A look at how TritonWear measures Underwater Time, what is considered good vs bad, and how to improve it.
What is Underwater Time?
Underwater Time is the time between the push-off (or dive) and the breakout.
How is it measured?
This is a time-based metric, which is measured from the point of entry or pushoff until the head breaks the surface.
What is a good Time Underwater?
The amount of time a swimmer should spend underwater varies depending on stroke, distance, and underwater technique. Comparing different times underwater to overall time is a good way to determine a swimmer’s optimal time underwater for a given stroke or distance.
Another comparison that could be made is between time underwater and the distance of the breakout from the wall. In this case, the goal is to spend the least time underwater for the farthest distance.
Typical Underwater Time Ranges
Check out the chart below to see where you stack up compared to typical swimmers for your preferred stroke and pool type.
How to Improve Time Underwater?
For freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly, consider counting dolphin kicks. Compare this to time underwater, distance of the breakout, or overall time, to find the optimal number of dolphin kicks. With enough practice, performing this number of dolphin kicks will maximize time underwater. This would also help time the perfect breakout.
Another critical factor in maximizing time underwater, either during dolphin kicks or breaststroke pullout, is the push-off.