Freestyle swimmer and European silver medal winner, Andy Hunter, has been working with the Scottish Institute of Sport for a number of years.
During this time, Andy's performance has consistently improved and he now has a number of medals under his belt. Ahead of Beijing, his support team thought that his performance could be improved further through additional input from the expert sports science team at the Scottish Institute of Sport.
Andy and his coaching team sought the advice of the Institute in order to identify what aspects of his swimming technique required attention to improve his performance, and to give him the edge over his competitors. A team of specialists closely monitored his performance in competition and training. This included working with Pamela Stevenson, an Elite Sports Analysis consultant seconded to the Institute, providing performance analysis support. This is an advanced technology which was used to video, monitor and analyse Andy's swimming.
In-pool and over-pool cameras were used in order to film Andy while he swam. These cameras captured information about every aspect of his swimming technique, from the speed of his arm movements to his posture in the water. Footage captured in both the competitive and training environment, was then downloaded to unique software for analysis by Pamela.
Following review of the video footage, Pamela identified that as Andy moved into the downturn position - a movement allowing him to turn when he reached the end of the pool- he was losing him time but if altered he could turn more quickly. She was also able to identify that Andy's posture in the water affected the way he swam and if effectively addressed could improve his turning technique significantly.
This innovative technology has enabled Andy to actually visualise his technique, particularly the positioning of his body when going into the downturn, something he was previously unaware of. Andy and his support team were able to address these specific issues in training as a result.
Andy's performance has been further complemented by support received from his Institute physiotherapist. Over the past two years Andy has worked with his physiotherapist to strengthen his body and improve his posture which has resulted in an improvement in his swimming technique.
Andy continues to be monitored but it is evident that in the short space of time the performance analysis support he has received has helped improve his performance. Already he has managed to knock seconds off his times and has qualified for Team GB.