Even casual fans of swimming take notice of the sport every four years during Olympic competitions. The well-conditioned athletes seem to speed through the water with long arm strokes and fluid kicking motions. The swimmers with the longest arms tend to pull the most water.
Arm Measurements
Determining your approach to racing often is dependent on your body type. The website Swimsmooth.com recognizes arm length as a key factor in swim racing. It has determined that the "ape index" is vital in determining swim strategy. By measuring the length of your arms from the finger tip of your middle finger to the finger tip of the opposite middle finger and then measuring your height, you determine your ape index. If the length of your wingspan is longer than your height, you have a positive ape index. If the length is shorter than your height, you have a negative ape factor. For example, if a 6-foot-2 person (74 inches) has a wingspan of 77 inches, his ape factor is plus-3.
Positive Ape Index
Swimmers with a positive ape factor can concentrate on taking the longest stroke possible to move smoothly and swiftly through the water. The long stroke means that the swimmer does not have to accelerate his stroke since he is pulling so much water as he swims. However, he must maintain a steady pace throughout and cannot have a long glide or it will create a dead spot in his swim motion that causes a slow down.
Negative Ape Index
Shorter-armed swimmers are not necessarily at a disadvantage in swim race, but a different approach is needed to be successful. The swimmer with shorter arms must increase his stroke rate to compete well against a long-limbed swimmer. In addition to moving the arms faster through the water, the short-armed swimmer must kick faster as well. The swimmer will still use a two-beat kick -- one leg kick per arm stroke -- but since he is moving his arms faster he also moves his legs faster. A longer-armed swimmer will not kick as fast as the shorter-armed swimmer.
Smooth and Swinger Types
Those with a positive ape index numbers use a smooth stroke in competitive swimming. Shorter-armed swimmers have a more active stroke and appear busier in the water and are known as the swinger type of swimmer. Olympic champions Michael Phelps and Ian Thorpe have positive ape index numbers and are smooth swimmers, while swimming legends like Janet Evans and Shelley Taylor Smith are swinger types who never let their lack of height, length and reach slow them down in the pool.
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