(Johns Hopkins University: Baltimore) -- Two swimming strokes, one that pulls through the water like a boat paddle and another that whirls to the side like a propeller, are commonly used by athletes training for the Olympic Games. But elite swimmers and their coaches have long argued over which arm motion is more likely to propel an aquatic star toward a medal.

A university research study has picked a winner. A team supervised by a Johns Hopkins fluid dynamics expert has found that the deep catch stroke, resembling a paddle, has the edge over sculling, the bent-arm, propeller-inspired motion.

“This is a result that is simple but sweet, which is something we usually struggle to arrive at in research,” says Rajat Mittal, a mechanical engineering professor in Johns Hopkins’ Whiting School of Engineering. “The deep catch stroke is more efficient and effective than the sculling stroke.”

 …