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.
Former Member
I have also tested Olympic water polo players who are often fairly fast swimmers with generally a high turnover and shorter strokes and who are also often coincidently excellent open water swimmers. Their ability to sight efficiently comes from their years of head-up swimming practice, their ability to hold a streamlined position in various conditions (including during sighting) and their power generation that comes from the middle third of their stroke. Based on my observations and testing, I believe the key factors in going faster in dynamic bodies of water are to focus on the middle third of the stroke whether you swim naturally at a 45 spm, 60 spm, 75 spm or 90 spm pace. I would love to do joint objective testing with the individuals on this thread and either prove my beliefs wrong or right or, most probably, somewhere in the middle.
Former Member
I have also tested Olympic water polo players who are often fairly fast swimmers with generally a high turnover and shorter strokes and who are also often coincidently excellent open water swimmers. Their ability to sight efficiently comes from their years of head-up swimming practice, their ability to hold a streamlined position in various conditions (including during sighting) and their power generation that comes from the middle third of their stroke. Based on my observations and testing, I believe the key factors in going faster in dynamic bodies of water are to focus on the middle third of the stroke whether you swim naturally at a 45 spm, 60 spm, 75 spm or 90 spm pace. I would love to do joint objective testing with the individuals on this thread and either prove my beliefs wrong or right or, most probably, somewhere in the middle.
steve,
have you ever tested swimmers in a wave pool? i happen to know where there is a 300' long one in hoboken, nj. it is an engineering school, so they test things like hull shape, and aqua turbine models, etc. i would love to go for a swim in there.
Former Member
Coyote, this was a Big Time Post. Someone should get one of the Swim Smooth guys over here to duke it out.
Anybody remember this great thread? I just read something that reminded me of it.
A guest post on Loneswimmer.com by Chris Bryan, an internationally-elite open-water swimmer from Ireland.
loneswimmer.com/.../guest-article-chris-bryan-irish-international-10k-swimmer
Here's the money quote:
"A higher and more relaxed stroke is essential for the open water. In the pool stroke length is of huge importance for swimming fast and count strokes per length cannot be under estimated, for open water the focus on training a higher rhythmic and comfortable stroke rate often out-weighs the need for stroke length based on the constant changing environment of open water."
