This morning I went out for an open water swim. The current was extremely strong. Should my stroke technique change to move through the water faster similar to the way you’d change your run gait when approaching a hill? Perhaps shorten my stroke so I pull more frequently? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
I’ve heard people change up their stroke for currents, but I don’t get it. I’d do the same stroke/pacing regardless of current. The only thing that would make me change is if the current was going to add or subtract a substantial amount of time swimming. For example, a current strong enough to make a 1500m swim be completed in the time a normal 1000m swim would take… no, come to think of it, for me that’s not enough difference. It would have to be like a 500m swim time for me to alter my stroke or pacing. Yeah, I would swim a 500 at a lot higher pace than a 1500, but a 1000m pace would be about the same, as would practically any distance beyond that. The reverse holds true, too - if a 500m swim would take the time of a normal 1500m swim, I’d pace as if a 1500m swim. I might change this philosophy based on the following ride and run, too. A sprint race with an unusually long swim, I might push the swim a bit harder anyway.
The only two things that really alters my stroke are the water surface conditions and wetsuit (vs no wetsuit). Shorter/faster stroke for choppier water and wetsuit. Longer/bigger pull for smooth water and/or no wetsuit. It is probably different for others, but that’s how I roll or float or… whatever.
I always go to longer strokes when in a tail current. Not sure if that is what I should do, but it’s what I naturally do without thinking about it.
Faster strokes when against current. Longer strokes if going with current.
Pulling water that is already moving in the same direction of your hand (current against you) means that you cannot apply as much force against a patch of water compared to a current-less environment before the patch of water moves past you.
Once you are in the water and not touching the bottom, you quickly accelerate to the same speed as the water. If you couldn’t see shore, you wouldn’t even know you were moving since relative to you the water won’t be moving.
Yup. As far as a swimmer is concerned, it’s more like the ground is moving.
Only real way in which current would affect your swim stroke would be if you had moderate to strong wind in the opposite direction to the current. That will give you short, steep, and choppy sea conditions. Breathing will likely be more challenging than usual, and you’ll probably find it easier to turn your head to leeward.
I agree that once you are in the current, the swim mechanics are the same as being in no current – as far as your body and the hdrodynamics are concerned. One small point – if you are swimming a circuit with some upstream and some down, it would make sense to swim a little harder upstream and rest a little to recover going downstream. A small increase in speed going upstream can make a big difference in time. For example, if you swim 1 meter per second and the current is against you at 0.6 meters/sec., you will net out at 0.4 meters/sec. If you speed up to 1.1 meters/sec (a 10% increase), you will net out at 0.5 meters/sec (a 25% increase!). Going downstream, the effect is reversed. Your net speed is 1.6 meters/sec. Increasing your relative speed to 1.1 meters per second (again, a 10% increase) only yields a net of 1.7 meters/sec (only a 6% increase). If you slow down 10% to 0.9 meters/sec, your net downstream is 1.5 (only about a 6% decrease).
If you go upstream for 1900 meters and then downstream for the same length, with a 1 meter/sec relative speed and a .6 current, it will take you 79.2 minutes upstream and 19.8 to come back for a total of 99 minutes. If you push it to 1.1 going up, it will only take you 63.3 minutes going up. If you relax it to .9 coming back it will take 21.1 minutes back for a total of 84.4 minutes. (BTW, this compares to a 63.3 minute round trip for no current @ 1.0 meters/sec!)
Admittedly, this is an extreme example. And yet, the math always works the same – you always get more bang for the buck pushing the pace a little going upstream and less penalty for relaxing a little downstream.
Unless you’re one of those freaks who rides a fixie for all your bike miles, you wouldn’t use the same gear going up and down hills. Same idea goes for swimming.
When you’re going into a strong current, you need to maintain forward momentum at all times. If you’ve got a glide, that glide gives the current a chance to push you back without resistance on your part, doubly so if you’re a weak kicker like many triathletes are.
