Getting exhausted quickly and hand aches

Question
Hi,

Some Problems I faced during swimming---
1. After doing around 15 minutes of swimming I start panting, and my full arm aches.  
2. What is the best stroke for travelling in survival situations?
3. What is the best stroke for travelling with head above water?
4. Tried Dog paddling, but it takes too much energy and hands ache.

Answer
Hi...I'll see if I can help.

1. Swimming is difficult. It's more like running than walking. So at some point you will get tired and start panting. Look at total distance swum over your workout and increase it slowly (10% a week).

If your arm hurts you might not be using your back and your body rotation to pull. Think about using your back and hips to pull...not to use your arms.  Also, you just might need more rest between sets.

2. I believe that breaststroke or sidestroke is the best. However, ideally you can switch between any/all strokes so that if you get fatigued doing one, you can switch to the other. Another good stroke is elementary backstroke which is like breaststroke on your back.

The US Seals do a type of side stroke that is fast and keeps you low in the water (the key skill to have in a survival situation.) Here is a link. Warning: it is not easy to do and takes a while to learn. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lUHudMN1TU

There is an old Red Cross survival stroke technique that is very good for staying afloat. It's very slow and not good for moving. You do this by putting your face in the water, leaving your arms in front, hanging on the surface. When your need a breath, your gently sweep your arms (sculling a little), do a little breaststroke kick, then lift your head to breathe. After your breath you put your face back in and relax. I looked for a video but didn't find one.

3. It would depend what you want to do. For water polo, it's heads up freestyle because it's fast. For swimming in the ocean, I use breaststroke. I can put my head down to glide and then keep it up for a couple of strokes while I sight for waves, obstacles or location. I swam much of the distance from Alcatraz to San Francisco this way (one mile).

4. Dog paddle is a teaching stroke. It is very demanding for energy usage. If you do it with your face in the water and then only lift your head to breathe, it makes it easier. However, it still is not a good stroke to use.

The rule of thumb is the lower you are in the water, the easier it is. The higher you are the more difficult. In a survival situation you want to stay as low in the water as possible.

Hope that helps,
Ron