Stroke Length

Objective: You can get faster by increasing your stroke rate or your stroke length (or both). But if you're over four feet tall and take more than 20 strokes to swim 25 yards, you need to increase stroke length.

Total Distance = 3000 yards

Set 1 - Warm-up; Dist = 600 yards
1 X 200 Freestyle Swim
4 X (50 social kickboard + 50 Freestyle swim hard)

Set 2 - Conditioning; Dist = 600 yards
3 X 200 Freestyle Swim + 20s rest - Training Cat: EN2 (your CSS 200 pace)
Count your strokes per length (how many times does a hand hit the water)

Set 3 - Stroke Length Drill Progression; Dist = 800 yards - Training Cat: EN1
Each drill below: 4 X 50 on 1:00

6-1-6 - Kick about six kicks on one side, take a single stroke focusing on getting a big armful of water out in front of your head, and the longest stroke possible.
9-3-9 - Kick about nine kicks in side balance, then take three consecutive long strokes
Fingertip Drag - Now focus on stability during the recovery - support your arm from the end of one stroke to the beginning of the next.
Catch-Up - The important thing here is the catching up part: a quick and minimally disruptive recovery (not the gliding hand out front)

Set 4 - Conditioning; Dist = 600 yards
3 X 200 Freestyle Swim + 20s rest - Training Cat: EN2 (your CSS 200 pace)
Count your strokes per length (how many times does a hand hit the water)

Set 5 - Cool-down; Dist = 400 yards
1 X 400 Freestyle Swim - Training Cat: REC
Relaxed swimming: long, long, long strokes.

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