Velocity Meter Telemetry

Swimming Techniques Defined

Push-off Glide Phase | Velocity Decline

Velocity Decline | Feet Lose Contact With The Wall

As seen in the video, the moment the feet lose contact with the wall, velocity drops instantly due to the drag forces of the water. This telemetry can be exported into a fully interactive visualization that identifies the exact duration of the glide phase before reaching clean swimming speed—eliminating any guesswork. (Click on the graph for full-screen interactive mode.)

Zero Velocity Effect | Breaststroke Pullout Phase

Breaststroke Instantaneous Velocity Telemetry

Dolphin Kick | Velocity Decline

Dolphin Kicks From Wall | Optimal Breakout Time

Using Velocity Meter/Video telemetry, we can precisely identify the moment when underwater dolphin kick speed drops to meet regular clean swimming speed thus optimizing the technique..

In this example, the black line indicates the average speed over time. We have numerous examples where swimmers remain underwater kicking longer than is productive. Surfacing below clean swimming speed also forces the athlete to expend additional energy to accelerate back to race pace speed, that could otherwise be conserved or used later in the race. In addition, we have also found that it can take up to two full strokes, before a swimmer regains clean swimming speed after the breakout.

In This Section..

We demonstrate one of the most precise methods to improve swimming technique.

"Velocity Meter/Video Telemetry"

The History

This device was originally created in the 1970s by the late Dr. Al Craig of the University of Rochester and was truly ahead of its time. Connected to a paper strip chart recorder, it allowed Dr. Craig to document the moment by moment fluctuations in the velocity profile of freestyle swimming. Most coaches believe that they can judge these variations simply by watching the swimmer, but his recordings showed very quickly that what the eye sees at the surface does not accurately represent what is happening underwater. To expand this work, Dr. Craig soon placed video cameras inside protective cases along the pool deck so he could match visible technique with the velocity record.

In the 1980s, Dr. Craig partnered with Dr. Dave Pendergast in the Physiology Department at the University at Buffalo. Together they traveled across the United States testing many of the nation’s top swimmers. One of the earliest adopter of their work was the late Coach Ray Bussard, from the University of Tennessee. Many of the legendary Tennessee swimmers from that era were evaluated using this velocity meter.

In the late 1980s, Coach Budd Termin joined the research team and contributed to the continuing development of both the hardware and the software that made the system possible. In addition, Termin was the first coach to bring the velocity meter into everyday technical training for an entire team, doing so with the men’s swimming program at the University at Buffalo.

By the late 1990s, the group established a relationship with ADInstruments of New Zealand, a global leader in biological data acquisition. Their technology has been used aboard the International Space Station and in scientific expeditions on Mount Everest. This partnership made it possible to synchronize swimming velocity with digital video, creating the most sensitive velocity analysis tool ever used for any sport.

The subtle changes in speed produced by each pull and kick are too small to be detected reliably with the human eye. This technology captures those changes in real time and provides swimmers and coaches with immediate feedback during testing, and can be used in a practical way in daily practice sessions. Many modern systems still cannot match this level of precision. The data can also be exported into fully interactive visualizations that help identify specific technique improvements without guesswork. Typical examples of how that is achieved are provided below each of video on this page.