Tools / Stroke Rate

Stroke rate & tempo tapper

Tap the button once per stroke cycle, in rhythm with the swimmer. apxswim reads out live tempo, stroke rate, and distance-per-stroke off the last few taps.

How do you measure stroke rate and tempo?

Tap once per stroke cycle in rhythm with the swimmer. Tempo is the seconds per cycle (a rolling average of your last few taps); stroke rate is 60 divided by tempo, in cycles per minute. This tool also estimates distance-per-stroke from the length you tap over.

A cycle is two arm strokes for freestyle and backstroke, one pull for fly and breast. Set the stroke so the math matches how you're counting.

Tip: watch tempo and DPS together. The goal is holding distance-per-stroke as tempo rises.

FAQ

What's the difference between tempo and stroke rate?

Tempo is time per cycle (seconds); stroke rate is cycles per minute. They express the same rhythm two ways: tempo is what you'd set on a tempo trainer, stroke rate is what you'd log.

What is DPS (distance per stroke)?

DPS is how far the swimmer travels per stroke, distance covered divided by strokes taken. Rising DPS at the same speed means more efficient swimming.