In swimming, you must slow down to speed up. The fastest swimmers' arm cadence is actually slower than that of average swimmers. "In general the fastest, most aesthetically pleasing swimmers take the fewest strokes per length and the slowest, ugliest swimmers take the most," explains Coach Emmett Hines U.S. Masters Swimming's "Coach of the Year" in 1993. Every swimmer can benefit from improving their technique.
Get Help
Step 1
Have a swim stroke analysis. A coach can analyze your stoke, but she can't see what you are doing under water, and you can't see what she sees. In a swim stroke analysis, you will be filmed from above and under water so that you can watch your stroke. There may also be mirrors installed at the bottom and sides of the pool so you can get instant feedback on your stroke. After filming you, swim experts will analyze your stroke with you in detail. Once you've had a swim stroke analysis, you will know what parts of your stroke you need to improve.
Step 2
Get a coach. You could hire a private coach, take a swim class or workshop, or you could join a masters team. Masters teams are clubs for adult swimmers of all abilities with a coach on deck to write and oversee workouts. Ask your coach to teach you drills and mental cues to improve the aspects of your technique that you learned about in your stroke analysis.
Step 3
Ask for feedback. As you work on your problem areas, ask your coach or experienced swimmers to analyze your progress. They will tell you if you are still on track or if you've developed new bad habits.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Step 1
Do drills in every workout. As you start out, you may need fins or flotation devices to correctly do the drills. As you master the drills, leave the aids behind.
Step 2
Commit to your new stroke by practicing better stroke mechanics at all times. It does no good to practice good technique for 200 strokes during your drills if you return to your bad habits for the remaining 2,000 strokes of your workout. You may swim slower in the beginning as you learn a new technique, but soon your new stroke will become automatic and you'll be blowing your old times out of the water.
Step 3
Have a plan for each drill. Don't just do drills mindlessly, ask yourself what you are trying to learn from this drill (high elbow or body roll, for example), and concentrate on how the different position feels for the whole drill. When you resume swimming, keep that feeling in mind as you put the pieces together.
Step 4
Evaluate your progress regularly. A good benchmark for efficiency is to count the strokes you take per lap. As you get more efficient, you should take fewer strokes per lap because you are covering more distance per stroke.
Tips and Warnings
- If you are a beginner, you can skip Step 1 and begin by hiring a coach or instructor. The beginner's focus should still be on developing good swimming technique.
- Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program.
Things You'll Need
- Coach
- Fins (optional)
- Paddles (optional)
- Kick board (optional)
- Pull buoy (optional)
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