Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Dr. John Mullen”
The swim turn is usually divided into 5 distinct stages that include (a) inward-turn, (b) rotation, (c) push-off, (d) underwater, and (d) outward-turn. Past research suggests swimmers with higher peak forces have faster turn time, reduced wall contact time, and greater mean impulse than slower swimmers (Blanksby 1996; Chow 1984; Takahashi 1982). However, more modern research is needed to analyze …
Recovery and warm-up is a significant component of any swimming race. Many realize different race distances stress the body differently, yet many perform the same warm-down no matter the race difference. During competitions, swimmers often perform multiple races over various periods of length. some swimmers will compete 4 – 6 times over a course of 6 hours. Others will race …
Ideal body shape and structure is a common topic in swimming communities. It is most common for coaches to use their subjective eye when deciding if a swimmer has the perfect backstroke body (somatyape). A recent study by Sammoud (2018) assessed the key physical characteristics of young backstroke swimmers. The goal of this study was to determine what factors predict …
Something unique for our readers in this week’s interview. What follows are notes from a phone interview I conducted with Dr. Jan Prins, Ph.D. Dr. Prins is the Director of the Aquatic Research Laboratory at the University of Hawaii at Manoa along with Founder and Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Swimming Research. He is one of the contributors to The Swim …
Take Home Points on 3 Things you Didn’t Know About Ultra-Endurance Swimming Ultra-endurance swimming often doesn’t result in maximal fatigue, cause hunger, or alter swimming hand path.This form of training isn’t as negative as some suggest on swimming skill. Many associate ultra-endurance swimming with pain and fatigue. However, we know little on the subject, despite it’s growing popularity. Now, many swimmers have …
Take home points1) Raised freestyle head position is one of the most common stroke flaws in freestyle2) Corrective strategies must be individualized to each swimmer3) Avenues for change include biomechanical, cognitive, and environmental Raised freestyle head position in freestyle is one of the most common stroke flaws in the pool at all levels of the sport. In the literature this …
Circle swimming is a fact of life for nearly every team. Even if your current situation does not require circle swimming, it’s likely at some point in your career you have done it. To be clear, many good things that come from circle swimming: the ability to accommodate more swimmers and the ability to group swimmers by speed are two …
Troubleshooting Series: Cervical Spine Understanding cause-and-effect lies in the heart of effective movement correction, both in and out of the water. The better grasp we have of the body’s movement fundamentals, the more capable we can decipher the visual presentation of stroke flaws. The quotations around “flaws” are intentional, as the flaw that catches our attention on deck may be …
This is an interview with Dr. Lucas Wymore. Dr. Wymore recently published: Shoulder Functional Performance Status of National Collegiate Athletic Association Swimmers: Baseline Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic Scores. This interview discusses this research article, but don’t forget to look at Dr. Wymore’s other study: No correlation between stroke specialty and rate of shoulder pain in NCAA men swimmers. For more on Swimmer’s Shoulder checkout Swimmer’s Shoulder …
The shoulder is the primary site of injury in swimmers, but the low back is the second most commonly injured site. In fact, ~8% of those competing at a 2001 International competition experienced low back pain. Kaneoka (2007) noted thirty-eight (68%) elite swimmers and 11 (29%) controls had degenerated discs at various levels. Disc level L5-S1 was more frequently degenerated …