Possessing perfect swimming techniques and heavy training activities provide advantages for a good competition result, but do not guarantee success in any case. To do this, you need to know and prepare individually for the right competition tactics.
In addition to their strong abilities, each top athlete also has weaknesses that have not yet been fully developed for various reasons, either due to training methods or individual characteristics. It must be taken into account that each swimming competition is a competition with different athletes, in different conditions, at different training periods per year, in a different sport form, etc.
To win the competition, you need to analyze your opponents, tendencies and experiences from previous competitions, your current status and abilities. Due to such an analysis, it is necessary to plan the tactics of the upcoming competition, to hone the maximum ability to use the available abilities — to plan all activities from the start bang to the touch of the finish wall.
The swimming competition analysis methodology used to evaluate the results of major competitions, plan future results and identify trends is developed and used by us at all levels of the World and European Swimming Championships , Olympic Games.
Race analyses divide the distance into sections of start, turns, clean swimming and finishing. Characteristic parameters are obtained from each separated section, and their consistent comparative analysis provides valuable input for improving starts, turns and finishing, as well as developing endurance and speed for tactically different swimming sections. What was especially important, however, was that it was possible to record how the best in the world did everything compared to others.
We have performed analyses for more than 40 years. We have developed a format where the sections are aligned with the developments of the FINA competition regulations. We have developed video and computer programs and analysis technology to such an extent that data analysis is available after a short period of the event.
A swimming competition can be divided into a start as an element of the start of the competition, swimming in distance sections (beginning, middle, end) and turns (depending on the distance and the pool length — 25m or 50m) and the finish as the end of the distance.
Key questions: How did you start? How were the turns made? What was the tactic of passing the different swimming sections, at first slower and then accelerating, or vice versa? How did the last arm stroke hit the wall at the finish? The result of the competition depends on them.
After the jump, a long action takes place under water, relatively deeply, only with the movements of the legs. Swimmers must exit by 15 meters from the starting line. The success of the start is shown by who is in front at the 15-meter line.
The swim then continues until approaching the turn wall. Track buttons of the second color five meters before the wall signal the turn part is starting. After the turn, swimmers are under water again and must surface by 15 meters from the turn wall. In sprint races and short-course (25m) events, this underwater part is used heavily. A common full turn section length is 5 + 15 = 20 meters. In longer distance races, turn sections are usually shorter and can vary (e.g., 5+5 or 5+10 meters), depending on race phase.
The swimming movements between the Start section and Turn sections are divided depending on race length. We use lap segmentation by 5m, 10m, 25m or 50m, and also 30m laps for long course pool races between start, all turns and finish laps.
In the last five meters, slightly different movements are made than in normal swimming to schedule the exact end wall for a hand touch and win the distance in front of competitors, even when almost side by side.
This gives a very detailed picture of what happened, why someone won and lost in that competition. The longer the swimming distances, the more the effects of fatigue and distance tactics can be analyzed — either holding back at the beginning to compete at the end, or ensuring enough advantage early to win.
Only such basic data of the competition analysis allow planning tactical solutions for competition and comparing other swimmers in finals or semi-finals. A more thorough analysis is performed using more complex mathematical methods and materials collected over the years, such as correlation and regression analysis.
This reveals reliable tendencies: how to plan results during training, how to compete individually with opponents of your level, differences in women's and men's competitions in the same field, and the peculiarities of junior and senior classes in swimming pool competitions.
It is also very important to record detailed indicators for setting new European or world records and to forecast and prepare individual implementation plans for new records. Predictions for breaking future records may be simulated on the principle of how top results have improved, and then new values of competition elements can be individually simulated to achieve a better result.