By Olivier Poirier-Leroy on SwimSwam
A good stroke rate for elite sprint freestylers typically ranges between 55 and 65 cycles per minute.
But high stroke rate isn’t just moving the arms as fast as possible. It’s walking that fine, chlorinated line between spinning out and preserving stroke length at max power.
As we will see, the fastest sprinters on the planet don’t just pump out high temperature stroke rates.
They expertly blend high stroke rate with meaningful stroke length to dominate the sprints.
High Stroke Rate is Essential for Sprint Freestyle
Like a good shave down, lots of power training, and a healthy pre-race hype playlist, high stroke rates are a necessity for sprint freestyle, particularly the 50m free.
Those higher stroke rates allow swimmers to create more propulsion and power, leading to faster times on the clock.
Compared to other freestyle events, the stroke rate of the 50 is way higher—even when we compare it to the 100 free.
At the Paris Olympics, men’s 50m free finalists averaged ~62 stroke cycles per minute. That number dropped in the 100 free and then again in the 200 free, where it largely stabilized.
A systematic review by Ruiz-Navarro et al. examining sprint freestyle performance found three consistent themes:
Higher stroke rates are associated with faster sprint velocity Faster swimmers combine high stroke rate with high stroke length Maximum velocity is not achieved at the highest stroke rate aloneThat third point is important. High turnover only works if stroke length doesn’t evaporate.
Why Really High Stroke Rates Has Limits
If a high stroke rate is good, than a really high stroke rate must be amazing, right? Not quite.
It’s tempting to think that gold medal sprinting is just wind-milling the arms so fast they depart from your shoulder sockets. But sprint performance is reliant on how stroke rate and stroke length interact.
When stroke rate goes beyond a swimmer’s technical capacity:
Stroke length shortens dramatically Hand position and orientation break down Velocity drops while energy cost skyrocketsSuccessful sprinting is a tightrope of raising turnover without allowing effective water displacement to collapse.
Finding the Right Stroke Rate for You
Stroke rate is individual. The goal is to find that balance between stroke rate and stroke length.
To test this out, grab yourself a FINIS Tempo Trainer, head down to the pool, and film yourself at different tempos. You’ll see quickly see when:
Your stroke starts to flail Water starts to slip between your fingers Effort becomes unsustainableThat threshold gives you practical targets for training:
Add light resistance and do 4-6x15m fast at your target tempo with full rest Do progressively longer distances in a long course pool at your target tempo to improve your tempo conditioningSo What’s “Good”?
For elite sprinters, a stroke rate of 55-65 cycles per minute is typical and built on years of smart and targeted training.
For developing sprinters, that number matters less than the relationship between stroke rate and stroke length.
The better question isn’t:
“What stroke rate should I hit?”
But:
“How fast can I turnover my arms while still holding lots of water?”
Find your natural max. Train just below it. Challenge it. Keep an eye on distance per stroke. And train the ability to hold both on race day for maximum awesomeness.
Happy sprinting!
ABOUT OLIVIER POIRIER-LEROY
Olivier Poirier-Leroy is a former national level swimmer, 2x Olympic Trials qualifier, and author of several books for swimmers, including YourSwimBook, Conquer the Pool, The Dolphin Kick Manual, and most recently, The 50 Freestyle Blueprint.
The book is a beastly 220+ pages of evidence-based insights and practical tips for improving freestyle sprint speed.
It details everything from how to master stroke rate, technique, build a thundering freestyle kick, improve your start and underwaters, and much more.
The 50 Freestyle Blueprint also includes 20 sprint sets to get you started and a bonus guide on how to master the 100 freestyle to complete your sprint preparation.
Learn more about The 50 Freestyle Guide today.
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