I'm a masters swimmer who primarily swims distances. I have a strong six beat kick and a relatively weak pull. My kick certainly overpowers my pull as I try to increase my speed.
My coach says my pull looks technically correct -- no dropped elbow! I have a long stroke with decent distance per stroke (generally I average 14-15 strokes per 25 meters, up to 16 at faster speeds).
Any suggestions on what to try to increase the propulsion of my pull? I bought a pair of the techpaddles and have been using them for about a week, but while I feel stronger, it is too early to tell there will be any resulting increase in speed.
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Former Member
Thanks for the suggestions!
You'll have to experiment with different pulling patterns to see which one improves your DPS. Since your coach sees a good EVF, I'd experiment by exaggerating the length of time your forearm is outside or away from the midline.
I am experimenting with the "sweep" of my forearm as you described and find that I feel more powerful when it's farther away from the mid-line.
Swim 20 X 25 (hold 19 seconds or under per 25 and rest 20 seconds after each (increase the rest by 5 seconds if you cannot make the 19sec or under per 25).
We swim a variation of this in practice, starting with a 30 second interval, down to 25 seconds, down to 20. I have no problem holding 19/20 seconds with intervals with the 25 second interval. I haven't done a full 20 of them but will try it when I swim alone.
Your comment that the pull bouy brings you TOO HIGH is puzzling to me though; swimmers who are fast pullers (and there are many who speed up greatly once they put on a pull bouy) generally are so because the buoy lifts their hips up.
The pull buoy puts my hips too high in the water; I have plenty of buoyancy on my own. I think the pull buoy most helps swimmers whose hips tend to sink. No problem here! I have used paddles -- no problems with my shoulders -- and will try increasing turnover. My coach has, in the past, suggested that I add a stroke or two per 50m. When I first started swimming, I had a TI inspired coach and I've ended up with too much hesitation in my stroke (easy to kick along and glide) and a tendency to over rotate to breathe.
You may also be applying too much pressure on the water before you get to the catch.
Been there, done that. I have had that problem. I ended up with a lot of upper back pain which went away as soon as I fixed my stroke.
Back to the pool tomorrow with some more to think about. I wish I did have some underwater video but I've never had the courage to really see what I my stroke looks like!
Thanks for the suggestions!
You'll have to experiment with different pulling patterns to see which one improves your DPS. Since your coach sees a good EVF, I'd experiment by exaggerating the length of time your forearm is outside or away from the midline.
I am experimenting with the "sweep" of my forearm as you described and find that I feel more powerful when it's farther away from the mid-line.
Swim 20 X 25 (hold 19 seconds or under per 25 and rest 20 seconds after each (increase the rest by 5 seconds if you cannot make the 19sec or under per 25).
We swim a variation of this in practice, starting with a 30 second interval, down to 25 seconds, down to 20. I have no problem holding 19/20 seconds with intervals with the 25 second interval. I haven't done a full 20 of them but will try it when I swim alone.
Your comment that the pull bouy brings you TOO HIGH is puzzling to me though; swimmers who are fast pullers (and there are many who speed up greatly once they put on a pull bouy) generally are so because the buoy lifts their hips up.
The pull buoy puts my hips too high in the water; I have plenty of buoyancy on my own. I think the pull buoy most helps swimmers whose hips tend to sink. No problem here! I have used paddles -- no problems with my shoulders -- and will try increasing turnover. My coach has, in the past, suggested that I add a stroke or two per 50m. When I first started swimming, I had a TI inspired coach and I've ended up with too much hesitation in my stroke (easy to kick along and glide) and a tendency to over rotate to breathe.
You may also be applying too much pressure on the water before you get to the catch.
Been there, done that. I have had that problem. I ended up with a lot of upper back pain which went away as soon as I fixed my stroke.
Back to the pool tomorrow with some more to think about. I wish I did have some underwater video but I've never had the courage to really see what I my stroke looks like!
