Split Smart vs Swimming Splits

What is Split Smart? Split Smart is a data-driven platform designed for competitive swimmers who are eager to learn how to split their races smarter. With the goal of connecting swimmers of all ages and ability levels to the possibilities of splitting as smart as professional swimmers, Split Smart contains three main functions: • Find splits using an inputted goal time • Find goal time and appropriate splits using an inputted personal best time of another relevant race (ex. enter PB100 time to calculate final time and splits for a 200 race) • Find how your favorite elite athlete would split an inputted final time Why is Split Smart exceptionally accurate? In the research phase, splits and final times of over 500 races were collected. In order to discover splitting patterns of the best swimmers in the world, we analyzed races from the following meets: 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2012 London Olympics, 2016 Rio Olympics, 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, and the 2014-2017 NCAA Championships. Additionally, the top 24 times in Europe for both short course and long course meters were used. Using the collected data, mathematical equations were programed into Split Smart and are used in every result that Split Smart generates. Applicability Discovering how to split races correctly is a learning process that takes time and requires maturity in order to master. These difficulties lead to questions such as the following to frequently be asked on a pool deck: “What should my splits be if I want to go X in a 200 Yard Freestyle?” “Did I split this race correctly?” “If my 100 is X what should I go on a 200 and how should I split that time?” “How would my favorite swimmer split my 200 time?” Split Smart is a tool that gives swimmers a fast, exact answer to these questions and is a perfect app for anyone who has ever wanted to swim smarter. Continuously Evolving Split Smart One of the best features of Split Smart is its flawless updating nature. After each major meet, the function for calculating splits will be revised in order to reflect the newest trends and best practices. In addition, Split Smart will follow the emergence of new champions, track their patterns, and allow for user’s comparison with the current best in the world. Notes: Patterns found in the research showed that there is a difference in splitting tendencies between genders and pool type. Please be aware that the gender you select in the “My Profile” page will impact the outputted splits throughout Split Smart.

The app is intended for swimmers and their coaches. Using the app is pretty straightforward. The user picks the swim event of their choosing and the target time for that event and the app recommends optimal splits for that time. Though the algorithm for recommending splits is simple (using percentage of speed for each part of a race), it is not really possible to calculate the times during a swim meet without a tool like this app. The swimmer and his coach can then discuss the splits before the race. After the race they can compare the recommended splits with the actual splits from the race. There is an optimal split ratio for middle-distance and long-distance swimming events based on the current scientific discoveries. The first quarter of the race should generally be the fastest. The second quarter of the race should be the slowest and the third and the fourth quarter should be slightly faster then the preceding quarter of the race because of the increasing amount of energy supplied by the anaerobic energy system. The difference between quarters of the race also depends on the stroke as butterfly is the most exhausting and strokes change during the medley events.