After winning only one medal at the 2013 World Championships, Fran Halsall in the 50 freestyle and three medals at the 2012 London Olympics, Michael Jamieson silver in the 200 breaststroke and Rebecca Adlington in the 400 and 800 freestyle, British Swimming has been stepping up their use of sport science to optimism performance.
Jamieson and Lizzie Simmonds were two of the swimmers who spent the last couple of days at St. Mary Shaftesbury’s pool, a six-lane 25 meter facility in Dorset, going through a series of tests, “It’s all about hydro-dynamics to identify ways to make swimmers as streamlined as possible in the water,” Ben Hollis, Performance Scientist for British Swimming told Blackmore Vale Magazine.
“The techniques we are trialling here are part of a five year research project to give our elite swimmers the competitive edge.”
Local swimmers had the opportunity to watch Simmonds and Jamieson use such tools as a high velocity reel which tests the swimmers’ biomechanics at increased speeds.
“We are pioneering new techniques all the time to get ahead of the rest of the world and combining Science in the pool is another way to find marginal gains,” David McNulty, Head Coach at the National Training Centre in Bath told the publication.
The two day training camp saw British Swimming partner with Southampton University and UK Sport to create the testing opportunity.