Should your legs be taller then your body or the other way around?

Question

my legs are taller than my body. i want to learn how to swim, but ever since i was a kid i never got a chance to laern how.

for swimming, is longer legs better or shorter legs?

Answer 1

Normally people's "wingspan" is about equal to their height. Micheal Phelps has very long arms (longer than his height). This shortens his stroke count. He can take less strokes and be further along in the pool.  

Answer 2

Shorter legs are better. Ideally, your wingspan should be as long or longer than your body, and you legs should be shorter. That way you'll have a shorter stroke count, which means less work. Also, you'll have short, powerful kicks.

However, it's not a swimmers body that makes them a swimmer. It's their hard work and dedication. I would urge you to try swimming, no matter your body type.  

Answer 3

A feature that NBC did while covering Olympic swimming said how Michael Phelps has a long torso and relatively short legs. They said this was an advantage for him.

However, long legs shouldn't keep you from learning to swim, or from being an excellent swimmer. I've got long legs and a short torso, and I swam at the collegiate level.

Answer 4

your legs should be longer. and it is better to have them long because u kick more water and gives you more force. i am on a swim team and there is this girl that is really tall and she is really fast and passes everybody.  

Answer 5

hands down shorter legs are better. this allows for a more concentrated and speedier kick at the bottom while your long torso does the pulling part of it.

but of course there are many top level swimmers with short torsos and long legs, it's just a matter of getting used to your body.