PADI certification: So, I'm worried about nothing

[TMHeimer]

I had to train a lot to get a decent mark on the DM 400 swim. I used the arm stretchy rubber band things. Especially used motions that would improve the force my arms/hands have to propel me forward swimming. Still do this daily, though I never swim. Arms give you 75% of your swim power, so I've been told. Add fins to that and you go like a rocket. Take them away and you realize how little help bare feet are.

 

[Neilwood]

I had to train a lot to get a decent mark on the DM 400 swim. I used the arm stretchy rubber band things. Especially used motions that would improve the force my arms/hands have to propel me forward swimming. Still do this daily, though I never swim. Arms give you 75% of your swim power, so I've been told. Add fins to that and you go like a rocket. Take them away and you realize how little help bare feet are.

Certainly true for front crawl - figures vary but arms can be as much as 85% of the overall power with the feet doing little other than stabilising the stroke. Breaststroke is more balanced between arms and legs though but no where near as quick so for the likes of a DM swim (where time is of the essence) you really want to be good at the front crawl.

On that subject I really should be looking at getting some tuition on my weaker stroke (which does happen to be front crawl).

 

[dmaziuk]

Certainly true for front crawl - figures vary but arms can be as much as 85% of the overall power with the feet doing little other than stabilising the stroke. Breaststroke is more balanced between arms and legs though but no where near as quick so for the likes of a DM swim (where time is of the essence) you really want to be good at the front crawl.

Breaststroke is actually the other way around: mostly legs. If you're good at it, you should be able to do 400 in around 8 minutes: 2-minute hundred is about half the competition speed. You'd need to be better than good to get into 6 minutes bracket -- or you can crawl, or perhaps alternate crawl sprints with breaststroke laps to catch your breath.

Get a pair of small paddles: there's a bunch of things that, if you do them wrong, the paddles will make you feel it right away.