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Distance Per
Stroke
 BY KELSEY SAVAGE HAYS//Correspondent
Here are three steps to improving distance per stroke, from coach
Kile Zeller of Smoky Mountain Aquatic Club:
1. Keep your elbows high. You take fewer strokes per lap if you
maintain high quality in each one. To catch the most water with
each pull, Zeller instructs his swimmers to focus on the four Hs:
hips, hands, high elbows and head position. He reminds those
struggling to keep their elbows from collapsing (losing the
leverage to pull through the water) to point their fingers directly
at the bottom of the pool with each entry—forcing their
elbows up.
2. Kick, kick and more kick. According to Zeller,
“You’re not in shape until your legs are in
shape.” While arm entry gets more attention, it’s your
bottom half that can drastically improve stroke count. Building up
leg endurance by doing lots of kick yardage makes for a great
aerobic base to get through those long events – and a stroke
count that doesn’t start increasing as legs get
tired.
3. Track those strokes. When it comes to freestyle efficiency,
there’s really no better test than counting strokes per lap.
During long pace sets, Kile has his swimmers work their minds as
well as their bodies by counting arm entry at least a few times
throughout each set. After getting an average, try to decrease that
number by one. Catch-up drill and Zeller’s progression drill
(left) can help. Even during races, counting is worthwhile. An
increasing stroke count can give a coach clues to where the racer
might be losing efficiency.
Coach Zeller’s progression drill is a sure fire way to
increase distance per stroke
- Let your
arms rest by your side and kick two 25s while focusing on keeping
your head aligned with your spine.
- Swim the
next two 25s while doing 12 kicks per each arm entry. The effect
should be an exaggerated, stretched-out stroke. Focus on a dramatic
hip rotation with each arm swing.
- Complete
two more 25s with six kicks per arm entry. While still a longer
stroke for most swimmers, this should be much closer to a regular
arm pace.
- Finally
swim the final two 25s with three kicks per arm entry. Don’t
forget to count your strokes.
- Don’t
just swim this set once; repeat it throughout a workout at varied
paces. To reinforce a perfect technique while racing, swim the
drill at 200 pace or faster. With a little practice, an efficient
stroke will become second nature.
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