Re: Re:
This is very true. Kids of 11/12 years of age now are being taught different things to just 3 or 4 years ago, as there are advancements and improvements in technique. Then again, you have people like Paltrinieri whose technique is effectively what every coach tries to dissuade, yet wins races with 14:34. To your last point, 12 (10 in the Rome Worlds) of the men's WRs were set in the summer of 2009, and one other in December 2009, but I don't know whether they had a swimsuit or not. The women however have only 6 set in 2009, 5 at the Rome Worlds. So clearly the male swimmers have had less of a drastic improvement than the women. Peaty, for example, is blessed with an amazing technique with which he seems to glide through the water far more effortlessly than the other competitors and an immense strength, much more than everyone else. Taking away PEDs, this explains why he is so much better. Ledecky's technique and strength is not that much better than everyone else's, so she is more of a mystery perhaps.
You also have more phenomenons in swimming, like Sun Yang and Ledecky in freestyle; Phelps, Hosszu and Lochte in the IM+chosen power stroke; Peaty in breaststroke; and Sjostrom in the short distance power strokes. Peaty in breaststroke is like, say, Bolt in the 100m and 200m: domination but in only one sphere of the sport. This is repeated in other sports, but the domination through multiple distances or over many strokes and disciplines is more unique to swimming. Phelps' 19 golds have come in 4 different disciplines: IM, free, butterfly and sh*t ton of relays. The relays are easy to explain, the US have more collective strength, and butterfly is his best stroke. Free uses similar(ish) muscles to fly, and Phelps was excellent at balancing his greater strength for less good technique, while also exploiting his better underwater ability to beat rivals. In the IM he combined these two to just beat everyone else. So Phelps' domination can IMO be explained with logic, however weird it is. Lochte was a free specialist who was decent in backstroke, and very consistent through all his events. 18 WC golds explain that. One of the best IM swimmers to have lived. Hosszu is the first inexplicable one, because she literally is the best in the world in 3 strokes. In short course and long course WCs, she has won a gold or silver in free, IM, fly and backstroke. At Rio she has won IM and backstroke already. I do not know how it is possible to be good in so many strokes. Fly and freestyle as well as backstroke and freestyle is common, but both fly and backstroke medals is extremely rare. Sjostrom does all three as well, but her backstroke, while having the 100m NR, is far below the best. She is like the Phelps of the women, minus the IM. Then come Sun Yang and Ledecky, the male and female equivalents (interesting how you got doping claims for Sun yang but not for Ledecky, no?). the do everything from sprint events to long distance events. Ledecky is even better than Sun Yang at this, winning all four last year. Sun Yang has only ever managed 3. go figure.
Merckx index said:SeriousSam said:What's the reason world records fall so easily in swimming?
Well, other than PEDs, obviously, swimming is a sport that may lend itself to big advances through technique. In cycling, the big factor that has to be overcome, at least on the flat, is air resistance. In swimming, it's the resistance of the surface of the pool. If you go completely underwater, you can move faster--hence the rules on how far you can stay underwater on the dive and on turns--but you can also move faster if you can get above the surface. Therefore, anything that improves buoyancy without adversely affecting performance in other ways can improve times.
But it should also be noted that not all records fall that quickly. The winning time in the men's FS relay last night was well off the record they set in 2008. In fact, in London, only one WR was set in men's swimming. Most of the current WR were set at the WC in 2009, when I believe those special suits were allowed.
This is very true. Kids of 11/12 years of age now are being taught different things to just 3 or 4 years ago, as there are advancements and improvements in technique. Then again, you have people like Paltrinieri whose technique is effectively what every coach tries to dissuade, yet wins races with 14:34. To your last point, 12 (10 in the Rome Worlds) of the men's WRs were set in the summer of 2009, and one other in December 2009, but I don't know whether they had a swimsuit or not. The women however have only 6 set in 2009, 5 at the Rome Worlds. So clearly the male swimmers have had less of a drastic improvement than the women. Peaty, for example, is blessed with an amazing technique with which he seems to glide through the water far more effortlessly than the other competitors and an immense strength, much more than everyone else. Taking away PEDs, this explains why he is so much better. Ledecky's technique and strength is not that much better than everyone else's, so she is more of a mystery perhaps.
You also have more phenomenons in swimming, like Sun Yang and Ledecky in freestyle; Phelps, Hosszu and Lochte in the IM+chosen power stroke; Peaty in breaststroke; and Sjostrom in the short distance power strokes. Peaty in breaststroke is like, say, Bolt in the 100m and 200m: domination but in only one sphere of the sport. This is repeated in other sports, but the domination through multiple distances or over many strokes and disciplines is more unique to swimming. Phelps' 19 golds have come in 4 different disciplines: IM, free, butterfly and sh*t ton of relays. The relays are easy to explain, the US have more collective strength, and butterfly is his best stroke. Free uses similar(ish) muscles to fly, and Phelps was excellent at balancing his greater strength for less good technique, while also exploiting his better underwater ability to beat rivals. In the IM he combined these two to just beat everyone else. So Phelps' domination can IMO be explained with logic, however weird it is. Lochte was a free specialist who was decent in backstroke, and very consistent through all his events. 18 WC golds explain that. One of the best IM swimmers to have lived. Hosszu is the first inexplicable one, because she literally is the best in the world in 3 strokes. In short course and long course WCs, she has won a gold or silver in free, IM, fly and backstroke. At Rio she has won IM and backstroke already. I do not know how it is possible to be good in so many strokes. Fly and freestyle as well as backstroke and freestyle is common, but both fly and backstroke medals is extremely rare. Sjostrom does all three as well, but her backstroke, while having the 100m NR, is far below the best. She is like the Phelps of the women, minus the IM. Then come Sun Yang and Ledecky, the male and female equivalents (interesting how you got doping claims for Sun yang but not for Ledecky, no?). the do everything from sprint events to long distance events. Ledecky is even better than Sun Yang at this, winning all four last year. Sun Yang has only ever managed 3. go figure.