Do This to Reduce Your Stroke Count and Get Faster at Swimming
The Importance of Lowering Your Stroke Count
Why would you want to lower your stroke count? Simply put, if your stroke count is too high, it can indicate inefficiencies in your swimming technique. But how do you know if your stroke count is too high?
When swimming at an easy pace, without adding much power, you should be able to glide through the water with relative ease. This ease suggests that you’re well-balanced and streamlined. Everyone has a limit where swimming any slower turns into a drill-like exercise, or where you start to feel like you’re sinking. The stroke count you achieve just above that limit is a good indicator of your efficiency.
Balancing Technique and Power
Stroke count, or strokes per length (SPL), is a reflection of two competing forces: water resistance and stroking force. To lower your stroke count, you can either reduce drag or increase power. In other words, you can improve your streamlining or boost your propulsion.
Here are some key concepts to help you balance the skills needed for speed in swimming:
- Streamlining vs. Power
- Flexibility vs. Mobility
- Slipperiness vs. Strength
Your ideal stroke count will vary based on your height and other factors. For instance, a 5’2? swimmer might aim for a lower-end target of 18 strokes per length, while a 6’2? swimmer might target 15 strokes. If you can’t hit these targets at any speed, it might indicate issues with streamlining or balance, essentially problems with drag.
As your tempo increases, the time between strokes decreases, your travel distance per stroke decreases, and your stroke count goes up. Identifying your upper limit—where you still feel smooth and in control—is crucial. For example, a swimmer might feel comfortable at 21-22 SPL in a short course yard (SCY) pool when swimming at a fast, yet controlled pace.
Control and Improvement
Being able to choose your stroke count at will suggests great control over your form. If your stroke count varies widely at the same sustainable pace (more than 2 SPL), this may indicate poor technique or a technique that isn’t well-ingrained. For example, swimming a 25-yard distance at 30 seconds with an 18 SPL is very different from doing it at 16 or 20 SPL.
The stroke rate ramp test can help determine your current comfort level, but it doesn’t diagnose whether your SPL and tempo ranges are ideal—it only shows what feels good right now. Remember, even if it feels good, there’s always room for improvement unless your technique is perfect.
To illustrate, a 5’3? swimmer might be equally comfortable swimming at 14 SPL or 22 SPL. However, the difference is in speed: at 14 SPL, they might swim 1:50 per 100 yards easily and relaxed, while at 22 SPL, they might swim 1:30 per 100 yards but get tired quickly. For a sustainable 1000-yard swim, they might maintain around 1:40 per 100 yards with an 18/19 SPL, consistently staying within that narrow range.
Finally, if your tempo remains the same, lowering your SPL—by either improving streamlining or adding efficient propulsion—will make you go faster. This is why lowering your SPL should be a key component of your swim practice and improvement exercises.
Drill Set to Lower Stroke Count
You can do this as written for a complete swim session, or decrease the drill repeats or distances to incorporate it as a warmup set for a longer swim.
Sculpt Your Stroke
Total Distance: (1100)
- Warm-Up: 200m easy swim
- Drill 1 (200): 4 x 50 m/yd Swim with Gentle Closed Hand (relaxed fist) for 25, then open hand for 25 (Focus on feeling the water pressure on your forearms during closed fist drill as well as open hand). rest 10 seconds between 50s
- Drill 2 (200): 4 x 50 y/m Swim with One Arm, other arm at side for 25, then swim both arms back. Focus on pausing during the extension to give your body a chance to stabilize before you start your stroke. Breath away from the extended arm. (Alternate each length; focus on balance and reducing drag). rest 15 seconds between 50s
- Drill 3 (300): 4 x 75 y/m as follows: 25 Closed Hand, 25 open hands, 25 swim with slow, deliberate strokes (Count your strokes per length and aim to reduce SPL for each 25). rest 20 seconds between 50s
Cool Down: 200m easy swim
Main Swim Set: Efficient Endurance
Total Distance: 2200 meters
Warm-Up: (400 meters)
- 200m easy swim (focus on streamlining and counting strokes per length)
- 100m kick with a board (maintain balance and reduce drag)
- 100m pull with a buoy (focus on maintaining a long, efficient stroke)
Main Set: (1600 meters)
- 4 x 100m at Moderate Pace (200 meters total)
- Focus on maintaining a consistent stroke count (aim for the SPL you practiced during the drill set).
- Rest: 20 seconds between each 100m.
- 2 x 200m Descending Pace (400 meters total)
- Start at a moderate pace and gradually increase your speed in the second 100m while maintaining or slightly reducing your stroke count.
- Rest: 30 seconds between each 200m.
- 4 x 50m Focused Technique Work (200 meters total)
- Alternate each 50m between a strong, powerful stroke (aim for speed) and a long, smooth stroke (aim to reduce SPL).
- Rest: 15 seconds between each 50m.
- 2 x 300m Aerobic Effort (600 meters total)
- Swim at a steady pace, focusing on maintaining a sustainable stroke count and minimizing drag.
- Rest: 45 seconds between each 300m.
- 1 x 100m Fast Effort (100 meters total)
- Push your speed while keeping your stroke count as low as possible. This is a test of both fitness and technique.
- Rest: 1 minute.
Cool Down: (200 meters)
- 200m easy swim, focusing on relaxing and maintaining a long, efficient stroke.
Key Focus Points During the Main Set:
- Consistency: Maintain a consistent stroke count throughout the main set, aiming to stay within the SPL range you determined during the drill set.
- Efficiency: Emphasize smooth, streamlined swimming, especially during the longer intervals, to conserve energy while maintaining speed.
- Control: Use the descending pace and focused technique work to reinforce the ability to adjust your stroke rate and count based on the pace.
This main set is designed to build endurance while reinforcing the technical improvements from the drill set. It challenges you to maintain efficiency and control as the distance and intensity increase, ensuring that your stroke mechanics remain strong under fatigue.
Bonus Tip: Track Your SWOLF Score
As you progress through these workouts, you may want to track your SWOLF score. SWOLF, short for “Swim Golf,” is a metric that combines your stroke count and time to give you a measure of efficiency. A lower SWOLF score can often indicate more efficient swimming. By paying attention to your SWOLF during the main set, you can gain valuable insights into how well you’re balancing stroke efficiency with speed. For more on how to use SWOLF to improve your swimming, check out this this article.
References
- Chollet, Didier, et al. “The effects of an incremental protocol on arm coordination in front crawl.” Journal of Sports Sciences, vol. 18, no. 4, 2000, pp. 321-330.
- This study examines the relationship between arm coordination, drag, and propulsion in swimming, providing insights into how stroke mechanics affect overall efficiency.
- Costill, David L., et al. “Upper body power as a determinant of swimming performance.” Journal of Swimming Research, vol. 8, 1992, pp. 27-32.
- This paper explores the role of upper body strength and power in swimming, highlighting the balance between force production and streamlining for optimal performance.
