HOW CHAMPIONS DO IT

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

AMY VAN DYKEN'S FULL ARM ACTIONS AT 35 m OF HER 50 m GOLD MEDAL RACE AT THE 1998 PERTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

The time base of this sequence is not known as it was downloaded from a slow-motion video clip. However, the duration between each frame is constant.

Notable Features

Amy Van Dyken displays an arm-stroking pattern that produces large and relatively continuous propulsive forces. It would seem that the left arm pull has better movement characteristics than the right arm. It would be interesting to see what performance changes would eventuate if the right arm kinematics were more direct than that exhibited here.

It would seem that the left-arm pulling pattern is one worthy of emulation by female sprinters.

Amy Van Dyken 50 m

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