Resonant Frequency

I mentioned that my last run and swim workouts were frustrating. Technique is everything in these two sports, and since I lack any iota of natural athletic ability, I’m just not getting something. If you watch great swimmers and great runners, their bodies just seem to naturally move with a certain grace, efficiency and speed. When I swim and run, my movements are very mechanical and forced.

That got me thinking about Resonant Frequency.

From Wikipedia:

In physics, resonance is the phenomenon of producing large amplitude of vibrations by a small periodic driving force. It is the tendency of a system to oscillate at maximum amplitude at a certain frequency. This frequency is known as the system’s resonance frequency (or resonant frequency).

Maybe people with natural athletic ability subconsciously know how to tap into the resonant frequency of their bodies. I wonder if it would be better to just experiment and “go by feel” when swimming and running, rather than constantly struggling to do it the “right way”.

Here is a famous video clip of a bridge collapsing due to gale force winds of 42mph. The frequency of the wind happened to equal the resonant frequency of the structure of the bridge, so it produced a large amplitude.

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=m686UO68AXI]