HOW CHAMPIONS DO IT

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

INGE DE BRUIJN AT 25 m OF HER SILVER MEDAL 100 m FREESTYLE RACE AT THE 2004 ATHENS OLYMPIC GAMES

The time between each frame is .1 seconds. Inge de Bruijn's time for this 100-m race was 54.16, slower than her winning time of 53.83 four years earlier in Sydney. That Sydney time was also one one-hundredth of a second faster than Jodie Henry's winning time in Athens.

The purpose behind displaying a silver medal swim is to compare Inge de Bruijn's slower race techniques of Athens to the faster-time techniques of Sydney. It is generally known, that in Athens she displayed a rigid straight arm recovery whereas in Sydney her still-ballistic recovery incorporated a bent elbow.

A straight arm recovery emphasizes greater torque (twisting) along the body's longitudinal axis as well as demanding a different underwater technique. While many reasons could be offered, it is hypothesized that Inge de Bruijn's slower swimming in Athens was largely attributable to her changed propulsive actions, the changes resulting solely from emphasizing a straight arm recovery. Michael Klim's gradual performance decline and increased injuries spur this hypothesis since they occurred after he adopted a straight arm recovery.

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.

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

Notable Features

This stroke does not display the desirable features that were evident in the analyses of Inge de Bruijn's strokes at the Sydney Olympic Games. Her arms appear to go long and deep, only producing propulsive forces once adduction begins. Perhaps Ms. de Bruijn's high rate saves her somewhat. She does achieve a high frequency of small forces as opposed to a lower rate of larger forces produced by bent arm recoveries and effective underwater pulling patterns.

This writer suggests that readers heed the warnings given by James "Doc" Counsilman regarding recoveries. In his 1968 classic book, The Science of Swimming, he stated: "The mechanics of the recovery of the arms, . . . does have an effect upon the efficiency and speed of the swimmer" (p. 14). It is contended that the ballistic straight-arm recovery of swimming:

A good case is made for these technique flaws being somewhat responsible for Inge de Bruijn's slower times in her events in Athens when compared to her times in Sydney.

Reference

Counsilman, J. E. (1968). The science of swimming. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Inge de Bruijn

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