Measuring your progress

Progress can be defined in many ways. Two ways to evaluate your progress is capacity for distance, and capacity for speed. But the most important measure of improvement for recreational and competitive swimmers is the progress of their swimming efficiency. To measure your progress you need to establish a starting point, then regular comparisons to that point must be done.

A swimmer's progress in terms of capacity for distance can easily be measured in yardage:

• How far can you swim, without stopping, compared to the previous measure?
• How many meters can you complete in e.g. 10 minutes, compared to the previous measure?

Progress in terms of capacity for speed can be measured in terms of time:

• How long does it take to swim e.g. 200m, compared to the previous measure?
• How fast can you swim e.g. 50m, compared to the previous measure?

Improvements in yardage and time can reflect improvements in swimming efficiency. An additional way to measure swimming efficiency is by counting your strokes:

• How many strokes does it take to cross the pool, compared to the previous measure?
• Can the same number of strokes be maintained for more lengths in a row?

As part of your overall plan, you should schedule to measure your progress regularly, to ensure that improvement is occuring and continuing. Choose a regular interval, for instance 4 to 6 weeks. There should be enough time between measures to allow your skills to develop and progress to be build, but not too much time to continue practicing in a manner that is not producing results. 

If you feel that you are not progressing, you should try:

• practice each drill for longer time,
• practice each drill more precisely,
• change your swimming routine to allow more recovery, or more exposure, and
• consult a coach for observation and feedback.

You should know improvements may not happen every time you try to measure your progress. This is natural.   This is not an indication that you should stop pursuing a better swimming. Lay back for a while and consider how good it is for you on all levels: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Notice the muscle tone that you are gaining, the things that you work out in your head while you are swimming. Notice the smile on your face after you swim. 

Happy holidays to all of you guys. Cherish and enjoy every moment with your loved ones.

Swim well,

P.C.