Tips for short swimmers? (5 foot 7)

Originally Posted by Tom Pamperin

Absolutely.

Speed = stroke length x stroke rate

By traveling farther on each stroke, you MUST get faster if stroke rate stays the same.

By stroking faster, you MUST get faster--but only IF (and it's a big "if") your stroke does not get shorter as you speed up. Many people spin their arms faster but actually shorten their stroke so much that they end up slower.

The really interesting parts of training to me is learning to choose a specific target stroke length and stroke rate to get the speed you desire. That involves two things: holding SPL steady as stroke rate increases (i.e. working to keep your stroke long as you stroke faster), AND decreasing SPL (lengthening your stroke) while the stroke rate stays the same.

To do that, it is really useful to develop the ability to swim comfortably at every stroke length (SPL) in your green zone. I work on that with sets like this:

5 (4 x 25m) @ 14 SPL, 15 SPL, 16 SPL, 15 SPL, 14 SPL

I almost always end up faster at the end of the set than I was at the beginning. Switching gears and using different stroke lengths lets you learn how to keep your stroke long as you speed up stroke rate.

Tks Tom. 14 SPL!!! wow. At best I can do 19 and with a push off the wall. But its the principal I suppose. So for me a good set might be 5 (4 X 25) @ 19 SPL, 20 SPL, 21 SPL, 20 SPL, 19 SPL?

[Tom Pamperin]

Exactly. I am tall with long arms, so my SPL green zone is lower.

Another good set for working to increase stroke length is:

Tune-up with 10 x 25m, or even 20 x 25m, working on achieving the lowest SPL you can hit. Pay no attention to pace or clock, but count every stroke.

Next, swim 4 x 25m holding your target SPL. If you add a stroke, start the 4 x 25m over and try again.

If you complete 4 x 25m, then go to 3 x 50m holding the same SPL. Again, start over if you miss by even one stroke.

Next, swim 2 x 75m at the same SPL.

Finish with 1 x 100m at the same SPL.

It may take you a while--several sessions or more--to be able to hold the same SPL through the entire 500m set. But it will be 500m of you swimming the most perfect stroke you can manage. Well worth it. I used to start every single practice this way.

I've been practicing TI for about 12 years now self-coached, and spent a long time focused on swimming at low SPL as my main priority. That has served me well, but along the way I've also learned that low SPL for its own sake is not really all that meaningful. I do most of my "real" swimming right in my green zone, at 15-16 SPL. Lower SPLs are valuable for training and maintaining balance and streamline--that's how I mainly use them these days.

Originally Posted by Tom Pamperin

Exactly. I am tall with long arms, so my SPL green zone is lower.

Another good set for working to increase stroke length is:

Tune-up with 10 x 25m, or even 20 x 25m, working on achieving the lowest SPL you can hit. Pay no attention to pace or clock, but count every stroke.

Next, swim 4 x 25m holding your target SPL. If you add a stroke, start the 4 x 25m over and try again.

If you complete 4 x 25m, then go to 3 x 50m holding the same SPL. Again, start over if you miss by even one stroke.

Next, swim 2 x 75m at the same SPL.

Finish with 1 x 100m at the same SPL.

It may take you a while--several sessions or more--to be able to hold the same SPL through the entire 500m set. But it will be 500m of you swimming the most perfect stroke you can manage. Well worth it. I used to start every single practice this way.

I've been practicing TI for about 12 years now self-coached, and spent a long time focused on swimming at low SPL as my main priority. That has served me well, but along the way I've also learned that low SPL for its own sake is not really all that meaningful. I do most of my "real" swimming right in my green zone, at 15-16 SPL. Lower SPLs are valuable for training and maintaining balance and streamline--that's how I mainly use them these days.

Thanks Tom

I am supper excited to give your suggested workout a try.

Thanks alot