Support for Technique Improvement
Because each technique score is based on specific measurements, a coach can pinpoint limiting factors and devise a technique improvement program uniquely suited to address those limitations. For example, the swimmer in the image below is limited by his characteristic force loss (just after the arm left arm passes under the shoulders). (Since hand force is directly related to swimming velocity, a loss in force limits performance.)
Even more critical, however, is the recognition that technique improvement must continue throughout the competitive life of a swimmer. Unfortunately, this is NOT the case now. Only in rare instances do swimmers receive adequate technique instruction into their teens -- especially if they have achieved even moderate success with a technique with obvious limitations! In fact, research on this topic has shown that technique improvement beyond age 12 is typically minimal, with time drops generally attributable to increases in size, strength, and endurance.
Obviously, this means that too many swimmers simply plateau when they could be steadily improving their technique. Many more swimmers fail to progress, become discouraged, and leave the sport completely. A third group of talented swimmers sustain career-ending injuries when pre-adolescent technique teams up with senior-level training distances. It doesn’t have to be this way!
In a scientifically controlled experiment that addressed specific technique adjustments, the subjects made more progress in one week than swimmers typically make in two years. (In this research, the key intervention was based on an analysis that pinpointed technique limitations. These limitations were presented to the swimmer using synchronized video and force data. The needed adjustments were explained in both classroom and pool settings. The swimmers were then able to practice the necessary changes via stroke drills and short, monitored swims with instruction before and feedback after. As shown in the graph below, the results were measurable - and statistically significant. Both the active drag coefficient and swimming velocity improved. (The active drag coefficient decreased and swimming velocity increased.)
