BIOMECHANICS OF SWIMMING

Strictly Swimming offer a biomechanical analysis of your stroke – this is just as important for beginners as it is for advanced swimmers.

Biomechanics combines knowledge of anatomy and the principles of physics to study human motion. In swimming, we often refer to the ‘mechanics of the stroke’. Biomechanics and Sport Science have developed over recent years and now play a vital part in swimming performance. This science can help fine tune a swimmer, not only in reducing those extra seconds in competition, but also for the efficiency of any swimmer no matter how fast they are swimming. It is this efficiency that helps swimmers and triathletes workout with a better press on the water, better positioning and timing through the stroke, and with the knowledge that the amount of effort that they are applying matches the amount of distance travelled each stroke.

The technique of each swimming stroke has actually developed over the years due to the close examination and research from sports biomechanics, and with such a background in Sports Science, Strictly Swimming are able to offer an in depth analysis and correction of your stroke by breaking down each phase and applying these principles. Performance factors in swimming that can be analysed through biomechanics include: active drag forces, effective propulsive forces, propelling efficiency and power. The success of a swimmer is determined by the ability to generate propulsive force, while reducing the resistance to forward motion. Biomechanics also helps to understand the best body position to reduce drag and to maximize speed. Even if you are a beginner or an international swimmer, biomechanics and efficiency still play a vital role to correct technique.