Stroking techniques of elite swimmers

Abstract The average stroking speed (S) in swimming competition is governed by the average stroke length (SL) and average stroke frequency (SF). The purposes of this study were: (a) to determine the SL, SF and S of five complete stroking cycles in each length of the race for elite swimmers of four competitive strokes; (b) to compare the results obtained by male and female swimmers, by swimmers using the same stroke in races over different distances and by swimmers at different stages of the same race; (c) to determine the relationships between SL, SF and S. The stroking techniques employed by finalists in 15 of 16 100 m and 200 m individual swimming events in the 1982 British Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia were recorded with the aid of a motion‐picture camera. The SL, SF and S were then calculated from the film analysis. Subsequent analyses of these data led to the following conclusions:— (1) The S for the four competitive strokes followed a descending order from freestyle, to butterfly, to bac...