Increasing Distance Per Stroke

Some drills that might help: - Swim free with closed fists and focus on catching the water with your forearms. - Slow 25s free where you exagerate your arm extension to emphasize body rotation - Swim with only your weak arm to build a stronger pull - Distance per stroke drills where you glide for at least a 2 count after each pull. Try to maintain good body postion with head, shoulders, hips and feet all on the same plane.

I have been wondering this too. I have not been able to get my stroke count down no matter what I do.

I don't know of any instant fixes for stroke length, but what has been working for me over a longish period of time (a few years) is just consistency. Doing drills has been a big part of my routine... helping me improve rotation & timing on my stroke (kick on side + its variations, i also like pull with no bouey) and more recently i've been trying to bet a bit more effective on the front end of my stroke (high elbow drills, head up swimming). I also frequently do really a set of relatively slow 25's really working on form.. and slowly building speed while keeping stroke count. In practice I count strokes frequently through a set... not every length, but if i feel really fresh or fast i count to see what thats like.. or if i'm absolutely dying I also like to count that to see what that range is as well. I've prob took my strokes per 25 down by 3-4 strokes normal (practice speed).. or 5-6 if i am doing a DPS set. In timed 100's i think its prob only like 7 strokes or so for the whole 100... still hoping to be more efficient at race pace.

I got an instant decrease of stroke per length by 1~2 by switching to bilateral breathing. Still working on it. :D

I do slow "max glide" swims by 25's and try to reduce the count. I try to keep it as an integrated swim rather than at drill speed and broken down.

I agree with Paul on this one! Keep in mind, though, that there are no "magic bullets" when it comes to increasing your stroke rate or stroke length. The drills that Paul mentioned are great, and I would also try the Gallop drill to get a little more emphasis on the one arm, catch and efficient pull.

I've helped many swimmers improve their DPS Here's how I do it. www.usms.org/.../showpost.php

What's the Gallop drill? Sounds like one of those water polo exercises:)

I think it was Typhoons Coach who directed me to a link with great freestyle drills, including the gallop drill. His gallop drill is pull three times with right arm while kicking normally, then pull three times with left arm while kicking normally, if I remember correctly. Sort of like one-arm freestyle only you one-arm it for three pulls then switch arms. If Senor Typhoons Coach sees this, perhaps he can post the link where he lists some great drills, including one where you touch your hip, shoulder, and temple. I basically missed every body part just named. But when I watched a teammate do this drill, her freestyle looked very very smooth. And if I am mixing up Mr. Typhoons with Mr. Ande, please forgive. I also find that using hand-size square paddles without any straps helps me feel where I can get better force underneath my shoulders, en route to my hips. Also helps with getting my elbows up. I just hold the paddles with my pinky/thumb rather than have then strapped to me because my arms fall off my shoulders easily (very loose ligaments!). I make sure the paddles are low enough so that my wrist cannot bend. This way I just do a 50 or so to get a sense of how amazing it would be to swim correctly, then try it on my own. I have heard playing water polo gives you great endurance. Perhaps you could use an image of a horse underneath you that is galloping you through the water and you pull hard in the water to stay on the horse....

Oops! It was Andy who gave me a short summary of some great freestyle drills. Can't find this list on his blog. But he's the one who suggested the gallop drill and the hip/shoulder/temple touch drill, both very good. (Hmm. I think they are one and the same...)