Physics of Swimming Essay

The study of physics and fluid dynamics in swimming has been a field of increasing interest for study in the past few decades among swimming coaches and enthusiasts. Despite the long history of research, the understanding of how to move the human body effectively through the water is still in its infancy. Competitive swimmers and their coaches of all levels are constantly striving for ways to improve their stroke technique and overall performance. The research and performances of today's swimmers are continuously disproving the beliefs of the past. Like in all sports, a better understanding of physics is enabling the world class swimmers to accomplish times never before thought possible. This was displayed on the grandest of...show more content...

Until the Australians began their first period of dominance in the 1950's, swimmers thought the best way to reduce frontal resistance was to keep the body completely flat, riding on top of the water, in an effort to hydroplane.2 According to Cecil Colwin, the most effective way to reduce frontal resistance is rolling the body from side to side with the stroke, known commonly as body roll. Another cause of frontal resistance is lifting the head to high in the water while breathing, swimming or both. Not only does the greater area of the face catch water, but it also causes the lower body to sink.3 It is generally accepted that the first step in becoming a good swimmer is dealing with the effects of frontal resistance.

Skin Friction Skin friction is the kinetic friction of the swimmer's skin and suit with the water. This can be easily dealt with a couple of ways. The most popular method is to shave off all visible body hair, occasionally even the eyebrows, and cover the body with a generous layer of lotion. When a swimmer shaves their body hair they decreases the surface area of their skin. The velocity of the water at the point of contact is 0 m/s. The lower the surface area the less water there is traveling at 0 m/s.2 This is usually reserved for important races, for

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What exactly is a memory? According to Mariam Webster a memory is "the power or process of remembering what has been learned." I had countless childhood memories growing up: learning how to ride a bike, my first kiss, the first time I got stitches etc. Those memories from my childhood made me into the head strong person I have become today. However, one of the most significant memories of my childhood was learning to swim. Almost every child will encounter this event in some period of his/her lifetime, and will actually discover a great deal from it. I consider this to be a classic event in my life that will always be cherished, because it has influenced and marked my life in so many different ways.

It was the summer of 2007, I nervously...show more content...

The starter had just announced that the swimmers could enter the water. I was so nervous, I felt the adrenaline racing through my body; I tightly clenched to the bars under the swimming block and waited for the beep. I kicked harder and harder trying to swim fast to pass the swimmer next to me and slowly slide ahead of my competitors. After the first forty yards, my legs began to swell with uncontrollable pain. Despite the horrible pain, I pushed myself harder than ever before and encouraged myself to keep a constant speed. After a while, some of the swimmers in the outer lanes began to slow down and dropped behind but I stayed in the same position. After I passed the flags signaling the end was near, I sprinted the last few yards to beat some competitors. I landed fourth place in that race, and felt a despondent sadness. I walked up to my Coach and teammates, everyone gave me a pat on the back and complimented me on my performance. Ms. Conway recognized my potential, and gave me the best advice, she said "the reward is never as great without the struggle." In retrospect, I think this quote meant that more effort should be put into preparation rather than striving to win. In the beginning of the following summer, I was curious as to why Ms. Conway was not teaching our group, and why I was told she left for "personal" reasons. Ms. Conway's absence took a huge toll on the team, but especially me. I never realized how much she helped me until