Getting faster by going slower

By Anita (Iossifidis) Killmier

In past articles I have looked at the reasons why drill work is an essential ingredient in any good swimming programme.

Drill work heightens a swimmers sensitivity to the subtle changes in water pressure acting on the body.  To swim effectively and efficiently, good swimmers will find the pulling path that creates the most resistance on the underside of the forearm and palm.  Slower swimmers’ hands tend to follow the path of least resistance either because they don’t have the strength to maintain the correct technique, they may not be sensitised to the water, or because they simply don’t know the correct technique.

Drill work therefore is important for any swimmer.  The novice learns new techniques, whilst better swimmers are constantly monitoring and refining what they are doing.

A critical factor in swimming is good streamlining not only while you are actually swimming, but also on your starts and turns.  Last issue we discovered that swimmers who travel a long way with each stroke are said to have a good Distance per Stroke (DPS).  Good streamlining and DPS go hand in hand.

To find out how you rate on the DPS scale try swimming one length of the pool and count each arm stroke as you go.  An average result is one stroke per metre or 25 strokes in a 25m pool.  Most reasonable swimmers will do around 20 strokes per 25m; elite swimmers get as low as 15 strokes per 25m or even one stroke every 2 metres.  Backstrokers will have the same numbers as Freestylers, whereas Breaststrokers and Butterfliers should aim for around 12 or less per 25m.

Once you have determined how many strokes you take over a set distance, this is referred to as your stroke count (SC).  Try to reduce this number as much as possible while maintaining a fairly normal stroke.

Ways to reduce your SC include:

• Lengthening your stroke by stretching your hands in opposite directions at the front and back of each stroke.  A tip here is to rotate onto your side (including your hips and feet) with each stroke to make your body longer and to minimise frontal resistance.  Good swimmers rotate on their longitudinal axis which also produces greater power as their hands push through the water (torque).  The effect is similar to a golf swing or a batter batting.  More power is generated when striking the ball by following through with the hips, shoulders and legs.
  
  
• Kick more so that you fit more kicks into each stroke cycle (ie continuous kicking).  Many swimmers cease kicking as they turn to breathe.  Try to overcome this by kicking through the breath.  You might feel quite jerky at first and you will need to slow your stroke rate down a bit to have time to fit the in extra kicks, but that’s good.  “Slow arms, fast feet” is what I tell my swimmers.  That way they get more out of each stroke and sit higher in the water creating less resistance; more like a yacht skimming over the surface than a barge pushing through it.
  
  
• Change your pull pattern by following a curved path under the water rather than a straight line.  Your hand will travel a bit slower because it will find more resistance.  If you do this well, the water will feel “thicker” like jelly rather than “thin” like air.  A similar sensation is wearing hand paddles and then taking them off, or swimming with your hands open and then closing them into a fist.
  
  
• Streamline more by pushing off the wall harder at each end and letting the momentum carry you out further from the wall before you take your first stroke.  Make sure one hand is on top of the other, biceps squeezing your ears, feet together and toes pointing as you streamline off the wall.

Once you have reduced your distance per stoke swimming slowly, swim one lap fast in your normal style.  If your stroke count increases by 2 or more you are becoming inefficient with speed.

To overcome this I do a SCAT drill at least once a week with my swimmers.  This teaches them to swim with long strokes at speed.  SCAT is simply an anagram for Stroke Count Add Time.  Swim 50m and count your strokes.  Add that number to the time it takes you to swim it:  eg. if you take 50 strokes and you swim 50 seconds your number is 100.  Now reduce this number as much as you can by either reducing your strokes, reducing your time or a combination of both.  You will find you get to a point of diminishing returns.  Find your lowest number at your fastest speed and then aim to hold that number over a set of 10 x 50s (build up more over the course of the season)

Be careful as the set can be quite stressful and even my fittest swimmers need lots of rest on this one.

Other drills that are helpful and can have sets built around them include:

• Side kicking:  The swimmer learns body rotation by kicking the length on their side.  Feet should kick side to side with no up and down movement.  Novices should hold a kick board with the extended arm, while the other arm rests down on the leg.  Good swimmers should try the drill without a board.

  Once this is mastered do all kicking face down one arm extended, but rotating to the side for the breath and maintaining the kick.

• Fingertip Drag:  This drill teaches the swimmer to use a high elbow arm recovery which will reduce lateral sway, enhance shoulder/body rotation and improve hand entry.  It will also facilitate relaxation as the arm “recovers”.  Fingertips lightly drag on the top of the water from the exit point at the back of the stroke, to the entry point at the front of the stroke.  Swimmers should visualise the fingers drawing a straight line from exit to entry.  Aim to touch the thumb into the armpit as it passes by to the entry and this will ensure the hand comes through properly.

  It is best to practise with one arm only first, but make sure you spend equal time on each arm.  Try to keep the fingers and wrist relaxed throughout the whole stroke, that you are driving with your kick and that your hand is moving slowly enough for you to be in control of every individual movement.  Rushing the stroke is a sure fire recipe for failure, so if your kick is too weak to support you, try wearing fins until you get the hang of it.

These are only a few of the drills that coaches use to improve technique.  Remember though, unless you are doing these drills perfectly you will simply be training yourself to swim the wrong way.  Before you know it, bad habits will have crept in and you will be worse off.

As a general guideline then, all drills should be:

1. Supervised by a coach.

2. Performed with slow movements for greater control.

3. Interspersed with full stroke swimming to attempt to integrate the new skill.

If you read one of my previous articles, you will have seen this great quote by Donald Ronan: “The body will do what you tell it if you learn how to tell it”.

Drills will teach you what and how to tell your body to swim better.