I can't seem to improve my speed. I basically taught myself to swim as an adult, with a few tips here and there from lifeguards who would see me swimming. My stroke got decent enough that I could swim 9 miles in open water. But my speed was and is bad...I swim a 33-35 minute mile, both in the pool and in open water. So this summer, I went to coach here in San Diego who has coached a lot of channel swimmers and he totally changed my stroke over the course of a few sessions. He said I should definitely be able to swim a sub-30 minute mile.
Now, I like the new stroke a lot but it hasn't really increased my speed! What is going on? My coach suggested that I breathe every two strokes because he said oxygen is a limitation, but I kind of rejected that--i feel a lot more balanced if i breathe on both sides. Should I listen to him if i want to get faster? If my stroke is good, does that mean i am just slow because i'm not working hard enough? Should I go for more sessions with the coach? I'm not trying to win races or anything, but it just seems odd that the old guys more than twice my age are swimming faster than me!
Parents
Former Member
Like most athletic skills, swimming requires you to "set-up" your stroke. Every competitive stoke can be separated into four quadrants. The first is when you begin your stroke or set-up your hands to get into an effective propulsive position, the second is the power quadrant (power phase) where the hands produce the most propulsion, the third quadrant is when the hand finishes the pull and begins to exit, the fourth quadrant is the recovery or movement and return to the entry and set-up.
Your speed is a direct result of how you set-up your stroke. Although there are many elements that contribute to swimming speed (streamlining, timing, endurance, body type, strength, etc.,), how you position your hands at the beginning of your stroke is crucial to the end result. Every competitive stroke requires the hand to create drag (pushing) and lift (sculling) forces.
An Early Vertical Forearm (EVF) position allows swimmers to create drag forces vital to swimming speed. A nice analogy to understand drag forces (drag coefficient) is by using tires and traction. A wheel that spins too fast without drag merely creates smoke (much like a swimmers hand that pushes water backward too quickly and creates slipping) and it's not until the wheel grips the pavement do you see forward speed. It's a bit more complicated than that but I think you get the picture.
When the forearm is straight (horizontal) it props-up the body and as it moves more vertical it produces more speed (like a paddle wheel). Lift forces or the movement of the forearm toward and away from the mid-line of the body produce another propulsive force that help maintain a more effective drag coefficient. Sculling or lift forces are not the primary propulsive mechanism in swimming but they contribute an important synergy to speed. The "Science of Swimming" by Dr. James Councilman shows the importance of both drag and lift forces.
If you want to get faster, work of developing the muscles that hold your forearm into an EVF (not pulling exercises) and when you swim try to develop a better catch (EVF). Good luck. Coach T.
Like most athletic skills, swimming requires you to "set-up" your stroke. Every competitive stoke can be separated into four quadrants. The first is when you begin your stroke or set-up your hands to get into an effective propulsive position, the second is the power quadrant (power phase) where the hands produce the most propulsion, the third quadrant is when the hand finishes the pull and begins to exit, the fourth quadrant is the recovery or movement and return to the entry and set-up.
Your speed is a direct result of how you set-up your stroke. Although there are many elements that contribute to swimming speed (streamlining, timing, endurance, body type, strength, etc.,), how you position your hands at the beginning of your stroke is crucial to the end result. Every competitive stroke requires the hand to create drag (pushing) and lift (sculling) forces.
An Early Vertical Forearm (EVF) position allows swimmers to create drag forces vital to swimming speed. A nice analogy to understand drag forces (drag coefficient) is by using tires and traction. A wheel that spins too fast without drag merely creates smoke (much like a swimmers hand that pushes water backward too quickly and creates slipping) and it's not until the wheel grips the pavement do you see forward speed. It's a bit more complicated than that but I think you get the picture.
When the forearm is straight (horizontal) it props-up the body and as it moves more vertical it produces more speed (like a paddle wheel). Lift forces or the movement of the forearm toward and away from the mid-line of the body produce another propulsive force that help maintain a more effective drag coefficient. Sculling or lift forces are not the primary propulsive mechanism in swimming but they contribute an important synergy to speed. The "Science of Swimming" by Dr. James Councilman shows the importance of both drag and lift forces.
If you want to get faster, work of developing the muscles that hold your forearm into an EVF (not pulling exercises) and when you swim try to develop a better catch (EVF). Good luck. Coach T.
