After recognizing that my stroke is much longer than most OWS, I decided to poke around and see if stroke was different for OW as opposed to swimming in a pool. I found this (There is a part 2 if you click on the channel and scroll down the right side):
YouTube - Swim Smooth: What Is An Efficient Freestyle Stroke? Part 1
I would love to get reactions. I know that when I quicken my stroke rate and shorten my stroke I seem to fatigue much more quickly. However, this could be due to not pursuing this long enough to re-establish breathing patterns. (When I concentrate on my stroke, I tend to hold my breath without realizing it).
I do know that while my per 100 pace is slowly improving with more speed work in my work outs, it has dropped now where near what it used to be 20 years ago.
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Here's a video of me swimming 100 yards in a pool at my 10K effort (65-67 SPM):
YouTube - 110310d 100FR d2-3
Given this information, would your advice to me be: "Evan, the best way for you to take your swimming to the next level is to do more of a catch-up stroke" ? Is my stroke length really the low-hanging fruit here?
Sounds crazy, right? Well, that was the advice given to me by a TI coach.
i won't comment on what advice you were given as i don't know the context but, based on your swimming history and present shape, i would say that there may not be any low hanging fruit. since 14 SPL seems to be a comfortable i would try and design sets that help you test the hypothesis that a higher SPL will be faster.... but that isn't the only question. there may be a net gain even if there is no benefit to your speed and that would be if a higher SR felt easier, and more sustainable over long distances. i would assign sets like this:
12x 600 on 9:00 descend in sets of 3
1. 13 SPL breath every 3
2. 13 SPL breathe 2r / 2l
3. 13 SPL breath 25yds r / 25yds l
4 - 6 as above 14 SPL
7 - 9 as above 15 SPL
10 - 12 as above 16 SPL
try to maintain the same effort throughout so you might determine how both SR and breathing pattern effect speed and sustainability. the next time... do the set in reverse. as a data junkie, i think (hope) sets like this would appeal to you and perhaps give you some of the feedback you're looking for. i would avoid giving any instruction as to how i think you might change things to hit the targeted SPL's but would say to try and keep the walls consistent.
thats what i would do (and its why i don't have any friends)
Here's a video of me swimming 100 yards in a pool at my 10K effort (65-67 SPM):
YouTube - 110310d 100FR d2-3
Given this information, would your advice to me be: "Evan, the best way for you to take your swimming to the next level is to do more of a catch-up stroke" ? Is my stroke length really the low-hanging fruit here?
Sounds crazy, right? Well, that was the advice given to me by a TI coach.
i won't comment on what advice you were given as i don't know the context but, based on your swimming history and present shape, i would say that there may not be any low hanging fruit. since 14 SPL seems to be a comfortable i would try and design sets that help you test the hypothesis that a higher SPL will be faster.... but that isn't the only question. there may be a net gain even if there is no benefit to your speed and that would be if a higher SR felt easier, and more sustainable over long distances. i would assign sets like this:
12x 600 on 9:00 descend in sets of 3
1. 13 SPL breath every 3
2. 13 SPL breathe 2r / 2l
3. 13 SPL breath 25yds r / 25yds l
4 - 6 as above 14 SPL
7 - 9 as above 15 SPL
10 - 12 as above 16 SPL
try to maintain the same effort throughout so you might determine how both SR and breathing pattern effect speed and sustainability. the next time... do the set in reverse. as a data junkie, i think (hope) sets like this would appeal to you and perhaps give you some of the feedback you're looking for. i would avoid giving any instruction as to how i think you might change things to hit the targeted SPL's but would say to try and keep the walls consistent.
thats what i would do (and its why i don't have any friends)
