His dolphin kicks, massive hands and feet, a body "built" for swimming, exceptional endurance and strenght and, of course, a lot of hard word and dedication.
This video posted on RUclips is exactly what the world needed. I had been looking for easily-accessible footage of Phelps swimming to refer my students to -- only to have all the links severed because the videos were taken down. The swimmer, the swimming, the camera work, and the editing all put together has certainly created a work of art that has inspired such a wide range of discussions from so many people! Thanks (GA Tech?) for putting this together and Mr. Phelps for all your hard work.
Whoever posted this deserves a medal and who made it deserves three. Beyond awesome. It's just amazing watching Phelps and he's the greatest since Mark Spitz except when he's done, he may just be the greatest ever. Just incredible power and efficiency. WoW!
notice how he is just a swimmer, yet his video has over 1 million views. He is more than an athlete, he's expanded throughout the world. Micheal Phelps makes history, he is history.
well done for posting this superb video that makes it possible to take a really good look at the stroke of one the great swimmers. Respect to Phelps for taking the time to do this as well
no, if u look at all the top guys they dont cup their fingers tightly together. rather they have them slightly apart. if you do this you're effectively creating a bigger paddle. with the fingers slightly apart you can make use of water tension to actually keep the water at your fingers. if you spread too wide the water will just pass through so its a fine line to tread.
@CNMLGB2 Yes, I agree with you. That's exactly what I thought. Goes up and down which increases the resistance by widening the swim area vertically which does not keep swim flow narrowed and stream lined.
he is an athlete who is known for his epic swims that nobody can master without practice, he has been swimming since he was 11 years old, same with me and i want to become a pro like him, but it takes hour and hours of training every day! you have got to be a very dedicated person to become a LEGEND like him!
@Deemer105 That's what he does, particularly off his turns. He takes more kicks than most swimmers so the greater depth makes it so he doesn't surface too early. Also kicking deeper underwater is slightly faster.
@XxMRKENTxX Thats right, for bilateral symmetry. But in competition people breath every 2 stokes so they can get more air. But doing it during a normal practice session will make 1 side more tired then the other. You can practice breathing every 2 strokes going 1 way but make sure to breath on the other side on your return trip.
it's also because you don't just use your hands, you also use the forearm for even more pull. that is why the freestyle drill where you close your hands into fists, is a good drill because it teaches you to use more than just your hands for pulling
@coffmangirl This is a natural element of a 'loping stroke' , where the head is used to help shift his centre of mass forward for maximum momentum in the propulsive phase. Phelps a 200m freestyler utilizes the most efficient style of swimming for this distance (as does lochte,biedermann etc) where one arm is used front quadrinally and the other oppositionally to allow for a quick breath, which is helps deal with the lactic build up in the muscles. PS. I'm also a swimmer :)
@yuzik: Awesome video! Perfect capture of all the different angles and I'm watching it over and over. Only question: Why this poor video quality? 240p? :-/
@Deemer105 I heard (correct me if i'm wrong) that he does that because there's quite a large amount of water resistence about half a meter below the surface of the water, pure dolphin kicking can be rather fast at depth (i do freediving so i know that much) he does this and it's what kept giving him his huge advantages in the olympic races. also his kick is the hting he train the most, so it's obvious he'd try using it the most. Although i do agree he goes rather deep.
@YDMF You should train using a mixture of bilateral breathing (breathing every third stroke on left and right) and every second stroke breathing. For second stroke breathing you should do one lap breathing on your left and one lap breathing on your right -- or you will develop an assymetric style and also assymetric body development, which will create problems. I wasn't careful and now I favor my right arm and breathing to the left, and I'm having to coach myself out of this problem.
@Deemer105 i'm pretty sure you're supposed to be deep. when you come up is when you start the movements. Phelps likes to have long durations of dolphin kicking, which is most effective deeper, i think.
exactly, the "good" technique is only based on what "could" work the best. The most balanced, effective, symmetrical stoke. Its based on potential. Everyone is different
He's got a nice clean entry with his hands , he's sliding his hand in rather than slapping the water. Try it just standing in the pool!Have a look at some of the Total Immersion videos, no bubbles there either!
