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Wind Tunnel Test for Swimming!
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Thorpe did a bit of testing at the Audi facility in Germany recently. Wonder if these ugly one-piece suits performed better than skin?
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Re: Wind Tunnel Test for Swimming! [Marlin] [ In reply to ]
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There was lots of hype about the suits before the Sydney games because not everyone had a chance to get one made because of short supply of the fabric and some folks didn't jump on the wagon soon enough. The swimmer's who wear them think they're faster and that's all that matters at that level of competition.
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Re: Wind Tunnel Test for Swimming! [ncooksey] [ In reply to ]
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Thorpe wears an adidas suit whereas just about every one else wears speedo.
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Re: Wind Tunnel Test for Swimming! [Bungle] [ In reply to ]
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I thought I heard that he wore a rebadged Speedo at the games, because Adidas couldn't get their suit put together in time. Happy to be corrected.

Not sure if his suit had the silicone striping that the Canadians did...
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Re: Wind Tunnel Test for Swimming! [ncooksey] [ In reply to ]
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Ian was the only person, besides a German girl in the 100 fly to wear this suit in the Olympics. Everyone else pretty much swam in the fastskin which is a lot faster suit compared to a simple fabric which the Adidas bodysuits are made out of.

Also, these suits were not the suits that were in short supply before the Olympics. The fastskins were. Interesting fact: at the U.S. olympic trials for swimming, all of the bodysuits were being given away free to swimmers (one per swimmer). Out of the TYR, Nike, Adidas and Speedo bodysuits, only about 5 people took a TYR, no one took a Nike, 2 people took adidas, and the rest of the hundreds of swimmers took the Fastskin.
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Re: Wind Tunnel Test for Swimming! [Marlin] [ In reply to ]
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question.

when you guys swim do you look straight down as Ian Thorpe is in this photo?

when i swim (i think) my head is angled at about 45 degrees, ie looking slightly forward.

in the shots at www.per4m.ca i don't think Thorpe is looking straight down when swimming.
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Re: Wind Tunnel Test for Swimming! [cookie] [ In reply to ]
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Thorpe looks forward about 30-40 degrees head tilt when stroking. He's in his "off the wall" and "off the blocks" position and it looks pretty good.

Thorpe could have worn Jordan's basketball shorts and won. He is winning by such large margins it doesn't matter unless he's trying to break his own record.

-Robert

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." ~Anne Frank
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Re: Wind Tunnel Test for Swimming! [bigd] [ In reply to ]
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Conspiracy theory and research about body suits at the Swimming Science Journal:

http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/...g/bodysuit/table.htm

I'll stick with my aquablade briefs. I wonder if Mark Spitz and the rest of the guys wearing hair shirts during the sprint freestyle events in the 1970s have a patent on this kind of covering.
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Re: Wind Tunnel Test for Swimming! [Marlin] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah, highly debated subject.

BTW, your head should be looking pretty much straight down at the bottom of the pool when swimming. Results in better body positioning and neck doesn't hurt as much.
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Re: Head position when swimming [ In reply to ]
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BIGd

are you sure about the head straight down when swimming thing?

don't think Thorpe and the other top swimmers do?
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Re: Head position when swimming [cookie] [ In reply to ]
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I'm pretty sure none of the backstrokers do either.







"Language most shows a man: Speak, that I may see thee. It springs out of the most retired and inmost parts of us, and is the image of the parents of it, the mind. No glass so mirrors a man's form or likeness so true as his speech." - Ben Jonson, Timber, or Discoveries made upon Men and Matter.
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Re: Head position when swimming [cookie] [ In reply to ]
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I've always been coached that you should be *looking* at the bottom of the pool, but your head should be at a slight upward angle. It's more natural for most people in the water anyway and it helps you to press the chest down a bit and bring your hips up slightly.

As a coach once said to me: "That wall isn't going anywhere, so why the hell are you staring at it?."
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Re: Head position when swimming [Marlin] [ In reply to ]
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You shouldn't be looking apsolutely straight down, but should be close to. Thats why I said, "pretty much straight down." =)
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Re: Head position when swimming [bigd] [ In reply to ]
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general rule: water line should be at the hair line (hair lines vary with age so use your judgement)

btw, the addidas suit isn't ordinary swimsuit lycra. It is every bit as "fast" as a fastskin, it just has different seaming and lacks the weeved speedo logos all over (it still has the outer "boundary turbulence" bumps). The suit also is still has the compression properties of a fastskin and last a bit longer.
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Re: Head position when swimming [Ben in FL] [ In reply to ]
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True, true.

Still doesn't have the muscle panels as well. I've swam in the second model of the suit(the one pictured above) and it didn't "feel" as fast as the speedo fastskin. Could just be me though. ;)
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