Have you ever been taught that you need to take fewer strokes per lap to be more efficient? How is it then that there is such a massive range in swimming styles at the pointy-end of the sport with some swimmers taking only 27 or 28 strokes to complete each 50m and others 40+?

Why do some swimmers look smooth and a seemingly effortless swimming style with a steady stroke rate, but others looks short, punchy and with a very high stroke frequency?

In today's video - Part 5 of our Swim Smooth Stroke Correction Hierarchy - we bust some myths about what makes an efficient freestyle stroke, and more importantly, show you how to find your best rhythm and timing to develop great momentum, efficiency and economy with your swimming using our Stroke Rate Ramp Test.

00:00 Introduction

01:13 Recap of Stages 1-4

03:36 Comparison of elites - Mack Horton, Gregorio Paltrinieri, Becky Adlington, Alistair Brownlee, Anna-Karin Lundin, Shelley Taylor-Smith, Janet Evans

04:42 The falacy of stroke counting and your efficiency

06:36 The continuous stroke versus the glide stroke

08:31 How a parachute can show whether you're efficient or not

09:59 Study to show stroke rate manipulation and economy

13:14 Higher rates allow open water swimmers and triathletes deal with any open water conditions

14:54 Gregorio Paltrinieri versus Florian Wellbrock

16:20 Interview with Bud McAllister - coach to Janet Evans, Olympic gold medallist

21:26 Identifying your optimal stroke rate

22:52 Introduction to the stroke rate ramp test

27:36 Full stroke rate ramp test with Scott from New Zealand

If you missed any of the previous 4 videos in this sequence you can access the full playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuJVX_JuTJA&list=PLLmCn3sOlEw7UgiNB2Ney03oXen4c1BQY