Subject: RE: SWOLF As the article wildwill link says, SWOLF is not a good indicator of your overall swim "efficiency," in the strictest interpretation of the word (ratio of work output to the energy input, or, in swimming terms, distance swam for calories burned ). .
SWOLF can, however, give you a rough indication of the quality of you below-surface stroke mechanics. A low SWOLF indicates that you:
1. are able to generate high forces at the hand and forearm
and
2. are able to convert that force, through good technique, to thrust (i.e. "traction". )
Comparisons person-to-person aren't terribly useful as physiological differences can mean two different people with very similar stroke mechanics may have very different SWOLFs. But an individual's SWOLF dropping over time is almost certainly an indication of improved fitness, technique, or (most likely ) both.
I personally don't spend any time worrying about SWOLF scores specifically, but, I do count strokes at various times in constant-speed sets to remind myself to keep my technique as tidy as possible, even under fatigue. So by shooting to swim the same speed without having my stroke count climb to high, I'm indirectly trying keep my SWOLF score in check. |