HOW CHAMPIONS DO IT

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

JODIE HENRY AT 90 m OF HER GOLD MEDAL 100 m FREESTYLE RACE AT THE 2004 ATHENS OLYMPIC GAMES

The time between each frame is not known (this analysis is from a slow motion clip). Because of the quality of the video, it is only possible to view Jodie Henry's right arm pull. Jodie Henry's time for this event was 53.84 seconds.

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

Jodie Henry's right arm action exhibits the good mechanics that differentiate today's swimming champions from those of yesteryear. It demonstrates one of the most misunderstood features of swimming, the concept of "stroke length".

When the coaches at Indiana University in the mid-1960s first discussed stroke length, it was conceptualized as being the length of effective propulsion achieved underwater. Over time, that was distorted to generally mean the distance from the point of entry to the point of exit of a stroke -- something easy for a coach to see but in reality, a feature that is relatively meaningless. Jodie Henry, and other champions exhibited on this web site, achieves a very long effective stroke length. The repositioning of the forearm and hand by medially rotating the upper arm and flexing the elbow while the upper arm is extended forward allows for very long and effective propulsion. The arm is repositioned and then through abduction-adduction of the upper arm, the total arm surface is used to generate drag forces that propel the swimmer forward. Rotation of the upper arm in the shoulder produces outward and inward lateral movement paths, which are largely cancelled out by appropriate shoulder and body roll (see Hay, Liu, & Andrews, 1993). This web site presents information that focuses on what happens underwater. That is where propulsive forces are developed and consequently, stroke length is considered as the length of effective propulsion developed underwater. That concept should always be understood and remembered when analyzing and reviewing the exhibits of this web site.

Jodie Henry

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