What is the difference
between long course and short course swimming?
By Malcolm Baey
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From the Left to the Right: Chamraen Youri, Royal Sportclub "Nautilus", 17 years old and HEMTHON Ponloeu, 23 years old, during Award Ceremony for the distance 100 m Fly at Cambodian National Swimming Championship Long Course 2013 in Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh, where Chamraen Youri won Gold Medal with PBT result 1:05.67 and Ponloeu was the 2nd with result 1:09.99. Copyright Vladimir MAXIMOV |
Short Course vs
Long Course
The term
“25-metre” and “50-metre” refers to the length of the swimming pool. The width
depends on the number of lanes. Olympic-sized swimming pools have 10 lanes,
each with a width of 2.5 metres making them a total width of 25 metres.
25-metre pools
are typically called short courses and 50-metres pools are called long courses.
Competitions
that are Long Course and Short Course
However during
even years, the FINA World Swimming Championships or “Short Course
Worlds” are held in 25-metre pools.
Why are some
swimmers better at short or long course?
Here are some
differences between the short and long course:
- Short
courses have an extra turn
- There is
an increased speed after each turn
- There is a
period of inactivity after each turn
- The period
of inactivity lowers the heart rate of the swimmer
Both the
25-metre and 50-metre pools are used for training by professional swimmers all
over the world but the same swimmer will always be able to get a faster time in
a short course rather than a long course. The main reason for this is because
the short course has an extra turn for the same distance in the long course.
An illustrated
example
What do I mean
by this? Picture a swimmer who is swimming 50-metres in a long course pool. He
dives into the water and powers himself through to the end of the wall. Now
this same swimmer who swims the same length of “50 metres” in a 25m short
course pool can make a tumble turn and “push-off the wall” at the end of 25
metres. After which he swims another 25 metres to complete the distance.
In this
example, it effectively means he swims the same length but has the added bonus
of pushing off the wall halfway though the short course pool. This is why the
same swimmer will always be able to get a faster time in a short course rather
than long course pool.
This extra turn
is highly beneficial to swimmers who have good execution of technique. Their
technique alone can be the difference between a gold or silver medal.
How the pools
affect different types of swimmers
Besides the
turn itself, competitive swimmers often have a strong streamlined underwater
kick after pushing off the wall to maximise the ratio of effort to distance. A
swimmer who has more strength in strokes will lose out to a swimmer with better
turns and streamlined underwater kicks if racing in a short course pool.
Another key
difference caused by the extra turn is the swimmer having to turn and glide
longer in a short course as compared to a long course. The time used in turning
and gliding requires less effort compared to stroking. This creates an
opportunity for the upper body muscles to enter a short recovery state. This
short recovery state increases lactate clearance and decreases lactate
production from the muscles, thus helping the swimmer swim faster.
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Cambodian National Championship Long Course 2012 in Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Copyright Royal Sport Club "Nautilus" |