Easy Speed - Count Your Strokes

COUNT YOUR STROKES

Counting your strokes as you swim is easy. Unless you can't count. If that is the case, well, uh...skip this one. But if you can't count, and you can read this, then there really is something wrong with you. Go get checked out. I wish you all my best.

Become aware of your stroke count in practice. You should be able to find an average pretty easily. Oh man, averages...once again, you might want to skip this one, especially if you can't count. Anyway, say you take 17 strokes then 19 strokes, then 18 strokes and 18 strokes for a hundred. (This is by 25s by the way). Your average would be 18 strokes. Once you get into a rhythm, you will find that your stroke count will be exactly the same each 25.

Once you know how many strokes you take on average, try to cut it down by one, while still going the same pace or time. You took 17 strokes on one of the 25s, so try to hold 17 on all of them. The easiest way to cut down your stroke count is to STREAMLINE farther off the wall (see #1). The second easiest way to cut strokes is to GLIDE before you pull. Hold the glide between strokes a little longer than you think you need to, and you'll find that you go the same time, without as many strokes. The fewer strokes you take, the less effort you have to put in. See, I told you I would make you faster without working harder.