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This book is astounding in its breadth and depth of knowledge. If you are at all serious about swimming for speed or enjoyment you need to read this work. The first and second chapters on stroke development and recent breakthroughs would be enough to make this book a classic,
The fluid dynamics section is excellent, a good thing to know in your mind. But far more valuable to me is the chapter about feeling the water. Here we dive into the heart of the matter. The more talented swimmers feel the water more. You can swim most efficiently when you can tell when the water is most ready to pull against. I stand in awe of Colvin's ability to explain an intuitive process that leaves me blubbering for words.
All of us who love the water owe Cecil Colwin a deep and sincere thank you.
The history is broken into two parts which begin and end the book. The first is a history of swim technique (sidestroke, trudgen, overarm, etc.) which leads to a description of the four current strokes. As in Swimming Dynamics, he illustrates a "typical" way of swimming each stroke even though he admits a wide range of technique possibilities. (Colwin is an excellent draughtsman, but there seems to be a drawing error: In the text and in his side view drawings of the crawl, he describes a full body rotation of 35 - 45 degrees each way as desirable. His front view, however, shows the swimmer almost dead flat throughout the crawl.)
Continuing the exploration of hydrodynamics that he began in Swimming Dynamics, Colwin discusses the bow wave, lift, his vortex-shedding theories of propulsion, strategies of streamlining, using the hands to direct the water and many other ideas.
In covering training, Colwin (and Pyne) offer the usual ideas of aerobic vs anaerobic, interval vs distance, etc. I find myself thinking of his section, "Development of the Will to Overcome Fatigue," as I swim. I realize that I have rarely reached Hurt, much less Agony or Pain since high school (at least not in the pool).
The book ends with a history of competition that discusses rule changes, better pools, the World Cup tour (he's not impressed), national team vs club-based coaching, a chronicle of doping, fistgloves, the problems with bodysuits, a ranking of the stars of the 20th century and a look forward.
I definitely found the book worth reading.
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