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Why good technique matters to the Garmin Swim's detection of swim style

Former Member over 11 years ago

Hi

I posted this in another thread this morning but I thought it was worth putting it in one of its own, as this is a regular topic that many Garmin Swim watch users, including myself, seem to have problems with!

Here's what I said:

Hi Stemik

I have NEVER had accurate stroke type detection with the Garmin Swim, with either the 3.4 or 3.6 watch firmware. Like you, I always find that the watch detects my freestyle as backstroke.

However, more recently I have been working on my stroke style after watching some YouTube videos from the Swim Smooth team:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=youtube+swim+smooth

The ONLY change I have tried to make is to stop the 'S' shape my hands and arms make after entering the water, as you pull on the water. I also try to ensure that my hands enter the water without going over the centre line of my body and that the hand travels down the side of my body rather than directly below my torso as this causes more of a wobble in the hand and arms.

This is not easy if you have swum with the same technique for years and you are 'hard wired' to do your freestyle stroke this way. In my case I'm 45 years old now and have swum the same style of freestyle for 25+ years...

I think that the slight change in swim technique for freestyle makes me swim a little bit slower, but I plan to stick with this until I get the hang of the change as I know I will get faster again with practice.

More importantly, changing my technique (only slightly) has made a massive difference to my watch's ability to correctly detect the stroke.

In the link below my first interval this morning was 80x 25m freestyle. Today, out of 80 lengths just 3 were detected as backstroke. Usually most are incorrectly labelled as backstroke! The improvement in detection therefore seems to be all down to my trying to adopt a better swim style for my arms, as demonstrated by the Swim Smooth team.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/369214002

Now I would be the first to say that it's a REAL PAIN to have to re-learn your technique... especially if it's one you're used to for many years. But, I suspect that in the long term, improving your technique in freestyle will be more beneficial than getting the watch to be more forgiving of incorrect swimming style.

Until I watched the videos and critically analysed how I swim my freestyle, I was convinced that the fault was the watch and that my technique was great. Wrong!!! Now I know, however reluctantly, better.

Cheers

Ralph

And here's a helpful (or at least it was for me) video:

http://youtu.be/IyR7JYllk9U

Hope that's helpful to some out there...

Cheers

Ralph

0 lildonnydark over 11 years ago

I too am having issues with the Garmin Swim as it does not have accurate stroke type detection , 3.6 watch firmware. Like you, my Garmin Swim watch always detects my freestyle as backstroke.

Help me please.

ALSO: Can I set the watch stroke at a constant freestyle?

0 gildenhuys over 11 years ago

Can I set the watch stroke at a constant freestyle?

You can disable the stroke type identification, so it'll turn up as "Unknown" on Garmin Connect. If you only ever swim freestyle, you'll know that Unknown is Freestyle. Menu > Swimming > Stroke Type > Turn Off.

0 Bryan4370 over 10 years ago

Does anybody know when the Garmin Swim determines the stroke being used for the lap?

I ask because the only problem I have is the watch detecting my backstroke as breastroke for 1-2 laps in a set, and the only reason I can think this happens, is because I push off on my stomach and pull once across my body to do a barrel roll onto my back.

0 gildenhuys over 10 years ago

The Garmin Swim looks at the data from the whole length to determine the stroke type. It is unlikely that your push-off-then-roll technique is the problem. You could try wearing the watch on the other arm (perhaps the one that doesn't pull first).

0 Former Member over 10 years ago

Sorry for my bad english. I think that if your arms are completely straight outside the water (as Manadou swims) Garmin thinks that u are swimming backstroke. If you swim corectly and the hands are always very close to the water (As popov or magnussen do) Garmin detects corectly your freestyle
Thats my idea

0 Former Member over 9 years ago

Hardly seems to matter

I am a long-time swimmer and also recently retired from a 48-year coaching career. My freestyle stroke is very consistent, and my stroke count never varies more than 1/2 stroke per length (sometimes I touch with my right hand at 9 strokes, and sometimes I touch with my left at 9 1/2. But the Garmin Swim records me as having taken anywhere from 8-12, and there's no rhyme or reason to it.

When I move my wrist to look at the (tiny) numbers on the watch face, I can see that it might add a half-stroke, but I will often go 300-400 yards without missing a stroke or doing anything unusual, and Garmin Swim still can't get it right. Of course, this affects the silly SWOLF number (which is meaningless, really, except in average).

Here's the problem, related to stroke count and the Garmin Swim. If you use the super high-elbow recovery, you are looking for shoulder problems. Your body roll needs to be sufficient to keep your elbow below a line drawn from shoulder to shoulder. Second, when you put your hand in the water, it needs to travel down, and be about 6-12 inches below (and pressing down on your fingertips *before* your body rolls beyond the horizontal. This keeps your shoulder from impinging. It's basic mechanics, but so many swimmers put their hand in the water and then ride the hand out front, just under the surface, until they've rolled fully onto that side. This just kills your shoulder if you're doing any yardage at all.

To placate the Garmin's stroke recognition problem, just bend a little at the elbow during recovery, but make sure your elbows are below the shoulder line. And take your hands down after entry...if you can see your knuckles a half-second after entry, you're riding your hands and looking for shoulder trouble. Besides, it's much more efficient to get your hand down into your pull, and hold the water, rather than ride the hand (wasting time and creating resistance), and then having to slip through your pull underwater to maintain tempo.

0 Road_and_Trackrunner over 7 years ago

Hi Ralph,

Great job, really useful your tips!

Congratulations and thank you! :D

Beautiful second video that you've posted, I really liked the teacher! :p

Oh yes, granted. But her arm rise on the right-sided photo .... naughty girl.