Easier, Then Faster

I was working with a couple of new swimmers recently.

Both were doing what many new swimmers do. Their stroke rates were high. They were working hard. They looked ‘all effort’.

Over 25 metres they could move reasonably quickly through the water. But the problem came when the distance increased. The effort was enormous. The breathing became frantic. The stroke began to fall apart.

So we slowed things down. We focused on posture. We focused on reducing drag. We focused on stroke timing.

Almost immediately their stroke rates dropped – and so did the number of strokes per length.

At one point I noticed both of them glancing at their watches. I don’t know what the times said. To be honest, I didn’t really care. They may have been slightly slower over 25 or 50 metres – but something much more important was happening.

Their swimming was becoming easier.

The effort required to move through the water was reducing and their stroke was becoming more sustainable. And in long-distance swimming, that’s often the first step towards becoming faster.

It’s a philosophy I’ve found myself returning to again and again.

First we make it easier. Then we make it faster.

Most athletes want to reverse the order. They want to work harder, push harder and move faster immediately. But – certainly in swimming – sustainable progress doesn’t really work like that – and the watch doesn’t always reward these technique changes immediately.

Speed in our sport isn’t about how fast you can go for 25 metres or 100 metres. It’s about how efficiently you can move for the duration that matters.

And it’s applicable across swim, bike and run. Whether that’s a 400-metre swim, an Ironman marathon or an entire season of training.

The athletes who improve the most are often the ones willing to spend time making things easier before they try to make them faster.

It isn’t always exciting. It does require patience. But more often than not, it’s where the biggest breakthroughs begin.

Easier, then faster. Try it.

Bryan