Swim Session #2 - Improve Your Stroke Length

• Do a series of intervals at 6 strokes per minute slower than your base rate
• Use this extra time to lengthen and improve your feel of the water
• Repeat at 4 spm slower than base rate
• Repeat at 2 spm slower than base rate
• Finish with a set at your base rate to compare your technique
  

Like I say, the title of this second session "Improve your Stroke Length" may actually read as a contradictory term to some who believe that stroke rate training is entirely about elevating stroke rate, which sceptics would say would be a poor move for maintaining efficiency. This session demonstrates the versatility of the Wetronome to encourage and help those who have difficulty understanding the principle behind "slow down and relax" to encourage greater development of both feel for the water and long-axis body rotation. If you've ever been told to reduce your intensity in the water by your coach as it looks like you are "thrashing away" this session will be ideal for you:

Aim to do a series of 3 sets of 4 x 100 or 200m freestyle intervals with approximately 20 seconds rest between each interval and 45 seconds rest between each of the three sets. In set one, set the Wetronome to BR less 6spm, so that effectively you'll be doing either 4 x 100m or 4 x 200m at a stroke rate 6spm slower than you would normally swim. Use this "extra time" to focus on lengthening through the abdomen, rotating from the hips and improving your catch and feel for the water. Trying to think about all three of these aspects simultaneously may be quite difficult initially, so why not try a 100m or 200m doing each individually and then do your fourth interval thinking passively about all three.

Now take 45 seconds rest and whilst doing so set the Wetronome to BR less 4spm (i.e. 2spm faster than what you were swimming the first set at, but still slower than your natural rhythm). Repeat the set as above at BR les 4spm. Rest for 45 seconds and then perform the final set at BR less 2spm.

As you go through this main set, see if you can maintain that long, smooth stroke length as you effectively bring your stroke rate back up towards your natural rhythm. You can monitor how well you do this by counting how many strokes you do per length (allow the Wetronome to take care of the pacing element whilst you do this). If you start to take more strokes per length as you increase your stroke rate, effectively you are losing some of the efficiency that you are trying to pattern in at the slower stroke rates (as per the article detailed above which addresses maintaining one aspect whilst the other slowly and progressively increases).

You may like to round this session off with a final swim of 200 to 400m back at your BR to see how well your stroke holds up.

Next: Swim Session #3 - Defining Your Optimal SL/SR Balance»