Olympic champion swimmer Milo Cavic explains training stroke vs racing stroke

Hey swimmers! This is coach Milo.

Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from you all on the internet.

Today's question is:

"Olympic champion swimmer Milo Cavic explains training stroke vs racing stroke"

Answer:

 Everything starts with distance per stroke. From day one, swimmers should focus on going as far as possible with each stroke. As strength improves, you can begin to add speed.

Training intensity depends on your goals. For example, lower heart rate zones are used for general conditioning, while higher heart rates are used for threshold and sprint work.

To determine race pace, you should analyze your race splits. If you know your goal time, you can break it down into smaller segments—like 50s or 25s—and train accordingly.

However, none of this matters if you’re not holding water effectively. Spinning your arms faster without maintaining distance per stroke is inefficient.

Efficiency first, speed second.

Summary:

 Training and racing strokes are built on distance per stroke; swimmers should prioritize efficiency and then layer in speed based on race goals and splits.