@asterix645 it depends how far you want to swim and how much oxygen youre going to need. bi-lateral breathing is useful to see other competitors and for new swimmers it helps to correct the movement of the arm and breathing technique so is probably better. it also helps to train up your respiratory system
For people who don't know much about swimming, in these videos, he's hardly trying at all. You can tell by how his hands graze the surface of the water, his really wide kick and his breathing of one side. I'm kind of surprised, he's so epic that he beats my times while at practice XD
:25. This is the key to why a lot of people aren't swimming as fast as they want. In freestyle, short events like the 50 or 100, the start is a big component. You need to have a very tight streamline, and keep your shoulders taught, while you tuck your head in the small gap, and create an air bubble for your face so your goggles don't get whiped off.
This is interesting, it looks like his left hand pulls front-quadrant (delayed) but not right hand. His right hand pulls a little earlier. If you look at Thorps, his both hands pull with equal timing i.e., front-quadrant strokes. Not sure if he is doing it just in this video and not in actual race!
100m Butterfly vs 200m butterfly is comparable to perhaps 200m vs 400m running in track, different distances albeit fairly close to each other. The 50m freestyle in swimming is comparable to the 100m dash in track, the shortest distance with no turns or bends to run/swim. With regards to relays? They have relays in track also.
It is good to switch up breathing patterns but how much does your coach make you swim freestyle/front crawl by the four count? The whole practice? Do you switch your breathing side for bilateral/proportional development? kris might have objected to four count strokes per breath because swimmers might overuse one side if they hold even counts. This can be adjusted by the swimmer switching sides with their even stoke per breath pattern.
@mattialmostmusse It's a variation of freestyle which combines the benefits of shoulder-driven and hip-driven style together into a hybrid stroke. Perfect for sprint-middle distance events, Jason Lezak and Lochte use this technique as well. The extremes would be Stefen Nystrand's stroke (search his name on YT) vs Ian Thorpe's style. Michael incorporates both in synergy perfect for mid-distance events.
@bubblewrapmonkey his fingers aren't closed fully because according to research it's better to have your hands just relaxed, not completely closed or completely open.
mmm not really sure but a bunch of people do it like Lesac. They did some research and turns out they do this because if done right there is a split second where both arms are actually pulling at the same time. I read that in splash magazine :)
i understand, and you make a valid point. but the thing is that no matter how many more medal opportunities he had, he still ended up with the most everything in the end. he set every olympic medal record I can think of. i would agree with you to say that it cant be said if hes the greatest athlete in the world, but with all his record and medals i don't think an argument can truly be made against him in that regard.
Awesome! Thanks for uploading. Phelps is a true master. The dolphin kick is impressive. I have a question about one tiny thing. On left arm recovery he pulls earlier than on right arm recovery. (from 1:26) Is this optimal? In my opinion the motion during right arm recovery is more efficient. This is probably due to breathing though. But anyway. What do you think? Is there potential for improvement even in Michaels freestyle?
@yourvidisbad101 i swim long distance for triathlon, you need to breathe every stroke in order to get O2 to your muscle during middle and long distance swims, ive had many 1.5 miles swims and not once did i get tired breathing every stroke but rather wasnt because of it. what is important is proper technique and a good rhythm for fast efficient swimming
@DallasGreen123 It just looks like his head is underwater, but when you turn your head while your stroking, a little pocket of air creates itself right where your head is. So its easy to get a breath if you just turn you head. /Whats with his two stroke breath technique i always thought that three strokes was faster than two?
what is the music???? the video is fantastic, i will use him in my work about my favourite things =D.....please somebody tell me the name of this music...=)
ACTUALLY Phelps' won 14 gold medals (6 in the 2004 Olympics) and 2 bronze including his 8/8 golds in a single Olympics....which makes him the best swimmer ever.
@DallasGreen123 you only need a small opening from your mouth to reach the air. the more you bring to the surface, the more drag you bring causing you to slow down.
@byurazorhog exhalation is better through the nose cause it is slower and you do not get tired so quickly. an inhale through the mouth. that's how i was taught.
@annalovesyou86 he doesn't, he breaths every 2 strokes - never had the feeling that you're suffocating after 100 meters sprinting? - so it's kind of a two edged knife ... or you get sour through lack of oxide, or you breath more often resulting in some speed loss.
i think 0:35 is the best feeling in the world, entering the water that way is just... something i can't explain... goosebumps every time i watch this :) by the way, 1:35 is quite easy,, just needs a bit of training, swimming properly is MUCH MORE difficult than it really seems :) i love it
he sure can swim, the best in the world, and his breathing is amazingly fast, i really wonder how he can breathe this fast and how one can have a steady tempo/coordination like this - casual swimming must feel like a fish in a fish tank for him !
