Physics and Swimming Insights with Team USA High Performance Swim Consultant Russell Mark

Russell Mark is a High Performance Consultant to the US National Swim Team. He is an advisor to the development of Team USA Olympic swimmers, working directly with them and their respective coaches, providing training and racing feedback. and steps to improve.

For nearly the last 10 years, Russell Mark has studied countless hours of film and discussed technique with the world’s best coaches and swimmers in order to understand the intricacies of all strokes. With this knowledge, he has worked directly to help the US National Team, has given hundreds of lectures on swimming techniques, and has contributed to many books and research articles.

While swimming at the University of Virginia, Mark earned a degree in aerospace engineering. He then pursued a career in engineering, working briefly on Pratt & Whitney’s experimental military jet engine programs. This unlikely career path has served Mark well in the world of swimming, using his knowledge of physics, fluid dynamics and engineering to identify and assess what makes swimmers faster.

Q. It seems like such a diverse background for your current position, could you elaborate on the synergies between your previous studies and profession and your current job?

A. Actually, everything went quite well. My college swimming background and aerospace engineering degree were the perfect tools for me to stay in my life’s passion of swimming at a professional level and provide real value in helping the US swim team, you could say It’s my dream job. There is more physics involved in swimming than I think people realize and my education provided a foundation of knowledge to view the films of our athletes in a different light. I analyze mechanics and forces to give our swimmers the best opportunity to perform at their optimal human level.

Q. What is your overall impression of USA Swimming at the 2012 London Olympics?

A. It was a tremendous Olympics in London for Team USA, not only were we successful in our goals, but we had a diverse group of medal winners, young and old, and we feel we have a good collection of swimmers to the future.

Q. Training day or race day, which do you prefer?

A. For me, it’s all about the journey. The film analysis, preparation, training, and thought process that goes into it all add up to race day or the results of everyone’s hard work!

Q. Could you explain some of the technology the US swim team uses in training? What device, app or technology device do you think provides the most important information to analyze your swimmers?

A. The technology is pretty simple for the US swim team, our most effective devices include underwater video recording with waterproof camcorders, our iPad for video analysis and pace clock. We have recently developed software that tracks and stores stroke count and tempo or frequency to analyze our athletes. Below is an example of a Missy Franklin race chart using our Race Stats software from the London 2012 Olympics.

Q. For the novice swimmer looking to improve their performance, are there any consumer fitness devices or apps you would recommend?

A. If you have the capabilities, I would definitely suggest an underwater camera, but I know it’s not available to everyone. A pace watch would be a good start for anyone looking to improve their speed, endurance, and track interval times. There are a couple of tools that I’ll mention in detail later that can be used to work on technique but aren’t technology based, like a snorkel and fins.

Q. What awaits USA Swimming and the 2016 Olympics? Someone we should pay close attention to?

A. USA Swimming is very exciting and interesting, there have been many instances in trials when a (publicly) unknown individual comes out of the dark and surprises even the field. We have a lot of confidence in our young swimmers from the London Olympics into the future and we have one of the best junior swimming programmes.

Q. Any basic swimming technique tips from Olympians that you can share with our readers who are looking for that little extra edge or who are just starting to swim?

A. The position of the head and body is the basis of swimming; He would perfect those techniques before advancing in swimming. Some recommended tools I would suggest are fins (keeps legs straight and increases strength) and a snorkel (head down). When the head is raised to breathe, above the water the hips and legs move downward and begin to drag and slow down. To become a good swimmer, it is important to work on your breathing technique. Wear a snorkel from time to time to work on your stroke without having to focus on breathing technique. exercises to lengthen the amount of time you can keep your head submerged and your body working. Everything in swimming happens underwater; Once you start to feel comfortable with these basic techniques, you can begin to think technically with rhythm tracking and video feedback.