (6-BEAT KICK)

Each frame is .1 seconds apart. Hannah Stockbauer's time for this event was 4:06.75. This analysis is unique because it shows the swimmer's stroke while executing a 6-beat kick (as distinct from the 2-beat kick demonstrated during her 1500-m race analysis).

This stroke analysis includes a moving sequence in real time, a moving sequence where each frame is displayed for .5 of a second, and still frames.

The following image sequence is in real time. It will play through 10 times and then stop. To repeat the sequence, click the browser's "refresh" or "reload" button.

The following image sequence shows each frame for half a second. It will play through 10 times and then stop. To repeat the sequence, click the browser's "refresh" or "reload" button.

At the end of the following narrative, each frame is illustrated in detail in a sequential collage.

Notable Features

There is not much difference between Hannah Stockbauer's 2-beat and 6-beat stroke patterns. One difference is stroke rate. In this stage of the 400-m race, she was performing 47.87 strokes per minute. At the 1320-m mark of the 1500-m race, she was stroking 44.12 strokes per minute. Those rates were obtained from the competition analyses performed by a group of scientists in Barcelona.

In Hannah Stockbauer's strokes, her streamlining is always very good and the range of shoulder roll is extensive. The extent of the shoulder roll facilitates a very long propulsive phase, which is emphasized by the swimmer in a very long push back before exiting to initiate a recovery.

Two features deserve criticism. First, the downward pressing action in the early stages of the arm actions is excessive. She should flex at the elbow and medially rotate the upper arm sooner. That would result in an earlier propulsive phase and a shallower initial pull. Second, the excessive depth of the abduction phase of her strokes requires a mid-stroke depth adjustment that results in a momentary loss of propulsive power. It would be better to have a consistent propulsive phase without this inertial lag. The reason for the stroke adjustment is that the hand and forearm have to be well under and relatively close to the body to produce a mostly direct propulsive force. That would not be possible if there was no adjustment in the middle of Hannah Stockbauer's strokes. The adjustment would not be needed if the first portion of the propulsive phase was shallower, as in the strokes of Brooke Bennett, Ian Thorpe, and Claudia Poll.

One final feature is the affirmation of the role played by the middle-kicks in the 6-beat pattern. They are correcting kicks that counterbalance the lateral force components of the middle of the propulsive phase.

Hannah Stockbauer

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