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.
Thanks Rob, this is great data!
If higher turnover is better, why didn't he use it?
Probably because the 10K is a much longer race than a 1500, and he's swimming at a slower pace. When looking only a single swimmer, wouldn't you expect this?
Let's step back for a moment.
There are a couple different questions we're asking here, with regard to whether higher SR's are "better" in Open Water.
First, are there group differences in the average tempos for elite OW swimmers vs. elite pool swimmers? In other words, are the average tempos in OW races higher than the average SRs in pool races?
Second, are there individual differences between OW tempos and pool tempos? Do individuals use higher tempos in OW, compared to the pool?
The data I presented earlier address the first question - group differences. And these data seem to indicate that SR's for elite OW swimmers as a group are higher than the SR's for elite pool distance swimmers (as a group). What I've been trying to understand (see the red-colored text in my post above) is: Why is that? Does open water (as a racing environment) favor those with naturally faster tempos?
The data you just presented address the second question: Are individual swimmers better off using a higher tempo in OW, compared to the pool. Davies is a great example because he excels at both. And the observation that he uses a slightly lower tempo in a 10K OW vs. a pool 1500m is important information. But I'm not sure it answers the question satisfactorily, for the reason stated above -- the 10K is a much longer race.
What is Davies' tempo in a 1500m OW race? Higher, lower, or the same as his pool tempo? And what happens to Davies' tempo when he encounters rough water? Or cold water?
I'm not in a position to answer these questions, but Steven Munatones probably has some ideas. My bet is that Davies (and others) would use a higher tempo in a 1500m OW race than a 1500m pool race. But I'm totally willing to be wrong about that.
Thanks Rob, this is great data!
If higher turnover is better, why didn't he use it?
Probably because the 10K is a much longer race than a 1500, and he's swimming at a slower pace. When looking only a single swimmer, wouldn't you expect this?
Let's step back for a moment.
There are a couple different questions we're asking here, with regard to whether higher SR's are "better" in Open Water.
First, are there group differences in the average tempos for elite OW swimmers vs. elite pool swimmers? In other words, are the average tempos in OW races higher than the average SRs in pool races?
Second, are there individual differences between OW tempos and pool tempos? Do individuals use higher tempos in OW, compared to the pool?
The data I presented earlier address the first question - group differences. And these data seem to indicate that SR's for elite OW swimmers as a group are higher than the SR's for elite pool distance swimmers (as a group). What I've been trying to understand (see the red-colored text in my post above) is: Why is that? Does open water (as a racing environment) favor those with naturally faster tempos?
The data you just presented address the second question: Are individual swimmers better off using a higher tempo in OW, compared to the pool. Davies is a great example because he excels at both. And the observation that he uses a slightly lower tempo in a 10K OW vs. a pool 1500m is important information. But I'm not sure it answers the question satisfactorily, for the reason stated above -- the 10K is a much longer race.
What is Davies' tempo in a 1500m OW race? Higher, lower, or the same as his pool tempo? And what happens to Davies' tempo when he encounters rough water? Or cold water?
I'm not in a position to answer these questions, but Steven Munatones probably has some ideas. My bet is that Davies (and others) would use a higher tempo in a 1500m OW race than a 1500m pool race. But I'm totally willing to be wrong about that.
