Speedometer for swim training

The speedometer measures how fast a swimmer actually moves through the water. The device stands on the starting block, the rope is clipped to a light belt on the athlete, and the swim begins; a generator converts the speed of the unwinding rope into an analogue signal, so the curve of the swim is read directly on a plotter or on a computer with the optional Swim Analyzer software.

The rope extends 27 m, and it is rewound by a button between repetitions. The unit is portable and self-contained: it runs on a built-in battery and is supplied with charger and cable. A coach uses it to see where inside a length the speed drops and to compare a change of technique against a measured trace rather than against an impression from the deck.