Andrea Di Nino is Head Coach and Technical Director of A.D.N Swim Project, the first European program for international swimmers. The mission of A.D.N is to offer their athletes with the best available tools out there, in order to perform to the best of their abilities.
What is the Spektro Machine?
Andrea Di Nino: “The Spektro machine is a device that allows the athlete to obtain overspeed (go beyond their natural limit) and resistance speed in the water, depending on the kind of set they are undertaking. The swimmer is able to replicate close to, or even up to race speed as many times as required in any given session, which is almost impossible to achieve otherwise, even with the assistance of paddles and fins. If you have an athlete who is swimming 2.00m/s during competition for instance, but is looking to bring their time down to 2.05m/s, the machine can be set at 2.05m/s, allowing the athlete to feel and understand the correct body position needed to achieve the speed.
In terms of power, it is the same as the swim with parachute (adjustable belt connected to a durable parachute), but the only difference is that you can set it up exactly to the resistance you want, which is a lot more accurate than the three/fourth option setting the parachute system allows.
An individual database is held for each swimmer, making it easy for the coach to compare performance by month, year or even Olympic cycle. This data is incredibly accurate and allows the coach to understand exactly where power is held or lost. Thanks to this information, the coach has a clear understanding on what needs to be worked on (speed, power or glide), therefore making it easier to reach specific goals.”
What is the Spektro Glide featured in the video?
Andrea Di Nino: “The Spektro Glide works on the swimmer’s body position in the water. It is focused heavily on the core, designed to help swimmers focus on their power and streamline in the water. You can add as much resistance or speed as you want, so the swimmer is encouraged to focus and make the most out of the water, meaning he/she has to really feel and understand their body (head, shoulders, hips, buttocks and back) within it, which can help guide them to a more hydrodynamic position.”
* This is a system used previously by arena in order to measure a suit’s speed and buoyancy in the water, namely the streamline on a turn.
How often do you use the machine?
Andrea Di Nino: “The machine is used perhaps once or twice per week for sprinters, but in different ways. Depending on the season, focus is either driven towards power or towards speed.”
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