So You Want to Swim Fast? Your Introduction to Drag
So You Want to Swim Fast? Your Introduction to Drag
Intensity and duration of swim workouts are definitely important when trying to swim fast. As these components increase, fitness will improve and speed will get faster, but only to a point. Training harder and longer has its limits. For most of us, there is only so much time we all have available to swim and there is only so much intensity that the body can cope with. At some point, increasing intensity and duration will not be enough to recognize gains in swimming.
This leads to the other key aspect to swimming fast, which is technique. Specifically, the two facets of this are:
1. Decreasing drag in the water
2. Increasing propulsion in the water
Water is denser than air. Drag in the water increases by the square of the speed that we swim. This means, as we swim faster, the effects of drag will become more noticeable. Since reducing drag requires skill as opposed to applying a force to increase propulsion, it means there is more room for improvement. With this in mind, here are my five key principles and my top 10 drills to help reduce drag.
