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Counsilman Center

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Background	Mission
Research	Resources
James E. "Doc" Counsilman	Photo Gallery (PDF)
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Background

During his coaching career, Doc Counsilman lived and breathed swimming. It was on his mind virtually every day, from the moment he woke until late in the evening, and sometimes all night. Many aspects of swimming puzzled him, fueling an insatiable curiosity about the sport. His constant musings led to many of his coaching innovations. Throughout his career as coach and professor, Doc stressed the importance of studying the scientific basis of human movement. He taught his swimmers much of what he knew, and some of what he only guessed was true. The intellectual atmosphere he created in the pool was instrumental in attracting outstanding student-athletes to Indiana University, leading to unparalleled success in swimming.

The Counsilman Center is named after James E. "Doc" Counsilman and honors his seminal work in developing the science of swimming. Doc Counsilman's legacy to Indiana University is his unflinching pursuit of the scientific bases for swimming performance and his dedication to the use of academic research in that pursuit. As such, the Counsilman Center features a library of materials from Doc and is connected with the only scientific journal for swimming in the world, The Journal of Swimming Research, which is supported by the American Swimming Coaches Association.

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Mission

As a tribute to Doc’s curiosity, and as a means of continuing his contributions to the science of swimming, the Counsilman Center seeks to:

1. Establish fellowships in Doc’s name to support students who wish to study the science of coaching. Indiana University offers one, two, and three-year graduate degrees in Human Performance and Applied Sport Science. 
2. Continue Doc’s pursuit of coaching innovations by exploring the use of new video and electronic technology to assess the performance of competitive swimmers during training and competition.
3. Serve as a resource for coaches, swimmers, and scholars seeking information on the history of swimming, training techniques, and competition. Doc has donated his extensive personal archives to establish the cornerstone of the Counsilman Library, from which we will build a unique collection of swimming knowledge.
4. Provide a source for unaffiliated independent opinions and perspectives on training techniques and swimming-related equipment. By remaining independent from restrictive corporate support, we hope to provide the swimming community with information obtained solely from objective testing and scientific measurements.
5. Act as a modern testing facility for the physiologic, psychologic, and biomechanical status of athletes to provide state of the art scientific assessment for athletes of all ages and abilities. Bloomington is an ideal low-altitude testing site, centrally located, with outstanding aquatic facilities. Royer Pool, Doc’s lab for over 30 years, is adjacent to the Indiana University Human Performance Lab, making the Counsilman Center the perfect location to investigate the Science of Swimming.

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Research

ACSM Conference Oslo 2010

• Competitive Systematization in Age-group Swimming: An Evaluation of Performances, Maturational Considerations, and International Paradigms (PDF)
• Accelerometry as a Means of Quantifying Training Distance and Speed in Competitive Swimmers (PDF)

Age, Health and Well-Being

• Aging, Health and Well Being of United States Master Swimmers
• Biological Markers of Aging in Highly Active Adults (PDF)
• Quality of Life, Health and Well Being of Highly Active Individuals (PDF)

Swimming Energy Expenditure

• Swimming Energy Expenditure and Training Dose Estimation Via Accelerometers
• Estimates of Swimming Energy Expenditure from World Wide Web Sites
• Actical Accelerometer description
• Estimates of Swimming Energy Expenditure and Training Dose Utilizing an Omnidirectional Accelerometer (PDF)

Competitive Swim Starts

• Racing Start Safety: Head Depth and Head Speed During Competitive Starts Into a Water Depth of 1.22 m (PDF)
• Racing Start Safety: Head Depth and Head Speed During Competitive Swim Starts Into a Water Depth of 2.29 m (PDF)
• Water Depth Influences the Head Depth of Competitive Racing Starts (PDF)
• Competitive Swimmers Modify Racing Start Depth Upon Request (PDF)
• Block Height Influences the Head Depth of Competitive Racing Starts (PDF)

Drag, Power and Velocity

• Investigation of the Max Power Model and the Velocity Perturbation Model for Assessing Resistive and Propulsive Forces in Swimming (PDF)
• The Relationship between Drag Forces and Velocity for the Four Competitive Swimming Strokes (PDF)
• Approximation of Active Drag Forces During Freestyle Swimming Using Values of Velocity, Force, and Power (PDF)

Chocolate Milk

• Chocolate Milk: A Post Exercise Recovery Drink
• The Efficacy of Chocolate Milk as a Recovery Aid (PDF)

Shaving Down

• Neurophysiological Evidence for Increased Motor Performance Resulting from Shaving Down (PDF)

Previous Research

• Forecast from the 2004 Olympics and Olympic Trials
  • The Human Performance Labs and the Counsilman Center in 2000 examined the use of the new bodysuits in the Olympic Trials and in the Olympics themselves. The bodysuits were touted as being capable of drastically improving swimming performance, but our research at the Olympic Trials in Indianapolis indicated otherwise.
  • As with the Trials, IU's Human Performance Labs made forecasts and predictions at the Olympics themselves. Actual results were also compared with the predictions.
  • Controversy surrounding bodysuits and Olympic swimming competition discussed at ABC News Online, and World Wide Aquatics. In the world of swimming science, there are two websites at the Swimming Science Journal. The first is a collection of coaches' complaints about the suits entitled Save our Sport! and the other is a summary of scientific research on the suits entitled What the Scientists Report.

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Resources

• The Counsilman Center Swim Team
• Human Performance Labs

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