MANCHESTER, England - Austrian swimmer Markus Rogan has revealed his secret for breaking world records -- going on holiday and training like a basketball player.

Rogan said he smashed the world 200 metres backstroke mark at the world short-course championships on Sunday after a two-week break in Austria with his girlfriend and training sessions with a basketball player.

"The way I train in swimming is touch the wall, feel it and go," he told reporters. "In basketball, you jump up for a rebound, so we did that a lot.

"I didn't believe it made any sense, but my best friend is a basketball player not a swimmer, and my coach wasn't there."

Rogan, double silver medallist at the Athens Olympics, clocked one minute 47.84 seconds to beat the 1:49.05 set by Ryan Lochte of the United States in Shanghai in 2006.

"I've no scientific proof it's good training for swimming but it seems to work for me," added the 26-year-old, whose girlfriend is a former Miss Austria.

"I don't think my coach will let me go on vacation again before the (Olympic) Games," he joked.

Rogan's victory was his first major gold at a global event having only taken silvers in the past.