There is some debate going on in the triathlon world about whether it is important to have a long stroke in freestyle, and if so, how this can be developed.
Being long means extending your arm and gliding with each arm stroke. It also means getting more out of your stroke while saving energy (ideal for triathletes).

You can certainly achieve a lot with a shorter stroke – in fact you could go very fast this way. However, for most people, especially the beginner crowd, this stroke is just not efficient enough to allow them to swim 0.5 to 1 mile, and still have a good amount of energy to tackle 20 to 40 miles on the bike, and an additional 5- to 10-mile run.

In this free download, available to registered members of PP Online, we show you how to master your swimming stroke technique.