Home Chat General Chat

Swimming - how many strokes per length?

I noticed on a post the other day that someone was talking about the number of strokes taken to complete a length of a 25m pool and I wondered if someone could tell me what is considered a good number?

I've just got back from a swim and it took 22 strokes for 25 m without pushing off the end of the pool. This was at a steady pace (not sprinting). 19 strokes was my best when I first got in the water (and pushed off the end).

I have taught myself front crawl this year so have no idea if my stroke is any good or not. I can now swim 1000m without drowning and in about 24 mins. I do stroke quite slowly but have found that moving my arms faster doesn't improve my speed - it just makes me knackered!

I'm in the process of organising a couple of 1 on 1 lessons where I'm sure I'll find out how bad I really am but wondered if someone could tell me if 22 strokes was in the ballpark?

Comments

  • 22 strokes per length seems OK to me. I average about 20 strokes, and do 1500m in around 30 minutes. But I'm conscious that my stroke rate is slow, and like you, if I speed it up, then my technique goes to pot, and I get exhausted. So for this year it's been a slow turnover, it's got me to the end of every swim I've done without being knackered for the bike.

    Winter aim is to speed up, without sacrificing technique or efficiency.

    Good way of testing yourself is "Swim Golf". Swim one or two lengths, timing yourself and counting your strokes. Add the two together to get a figure. This is your target to beat. What you'll finid initially is that as the speed increases, the stroke length decreases so the number of strokes has to increase, and the result could actually increase. But as technique os fine tuned and you start being more efficient it will begin to fall, which is the result of faster times and less strokes.
  • I swim similar times to you two and while I was having some coaching earlier in the year I got down from 25 to 17. ( although that did include pushing off )

    I now do my swim training in open water so I don't know if I've maintained that rate, but I too have a slow stroke and don't seem to be able to increase my cadence, without my stroke going to pot.

    My main objective is to finish the swim in a fit enough state to get on the bike.
  • Sorry to jump into your post. I am new to triathlon and currently training for some sprint ones in 2010. If the swimming takes place in a swimming pool, do swimmers use the roll at the end of each lenght followed by a push or do they just turn back without rolling? Thanks
    JC
  • md6md6 Posts: 969
    I think there is no real answer to this question. I take about 22 strokes for a 25m length, but my speed and efficiency in doing that has improved, meaning that it takes less effort for me to do each length and to go quicker. I recently set a new 1,500m PB of 26'30 (or there about). You need to balance the number of strokes you take with the speed you go at. You can reduce your number of strokes (and speed) too much (as I was advised when i asked a similar question a while ago).

    Once you have had the coaching then you will know if you are going too slowly or taking too many strokes per length for you.
  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    jeannot wrote:
    Sorry to jump into your post. I am new to triathlon and currently training for some sprint ones in 2010. If the swimming takes place in a swimming pool, do swimmers use the roll at the end of each lenght followed by a push or do they just turn back without rolling? Thanks
    JC
    Depends on the event. Sometimes tumble/flip turns are banned, sometimes allowed. If they are allowed then only a relatively small percentage of the field tend to do them (i.e. the good swimmers).
  • MowfMowf Posts: 272
    I can do around 15 when i am trying for it. But usually it's around 18 for a normal race paced set. I generally just use stroke counting as a training tool to see how efficiently i am swimming. As you increase your speed, your stroke count will normally go up.

    It's also a good thing to see how well you are holding form for longer sets.
  • jsa01jsa01 Posts: 9
    Thanks for all the coments, it seems there is no hard and fast answer to this but I'm glad I'm not a million miles away with the number of strokes. Mind you I now want to achieve 1500 m in 26 mins like MD6 - that's awesome!
  • Jack Hughes wrote:
    [quote="jeannot":2a4ze8j4]Sorry to jump into your post. I am new to triathlon and currently training for some sprint ones in 2010. If the swimming takes place in a swimming pool, do swimmers use the roll at the end of each lenght followed by a push or do they just turn back without rolling? Thanks
    JC
    Depends on the event. Sometimes tumble/flip turns are banned, sometimes allowed. If they are allowed then only a relatively small percentage of the field tend to do them (i.e. the good swimmers).[/quote:2a4ze8j4]
    Thanks Jack, will work on them just in case.
    JC
  • hussler.hussler. Posts: 390
    My best has been 10 strokes per 25m.... 'however my normal' is 14 or 15. Most efficient for me is 15 at the moment. I can do 1500m in 22 mins.

    Tumble turns are used by the swimmers who can do them regardless of swim ability. I cant do them so I touch turn:) if I do do Tumbles then who knows which lane ill come up in! haha.... dont need tumble turns in open water thats my excuse!
Sign In or Register to comment.