Race strategy (offensive tactics)

In races between swimmers with similar times, the swimmer who makes an unexpected move that upsets a competitor's race plan often wins. A surprising move can frighten or demoralize a competitor and cause him to respond with a poor performance. For that reason, swimmers should know the common offensive and defensive strategies for racing. They should know when to make unexpected moves that will upset their opponents, and they should learn how to counter when an opponent swims his race in an unforseen manner. Today I'll write about offensive tactics.

Offensive tactics

Swimmers can use several offensive tactics to help themselves, or their teammates, be successful in races.

Taking a race out faster than expected

Against opponents who are inexperienced and against those who have a strong finishing sprint, taking a race out faster than expected can work well. Inexperienced swimmers may become demoralized when an opponent takes an unexpected early lead. Although the leader may fatigue earlier because of the sudden increase in speed, he may still win the race because the early lead may cause opponents to give up before the finish. This tactic also works well against swimmers who like to negative split their races. Often, these swimmers cannot bring a race back fast unless they swim slowly in the beginning. Starting fast can upset the race plan of negative splitters. If they are forced to swim faster than they had planned to early in the race to keep up, they may not have their usual strong finish. Consequently, a swimmer who must rely on aerobic capacity more than speed may be able to match an opponent who is usually faster during the final sprint.

Taking races out slower than expected

The tactic of taking races out slower than expected can be used to advantage by a swimmer competing against someone who has a faster time. Swimming slowly at the beginning of races may fool an opponent into swimming slower than he had planned. As a result, a slower swimmer may be able to stay with a faster one without becoming fatigued. Consequently, the final sprint to the finish will offer an opportunity to win the race.

Using a breakaway sprint in the middle of races

Against an opponent who has a similar time, a breakaway sprint in the middle of the race can be a good tactic. This move may demoralize an opponent. He may feel the chance to win is nil and slow down.

Taking the lead

Taking the lead early in the race is an advantage, particularly in turbulent pools and in butterfly races. Leaders can create significant turbulence with any stroke, particularly when lanes are narrow and when the lane lines and gutters of a pool are not well constructed. Swimming in the wake of competitors increases the energy a swimmer must expend to combat wave drag. Therefore, swimmers should take the lead when they feel they can do so without losing too much speed at the end of the race. When the pace seems too fast to take the lead, however, swimmers should remain as close as possible to the leaders to reduce the amount of wake they must swim through, even if that means swimming slightly faster than they had planned.

Drafting

Drafting means swimming in the wake of a competitor. Swimmers say that drafting reduces the energy cost for a race because they are pulled along by the swimmers immediately to the side of them. Due to cavitation, water pressure will be lower close behind an opponent. Accordingly, athletes who swim close to the side of the lane near the legs or just behind the feet of a competitor in an adjacent lane will be stroking in a low pressure area created by the wake of their opponent's kick. In doing so, they will be pulled along toward the high pressure area in front of that swimmer, and they will expend less energy overcoming water resistance. This tactic will leave them with more energy to overtake their competitors during the final sprint.

Hiding from an opponent

Some swimmers will purposely qualify at a slow speed so that they can swim in an ouside lane away from their major competition in an invitational or championship event. They are particularly likely to do this when their opponent is known to be a good racer or a swimmer who likes to draft off competitors. Competing in an outside lane allows the swimmer who is hiding to swim the race at his best pace. At the same time, the opponent may be racing slower competitors in the middle of the pool, unaware that the swimmer in an outside lane is leading the race.