Analyze your swim stroke in ways you didn’t think possible with eo SwimBETTER

When Jaimie Fuller, the former executive chairman of SKINS, met world-renowned former New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Chief Scientist Dr. Kenneth Graham he was immediately intrigued by the kind of technology the sports scientist was working on. Previously, Fuller had helped SKINS develop breakthrough compression technology. Now, he saw the opportunity to develop more innovative sports technology. Fuller decided to create a company that would bring some of the technology in Graham’s mind to life, to help athletes and coaches around the world redefine their limits.

Working with Graham and former adidas executive Dean Hawkins, Fuller co-founded eo (which means “progress” in Latin) with the ambitious goal to use “inspired applications of scientific research to empower athletes to unlock their potential and bring the kind of precision that doesn’t just win the race, but set new standards for what can be achieved.”

The first product eo launched to market brings a revolutionary new approach to swim training and coaching. eo SwimBETTER offers a game-changing ability to measure the applied force of your hands as they pull through the water in six directions. The resulting data insights offer coaches and swimmers unprecedented swim analysis, resulting in stroke improvements for athletes at all levels. Whether you’re a beginner trying to master your stroke, or an elite competitor looking for an edge on your competition, eo SwimBETTER can help you achieve your goals. And it’s backed by some of the best in the business, including two-time ITU World Champion Vincent Luis (pictured) and Olympic 100m Freestyle Gold Medallist, Kyle Chalmers.

Unique information

Things start with two handsets that fit in the palm of your hands. The handsets track lots of metrics that you can get from a sophisticated sports watch – distance, time, number of strokes, your stroke rate and distance per stroke, for example – but more importantly, they also capture unique information that is critical to analysing your swim, including your stroke consistency, stroke path and hand velocity, the force you generate and where that force is being applied.

Those last metrics can make a huge difference when it comes to improving your swim technique. Swimming fast doesn’t always require more power. (Think about those 10-year-old age groupers who fly by you in the pool – you can certainly bench press way more than they can, right?). What you want to ensure is that the power you are generating is pushing towards your feet to propel you down the pool, instead out to the sides where it’s wasted. The information you can glean from eo SwimBETTER allows you to analyze your swim stroke and refine your technique right on the pool deck via the eo app. You can witness the effect of every tweak to figure out immediately what changes are improving your speed and efficiency.

Practical insights

We reviewed eo SwimBETTER, in an individual coaching session where we were able to see exactly how much of a difference there was between the power of the swimmer’s left and right arms. With a few technique changes, we were able to improve his stroke, balancing the power between both arms and dramatically improve his speed and distance per stroke.

The data gleaned from eo SwimBETTER can be almost overwhelming. Being able to analyze exactly how your hands move through the water provides excellent insight. For athletes it can be eye-opening information, while for coaches it can be invaluable reinforcement of what they intuitively know is happening under the water.

Membership

The eo SwimBETTER handsets come in two versions, one which can record up to 15 minutes of data (CA$999) between downloads, and another that can record up to 90 minutes (CA$1,249). While many triathletes might choose to invest in their own pair of handsets, coaches can purchase a set to share amongst their athletes who can then purchase an eo membership to keep track of their own data. The eo membership allows individuals to store their data and view it on a phone, tablet or computer. There are two levels available, silver providing basic data ($14/ month) and gold providing more in-depth data ($19/ month).

Innovative stroke analysis

eo SwimBETTER offers a new way to look at your swim stroke, providing an incredible amount of data that will help you improve your efficiency in the swim leg. This game changing technology offers a new way to analyze what you’re doing in the water and make the adjustments to swim faster… faster.

If you’re a coach who would like to know more about eo SwimBETTER, email support@eolab.com to set-up an online educational session. Or go to eolab.com/swimbetter for more information.

This story is brought to you by eo.