游泳技術的進步，使得這20年來游泳的紀錄不斷刷新。除了頂尖的運動選手之外，今日25到55歲這個年齡群的游泳者，也都較20年前的泳者來得快。
安東尼在外木山海岸, by Frank, 2009.6.14
有幾個簡單的改善技巧，如稍加注意，就可以減少一些時間，或找到姿勢的缺點。當然，最有效的方法就是請一個好教練。
1. 轉身後蹬牆時，兩手向前伸直，雙手四指併攏，姆指微微張開，兩掌以姆指扣住疊在一起(兩個姆指相扣，手指疊在一起；或一手掌貼在另一手背上，以在上方的手的姆指扣住在下的手掌)。手臂會稍在耳朵上方(頭不要抬起來！)。這樣會使身體更加流線，減少阻力。我的經驗有許多人在熟悉了這種技巧後，可以多滑一公尺左右的距離。
2. 在游的時候，試著把動作放慢，並做得更誇張。若發現有阻力(身體沒有平順的往前滑)，那個動作就是有問題。上岸後自己檢視一下，是否有畫蛇添足，或用力不對。若是動作放慢就失去前進的節奏，那就應該以慢動作來練習，使動作漸趨協調；動作協調之後，再進行原先計畫的練習。
讀一讀下面那篇一年前的報導，有不少人年紀大了以後還游得比年輕時快呢！去年95歲的Marie Kelleher 女士一周仍有四天去游泳，每次游個800M左右，這真是個令人鼓舞的實例呢！
以競速游泳而言，最主要的技術進步是跳水和豚式踢。另外，我想水底攝影機的進步與價格下降，也是促使競技不斷寫下新紀錄的因素。
隨著年紀漸長，幾乎都是練長泳，因此我就列出長泳的「水準」供各位參考，菁英選手的表現十分令人咋舌。
2008年的奧運多了一項十公里的游泳馬拉松，所以現在1,500米已經不是最長距離的游泳賽了。看看1,500m 長泳北京奧運資格(15:13.16 A norm and 15:45.12 of B norm)時間，就算是低標，每一百公尺也要游在64秒內才有資格參賽。一般業餘愛好者也少有人能游進 31 分半，奧運資格時間的兩倍。在看一下十公里的成績，是111分51秒多，就算是112分好了，平均每一公里(1,000m)要游11分12秒。
1,500M Freestyle 北京奧運前的紀錄：
北京奧運裡 Grant Hacket又破了自己保持的奧運紀錄：
而十公里的馬拉松是：
10K游了一小時51分，我想以這時間為5K的目標，應該不難。
Fitness
Getting Better With Age: Dive In
By LIZ ROBBINS
Published: August 18, 2008
DARA TORRES, the 41-year-old Olympic swimmer with the impossibly chiseled abs who collected three silver medals in Beijing, has proved at the elite level that getting older doesn’t mean getting slower in the water. But put her aside for now.
Even outside the elite ranks, the 40-something (and older) swimmer of today is faster than the 40-something of yesteryear.
Researchers at the Counsilman Center for the Science of Swimming at Indiana University found that the population of Masters swimmers (made up of 42,500 members ages 18 to 100-plus) has gotten faster over the last 20 years in age groups from 25 to 55, said Joel Stager, the center’s director.
Why is that? They are applying better skills.
“Technique trumps training,” Dr. Stager said. “Water is the great equalizer.”
Chief among the reasons for the speediness, say coaches, researchers and swimmers themselves, are improved stroke mechanics and training methods emphasizing intensity over distance. This is good news for those who like to race, and for those taking to the water for fitness at any age.
As they age, people lose muscle mass and cardiovascular capacity, which declines by 1 to 1.5 percent annually. But for regular exercisers, the rate of decline is slower, researchers say.
“Before, it was thought that athletes peak at 25,” said Scott Trappe, the director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Ball State University. But now the paradigm is shifting. “People are paying attention to their own fitness and nutrition.”
Swimmers can compensate for the body’s decline mostly because the water rewards those who are more technically proficient, and because the sport is non-weight-bearing and enables prolonged participation. “People can and do get faster, despite the fact that they may be 10, 20 years older than when they first started,” Dr. Stager said.
