How to Determine Strokes Per Minute

Serious competitive swimmers work on their swimming stroke to make it as efficient as possible. The timing and rate of their strokes are important. To figure out how to improve your stroke rate you first have to see what your stroke rate is to begin with. Then build off that number to a rate that is ideal for your swimming needs. A stroke rate that is too slow creates dead spots and pauses that decrease your swimming speed. Too fast a rate may cause you to tire out quickly in a long distance swim.

Things You'll Need

  • Stopwatch
  • Another person
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Instructions

    • 1

      Have someone stand at the opposite end of the pool with a stopwatch.

    • 2

      Start swimming when they tell you to go. They must be careful to start the stopwatch at the same time that they say "go."

    • 3

      Continue swimming to the opposite end of the pool and have the other person watch you carefully and count each stroke you take. Have them stop the watch as soon as you reach the side they are on.

    • 4

      Review the stopwatch to see how many seconds it took you to reach the opposite end.

    • 5

      Divide the number of strokes you took by the amount of time it took you to reach the opposite side. For example, if you took 10 strokes in 23 seconds, divide 10 by 23. That equals 0.435 strokes per second.

    • 6

      Multiply the number you get by 60 (60 seconds in 1 minute). For example, in the previous example we got 0.435 so multiply that by 60. You have 26.1 strokes per minute

    • 7

      Take the number you get in step 6 and record that as your first stroke per minute rate.

    • 8

      Repeat steps 1 through 6 at least three times. Record each new rate you get.

    • 9

      Add each rate together to get one total. Divide that total by the number of rates you recorded. This number is your average strokes per minute and your stroke rate.