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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Former Member
I have analyzed an elite swimmer and clearly demonstrated that stroke rate is reduced in OW swimming, not increased. Davies was out front in all my measurements. His strategy was to leed and push the pace and he still used a slower turnover. If higher turnover is better, why didn't he use it?
Great analysis, but it is based on the assumption that OW races are conducted in the near perfect conditions seen at the Olympics and doesn't address the issue I raised:
"However, what I do know (or believe, if you prefer) that a shorter stroke (i.e. higher SR) allows me to adjust my stroke to take advantage of the conditions - or at least not be dominated by them. If I have a low SPL and low SR then as I swim in rough water the wave, or waves if the the wind and deep swells are not identical in direction and period, will interfere with the rhythm of my stroke and cause me to lose momentum. If I switch to a higher SPL and higher SR this will minimize the negative effect of the waves. This is critical because it always requires less power to achieve a certain average speed if your speed is constant, than if you are constantly speeding up and slowing down. each stroke cycle."
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Former Member
I have analyzed an elite swimmer and clearly demonstrated that stroke rate is reduced in OW swimming, not increased. Davies was out front in all my measurements. His strategy was to leed and push the pace and he still used a slower turnover. If higher turnover is better, why didn't he use it?
Great analysis, but it is based on the assumption that OW races are conducted in the near perfect conditions seen at the Olympics and doesn't address the issue I raised:
"However, what I do know (or believe, if you prefer) that a shorter stroke (i.e. higher SR) allows me to adjust my stroke to take advantage of the conditions - or at least not be dominated by them. If I have a low SPL and low SR then as I swim in rough water the wave, or waves if the the wind and deep swells are not identical in direction and period, will interfere with the rhythm of my stroke and cause me to lose momentum. If I switch to a higher SPL and higher SR this will minimize the negative effect of the waves. This is critical because it always requires less power to achieve a certain average speed if your speed is constant, than if you are constantly speeding up and slowing down. each stroke cycle."
