Problem about the type of style

We are finding for some swimmers, version 3.6 can confuse freestyle for backstroke. I expect you would get better results with software version 3.4. I've sent you a Private Message about this (see Notifications at the top of this page).

Hello,

thanks for the quick response. For me it isn't so important to the kind of style, it is much more important than the count of the pool is accurate, and that the version 3.60 does it very well! I hope for a new 3.70 Realise that fixes this little problem. I am very happy with this Garmin Swim!

Thanks again, good day!

me too, never had a misinterpretation of a stroke... I think its due to your technique...

HI, Also how do you get Garmin Swim to recognise kicking ... In training we do kick board and streamline sessions kicking only .... Still moving but no arm movement ... Suggestions on how to get Garmin Swim to recognise moving but no arm movement would be great ....

Since the watch is on your arm, it can't automatically detect kicking. However, there is a feature that let's you log the time and distance of you kick sets. In Menu, go to Swimming > Drill Logging, and then select Enable. Now, press the blue button to go to Swim Mode. Then press the blue button again to toggle through the training pages until you get to the Drill Logging Page (page 4 as shown by the dots on the left). That screen will stay in your training page loop as long as you have Drill Logging enabled. When swimming, follow the on-screen instructions to log your drills. (There are probably better instructions for this in the online manual.) :-)

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

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

http://youtu.be/IyR7JYllk9U

Hi RALPHAVERBUCH,

you're absolutely right!! I saw the video you suggested and followed your valuable advice, in so doing the last session in the pool was much better! Out of 80 lengths just 5 were detected as backstroke!

Even in my case at 34 years old, after 25 years of swimming becomes very difficult to correct a small flaw in the swim!

I will work to gain speed!!!

Thank you again!!

Stemik!

Hi Stemik

You are welcome. I am no expert, but it works for me and that's why I wanted to share with everyone else having this problem...

Cheers

Ralph

Hi,

Firstly I'm new here so hi. I've only taken my Garmin Swim out for a couple of sessions, but finding it really useful.

I'm guessing my breaststroke technique must be really bad as it's detecting around 20% of my lengths as freestyle even when I'm swimming exclusively breaststroke! Anyone else experienced this or am I really just that bad? :)

I can understand it getting confused between freestyle and back stroke as there is far more similarity in the arm stroke, but I'd have thought even a bad breastroke arm action would be significantly different to freestyle.