The physics of swimming

Abstract

Like all physical skills swimming is subject to the laws of mechanics. Until fairly recently, however, the biomechanical study of this cross disciplinary activity has been largely left alone by the two specialists who would be primarily involved, the physicist and the physical educationist. Since the early 1970s, however, a greater cross fertilisation of ideas has taken place and the sports scientist has emerged. It is possible to analyse human performance and thus identify areas where for example greater strength, a slightly different angle or a slightly different degree of twist might produce that all important extra few millimetres in distance or that reduction in time of a few milliseconds. In man's search for excellence this is important. The study of the performance of a sprinting swimmer in biomechanical terms makes it possible to build up a model of the stroke under investigation which may then be improved upon.