When it comes to swimming, most people assume that getting faster means pushing yourself harder. However, the secret to faster swimming isn’t about exerting more effort, but rather improving your efficiency in the water.
This new video will break down how you can swim faster without trying, using concepts from the SwimEfficiency™ Blueprint, featured in the MySwimPro Swimming Academy!
The Physics of Swimming Faster
Swimming faster comes down to two basic principles:
- Decreasing drag: Reducing the resistance your body creates in the water.
- Increasing propulsion: Generating more power with each stroke.
While increasing propulsion can be difficult, reducing drag is much easier and yields faster results. This is because water is 800 times denser than air, making any drag on your body significantly impactful.
The Importance of Drag Reduction
Drag is the resistance you encounter as you move through water. Reducing drag is key to swimming faster with less effort. The fastest you will ever swim is right after you push off the wall, gliding smoothly through the water. After that, your speed naturally decreases. The goal is to maintain momentum and minimize the rate at which you slow down.
Streamlined Body Position: The Key to Efficiency
Your body’s position in the water plays a critical role in reducing drag. By aligning your body in the most hydrodynamic way possible, you allow yourself to slice through the water with minimal resistance. Think about it like this: a streamlined shape, similar to the wing of a plane or the hull of a speedboat, has a very low drag coefficient, which allows it to move efficiently through the water.
When swimming, you want to mimic this streamlined position as much as possible. This applies not only when pushing off the wall but also throughout your strokes. The lower the drag, the less energy you need to maintain your speed.
Related: Get Your Stroke Technique Analyzed by Expert Coaches >
The Power of Momentum
The initial speed you generate when pushing off the wall is crucial because it sets the foundation for the rest of your swim. Momentum, which is your mass times velocity, will naturally decrease as you swim, but the trick is to carry as much of that momentum as possible into your strokes.
A great drill to try is simply pushing off the wall and seeing how far you can glide without taking a stroke. This exercise helps you understand how to maximize your streamline and body position to maintain momentum.
Understanding the Swimming Equation
To swim faster, it’s essential to get familiar with the Swimming Equation:
- Swimming time = Start time + Underwater time + Turn time + (Stroke count × Stroke rate)
For simplicity, we’ll focus on the core parts: stroke count (how many strokes you take per length) and stroke rate (how quickly you take each stroke).
Instead of focusing solely on increasing your stroke rate to swim faster, it’s important to also work on reducing your stroke count. By improving your distance per stroke (the distance you cover with each arm stroke), you can move through the water more efficiently.
This SwimEfficiency™ Blueprint is the key to swimming faster using the training principles of the Swimming Academy. Learn more >
Example of Efficient Swimming
Let’s break this down with a hypothetical scenario:
- You take 20 stroke cycles (40 arm strokes) to swim 50 meters.
- If your stroke rate is 2.5 seconds per stroke cycle, your total time to swim 50 meters would be 50 seconds.
Now, if you try to increase your stroke rate and reduce the time between strokes to 2 seconds, you’ll likely end up taking more strokes—say, 30 stroke cycles instead of 20. Ironically, this increases your time to 60 seconds because your stroke efficiency drops. You’ll also get tired faster.
The better strategy? Improve your distance per stroke and reduce your stroke count to 15 cycles (or 30 arm strokes), while maintaining a stroke rate of 2 seconds per cycle. This brings your time down to 30 seconds for the same distance—a huge improvement!
Final Thoughts: Swim Smarter, Not Harder
In conclusion, swimming faster without trying isn’t about working harder; it’s about swimming smarter. Focus on reducing drag by improving your body position and maximizing efficiency with each stroke. By refining your technique and understanding how to harness momentum, you can swim faster while conserving energy.
Give these strategies a try, and you’ll be amazed at how much faster you can swim—without feeling like you’re trying any harder!
Get Your Technique Analyzed
When you join The Swimming Academy, you’ll get personalized virtual swim coaching from our expert team of coaches. Improve your technique by uploading videos of you swimming, stay accountable with weekly Zoom calls, and become a stronger swimmer with a personalized training plan.
Click here to learn more in a free Swim Strategy Phone Call >
