Stroke Rate & Stroke Length in OW

My practices put development and imprinting of Stroke Length first, because (1) acquisition and maintenance of Stroke Length is an exacting skill I can’t agree with you more on this. (2) because swimming speed is more closely related to Length than to any other factor. I think this is where I’d need to see the data. If what you are saying that at any given level of swimming, a swimmer's speed is more closely related to Length than to any other factor, than I might be on board on that one. Again, assuming we are only talking about in a pool or calm body of water. I think both need to be developed 'organically.' What Length are YOU capable of today? How can you increase or reinforce that capacity in the next hour? And at that Length, what Rates can YOU sustain without sacrificing excess efficiency, or spending too many heartbeats. How can you increase or reinforce that capacity in the next hour? I agree The method I've developed for doing so is based on establishing Length, then practice 'trading' a bit of Length for a bit of Rate in small, measured doses. I do this in practice with two kinds of sets: 1) Rate is implicit. These are timed swims in which I count strokes. Any change in pace or time, if SPL remains constant, implies a change in rate. 2) Rate is explicit. (Time is implicit.) These are (usually) untimed swims in which I set rate with the aid of a Tempo Trainer, and count strokes. Any increase in stroke count means I've swum slower. Any savings in stroke count means I've swum faster. So naturally I strive to keep SPL as low as possible at that rate. I've posted examples of pool practices designed to prepare for open water races here. My last two practices were Implicit Rate examples. Today I did two forms of descending sets 1) On the odd rounds descend without increasing stroke count. This requires increasing Stroke Rate while keeping Stroke Length constant. In fact I don't try to increase Stroke Rate. Rather I focus on doing a variety of things that combine to propel me faster - more attention to holding the water, a bit more precision in catch, small increases in hip drive, etc. 2) On the even rounds, descend by increasing stroke count. Both exercises are useful in wiring my nervous system with skills that I believe help me swim effectively in OW races. Because there's no way of monitoring Stroke Length - and because wind and chop can make that difficult - I try to practice in ways calculated to create durable efficiency habits. But though I think such sets put more arrows in my quiver for responding to a variety of situations, my stronger motivation for these -- and all the sets I do -- is to encourage, even demand, keen focus. It's good for a 60 y.o. brain. It also creates Flow States. In the end, it's my addiction to Flow States, more than competitive urges, that keeps me coming back to the pool. I think this is an interesting and helpful discussion (although I did not examine you example pool practices)

My practices put development and imprinting of Stroke Length first, because (1) acquisition and maintenance of Stroke Length is an exacting skill I can’t agree with you more on this. (2) because swimming speed is more closely related to Length than to any other factor. I think this is where I’d need to see the data. If what you are saying that at any given level of swimming, a swimmer's speed is more closely related to Length than to any other factor, than I might be on board on that one. Again, assuming we are only talking about in a pool or calm body of water. I think both need to be developed 'organically.' What Length are YOU capable of today? How can you increase or reinforce that capacity in the next hour? And at that Length, what Rates can YOU sustain without sacrificing excess efficiency, or spending too many heartbeats. How can you increase or reinforce that capacity in the next hour? I agree The method I've developed for doing so is based on establishing Length, then practice 'trading' a bit of Length for a bit of Rate in small, measured doses. I do this in practice with two kinds of sets: 1) Rate is implicit. These are timed swims in which I count strokes. Any change in pace or time, if SPL remains constant, implies a change in rate. 2) Rate is explicit. (Time is implicit.) These are (usually) untimed swims in which I set rate with the aid of a Tempo Trainer, and count strokes. Any increase in stroke count means I've swum slower. Any savings in stroke count means I've swum faster. So naturally I strive to keep SPL as low as possible at that rate. I've posted examples of pool practices designed to prepare for open water races here. My last two practices were Implicit Rate examples. Today I did two forms of descending sets 1) On the odd rounds descend without increasing stroke count. This requires increasing Stroke Rate while keeping Stroke Length constant. In fact I don't try to increase Stroke Rate. Rather I focus on doing a variety of things that combine to propel me faster - more attention to holding the water, a bit more precision in catch, small increases in hip drive, etc. 2) On the even rounds, descend by increasing stroke count. Both exercises are useful in wiring my nervous system with skills that I believe help me swim effectively in OW races. Because there's no way of monitoring Stroke Length - and because wind and chop can make that difficult - I try to practice in ways calculated to create durable efficiency habits. But though I think such sets put more arrows in my quiver for responding to a variety of situations, my stronger motivation for these -- and all the sets I do -- is to encourage, even demand, keen focus. It's good for a 60 y.o. brain. It also creates Flow States. In the end, it's my addiction to Flow States, more than competitive urges, that keeps me coming back to the pool. I think this is an interesting and helpful discussion (although I did not examine you example pool practices)