Developing Maximum Distance Per Stroke

Last Updated on April 13, 2024 by admin

The more efficient a swimmer's stroke, the fewer strokes they'll need to complete a given distance
The more efficient a swimmer’s stroke, the fewer strokes they’ll need to complete a given distance

In this article, we will provide advice, drills, hacks and tips on developing maximum distance per stroke.

  • Improving a swimmer’s maximum distance per stroke enables them to swim all competitive strokes, more efficiently, helping them to conserve energy and swim faster.

What is maximum distance per stroke?

Maximum distance per stroke refers to how far a swimmer can swim during a single stroke.

  • The more efficient their stroke, the fewer strokes they’ll need to complete a given distance.

Establishing maximum distance per stroke

To improve their maximum distance per stroke swimmers should focus on all areas of their stroke technique
To improve their maximum distance per stroke swimmers should focus on all areas of their stroke technique

To establish their maximum distance per stroke, swimmers should divide the number of strokes it takes them to complete a given distance.

  • For example, if they take 25 strokes to complete a 25-metre length/lap.
  • They should divide 25 strokes by 25 metres, giving the swimmer a distance per stroke of 1 metre.

Improving a swimmer’s maximum distance per stroke

Focusing on technique

To improve their maximum distance per stroke swimmers should focus on all areas of their stroke technique.

  • This includes their breathing, body position and the rhythm and timing of their stroke.
  • Regardless of which stroke a swimmer performs, there are some key areas of their stroke technique they should focus on to help them improve their distance per stroke. These include,

Counting strokes

Swimmers should regularly count their strokes during training.

  • This will help them to focus on their distance per stroke and help to maintain a consistent stroke.
  • A swimmer’s stroke count is very likely to vary depending on the distance and speed swum.
  • Therefore, swimmers should count and monitor, their stroke counts while training at varying distances, as they may increase as they swim faster.
  • To find their optimum mix of the fewest strokes without the loss of speed, swimmers should regularly count their strokes during different sets in training and compare the times for those repeats (reps)

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Reducing drag

Swimmers should focus on reducing their drag by improving their head, body, arm and leg positions
Swimmers should focus on reducing their drag by improving their head, body, arm and leg positions

Water is approximately 800 times denser than air.

  • Drag is the resistance caused by the swimmer’s head, body or limbs, as they move through the water.
  • Without an effective stroke technique, the swimmer will increase drag and reduce their propulsion, therefore reducing their distance per stroke.
  • Swimmers should focus on reducing their drag by improving their head, body, arm and leg positions
  • They should also focus on improving their streamlining.
  • Many swimmers develop their core to help them improve both their body position and streamlining.

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Improving propulsion

To help improve their distance per stroke, swimmers should develop their propulsion.
To help improve their distance per stroke, swimmers should develop their propulsion.

Propulsion is the force generated via the swimmer’s arms and legs that enables them to move through the water.

Developing a feel for the water

A feel for the water is the ability of a swimmer to place their hands and arms in the correct position, with the optimum force to obtain maximum propulsion.

  • This is developed through the consistent and persistent application of a series of swimming drills (see examples below).

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Swimming with clenched fists

Swimming with clenched fists  necessitates the swimmer pulling longer and harder and using their forearms as a means of propulsion.
Swimming with clenched fists necessitates the swimmer pulling longer and harder and using their forearms as a means of propulsion.

This is one of our favourite ‘feel for the water’ development drills.

Purpose: This drill introduces the swimmer to pulling with clenched fists.

  • This adds extra resistance to the arm pull.
  • It necessitates the swimmer pulling longer and harder and using their forearms as a means of propulsion.
  • Often once a swimmer has completed this drill with fists when they go back to normal pulling with unclenched fists, most swimmers develop a better feel for the water and therefore some swimmers pull more effectively.

How to perform this drill: The swimmer should start this drill with a push and glide from the end of the pool in a horizontal and prone streamlined position, with clenched fists.

  • This drill can be conducted over repeat sets of 100m/200m or, as I prefer, conducting a ‘pyramid’ in 100m steps.
  • For example, 100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, 300m, 200m, and 100m (steps of 50m for younger swimmers).
  • Emphasis should be on a great technique, with high elbows on the recovery phase and a long, strong and controlled pulling action.
  • Their head should be in a horizontal and prone position, in line with their body and legs, looking at the bottom of the pool, whilst pulling.
  • When breathing, they should have one goggle lens completely in the water and with the other goggle lens, they should look across the surface of the pool.
  • Their feet should be in a pointed (plantar flexion) position.
  • This drill can be performed with or without a pull buoy.

Variation: Once mastered the swimmer can proceed to perform a variation of this drill by performing six arm strokes with clenched fists and six strokes with normal open hands.

Sculling

There are sculling drills for all competitive strokes and each part of the arm stroke, including the catch, the pull and the exit
There are sculling drills for all competitive strokes and each part of the arm stroke, including the catch, the pull and the exit

Swimming sculling is often overlooked and is an undervalued key set of ‘feel for the water’ development drills.

  • Sculling is a series of swimming techniques, which focuses on the pitch and position of the swimmer’s hands and forearms in the water.
  • There are sculling drills for all competitive strokes and each part of the arm stroke, including the catch, the pull and the exit.

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Leg kick

The leg kick during all strokes is an important but sometimes undervalued key competitive swimming skill and is key to improving a swimmer’s distance per stroke.

  • An effective leg kick raises the swimmer’s legs to a horizontal/prone position, thus reducing drag.
  • As the leg muscles are amongst the largest in the body, having a trained, effective leg kick minimises energy and oxygen consumption, whilst maximising propulsion.
  • This requires the kicking technique to be persistently and consistently practised.

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Developing maximum distance per stroke

Once a swimmer has established a consistent maximum distance per stroke, many swimmers enhance and develop this further by performing it over their competitive distance and at a race pace.

  • This usually entails combining stroke counting, stroke rate and race pace training split times.
  • Stroke rate measures a swimmer’s speed, by measuring the number of strokes a swimmer takes per minute.
  • It is largely influenced by a swimmer’s fitness, combined with a good stroke technique.
  • This enables the swimmer to move their arms quickly and powerfully through the water.
  • This combination can help the swimmer to focus on their swimming distance per stroke while straining at race pace intensity.

The relationship between stroke count and stroke rate

There is a direct relationship between stroke count and stroke rate.

  • If a swimmer can increase their stroke rate, without shortening their stroke length, they will inevitably swim faster.

Related articles on stroke count and stroke rate

We have produced related articles, on both how to use stroke count and stroke rate and stroke count and stroke rate drills. You can view them by clicking these links: how to use stroke count and stroke rate | stroke count and stroke rate drills.

Developing maximum distance per stroke: Takeaways

In this article, we will provide articles, drills, hacks and tips on improving maximum distance per stroke.

  • Improving a swimmer’s maximum distance per stroke enables them to swim all competitive strokes, more efficiently, conserve energy and swim faster.

What is maximum distance per stroke?

  • Maximum distance per stroke refers to how far a swimmer can swim on each stroke.
  • The more efficient your stroke, the fewer strokes you’ll need to complete a given distance.

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