Swim Technique: Distance Per Stroke

Swim Technique: Distance Per Stroke

Distance Per Stroke (DPS). Counting strokes.

DPS & counting strokes get a funny reaction from some people – triathletes and coaches – and I think a lot of people dismiss it. I think it’s because some swimmers / coaches associate it with really slow strokes and lots of gliding.

A stop-start kind of stroke.

An obsession with reaching the end of the length in as few strokes as possible, regardless of the pace.

Squad Focus

The focus in our Swim Squads is not about swimming each 25m in very few strokes for the sake of it. Whilst we are thinking about efficiency, about travelling well with each pull, about not wasting a stroke, we are definitely focused on speed.

We’re trying to ‘get the most from each stroke’ and travel as far as we can – as quickly as we can – with the propulsion that the stroke has generated.

To demonstrate our commitment to swimming fast with long, powerful strokes, during our squad sessions we often do some 25’s trying to see how fast we can swim in as few strokes as we can. Some very fast, powerful efforts – with relatively few strokes.

Power

To maximise our distance per stroke, and swim quickly whilst doing that, we think about power. Not super long glides. Not kicking extra hard.

Applying good power through each stroke.

By thinking about power, we can also think about increasing or decreasing our speed by altering the amount of power we put through each stroke. To go faster, rather than moving our arms extra fast and kicking really hard, we apply more force to each pull and travel further – and faster – with each stroke

In our Squads, we try to develop a variety of gears and swim speeds using our range of power as the variable.

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Efficiency & Speed

We don’t want every swimmer to develop a slower stroke rate, or even want each swimmer to travel 1.5 metres every single stroke (although that would be nice!). We are doing this type of work to develop the awareness of power, it’s impact on speed and the swimmers’ general ‘feel for the water’.

We also want to reinforce to swimmers that efficient speed does not come from quicker arms and legs. It comes from what you do under the water.*

If we get the catch and pull right, we’re going to be very efficient, we’re going to travel a great distance on each stroke … and we’re going to swim really fast!

* We know a higher stroke rate can increase speed – but only if the underwater pull is sound in the first place. We can develop stroke rate later when feel for the water, power and propulsion are in place and well developed.

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Session

Here is a session you might want to try? It will help that ‘feel for the water’ and done well, will transfer distance per stroke into fast swimming. You can do this as a full session, or as a set as part of a longer swim session.

Warm Up

2 x 100m

Main Set

12 x 25m – swimming the length in as few strokes as you can (distance per stroke) (20s rest)

12 x 50m – swim the first 25m in as few strokes as you can, followed by a ‘normal’ stroke rhythm. (30s rest)

12 x 25m – swim fast in as few strokes as you can. You are thinking about maximising the propulsion from each stroke. (20s rest)

Cool Down

4 x 25m easy

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I hope that has given you something to think about?

Maintaining or increasing speed with fewer strokes? Yes please!