In order to make progress you need to measure and monitor information coming from your body and from your performance. Your progress will depend on improvements inside the body which correspond to improvements in performance (swimming easier, swimming farther, swimming faster) measured outside the body.

Measuring Quantities, Measuring Qualities

What is happening on the inside of the body (how does it feel?) – a quality – will correspond to what is happening outside the body (what does it produce?) – a quantity.

You can read more about these internal (subjective) measurements in this post on Two Essential Measurements. And these are the external (objective) measurements.

In every practice, in every swim, you will monitor those internal sensations, or what are called ‘subjective feedback’. Some of these may be assigned specifically:

• Sense of ease (of movement)
• Sense of effort – or Rate Of Perceived Effort (RPE)
• Sense of precision
• Quality of attention
• Focal point control

On many of your practice sets you will also measure external results, or what are called ‘objective feedback’. Some of these may be assigned specifically:

• Stroke count
• Tempo
• Pace
• Distance or duration
• Amount of rest

For a simple rating system, see Simple Rating System for Your Practice Results.