Does anyone have any tips for swimming against current? Do you adjust your stroke?
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Former Member
Several more things, if they apply:
1) I focus very hard on minimizing the area that I present to the opposing current to decrease resistance. Since I have a TI-type stroke this is second nature.
2) I have a significant front-quadrant (NOT catch-up, BTW) component to my stroke and a lousy kick. In order to offset any backward push as a result of those two, I shorten my stroke a bit, increase turn over a bit and catch a little quicker.
3) If swimming in a place close to shore (e.g. a river) I will try to move closer to the shore as the current tends to be less there. Not always true, but often so.
4) If you know that you are going to race first with the current (or flat water) and then later go against it, I suggest some workouts to duplicate the effort. For example: Let's say you are going to swim with the current for about 1/2 hour and then turn and swim back against it. Do some 1 hour straight swims where you pace the first 1/2 hour and then really dig the second 1/2 hour.
5) PATIENCE. It can be very frustrating to look up and see a landmark and then a minute later to see the same landmark in almost the exact same place. You just need to get into the mindset that it will take a long as it takes to get past the counter-current.
-LBJ
Reply
Former Member
Several more things, if they apply:
1) I focus very hard on minimizing the area that I present to the opposing current to decrease resistance. Since I have a TI-type stroke this is second nature.
2) I have a significant front-quadrant (NOT catch-up, BTW) component to my stroke and a lousy kick. In order to offset any backward push as a result of those two, I shorten my stroke a bit, increase turn over a bit and catch a little quicker.
3) If swimming in a place close to shore (e.g. a river) I will try to move closer to the shore as the current tends to be less there. Not always true, but often so.
4) If you know that you are going to race first with the current (or flat water) and then later go against it, I suggest some workouts to duplicate the effort. For example: Let's say you are going to swim with the current for about 1/2 hour and then turn and swim back against it. Do some 1 hour straight swims where you pace the first 1/2 hour and then really dig the second 1/2 hour.
5) PATIENCE. It can be very frustrating to look up and see a landmark and then a minute later to see the same landmark in almost the exact same place. You just need to get into the mindset that it will take a long as it takes to get past the counter-current.
-LBJ