Effective Swimming: Keep it simple and leave the circus at home
Last week, we discussed data dependency and its potential impact on your performance. This time, let’s tackle another common pitfall among triathletes.
Most triathletes come to swimming later in their athletic careers, and many remain subpar swimmers despite countless hours and effort invested. The reason? Simply put, 99% of triathletes approach swimming all wrong. We understand the allure of magazine articles, online tutorials, or YouTube videos promising the “perfect technique”—the early vertical forearm, body rotation, high elbows, 4-beat kick, and so on—often accompanied by a slew of complex drills. But here’s the truth: these techniques are a complicated waste of precious pool time for most amateur triathletes. We’ll explain why and guide you on how to spend your time in the water more effectively.
Recently, a 2019 YouTube video featuring swimmer Dan Smith went viral, showcasing his flawless, effortless stroke at an impressive pace of 1:10min/100 metres. Every aspect of his stroke looked perfect. In a follow-up video, Dan introduces himself as a retired Olympic swimmer with 21 years of experience. While his background is impressive, triathletes must understand that much of Dan’s advice does not apply to them. Dan’s unmatched pool hours, genetics, body composition, and innate talent are factors that most triathletes don’t possess. Although it’s nice to learn about the theoretical “perfect way to swim,” amateur triathletes with limited time and energy are far better off developing a style that works for them. Focusing on minor details while ignoring the bigger picture is a recipe for frustration and wasted time. Major gains come from mastering the basics, not chasing marginal improvements.
Watching the world’s best swimmers during the Olympics offers a valuable lesson: there’s no single technique that guarantees success. Even the fastest swimmers often have their unique styles. While they share some common qualities—like the early vertical forearm or body rotation—obsessing over these details without first addressing the real issue leads to wasted effort. The real culprit? A lack of effective strength.
This ineffective approach is all too common. Picture this: an athlete shows up at the pool with a stuffed mesh bag of gear, from centre snorkels to zoomers to multiple types of paddles. They switch between these gadgets every 100 metres, never really making a serious stroke during the entire session. When asked, they’ll have perfectly valid-sounding reasons: the board, snorkel, and zoomers are for body alignment; the finger paddles are to develop a feel for the water; the ankle strap is for core engagement. Meanwhile, their front crawl with a pull buoy and regular paddles doesn’t break the 2:00min/100m barrier. While specific drills have their place, with only 3 or 4 pool sessions a week, each lasting an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes, your time would be better spent keeping the drills and gadgets to a minimum and just swimming more.
So, what should you do?
What constitutes an effective swim workout? What tools are worth using? What defines an effective stroke, and where should your focus lie?
We keep it simple: engage your entire body by swinging your arm overhead. Don’t worry about entering the water close to your ear. Immediately push down and then back—first towards your belly button, then towards your hip, and finally towards your knee. Swinging your arm out wide and pulling down from that position engages the strength of your entire core. Focus solely on mastering this aspect of your stroke.
Develop strength by swimming with a pull buoy and paddles, maintaining this stroke, and resisting the urge to let your arm drift to the side when you lack the strength to pull it straight back.
And that’s it—until you’ve nailed this fundamental stroke, there’s no need to worry about details or drills. Later, there will be room for refinement, but not until you’ve mastered this powerful, basic stroke.
Keep it simple, and above all, keep swimming!