Quiz: Short Answer Questions

1. Why is swimming through water more challenging than running through air from a resistance perspective?
2. How can ridges on a swimmer's suit help minimize drag?
3. Describe how ridges of the incorrect size may actually increase drag.
4. Explain how lateral kicking is used properly to facilitate breathing in freestyle without sacrificing good body position?
5. What is the key to maintaining good lateral alignment in the water?
6. How can swimming drills help improve both stroke rate and stroke length?
7. What is the relationship between body undulation and stroke efficiency?
8. Describe the importance of 'feel for the water' and how a swimmer can improve it?
9. Why is maintaining a streamlined body position crucial for reducing drag?
10. What are some factors that influence Stroke Rate and Stroke Length?

Answer Key: Quiz

1. Water is significantly denser than air (more than 800 times). This means the pressure impacting a swimmer's body moving through water is much greater than for a runner moving through air, creating more resistance.
2. Strategically placed ridges channel the flow of water in the boundary layer, reducing turbulence and inhibiting the development of disruptive vortexes (areas of turbulence).
3. Large ridges increase the total surface area in contact with the water, creating more drag, whereas ridges that are too small or misshapen may cause water to spill over the edges, creating cross-flow.
4. Swimmers should use only the amount of lateral kicking needed to breathe properly. They should focus on keeping their legs within the lateral confines of their body profile, as excessive kicking outside this profile can increase drag.
5. Good lateral alignment is the product of the summation of all propulsive forces.
6. Drills can help swimmers become more attuned to their body's position in the water. Practicing maintaining a certain stroke count over a set distance helps develop awareness of stroke length, while focused efforts on increasing stroke rate improve the speed at which strokes are performed.
7. Effective body undulation allows swimmers to engage more muscle groups to propel themselves forward through each stroke cycle.
8. "Feel for the water" refers to a swimmer's sensitivity and connection with the water, which allows them to apply force effectively. This can be developed through drills that focus on hand and arm position, early vertical forearm technique, and catch mechanics, leading to more efficient propulsion.
9. A streamlined body position minimizes the cross-sectional area exposed to the water, which in turn reduces form drag.
10. Stroke rate is heavily influenced by training load and Distance Per Stroke (DPS), while Stroke Length is impacted by how streamlined the swimmer is.