His dolphin kicks, massive hands and feet, a body "built" for swimming, exceptional endurance and strenght and, of course, a lot of hard word and dedication.
This video posted on RUclips is exactly what the world needed. I had been looking for easily-accessible footage of Phelps swimming to refer my students to -- only to have all the links severed because the videos were taken down. The swimmer, the swimming, the camera work, and the editing all put together has certainly created a work of art that has inspired such a wide range of discussions from so many people! Thanks (GA Tech?) for putting this together and Mr. Phelps for all your hard work.
MICHAEL! PHELPS! IS! THE! (G,O,A,T)! SWIMMER! HA! HA! HA!
240p has never looked so amazing.
Whoever posted this deserves a medal and who made it deserves three. Beyond awesome.
It's just amazing watching Phelps and he's the greatest since Mark Spitz except when he's done, he may just be the greatest ever.
Just incredible power and efficiency. WoW!
this dolphin is a very good swimmer ;)
notice how he is just a swimmer, yet his video has over 1 million views.
He is more than an athlete, he's expanded throughout the world. Micheal Phelps makes history, he is history.
my fish should see this!
well done for posting this superb video that makes it possible to take a really good look at the stroke of one the great swimmers. Respect to Phelps for taking the time to do this as well
Dude is part dolphin
One of the best vids on RUclips.
Look at that turn
This is so graceful and effortless, it's so beautiful to watch.
Wow, that dolphin kick!
I could watch this all day, postural poetry!
Not sure if human or fish
Mermaid
Merman! Merman!
It looks beautiful. Smooooooooth motions.
WHAT THE FISH
this man has like paddles for hands and flippers for feet. Amazing....simply amazing. swimming is such a graceful sport.
this swim style is the fastest, down side is it consume too much energy in kicks.
Gotta get build the fitness up with those kicks
omg its my life long dream to meet him!!!!!!!! i love u michel!!!!!
Great camerawork - useful vid! Thanks for posting.
no, if u look at all the top guys they dont cup their fingers tightly together. rather they have them slightly apart.
if you do this you're effectively creating a bigger paddle. with the fingers slightly apart you can make use of water tension to actually keep the water at your fingers. if you spread too wide the water will just pass through so its a fine line to tread.
this guy is a human fish, got to love him, thanks mike for making America proud.
wow.... not bad.... his strokes are all smooth and proper.... i like it. Must learnt from him.
He's gonna break the most medals record.... Love you Phelps...
looks so beautiful! he makes it look soooo easy!
man thats a frickinn fish!!!!
loved it loved it and loved it !!!!!
That was awesome! Thank you for posting it!
its like a dance! it's too perfect.
phelps is beast.
@CNMLGB2 Yes, I agree with you. That's exactly what I thought. Goes up and down which increases the resistance by widening the swim area vertically which does not keep swim flow narrowed and stream lined.
i cant get over how pristine his flip turns are
he is an athlete who is known for his epic swims that nobody can master without practice, he has been swimming since he was 11 years old, same with me and i want to become a pro like him, but it takes hour and hours of training every day! you have got to be a very dedicated person to become a LEGEND like him!
So beautiful to watch this!!!
How lucky we are nowadays!! This video is incredible.!!
Gosh I LOVE swimming. He does it soo good!
@Deemer105 That's what he does, particularly off his turns. He takes more kicks than most swimmers so the greater depth makes it so he doesn't surface too early. Also kicking deeper underwater is slightly faster.
michael phelps swims faster than most fishes do. he is crazy. he´s the best athlete of all time. he is perfection
he's got a lot of flexibility on his heels and lags as a whole. His kicking is so powerful.
@XxMRKENTxX
Thats right, for bilateral symmetry. But in competition people breath every 2 stokes so they can get more air. But doing it during a normal practice session will make 1 side more tired then the other. You can practice breathing every 2 strokes going 1 way but make sure to breath on the other side on your return trip.
