A 40 sec 100 m freestyle
Rod Havriluk - The president of Swimming Technology Research is Dr. Rod Havriluk. Rod earned a Ph.D. in human performance from Indiana University and also has an M.S. in exercise physiology from Florida State University. He taught biomechanics at Indiana University and was most recently an adjunct professor at Florida State University. Over the last 20 years, he has consulted with swimmers, triathletes, and coaches from 30 countries. He has worked with all skill levels - from beginning competitors to world record holders.
Pete Jones
Hi Rod,
An interesting topic. When I look at the graph, I see three Exponential Decline curves. One is from 1905 to 1919, another from 1919 to 1960, and then the last from 1960 onward. I am not a swimming historian, but I think the decline curve from 1960 onward coincides with Doc Counselman's pioneering work and since 1980 the progress to drop time is becoming asymptotic. My conclusion is that we need another Step-Change Innovation to advance beyond deminishing returns. When will you have that ready for us???
Best regards,
Pete
Rod Havriluk
Pete,
The next big time drop will come when there is a widespread emphasis on technique. Research shows that swimmers improve their technique until they become teens. The active drag coefficient (Cd, the best measure of the effectiveness of technique) remains about 1.0 during the teen years. When the Cd drops below .7, we'll see much faster times (like a 40 sec 100 m freestyle)!
Rod