To change speed, freestylers don’t just change their effort, they...
Andrew Sheaff@AndrewKSheaff
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Jan 27, 2026
~1 min read
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1
To change speed, freestylers don’t just change their effort, they change their timing.
At slower speeds, there are large gaps in propulsion as swimmers are more patient in the front of the stroke.
In contrast, sprinters move the arms in opposition.
At slower speeds, there are large gaps in propulsion as swimmers are more patient in the front of the stroke.
In contrast, sprinters move the arms in opposition.
2
As one arm exits, the other arm enters the water.
This minimizes or eliminates any gap in propulsion, so even if swimmers are creating the same amount of propulsion per stroke, they’re going to go faster because they’re creating more propulsion.
This minimizes or eliminates any gap in propulsion, so even if swimmers are creating the same amount of propulsion per stroke, they’re going to go faster because they’re creating more propulsion.
3
If freestylers want to go faster, or they want to swim more efficiently, they need to learn to control their timing.
When they can control their timing AND their effort, they’ll be much more in control of their swimming.
When they can control their timing AND their effort, they’ll be much more in control of their swimming.