Swimming is as much about efficiency as it is about power output. More efficient swimmers are able to swim faster while using less strokes per lap. One way to calculate a swimmer’s efficiency is to find his or her swimming golf or “SWOLF” score. The SWOLF score combines a swimmer’s 25-yard swim time with the number of strokes he or she takes.
In this video, the CrossFit Endurance team takes a group of athletes through four 25-yard swims where they try to improve their SWOLF score on each swim. CrossFit Endurance coach Brian Nabeta says there are several ways to get a better score, but the ultimate goal is simply to go faster while using less strokes.
8min 21sec
Additional Video: Yards: Swimming With Champions by Sevan Matossian, published March 9, 2010.