Absolutely beautiful
it's also because you don't just use your hands, you also use the forearm for even more pull. that is why the freestyle drill where you close your hands into fists, is a good drill because it teaches you to use more than just your hands for pulling
i'm a swimmer too but nobody in the world can beat his time or something like that!!!!!! Michael Phelps Rules!!!!
@DallasGreen123
an air pocket is created when you turn your head properly, the part that you're seeing is underwater but not his mouth
@coffmangirl This is a natural element of a 'loping stroke' , where the head is used to help shift his centre of mass forward for maximum momentum in the propulsive phase. Phelps a 200m freestyler utilizes the most efficient style of swimming for this distance (as does lochte,biedermann etc) where one arm is used front quadrinally and the other oppositionally to allow for a quick breath, which is helps deal with the lactic build up in the muscles.
PS. I'm also a swimmer :)
@yuzik: Awesome video! Perfect capture of all the different angles and I'm watching it over and over. Only question: Why this poor video quality? 240p? :-/
no se como no se cansan!!
@Deemer105 I heard (correct me if i'm wrong) that he does that because there's quite a large amount of water resistence about half a meter below the surface of the water, pure dolphin kicking can be rather fast at depth (i do freediving so i know that much) he does this and it's what kept giving him his huge advantages in the olympic races. also his kick is the hting he train the most, so it's obvious he'd try using it the most. Although i do agree he goes rather deep.
Great vid. Thanks for posting.
wow..cool video!! i like the last angel the best. thanks for sharing!
nicest rhythm everr espicially how he is capable to keep his kick perfectly same from the beginning to the end
ohmygod so beautiful!!! (the stroke of course)
this is just beautiful
@YDMF You should train using a mixture of bilateral breathing (breathing every third stroke on left and right) and every second stroke breathing. For second stroke breathing you should do one lap breathing on your left and one lap breathing on your right -- or you will develop an assymetric style and also assymetric body development, which will create problems. I wasn't careful and now I favor my right arm and breathing to the left, and I'm having to coach myself out of this problem.
@Deemer105 i'm pretty sure you're supposed to be deep. when you come up is when you start the movements. Phelps likes to have long durations of dolphin kicking, which is most effective deeper, i think.
i liked the last view.
thats the best way to analyse one's swimming technique
exactly, the "good" technique is only based on what "could" work the best. The most balanced, effective, symmetrical stoke. Its based on potential. Everyone is different
He's got a nice clean entry with his hands , he's sliding his hand in rather than slapping the water. Try it just standing in the pool!Have a look at some of the Total Immersion videos, no bubbles there either!
@asterix645
it depends how far you want to swim and how much oxygen youre going to need. bi-lateral breathing is useful to see other competitors and for new swimmers it helps to correct the movement of the arm and breathing technique so is probably better. it also helps to train up your respiratory system
Thanks for this. His technique is a perfected verions of Mark Spitz and ive been trying to learn how to do it.
probably the best video on youtube.
I love his dolphin kicks,,,,look at the force!!!!!
Amazingly efficient in every movement ; )
this is lovely footage
His form is smooth!
such a graceful swimmer!
For people who don't know much about swimming, in these videos, he's hardly trying at all. You can tell by how his hands graze the surface of the water, his really wide kick and his breathing of one side. I'm kind of surprised, he's so epic that he beats my times while at practice XD
habia visto el documental pero no pude conseguir el video. esta muy bueno
:25. This is the key to why a lot of people aren't swimming as fast as they want. In freestyle, short events like the 50 or 100, the start is a big component. You need to have a very tight streamline, and keep your shoulders taught, while you tuck your head in the small gap, and create an air bubble for your face so your goggles don't get whiped off.
Fast! Good vid, thanks for uploading.
thats how its done! excellent form.
such grace and speed!
a true work of art :O
@DallasGreen123 His head is actually creating a small wake in the water, the wake creates a pocket of air in the water he can breath out of.
This is interesting, it looks like his left hand pulls front-quadrant (delayed) but not right hand. His right hand pulls a little earlier. If you look at Thorps, his both hands pull with equal timing i.e., front-quadrant strokes. Not sure if he is doing it just in this video and not in actual race!
100m Butterfly vs 200m butterfly is comparable to perhaps 200m vs 400m running in track, different distances albeit fairly close to each other. The 50m freestyle in swimming is comparable to the 100m dash in track, the shortest distance with no turns or bends to run/swim. With regards to relays? They have relays in track also.
