How do we make swimming easier?
There are just two ways:
- Reduce water resistance.
- Use less effort (reduce the power output).
How do we swim faster?
There are three ways:
- Reduce water resistance.
- Apply available power more effectively.
- Increase power output.
This suggests an extremely logical pathway for your improvement:
- Reduce water resistance by improving the shape of your vessel.
- Learn to do the same amount of work with less energy.
- Reduce water resistance further by improving the shape of your vessel even more.
- Learn to use the power you have more effectively.
- Only then apply more power.
The first four steps may require no extra hours or meters or muscular effort on your part. They are ‘free’ forms of improvement because you are not required to expend more energy or more time than you already do in the pool to receive the benefits. They simply require you to use the time you have in the water better. However, the first 4 do require a great deal of concentration. Brain work. And this is truly hard work.
Of course, if you don’t like to think so much while you swim you, and you happen to be wealthy in time and energy, you are certainly welcome to skip to #5 and knock yourself out.
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