The flip side is that when you’re going with a strong current, it’s a little like going downhill on your bike- you can glide like heck, and the current will keep propelling you forward even when you aren’t generating forward momentum on your own.
Shorten your stroke a little bit- no glide, little less extension before the catch, bring the hand out of the water when you can no longer keep it perpendicular to the bottom of the lake. But don’t go overly huge with the changes until you’ve got enough feel for the water that it feel right to really, really change it up.
This morning I went out for an open water swim. The current was extremely strong. Should my stroke technique change to move through the water faster similar to the way you’d change your run gait when approaching a hill? Perhaps shorten my stroke so I pull more frequently? Any input would be greatly appreciated.
So with swimming (unlike running and cycling) you want to focus on DPS (Distance Per Stroke)…EXCEPT when you are faced with a current that prevents you from effectively gliding. So you would need to take shorter strokes. It’s less efficient but it works better for fighting current.
I agree that once you are in the current, the swim mechanics are the same as being in no current – as far as your body and the hdrodynamics are concerned.
No.
Yes.
I agree that once you are in the current, the swim mechanics are the same as being in no current – as far as your body and the hdrodynamics are concerned.
No.
I LOVE your posts!
Thanks for the input everyone!
I agree that once you are in the current, the swim mechanics are the same as being in no current – as far as your body and the hdrodynamics are concerned.
No.
I LOVE your posts!
So do I - but this one’s incorrect.
I agree that once you are in the current, the swim mechanics are the same as being in no current – as far as your body and the hdrodynamics are concerned.
No.
I LOVE your posts!
So do I - but this one’s incorrect.
You know, I have a choice. I can believe you, whose knowledge I don’t know, or I can believe Paulo Sousa, whose background is hinted at here: http://challenge.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/~psousa/. Hmm, that’s a tough one.
Yup. As far as a swimmer is concerned, it’s more like the ground is moving.
I don’t know for sure but this makes sense to me.
I’ll admit that there may be something that I’m missing here - and if so, I would love to hear Paulo’s explanation. If he’s talking about behavior of current in relatively shallow water, then yes, I’m in agreement.
As for my own background: nine years of working on the water, three and a half of which as captain or mate. Two years and change as a navigation instructor. History thesis concerning navigation methods of the Vikings and the Hanseatic League.
So what I’m basing my belief on is the fact that no method has ever ben devised that can tell you, as a navigator, anything about the effects of current upon your vessel, unless you are using something other than the water in which you’re floating as a reference. This was not for lack of trying. The history of world navigation would have been substantially different if it were otherwise.
Paulo - what am I missing? Again, I’m familiar with the notion that shallow water would have some effect, if different parts of the swimmer were experiencing markedly different velocities. Is this what you are referring to?
Hope that a somewhat more in-depth reply doesn’t go against your nature too much.
I come from a rowing background and this sort of argument used to drive me nuts. Some rowers would complain that rowing upstream against the current was harder than rowing downstream with the current. In fact, there is no difference. “Current” is what the water is doing only relative to the land. It could be flowing any speed and you would not know the difference if you couldn’t see the land. There is no difference in the way the water feels. Using a shorter or longer stroke is irrelevant because regardless of what the water is doing relative to the land, you are still moving through the water at the same speed.
I must be missing something as well.
Let’s take a hypothetical situation. No wind, deep water, far from shore, a steady current. You drop two bouys, (no anchor) 1 mile apart, 1 directly upcurrent from the second. You would not be able to tell there was any current, because everything is moving at the same relative speed. Why would you swim any differently in one direction than in the other?
I have never thought about changing my stroke if I’m in a current- I just swim and instinct takes over. I have a lot of experience swimming in open water, particularly the ocean, so I’ve just naturally learned how to swim in the conditions of the day and sub-consciously adjust to whatever current is in the water. Just keep swimming in open water and you will learn how to move through the water- swimming ultimately needs to be instinctual for one to swim fast.