Can speed practice alone help long distance endurance?
Former Member
If I only practice to improve the speed in short distance, will it help increase the endurance needed for long distance? In other words, say I have trained for several months for (only) speed, could I, one day, suddenly find myself swimming long distance without feeling tired?
(Obviously the opposite is not true: simply being able to swim slow long distance doesn't help improve the speed.)
Forget technique, for out in the ocean, you just throw your arms out there and see what works, for all that efficient stroke stuff means nothing when you're getting banged up in the surf.
I can certainly understand your point given your kayaker viewpoint, but I think you're referring to extenuating circumstances. When training for open water swims, most of us aren't going to be swimming through Perfect Storm-type waves. I won't argue that some OW events do have more wave action than others, but there are a great many that are run in fairly placid water. For that reason, why not work on perfecting your technique?
My thought on this is: if you know what an efficient stroke feels like, you will also know when it is not: usually when the waves and currents mess with your stroke. Assuming you're not dealing with very isolated & rogue conditions, a well-aware swimmer should have ample time to adjust their technique to make it as efficient as possible given the conditions.
Forget technique, for out in the ocean, you just throw your arms out there and see what works, for all that efficient stroke stuff means nothing when you're getting banged up in the surf.
I can certainly understand your point given your kayaker viewpoint, but I think you're referring to extenuating circumstances. When training for open water swims, most of us aren't going to be swimming through Perfect Storm-type waves. I won't argue that some OW events do have more wave action than others, but there are a great many that are run in fairly placid water. For that reason, why not work on perfecting your technique?
My thought on this is: if you know what an efficient stroke feels like, you will also know when it is not: usually when the waves and currents mess with your stroke. Assuming you're not dealing with very isolated & rogue conditions, a well-aware swimmer should have ample time to adjust their technique to make it as efficient as possible given the conditions.
