How does drag influence swimming speed and what technique adjustments reduce frontal drag?

• A. Drag assists forward motion; increase head height to reduce drag
• B. Drag opposes forward motion; reduce frontal drag with a streamlined position, minimal head-water surface disruption, and clean entry/exit of hands
• C. Drag has no effect on speed; always maintain high body profile
• D. Drag only affects turns; adjust turns to mitigate

Answer: (B)

In swimming, drag is the resistive force that opposes your forward motion and it grows with speed, your body's frontal area, and how much turbulence you create in the water. To improve speed, the goal is to minimize frontal drag. The best way is adopting a streamlined position: keep your body long and flat, with hips high and head aligned with the spine so the water sees a narrow, quiet cross-section. Maintain a tight, extended arm position overhead, hands pressed together and wrists aligned, so the water flows smoothly past without creating extra surface area or roughness. Keep the head still and eyes down to reduce water surface disruption, and make hand entry and exit clean and quiet to limit turbulence. Together, these technique adjustments lessen the water you have to push aside and the turbulence you generate, allowing greater speed.