To Increase Speed – Distance Per Stroke or Stroke Rate?

To Increase Speed – Distance Per Stroke or Stroke Rate?

During our Swim Squad session on Wednesday, one of our swimmers asked me which was a better way to get faster – a high stroke rate or a good distance per stroke?

Great question!

They are both important elements to swimming fast and improving swim speed.

Starting Point

In my experience, I would prefer to develop the length of a swimmer’s stroke first, so they can travel well on every stroke. Make sure the stroke technique is in place – good posture, great catch, strong hold on the water and an accelerating pull under the water. Moving well on every stroke.

Once we can generate power and speed with a good distance per stroke, we can think about increasing our stroke rate a little to go even faster.

Let’s Look Behind The Curtain

Here are some numbers for you to think about – which illustrate the benefits of both good distance per stroke (stroke length) and high stroke rate.

Stroke Length Maths

Simplistically, if a swimmer takes 60 strokes per minute and travels around 1 metre per stroke, they are going to swim 60 metres in a minute – or a 100m in 100 seconds (1.40).

If the swimmer can increase their stroke length to 1.2 metres and maintain their 60 strokes per minute stroke rate, they will swim 72 metres in a minute – or a 100m in 83 seconds (1.23).

What does this look like?

Assuming the swimmer pushes off the wall for a few metres – then the swimmer will probably end up swimming 20 metres per 25m length. One metre per stroke, 20 strokes per length.

If we can increase the distance we travel on every stroke we can cover the length in fewer strokes.

Assuming a push off of 5 metres, 1.2 metres per stroke is between 16 and 17 strokes per length. If you can manage 16 strokes per length, and keep your turnover at 60 strokes per minute, you have suddenly increased speed.

Notice that your arms are not moving any faster and your legs are not kicking any harder. You are holding more water and moving yourself further with every stroke.

Simple!

Quick Question – Do you know how many strokes you take per 25m?

Stroke Rate Maths

Now, we can look to increase stroke rate too

Again, stay with me whilst we do the maths.

60 strokes per minute – 1 metre per stroke – 60 metres per minute

70 strokes per minute – 1 metre per stroke – 70 metres per minute

Instead of taking a stroke every second, we are increasing our stroke rate to take a stroke every 0.86 seconds.

Another Quick Question – do you know your stroke rate?

Both Methods Work

We can see from the above maths, that both methods can work to increase speed.

Split The Difference

Now, what would happen if we could increase stroke length and stroke rate?

How about increasing stroke length by just 10 cm on each stroke, to 1.1 metres per stroke? And then maybe increasing stroke rate from 60 to 66 strokes per minute. That’s 18 strokes per length (after push off) at a rate of 0.91 seconds per stroke.

66 strokes per minute x 1.1 metres per stroke = 72.6 metres per minute

Small changes in both distance per stroke and stroke rate combine to produce some big results.

No More Maths

I appreciate that this is a lot of maths to take in!

Hopefully, what these numbers show is having a good distance per stroke can equate to fast swimming. We can also see that having a high stroke rate also equates to fast swimming.

The Trick!

The trick with both of these things is that we do not lose stroke rate when thinking about our distance per stroke, and equally we do not lose stroke length when increasing our stroke rate. If we can manage that, this is when the magic happens!

Next Steps

Over the next few posts I’ll delve a bit deeper into this, including what we can do to improve distance per stroke, how we can measure and increase our stroke rate, and a few ideas for swim sessions we could try. How does that sound?

In Summary

If I had a group of swimmers in front of me (which I usually do!), I would work on their stroke length first. Develop the stroke to a point where it is long and smooth, the swimmer gets a good catch and then pushes water back really well. Then, we would think about increasing stroke rate.

I’d suggest you do the same.

Which Is Better To Increase Speed: Distance Per Stroke or Stroke Rate?

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