How Swimmers Can Improve Stroke Rhythm
Olivier Poirier-Leroy
Author, swimmer. Obsessed with helping swimmers level up in the water (and life).
Looking to develop a more fluid and rhythmic stroke? Here are some tips and tools for improving stroke rhythm.
Improving stroke rhythm is crucial for efficient swimming.
A consistent and well-timed rhythm in your stroke conserves energy, increases overall speed, and promotes better technique.
And once you get into a good rhythm with your stroke, it feels like you can go on swimming forever.
But how do you get that elusive (and effective!) rhythm to your stroke?
Better stroke rhythm comes down to reducing the propulsive gaps between each arm stroke. This keeps you in a steady state of “propulsive continuity.”
In this guide to improving stroke rhythm, we will look at some proven and expert tips, including different types of aids and tools, as well as some technique tips for increased rhythm.
By the end, you will be swimming to the beat of faster swimming.
Let’s dive in.
How to Improve Stroke Rhythm
Ways that swimmers can improve stroke rhythm include:
Next, we will dive into each tip in more detail and offer some suggestions for how to put them into place so that you can swim your way to better stroke rhythm.
Use a swim snorkel
Swim snorkels are one of the essential tools for serious swimmers and a must-have for improving stroke rhythm.
A front-mounted snorkel eliminates the need to turn the head to breathe, which can break stroke rhythm and cause various technique errors, from a hand entry that crosses the midline to over-rotation of the hips, which can crater rhythm.
Keeping the head in a neutral position allows swimmers to focus exclusively on clean hand entry, a balanced stroke, and yes, more rhythm within the stroke cycle.
Strap a swim snorkel to your face and start with 25s and 50s of easy freestyle swimming, aiming to use excellent rhythm. Increase the intensity and pair it with regular swimming to carry the improved rhythm into your normal swim stroke.
The best snorkel for swimmers is the FINIS Stability Snorkel. FINIS is the innovator with snorkels and the Stability Snorkel is their most advanced snorkel yet.
It features an adjustable tube length, a mouth-piece that can be twisted to the side that makes it easy to chat or sip from a water bottle, and FINIS offers it in four colors and in adult or junior sizes.
Perfect for improving technique and stroke rhythm at the pool.
Tempo training
Tempo training uses a metronome device, like the FINIS Tempo Trainer Pro, to set a consistent rhythm or pace for each stroke you take in the water.
The device emits a beep—at an interval and tempo of your choosing—and you synchronize your stroke along with the auditory notifications. Repeatedly practicing with a Tempo Trainer develops muscle memory for a quality rhythm (and tempo) with your stroke.
A study published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living found that the use of a metronome with experienced competitive swimmers increased stroke length (Fassone et al., 2023).
Other studies have shown metronomes to be effective at constraining stroke rate, giving swimmers better control of their stroke cycle (Simbana-Escobar et al., 2020; Silva et al., 2019).
The FINIS Tempo Trainer Pro is the best type of device for these purposes.
It can be set to an exact tempo and adjusted easily mid-workout for targeting different tempos.
The device can also be used as an interval timer; set it to go off when you want to “send-off,” and you can forgo using the pace clock or your swim watch of choice when doing intervals.
The FINIS Tempo Trainer Pro is available at SwimOutlet, the best online retailer for competitive and recreational swimmers.
Resisted swimming
Resisted swimming, adding drag or resistance to swimming to promote more effort and force production, is an excellent way to reduce the dead spots in your stroke, helping swimmers build more rhythm.
The added resistance pushes swimmers to use a more balanced and rhythmic stroke.
Studies with competitive swimmers have shown that resisted swimming increases the time spent in propulsive phases of the stroke (a term called “propulsive continuity”), which by extension create better stroke rhythm.
There are lots of different tools for resisted swimming, including swim parachutes, DragSox, swim tethers, resistance tubing, and power towers.
My favorite all-purpose gear for resisted swimming, and building improved stroke rhythm, is a swim parachute. They are easy to transport, ?customizable for different skill levels, and provide excellent resistance for building swim-specific strength.
The FINIS Swim Parachute is easily the best one on the pool deck.
It’s available in various sizes, has an adjustable belt to accommodate users of all sizes, and the long strap ensures that the parachute doesn’t get tangled with your feet as you work to overcome the added resistance and improve stroke rhythm.
?
Bilateral breathing.
Stroke rhythm requires a steady cadence in the water. A lot of swimmers use a hitch or gallop that can make it challenging to get into rhythm.?
These swimmers also tend to favor one side to breathe, which can also lead to stroke and muscle imbalances.
A study published in the Journal of Human Kinetics found that shoulder muscle imbalances were associated with increased risk of injury (Drigny et al., 2020).
Bilateral breathing in training not only reduces muscle imbalances but can also be a powerful way to get into a good rhythm when swimming.
Instead of breathing every two strokes, or every four strokes, switch it up so that you are breathing to both sides more frequently.
Not only will this help you reduce some of the overloading on the dominant side of your stroke, but you will also find it easier to develop a balanced stroke rhythm when swimming.
Swim to the beat.
Music can be an effective way to improve stroke rhythm by helping swimmers align strokes, kicking, and breathing in a harmonious way.
Choose a playlist full of songs with a steady BPM that matches your target stroke rate and swim along to the beat.
There are lots of benefits to listening to music when swimming, including increased endurance, faster swimming, and reduced perceived exertion (Tate et al., 2013).
Improving stroke rhythm is one of the easy benefits of swimming to some good tunes, so load up a playlist and swim to the rhythm of the beat.
The best way to listen to music in the pool is the Shokz OpenSwim Pro. The OpenSwim is a bone-conduction headphone that pumps music directly into the jawbone, bypassing the need for earbuds or traditional headphones, which typically get jostled loose when swimming.
The Shokz OpenSwim Pro features a slim titanium frame, bone conduction for clear playback, and a hydrodynamic design that doesn’t impede technique or increase drag.
Swim long course.
Long course pools are the best type of swim pool to use for swimmers looking to improve stroke rhythm. The 50m tank allows for increased distance between walls and turns, offering more time for swimmers to get and maximize rhythm.
Short course pools, whether we are talking 25-meters or 25-yards are great and fun, but all those extra turns interrupt swimmers as they try to develop and maintain rhythm.
By adding longer stretches of uninterrupted swimming, swimmers are better positioned to master and improve stroke rate.
Especially when they pair a long course pool with some of the tips from above, including listening to music, swimming with a snorkel, and using a tempo trainer.
The long course pool isn’t just for the Olympics, it’s the perfect pool length for swimmers looking to develop a more fluid stroke rhythm.
Wrapping Things Up
Optimal stroke rhythm is an important part of swimming that can help you swim more efficiently, increase overall speed, and boost endurance. Also, when you find that sweet spot, it just feels great.
By using a metronome, snorkel, listening to music, bilateral breathing, adding resistance, using the long course pool, and simply being more mindful of what a rhythmic and fluid stroke looks and feels like, you can reap the benefits of better stroke rhythm.
Your personal best times won’t know what hit them.
Happy swimming!