Swimming is different from most other sports because we spend very little time exerting force against a solid object. As terrestrial creatures, we spend our whole lives with resistance based on some sort of solid force—in running, it’s the ground, in cycling it’s the pedals. A need for strength against a solid force and speed of movement are the two things that rule almost all land-based sports, but anyone who has spent any time in the pool can tell you that this is definitely not the case for swimming, where technique rules the day instead.