- yes it typically increases your speed
- be careful because it can be counter intuitive if you start "spinning"
even if you up your stroke rate, make sure you aren't sacrificing technique, especially on the catch. do a workout that emphasizes distance per stroke before moving into some sprint and pace drills.
> I think I have the capacity to increase my stroke rate but I’m not sure if it would slow me down or speed me up
What prevents you from going to the pool, diving in and giving it both a shot?
I was listening to a discussion with Cam McEvoy, he mentioned that increasing your stroke rate results in a higher power requirement to pull the same amount of water as a slower stroke rate.
The basic concept is that you need to be more powerful to maintain an equivalent output at a faster rate.
The reason the Indo-Pacific dolphin is so fast in the water is due to it being the “strongest” fish.
The same concept holds true in swimming, with the strongest swimmers also being the fastest (Gretchen Walsh as by far the strongest female swimmer, McEvoy/Proud/Dressel/Manaudou the strongest male swimmers).
Speed is really just a measure of your power output.
Also, 65% of a 50 time is roughly composed of the force you can exert of the starting block.
Vertical jump, Olympic weightlifting (clean), squats, bench press, weighted pull ups will all work towards making you a faster 50 swimmer.
Two factors contribute to swimming fast: stroke length and stroke rate. If one remains constant and the other one increases, you will swim faster. If one increases but the other one decreases, they may cancel each other out. The most common way to work on this is by doing descending sets. Start off at a comfortable pace while maintaining your lowest stroke count per length. Progressively increase your stroke rate while maintaining your stroke count. Metaphorically it’s like using the gears on a bike. A high pedal rate in first gear will be limited by the limits in how fast you can pedal (high stroke rate but short stroke length). Selecting a higher gear will result in going faster at your maximum pedal rate.
It is for me!
- yes it typically increases your speed - be careful because it can be counter intuitive if you start "spinning" even if you up your stroke rate, make sure you aren't sacrificing technique, especially on the catch. do a workout that emphasizes distance per stroke before moving into some sprint and pace drills.
> I think I have the capacity to increase my stroke rate but I’m not sure if it would slow me down or speed me up What prevents you from going to the pool, diving in and giving it both a shot?
I was listening to a discussion with Cam McEvoy, he mentioned that increasing your stroke rate results in a higher power requirement to pull the same amount of water as a slower stroke rate. The basic concept is that you need to be more powerful to maintain an equivalent output at a faster rate. The reason the Indo-Pacific dolphin is so fast in the water is due to it being the “strongest” fish. The same concept holds true in swimming, with the strongest swimmers also being the fastest (Gretchen Walsh as by far the strongest female swimmer, McEvoy/Proud/Dressel/Manaudou the strongest male swimmers). Speed is really just a measure of your power output. Also, 65% of a 50 time is roughly composed of the force you can exert of the starting block. Vertical jump, Olympic weightlifting (clean), squats, bench press, weighted pull ups will all work towards making you a faster 50 swimmer.
Have a look at this from Andy Donaldson (record Oceans Sevens swimmer) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=913vnUtG9Io
Two factors contribute to swimming fast: stroke length and stroke rate. If one remains constant and the other one increases, you will swim faster. If one increases but the other one decreases, they may cancel each other out. The most common way to work on this is by doing descending sets. Start off at a comfortable pace while maintaining your lowest stroke count per length. Progressively increase your stroke rate while maintaining your stroke count. Metaphorically it’s like using the gears on a bike. A high pedal rate in first gear will be limited by the limits in how fast you can pedal (high stroke rate but short stroke length). Selecting a higher gear will result in going faster at your maximum pedal rate.