One of the things that fascinates me as a swimmer and historian is the evolution of our sport. The mechanics of what we do in competitive swimming has changed dramatically since World War II. In July of 1922, Johnny Weissmuller became the first person to break a minute in the 100 meter freestyle. What makes the achievement incredible is that he did this in a wool singlet-style suit, with his head out of the water, eyes ahead, with open turns.
The turns are where our sport has evolved most. Weissmuller would get crushed by a teenage AGUA athlete with good flip turns today. The mechanics of changing direction in the pool in freestyle have undergone numerous changes since 1922. When our senior AGUA Masters swimmer Jane learned to flip turn, she was taught to touch the wall first with her hand and then flip. She still has scars on her heels from learning this way! Today, our best flip turns begin at more than a body's length from the wall and are as much about accelerating as they are changing direction.
I believe a change in turns is on the horizon again, this time in breaststroke and butterfly. We are already seeing a handful of elite swimmers experimenting with flip turns with these strokes. Weissmuller would have been excited! He helped invent flip turns, to kick fast, put his head down, and breathe to the side. That’s how he set the world record again with a 00:48.5 for the 100 meter freestyle in 1940, he was 36 years old.
