I forget which coach it was but I’m pretty sure it was someone involved with Mark Spitz (the previous record holder for most medals in an Olympics, surpassed now by Michael Phelps) who compared swimming to a baseball pitcher’s throw. The pitcher doesn’t just stand square on and throw the ball with his arm. Instead he picks up a leg and lunges forward off the mound, using his body mass for the source of his power and accelerating that power through his arm to the ball. This is done in the SAME way in swimming! When swimming freestyle your body rotates from side to side and every time you switch sides your arm accelerates past your body propelling you forward.

This rotation is the source of all the great swimmers’ speed. If you take a look at any professional swimmer, Michael Phelps for example; his arms seem somewhat underdeveloped for what you think uses a lot of upper-body musculature. But if you take a look at his back you will notice that it is extremely broad and thick and this is because his latissimus dorsi – the largest muscle on your upper body – is highly developed.

So, in order to swim efficiently like the world’s greatest you will need to practice your rotation and reach. At your next swimming practice try to reach a little further than you normally would and turn a little bit more on your side with each stroke you take. This becomes easier with flexibility so do some very good stretching before and after your workouts – don’t worry it is on my list to demo some good stretching tips!

A very simple drill to improve your efficiency in the water is to swim slowly! Yes, do a few laps (or alternate each lap for 200-400m) where you try to slow your stroke rate down and just try to extend every stroke you take. Try to cut your strokes per length by 2-3 in a 25m pool or by 6-7 in a 50m (Olympic size) pool. It will take some concentration to (1) count your strokes and (2) try to reduce them, BUT the results will speak for themselves. When you go back to your normal stroke you will notice a difference in your speed and ease in the water.

In my next post I’ll highlight a collection of drills you can do to improve your swimming efficiency. For now just keep your strokes long and swim smarter not harder!