The Metrics of Efficiency
Swimming is a brutal battle against drag. The harder you thrash and splash in the water, the slower you go. The best swimmers in the world look effortlessly smooth because they travel the maximum possible distance with every single pull of their arms.
To measure this technical efficiency, coaches created the SWOLF score (a portmanteau of "Swim" and "Golf"). Just like in golf, the lower your SWOLF score, the better you are.
The Mathematics of Gliding
The SWOLF score is astonishingly simple. It forces you to find the perfect balance between speed and stroke length.
If you just glide and take very few strokes, your time will be incredibly slow, ruining your score. If you thrash wildly to get a fast time, your stroke count will skyrocket, also ruining your score.
The Formula
To calculate your SWOLF score for a single length of the pool, you add the number of seconds it took to the number of strokes you took.
SWOLF Score = Time (Seconds) + Number of Strokes
Understanding the Score
- If it takes you 40 seconds to swim 50 meters, and you take 40 strokes to do it, your SWOLF score is 80.
- If you improve your catch technique, allowing you to swim the same 40 seconds but using only 35 strokes, your new SWOLF score drops to 75, proving a massive increase in mechanical efficiency in the water.