Although for some of you who have never been swimmers the question may seem funny, in reality the pool itself as well as the quality of the water it contains have a significant influence on the speed a swimmer can develop.
Any swimmer…!
The four main factors that characterize a pool as fast or slow are the following:
- Eddy currents, i.e. the surface waves created in the pool
- The depth of the pool
- Water circulation
- The baters.
Turbulence is the main factor affecting the speed of the athlete in the pool. For those who have swum in the sea, they know how much the waves affect movement in the water even when they are not particularly high.
In the pool the waves are of two forms, contact and reflection. Contact is what the athletes make to each other as they swim and move in the pool. Reflections are those created during the movement of water towards the pool wall.
A good way to limit the waves that athletes create towards each other is course dividers which are specially made in such a way as to absorb the waves.
Regarding reflection waves, one way to limit them is to place a path divider at both ends of the pool to absorb the wave before it reaches the wall.
A second way is to build a pool of 10 lanes instead of the usual 8, with both extreme lanes remaining empty. The second way, of course, has an extremely high cost.
A third solution is the existence of special holes in the walls of the pool so that they absorb part of the wave and do not affect the athletes.
The second factor that affects speed in the pool is its depth. As waves are created during the movement of the athletes on the surface, in the same way ripples are created towards the depth of the pool.
If the way the pool deepens is steep, then the ripple returns to the athlete and impedes his movement, his pull.
But if the pool is deepened by having a soft call, then the consequences of the depth on the athlete are much less.
We now go to the third factor which is water circulation. These are the well-known pumps that are found in all swimming pools and create a small ripple around them that attracts or repels the athlete. For this problem, in recent years, the most suitable solution has been found. They are placed at the bottom of the pool so that they do not obstruct or affect anyone.
The last factor that affects the performance of athletes in the pool is the swimmers. To be a real help to the athlete, waders must have the correct dial, be non-slippery and be at the correct distance from the surface of the water. Only if the above conditions are met do they help for a quick and correct start.
In addition to these four main factors there are some others, also of great importance, that can affect the performance of athletes such as: the temperature of the water, the slipperiness of the pool wall, the quality of the air, the chemicals used for cleaning of the pool and the bright sunlight.
The same athletes claim that their speed can increase or decrease for other reasons. What we can say as a conclusion is that unfortunately in Greece in most swimming pools that host swimming events there are technical deficiencies that deprive the athletes of a few seconds, where unfortunately some having also swum in swimming pools abroad, have found this out and it has definitely affected them.
Saltamanikas Nikolas
TEFAA graduate
Specialty Swimming
Coach for many years in well-known Nautical Clubs in all swimming categories
nikos.saltamanikas@gmail.com
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