The purpose will be to describe the different methods applied in swimming research to visualize and understand water movements around the propulsive limbs and their application to improving swimming technique. A compilation of flow visualization methods applied in human swimming research is presented. Simple propulsive actions will be analyzed combining the kinematic analysis with the flow visualization: underwater undulatory swimming and sculling propulsion. The analysis of vortices generated and 3D analysis of the pulling path seems the most adequate method to develop a new understanding of swimming propulsion. The development of flexible and portable laser Systems such as the recently incorporating fiber optics and fiberscopes, will enable the applicability of PIV in real swimming conditions to quantify the wake momentum and vorticity. New and attractive ideas are emerging: the possible use by the swimmer to bis advantage of the vorticity if it is produced by an external source, such äs the environment, another swimmer or the reuse of his own vortices during the stroke or after the turn will be topics for research in the near future.
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