Resource Allocation

Very few (if any!) swim programs have unlimited resources, whether that means dollars or swimmer, coach, parent, or pool time! This makes using every resource wisely and with a clear understanding of return on investment.
 
First and foremost, this means adjusting workouts to maximize progress - - even if that means less training distance. 
 
Unfortunately, this is far easier said than done. It’s relatively easy to understand that if you practice anything incorrectly, doing it 1,000 times more - using that incorrect technique - won’t improve that technique and may cause serious injury. Relatively few coaches, however, seem willing to buck the “more is better” conventional wisdom and shorten their workouts to focus on the slower swims needed to perfect technique. Fewer still have the staff to support the individualized attention required to address technique changes.  Clinics, workshops, and private instruction may all be part of any program aimed at improving swimmer technique.
 
Another important consideration is how to obtain an accurate swimmer-by-swimmer measure of technique. Dr. Havriluk’s technology synchronizes hand force with underwater video to give both a visual and data-driven analysis of individual stroke technique.
 
Whatever methodology is used to gather and review data, it is absolutely critical that interventions are based on scientific data and monitored to ascertain results:
  • we need to know where we are going,
  • how we will get there,
  • and when we have arrived!
Finally, everyone with a vested interest in an individual swimmer or team must recognize the need to devote some portion of even limited resources to swimmers who demonstrate - through technique measurement - that they can be coached to the next level. This may mean directing additional resources to those swimmers who have yet to earn attention through winning times, something akin to heresy on many teams. This is, however, the best long term strategy for a consistently competitive team that doesn’t depend on the rare superstar for accolades.
 
Taken together, these three categories of benefits seem to build a strong case for using a quantitative assessment of technique as a basis for improvement. As with any sports-related measurement, there is absolutely no value in having information unless the coach and athlete use that measurement as a basis for change.
 
Isn’t it time to take advantage of the important differences that technology can make?
To learn more about the STIR Program and how it can support coaches and swimmers, go to the Contact Us page and send us an email.