HOW CHAMPIONS DO IT

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

AMANDA BEARD AT 160 m OF HER WINNING 200 M BREASTSTROKE SEMI-FINAL RACE AT THE 2004 ATHENS OLYMPIC GAMES

The time between each frame is not known because this clip is in slow motion. Amanda Beard's time for this race was 2:25.52.

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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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

Amanda Beard's stroke is effective but not for the reasons that seem patently obvious.

First, there is no sculling action in the arm movement. The hands are spread to a position that mimics one that might occur in butterfly stroke. Then propulsion is delivered in a manner that is very similar to the first portion of a butterfly stroke pull. Halfway through the "butterfly pull", propulsion is abruptly terminated and the hands sliced inward and upward. This direct pull stroke is similar to that exhibited by the most recent world-champion and record-holding swimmers.

Second, the huge elevation of a large portion of the body mass is energy consuming and not mechanically efficient. However, the extra force added to the leg kick that is generated by the dive and drive forward after breathing offsets some of the loss in efficiency of this action.

Third, the "wave" movement is an artifact of the large vertical component in the overall movement pattern. It would be a very real error to consciously teach a swimmer to try and do this. It should eventuate naturally as a result of the technique taught, not from direct instruction.

Fourth, Amanda Beard actually does a very long glide under water. Her upper body and arms are streamlined and not moving from Frame #12 through #18, fully one third of the stroke cycle. Long periods spent in a streamlined glide position, particularly with the torso, head, and arms, is a characteristic of the most recent champion breaststrokers.

Fifth, the swimmer's hyperflexible upper back allows her to achieve positions with the upper body that do not cause streamline changes in her lower body and legs. Forces created by arm propulsion produce this action and negate the requirement for counterbalancing in the lower portion of her body.

Amanda Beard

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