Hello all,
So I've got a plateau problem that I've had for years now. I'm intent on overcoming it and getting faster, though I'm not sure what I"m doing wrong. I practice by myself because our masters swim times are WAY to early for me, (5:30 am).
I have a feeling that my catch is pretty decent and my position in the water feels good, (I've been told I have a very efficient stroke) and I can reach dps of 12-13 strokes per 25 yards (I'm 5'4"). I swim a relatively stratight track and I have a good streamline because I used to be a diver.
That being said, I'm VERY slow.. I average about 40 seconds (pushing off wall) for 50 yard freestyle. When I try to increase my stroke rate for sprints, I tend to keep the same times as when I do sets of stretch freestyle.
Any ideas on what I might be able to do to increase my speed? I wish I had a video to show but alas no luck.
Thank you for any tips you can give!!!
-Jeanette
Parents
Former Member
Get a tempo trainer (Finis has one) and experiment with different stroke rates while keeping your 12 - 13 strokes per length. As long as you keep a high elbow catch and not "spin your wheels" you should go faster.
I agree. Your current stroke rate is probably around 1.2 seconds per stroke. 40 seconds / (13x2 strokes + 3 for push-off + 4 for turn).
I would practice with the tempo trainer at 1.2 until you're comfortable taking 12-13 strokes and coming in at :40. Then, turn it down to 1.18 and see if you can maintain your stroke count. Keep dialing it down by .02 as long as you're speeding up or staying constant.
For example:
1x50 at 1.2 13 strokes :40.0
1x50 at 1.18 13 strokes :38.9
1x50 at 1.16 14 strokes :40.6
In this example, 1.18 is a sweet spot. You would then work on trying to improve at 1.16 or to get more consistent at 1.18.
Get a tempo trainer (Finis has one) and experiment with different stroke rates while keeping your 12 - 13 strokes per length. As long as you keep a high elbow catch and not "spin your wheels" you should go faster.
I agree. Your current stroke rate is probably around 1.2 seconds per stroke. 40 seconds / (13x2 strokes + 3 for push-off + 4 for turn).
I would practice with the tempo trainer at 1.2 until you're comfortable taking 12-13 strokes and coming in at :40. Then, turn it down to 1.18 and see if you can maintain your stroke count. Keep dialing it down by .02 as long as you're speeding up or staying constant.
For example:
1x50 at 1.2 13 strokes :40.0
1x50 at 1.18 13 strokes :38.9
1x50 at 1.16 14 strokes :40.6
In this example, 1.18 is a sweet spot. You would then work on trying to improve at 1.16 or to get more consistent at 1.18.