Here are five competitive Masters swimmers, ages 40 and well beyond, who help prove that.
Kicking Like Flipper
Kristin Gary swam at Duke University in the late 1980s but tired of the long workouts. Now, Ms. Gary, 40, has recaptured the joy by swimming for the Red Tide, a Masters swim team in New York.
Her personal best for the 100-yard backstroke is now 59.47 seconds; in college, it was 1:00.07.
Her coach, Eric Mitchell, attributes her improvement in part to her ability to execute the dolphin kick, an underwater kick that was not allowed when she was in college. Swimmers can now use the kick up to 15 yards underwater in competition, on turns and after dives off the blocks. They gain power from the legs moving in concert with the body, which undulates like a dolphin. (Michael Phelps and Natalie Coughlin are experts at it.)
Fitness swimmers don’t need the dolphin kick, though it’s fun to try a trick from an Olympian’s playbook. Those who want to be faster may find it useful, but it depends on how skilled a person is, said Mr. Mitchell, who makes teaching it a priority and said it requires core strength and flexibility.
Hand and Arm Techniques
Stanley Shechter, 75, is still trying to master the dolphin kick, finding an alternating-leg flutter kick more effective. But he discovered that hand positioning after diving into the water can help shave time. He practiced at Asphalt Green on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (where he belongs to the Masters team), placing one hand over the other, fingers together to eliminate drag, the way Patrick Cantrell, his coach, instructed.
Mr. Shechter straightened his arms, keeping them close to his ears, and held the pose underwater. “It’s tough to hold your arms for that long,” he said. “But it works.”
He attributes his improvement to practicing five days a week, mindful not to go too far. That approach, too, represents training filtered down from many elite programs. Coaches and swimmers have discovered that less is sometimes more, especially in events no longer than 100 yards. In 2003, Mr. Shechter swam the 100-meter freestyle at the Masters national meet in 1:23.46. In May, he won the 75- to 79-year-old division at the nationals in the 100-yard freestyle in 1:12.67.
That’s the Spirit
When improving performance, the psychological lift cannot be ignored. Tracy Grilli, 51, believes setting goals as a team makes a marked difference. Ms. Grilli is the administrator at the United States Masters Swimming national office in Londonderry, N.H., and belongs to a local team. But her Mighty Mermaids team is made up of friends averaging age 50 from New Jersey, California and Virginia.
To prepare for an open-water swim in July, Ms. Grilli charted their individual yardage online, for a virtual swim up the Mississippi River. “It is the people I swim with that make the difference,” she said. “I could swim alone and say, ‘I’m tired.’ That’s not going to make me swim any faster.”
Turning Back the Clock
Not every swimmer over 40 can set records. For many, being fit is as much a goal as being fast.
Andy Weiss has thick white hair and a chest scar from bypass surgery but looks younger than his 87 years. “A lot of people call me a freak,” said Mr. Weiss, who swims an hour three days a week at Asphalt Green, where he is a Masters team member. “After swimming I feel wonderful.”
He won two silver medals and a gold medal at the May nationals, but says he enjoys the water’s revitalizing power. His tips for improving?
“Don’t smoke, get a good coach, get enough sleep, a full eight hours,” he said, before adding with a laugh: “And don’t get older.”
Aging has not hampered Marie Kelleher. She swims four days a week at a Y.M.C.A. in Richmond, Va., logging a half-mile each day, alternating strokes for 30 minutes of laps. At 95, she won her age group at a regional Masters meet in February, with a time of 3:02.75 in the 100-yard freestyle. “I started swimming because I wanted to keep in shape,” she said. “As long as I can drive myself to the pool, I am going to keep swimming.”
She was impressed, if not inspired, by Ms. Torres. “How old is she again?” Ms. Kelleher asked.
When told 41, she laughed and said: “Well, I’m more than twice her age.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/fashion/21fitness.html
The story in English was taken from the New York Times. The copyright remains with its original owner. The New York Times and the author of this story are not involved with, nor endorse the production of this blog.
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