The Swim Detective: The Case of the Elusive Efficiency

The Swim Detective: The Case of the Elusive Efficiency

Last week, the Swim Detective brought The Case of the Vanishing Oxygen to a close, exposing ineffective breathing technique as the thief that left swimmers gasping mid-set. With lungs restored and rhythm regained, order seemed to be returning to the pool.

But just as the surface calmed, another puzzle began to bubble up. Times plateaued, strokes felt heavier than they should, and fatigue crept in too early. Speed wasn’t missing, stamina wasn’t missing – yet something still wasn’t adding up. The Swim Detective was called once more, to investigate The Case of the Elusive Efficiency.

Case #3: The Elusive Efficiency

The swimmer had speed. The swimmer had stamina. Yet when it came time to push the pace, something didn’t add up. Lots of extra effort, for very little extra speed. The harder they tried, the more ragged the stroke became, and the stopwatch refused to play along. Efficiency, it seemed, had slipped away.

The Swim Detective stepped in and lined up the most likely suspects:

• Too much forceful kicking – noisy, messy, but not draining enough to be the main thief.
• Breathing – occasionally erratic, but not consistent enough to explain the loss.
• Stroke rate too slow – yes, sometimes the arms turned over lazily, but that wasn’t the problem when the pace increased.
• Stroke length – shortening at speed, cutting off the pull, slipping water and losing distance per stroke.

The culprit? Stroke length. At faster paces, the swimmer was spinning the arms more quickly but sacrificing the distance covered with each stroke. The result: extra effort, but almost no extra speed.

The fix: keep stroke length consistent across all paces, adding rhythm and turnover without losing hold of the water. With this balance restored, efficiency returned – and suddenly, more speed for less effort was possible.

Mystery unraveled. Efficiency reclaimed. 

Coach’s Corner – Efficiency Cues

When swimming faster, the goal isn’t to add more strokes per length – it’s to keep stroke count similar to your easy pace, but turn the arms over just a little quicker while still holding the water. That’s efficiency.

Two simple cues can help you find that balance:

• Count your strokes per length at different paces: Aim to keep stroke count roughly the same (within 1–2 strokes) whether you’re swimming easy or fast. If the number jumps, you’re slipping water.
• Keep stroke length: Focus on holding the water and finishing the pull, even as your rhythm increases. More turnover with the same distance per stroke is what delivers real speed.

Master this balance, and you’ll unlock faster paces without wasting effort.

Further Reading

If you want to read more about stroke counting, including some ideas that will help you develop this part of your stroke further, we’ve produced this article for you.