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Swim technique: what studies measure (stroke rate and stroke length)

Swimming4 min read
On this page
  1. What is measured
  2. Wetsuit and technique
  3. What we do not do
  4. What we know and what we do not
  5. How we reviewed it
  6. Sources

What is measured

A swimming review summarises studies on three things: assessing aerobic potential and intensity domains, changes in stroke rate and stroke length during swims to exhaustion, and arm coordination, to understand how technique adapts under fatigue. It also introduces the idea of an "optimal swimming technique speed" linked to the intensity domains.1

In practice: speed in the water is how many strokes you take per minute times how far you travel per stroke. When you tire, something in that usually changes. So technique should be judged at a stated pace and fatigue state, not in the abstract.

Wetsuit and technique

A review on wetsuits reports that with some wetsuits, compared with a regular swimsuit, stroke rate, stroke length and stroke index are higher, and energy cost is lower with the full-body wetsuit. These are the figures given in the abstract: technique in a wetsuit is not the same as without one.2

What we do not do

We give no target numbers for stroke rate, SWOLF or strokes per length. We did not find them in a source that makes them valid for an amateur, and a number taken from competitive swimmers would mislead. We do not correct technique remotely and do not publish drills as prescriptions: that takes a coach who watches you swim.

What we know and what we do not

We know which quantities are used to describe technique and that they change with fatigue. From these sources we do not know which values are better for an amateur. The evidence is missing, not the willingness to write it.

How we reviewed it

Abstracts only of a review and a wetsuit review.

Limits. No verified target values for amateurs; full text not read.

Sources

  1. Palayo, Alberty, Sidney, Potdevin, Dekerle. Aerobic potential, stroke parameters, and coordination in swimming front-crawl performance. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 2007. PubMed (abstract only)
  2. Gay, Ruiz-Navarro, Cuenca-Fernández, López-Belmonte, Abraldes, Fernandes, Arellano. The Impact of Wetsuit Use on Swimming Performance, Physiology and Biomechanics: A Systematic Review. Physiologia, 2022. DOI (abstract and introduction)

Sources rechecked on 28 October 2026.

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