I was reading through the Total Immersion Coaches Manual and came across a helpful chart. It provides a general stroke count range based on the height of the swimmer. A couple of caveats:
1) If your count is above the range, don’t think that you have to start swimming in this range immediately. It’s all a process. Think of the range as a long term goal. If you try to make too big of a jump, your stroke will become too robotic or too tiring because you are trying to cover too much ground with your existing form
2) If your standard count is below the range because you come from a swimming background, don’t feel like you have to crank up the stroke tempo to get into the range. You probably have better walls and a greater feel for the water, so your stroke length is much higher.
3) If you are swimming in a meter pool, look to be up 1-2 strokes per 25 meters.
Here’s the table:
|
Height |
Stroke Count Range |
| 5’0” to 5’2” | 18 to 21 S/L |
| 5’3” to 5’5” | 17 to 20 S/L |
| 5’6” to 5’8” | 16 to 19 S/L |
| 5’9” to 5’11” | 15 to 18 S/L |
| 6’0” to 6’2” | 14 to 17 S/L |
| 6’3” or Taller | 13 to 16 S/L |