Dear open water swimmers,
In 2004 I went through a paradigm shift from swimming against the clock to counting strokes per lap.
In 1991, at age 35, my best times in the pool were:
1000 meters in 16:40 (1000 yds in 15:00)
2000 meters in 33:40 (2000 yds in 30:00)
4000 meters in 1:10:00 (4000 yds in 1:03:00)
5000 meters in 1:30:00 (5000 yds in 1:21:00)
Then, guess what, I got sore shoulders. Had to stop and started every two years all over again until either my shoulder started hurting again or I got bored and tired.
Ever since I changed my approach to swimming in 2004, it has become sooo much more exciting and I am no longer tempted to quit.
I started out in my favorite pool (33.3m /36.5 yds) with 36 strokes per lap. That translates to approx. 24 strokes to the 25 yard-line including the initial pushoff from the wall. Now I am down to 27 strokes per lap, which translates to approx. 18 strokes for the first 25 yds.
In the very same year (2004) that I changed my habits, I did a 12km non-stop swim in open water. Very slow (4:30 for 12 km/7.5 miles), but without shoulder injuries! That was the longest distance I have ever done so far.
Recently, I swam against the clock in the pool for the first time(!) after my transition, aiming for 2000 m. Surprisingly, I finished in less than 37 minutes, even though now I am averaging only 2km/week compared to 5 km/week in 1991!
I was only 3 minutes slower than in 1991 in spite of the fact that I am 15 years older now and have decreased my training intensity from 5 km to 2 km per week.
I think this is a measurable result even though I still have a long way to go.
If anybody who reads this wouldn't mind correcting my style, then please have a look at me swimming in an olympic size pool in downtown Vienna
Thanks again for the wealth of information that is available on this forum!
Gerald from Austria
Former Member
Hi Gerald,
One thing that worries me a little is your recovery, the impression that I get is that your roll is being driven by the recovery of your arms rather than body roll, this might contribute to shoulder problems. It might be preferable to think of the roll coinciding with the arm entry and extension rather than the arm exit, and then to think about keeping the arm recovery in front of the plane of your body, which will be easier on the shoulder.
If you imagine pulling yourself across the floor with your hands with a relatively flat body and reaching forward with your shoulders you should have an impression of a sideways snaking movement, as you stretch one shoulder forward the corresponding hip will tend to move out to the side, and I see a little bit of this in your stroke. I think you might want to try to swim with a little more roll so that your shoulder and lats are extending down into the water as you reach forward, rather than to the side. This should also help raise your legs a little.
These are just suggestions for things for you to play with to see if they work for you.
Best wishes in your quest to improve!
Hi Gerald,
I just loved your post and the video. It is so obvious you are working so much to swim better. I congratulate for so much improvement.
I looked at your video and I do like what Lindsay commented on. You seem to have a lot of body movement and maybe not enough hip rotation. I viewed it as twisting your body. Your legs seem to sink and I noticed you are not truly kicking, your legs more dangle. I would kick enough to keep the body on top of the water and in a streamlined position. It doesn't take much kicking to accomplish this.
Other than this, I endorse Lindsay's comments.
Donna
