Stroke Counting Great Tool For Measuring Swim Efficiency

Strokes per Length (SPL)

Stroke counting is a great tool for measuring efficiency and the key is finding the optimal number, not the least number of strokes you can do over a set distance.

Too many strokes eg. >25+ strokes for a 25-metre swim, indicates over stroking, windmilling arms, lack of traction and inefficiency.

Too few strokes eg. <14 could mean a lack of momentum and feel very much like a ‘stop/start’ rhythm. It will also affect your speed and each time you stroke you’ll have to overcome inertia.

The sweet spot

Your ‘sweet spot’ is dependent on your height and skill level/stroke efficiency and the pace you’re swimming at.

Taller swimmers taking fewer strokes
A slower longer swim may have lower SPL
A shorter higher tempo and pace may call for a slightly higher SPL

Stroke counting is the most accessible and specific form of measurement in swimming.

Terry Laughlin (Total Immersion) says it’s also good in that it can be cross-referenced with three other empirical measurements – (1) Tempo, (2) Time and (3) Heart rate – to give you perfect understanding of how effectively you have swum any distance, effort or speed.

Using stroke counting to become more an efficient swimmer

Choose shorter distances to practice your stroke counts – 25m is perfect for practice
Practice counting – each time your hand hits the water, count 1 or, count on one side only eg. left hand and count ‘stroke cycles’
Find your count and a given ‘low effort’ swim

Check out the chart below, how do you fare??