Focus more on technique than effort

11/1/2017

Swimming well is about efficiency. Beginning swimmers, especially athletes who are experienced in cycling and running, often think they can simply try harder and they'll swim faster. While this works in cycling and running, trying harder in swimming does not work. Because technique in swimming is critical, focus on form over effort.

See all 100 lessons in Six-Word Lessons for Successful Triathletes.

2 Comments

Jeanne Peneguy link

11/1/2017 06:55:38 pm

This lesson was a hard learned one after taking several years off of swimming. While I swam (sort of) competitively for years and was taught proper form, I took many (many, many) years off, and my return to the water was difficult when I just thought I should try to go as fast as I could. During my training for my first tri, about halfway though, I started thinking more about form. I found I was less exhausted and could go further. While the farthest tri swim I've done is for a sprint, I find that I am not nearly as tired when i focus on each stroke and breathing. You don't want to come out of the water more exhausted than you should be, so I am a true believer in this lesson!

Lance Carter

11/2/2017 08:54:53 am

Jeanne, thanks so much for the very thoughtful and affirming comment! The other irony is that most people end up swimming faster by focusing on form over effort.

Focus more on technique than effort

Leave a Reply.

Topics