It is good to switch up breathing patterns but how much does your coach make you swim freestyle/front crawl by the four count? The whole practice?
Do you switch your breathing side for bilateral/proportional development?
kris might have objected to four count strokes per breath because swimmers might overuse one side if they hold even counts. This can be adjusted by the swimmer switching sides with their even stoke per breath pattern.
@mattialmostmusse It's a variation of freestyle which combines the benefits of shoulder-driven and hip-driven style together into a hybrid stroke. Perfect for sprint-middle distance events, Jason Lezak and Lochte use this technique as well. The extremes would be Stefen Nystrand's stroke (search his name on YT) vs Ian Thorpe's style. Michael incorporates both in synergy perfect for mid-distance events.
Oh please Phelps has had a lifetime of training to perfect his body and technique he is the best swimmer of all time my friend in the history of man
@bubblewrapmonkey
his fingers aren't closed fully because according to research it's better to have your hands just relaxed, not completely closed or completely open.
mmm not really sure but a bunch of people do it like Lesac.
They did some research and turns out they do this because if done right there is a split second where both arms are actually pulling at the same time. I read that in splash magazine :)
I do agree, he's awsome.
i understand, and you make a valid point. but the thing is that no matter how many more medal opportunities he had, he still ended up with the most everything in the end. he set every olympic medal record I can think of. i would agree with you to say that it cant be said if hes the greatest athlete in the world, but with all his record and medals i don't think an argument can truly be made against him in that regard.
Awesome! Thanks for uploading. Phelps is a true master. The dolphin kick is impressive. I have a question about one tiny thing. On left arm recovery he pulls earlier than on right arm recovery. (from 1:26) Is this optimal? In my opinion the motion during right arm recovery is more efficient. This is probably due to breathing though. But anyway. What do you think? Is there potential for improvement even in Michaels freestyle?
The way he moves underwater is fucking incredible. I've never seen a dolphin kick start that high up the torso, or a deeper dive.
@yourvidisbad101 i swim long distance for triathlon, you need to breathe every stroke in order to get O2 to your muscle during middle and long distance swims, ive had many 1.5 miles swims and not once did i get tired breathing every stroke but rather wasnt because of it. what is important is proper technique and a good rhythm for fast efficient swimming
@DallasGreen123
It just looks like his head is underwater, but when you turn your head while your stroking, a little pocket of air creates itself right where your head is. So its easy to get a breath if you just turn you head. /Whats with his two stroke breath technique i always thought that three strokes was faster than two?
that half under half above is sooooooo sick!!!
what is the music???? the video is fantastic, i will use him in my work about my favourite things =D.....please somebody tell me the name of this music...=)
MIchealPHelps is like the GREATST swimmer like EVER
ACTUALLY Phelps' won 14 gold medals (6 in the 2004 Olympics) and 2 bronze including his 8/8 golds in a single Olympics....which makes him the best swimmer ever.
@DallasGreen123 you only need a small opening from your mouth to reach the air. the more you bring to the surface, the more drag you bring causing you to slow down.
such amazing underwater. i
wow ....he's a merman ! especially the flip !
@byurazorhog exhalation is better through the nose cause it is slower and you do not get tired so quickly. an inhale through the mouth. that's how i was taught.
he is SOOOOOOOOOO awesome
ive been out of the loop for 20 years but when did they start doing the deep dive and butterfly kick to start off?
@annalovesyou86 he doesn't, he breaths every 2 strokes - never had the feeling that you're suffocating after 100 meters sprinting? - so it's kind of a two edged knife ... or you get sour through lack of oxide, or you breath more often resulting in some speed loss.
i think 0:35 is the best feeling in the world, entering the water that way is just... something i can't explain... goosebumps every time i watch this :)
by the way, 1:35 is quite easy,, just needs a bit of training, swimming properly is MUCH MORE difficult than it really seems :)
i love it
he sure can swim, the best in the world, and his breathing is amazingly fast, i really wonder how he can breathe this fast and how one can have a steady tempo/coordination like this - casual swimming must feel like a fish in a fish tank for him !
O cara é o melhor mesmo, mas uma pergunta fica no ar, nesse estilo livre, ele só respira do lado direito mesmo?