1. Please introduce yourself to the readers (how you started in the profession, education, credentials, experience, etc.).
At the beginning of my career, I had the opportunity to coach swimmers at all levels – from summer teams to NCAA Division I. As I became more involved in swimming, I realized that there was a wealth of applicable scientific information and entered a masters program in movement science. From there, I went on to a doctoral program in human performance and had the honor of studying under Doc Counsilman and John Cooper (the father of modern biomechanics). For the past 25 years, I’ve been consulting with swim teams and developing software and hardware for technique instruction and analysis. My position has also afforded me time to maintain an ongoing research program in skill learning, injury prevention, and optimizing technique.
2. How can coaches improve their application of science in sport?
For science to have the greatest impact on swimming, the culture must change and abandon reliance on “conventional wisdom” derived from observation of elite swimmers. In the 1960s, describing and modeling the technique of champions was instrumental in determining the applicable scientific principles. Fifty years later, modeling champions only serves to slow progress. While faster swimmers have more effective technique than slower swimmers, even the fastest swimmers have technique limitations. It’s time for coaches to use technology to pinpoint and adjust these limitations to optimize technique.
3. What are the most common biomechanical flaws for each stroke between elite (National level) and ultra-elite (Olympic level) athletes in each style of swimming?
The most common, major technique limitation for each stroke is:
At the beginning of my career, I had the opportunity to coach swimmers at all levels – from summer teams to NCAA Division I. As I became more involved in swimming, I realized that there was a wealth of applicable scientific information and entered a masters program in movement science. From there, I went on to a doctoral program in human performance and had the honor of studying under Doc Counsilman and John Cooper (the father of modern biomechanics). For the past 25 years, I’ve been consulting with swim teams and developing software and hardware for technique instruction and analysis. My position has also afforded me time to maintain an ongoing research program in skill learning, injury prevention, and optimizing technique.
2. How can coaches improve their application of science in sport?
For science to have the greatest impact on swimming, the culture must change and abandon reliance on “conventional wisdom” derived from observation of elite swimmers. In the 1960s, describing and modeling the technique of champions was instrumental in determining the applicable scientific principles. Fifty years later, modeling champions only serves to slow progress. While faster swimmers have more effective technique than slower swimmers, even the fastest swimmers have technique limitations. It’s time for coaches to use technology to pinpoint and adjust these limitations to optimize technique.
3. What are the most common biomechanical flaws for each stroke between elite (National level) and ultra-elite (Olympic level) athletes in each style of swimming?
The most common, major technique limitation for each stroke is:
- fly – submerging the head during the arm entry
- back – finishing the push phase with the hand away from the body
- breast – failure to kick the feet together as they move back during the propulsive phase
- free – premature and excessive upward motion of the elbow during the push phase.
For each of these limitations, correction can produce a substantial performance improvement. It’s probably more important to point out the similarity of the technique elements of Olympic, National, and State level competitors. Our research shows that swimmers typically improve technique until they become teenagers. The technique changes for teenagers (of all levels) are generally very modest.
4. Do you have any future progressions or predictions on biomechanics?
Predictions or hope? The application of biomechanics to swimming has been slow. While I hope that the application of scientific principles and research will suddenly increase, history doesn’t support any sudden change. However, the past year has been encouraging. Feedback from coaches about the direction of the ISOSC has inspired me to believe that the culture may be ready to change.
5. What research equipment do you think is mandatory for a swim team?
In my opinion, above surface video is adequate for the youngest and least experienced swimmers. Underwater video is essential for pre-teens. Force analysis (in addition to video) is absolutely critical for teenagers and advanced pre-teens.
6. Do you feel drills translate to fast swimming?
Drills are extremely useful for the bilateral strokes (fly and breast). Drills that isolate either the arms or the legs can improve focus on selected technique elements and speed up the learning process. The focus can then be transferred to the whole stroke, particularly on nonbreathing strokes. The unilateral strokes are different. Most drills for free and back distort the body position. Swimmers can progress faster in free and back by focusing on specific cues within the normal stroke cycle.
7. What biomechanical flaws increase stress in the shoulder and low back during free, fly, and back?
In free and fly, a shallow arm entry with the arm completing the entry above the shoulder increases shoulder stress. Unfortunately, such an entry is not only stressful, but typical. In free, it is rare for a swimmer to complete the arm entry with the hand below the elbow and the elbow below the shoulder. In fly, it is even rarer.
8. What biomechanical flaws increase stress in the knees during breast?
An effective breaststroke kick will stress the knees because it is extremely different from normal human activities and not a motion that the knee is primarily designed to perform. Consequently, coaches must be wary of overuse and also sensitive to individual differences. Swimmers may initially experience pain as a kick becomes more effective.
Swimming Science, http://www.swimmingscience.net/2012/08/friday-interview-rod-havriluk.html
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