The speedster
Jonas
Fast and used to visible progress. When his legs sink, he kicks harder and pulls faster. The more uncertain he feels, the more force he adds.
Learns that precision is a harder discipline than effort.
It’s a skill gap, not a fitness gap.
You can run for hours, yet one length of front crawl leaves you gasping. From Runner to Efficient Swimmer is the hands-on crawl method written only for runners: short attempts, one cue at a time, a clear gate before you move on.
New element. New skills. Same determination.
- Certified swim coachKnows where runners get stuck in the water, because he was stuck there too
- Endurance coachSpeaks your language: clear plans, measurable progress, no guesswork
- Master CoachPotential Training: helps you move forward when effort alone stops working
- Comrades & Two Oceans finisherA runner first, so he understands your body, your goals and your doubts
Sound familiar?
- You don’t really look forward to your swim sessions. And you haven’t signed up for that triathlon, because the swim part drains your optimism.
- At the wall you study the pace clock, waiting for your breathing to look respectable again.
- You solved it the runner’s way: another session, a firmer kick, a watch full of numbers. It didn’t help.
- Your shoulders pinch, your neck is tight, your lower back is stiff. Nothing like any running injury you know.
None of that makes you weak or “not a swimmer”. You brought a proven land strategy into a place with different rules. Keep the discipline. Change the strategy.
Written for runners. Only for runners.
This book assumes you already train with discipline. It doesn’t teach swimming from scratch, and it isn’t a training plan for swimmers.
This book is for you if
- You run regularly and know what structured training feels like.
- You can swim at least 25 metres of front crawl, even if it’s tiring or untidy.
- You want to finish a first triathlon or swim-run, or simply stop dreading the pool.
- You’re willing to trade “more lengths” for short, focused attempts.
It’s not the right book if
- You can’t yet get in, swim, stop and return to the wall on your own. Start with a qualified instructor.
- You’re a competitive swimmer chasing faster times.
- You want a weekly workout plan without learning the technique behind it.
Why can’t a fit runner finish the triathlon swim strong?
And why do so many runners struggle with the swim at all?
Because running fitness transfers to swimming only partly, and swimming is limited by skill first. On the road, your tendons hand back energy with every stride, like a spring. In the water, almost all propulsion is muscular work against resistance. When the position breaks down, drag rises and oxygen cost per metre climbs early. More effort makes it worse.
Alignment before fitness
Your engine is real. How your body lies in the water decides whether you can use it, and alignment travels with you every time you swim.
One connected movement
Head affects hips, hips affect kick, kick affects breathing. The book teaches front quadrant freestyle as one connected stroke, not as separate pieces you have to glue together later.
The right pattern first
Repeating a poor position builds a well-practised poor position. Get the pattern right, then let repetition lock it in.
Five stages. You move on when you pass the gate.
Every chapter ends with a readiness gate. The 8-, 12- and 16-week routes are planning guides. The gate decides when you’re ready, not the calendar.
Spot the error. Fix one thing. Try again. Move on.The rule behind every chapter.
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The runner meets water
An honest baseline test, five positions you rehearse in your hallway before you touch the pool, then your first calmer lengths.
Chapters 1–3: The Test, Dry-Land Motor Imprint, The Basics Wet
StartYour baseline, written down -
The foundation
Balance in the water, and breathing as calm as an easy jog: face in, bubbles out, one easy sip of air.
Chapters 4–5: The Details, Breathe
Checkpoint 1You breathe calmly in the water -
Complete the crawl
Entry and extension, holding the water, hip-driven propulsion, a runner’s kick that stabilises instead of exhausts, then the whole stroke together.
Chapters 6–10: Entry and Extension, Water Hold, Propulsion with Direction, Runner’s Kick, Whole-Stroke Transfer
Checkpoint 2Your first unbroken 50 metres -
Distance and triathlon
Pick the route that matches how often you get to the pool, and build distance without losing the stroke.
Chapter 11: Sustainable Distance
Distance gates50 m, 100 m, 400 m, race distance -
Open water
Supervised transfer, one variable at a time: the wetsuit, the cold, the mind games of dark water, and sighting without a black line.
Chapters 12–16: Open-Water Readiness, Supervised Transfer, The Wetsuit, What’s Down There?, No Black Line
FinishYour pool stroke, in the lake
Picture a Tuesday evening, a few weeks from now
You push off the wall and your head rests in the water as if it were lying on a pillow. You hear your own bubbles and nothing else. Your hand slides in without a splash, the water pushes back, your hips turn, and the far wall arrives sooner than you expected.
You touch it and notice something strange: you’re not gasping. You could turn and go again. For the first time, the pool isn’t something you survive. It’s somewhere you’d choose to be.
That’s where the book takes you, one short attempt at a time.
Which runner are you?
Three runners go through the book with you. Most readers recognise themselves in one of them within a page.
The marathoner
Sarah
Floats easily and never quits. Her endurance lets her repeat an inefficient stroke long after anyone else would have stopped.
Swaps “try again” for “notice, change one thing, test again.”
The triathlete who survives the swim
Dave
Has finished triathlons on fitness and by following the feet ahead. A cold start or a crowded field, and his stroke disappears.
Builds a repeatable stroke that holds up in open water.
Try it at your next pool session
This is how the book asks you to start. Thirty minutes, water where you can stand, no workout.
From “How to Use This Book”. Both dry-land positions are explained step by step in Chapter 2.
- Rehearse at home, 5 minutesPractise the first two dry-land positions from the book in front of a mirror.
- Swim your baseline, 10 minutesCount your strokes per length and note where the stroke changes.
- Three glides, 5 minutesPush off with both arms stretched out in front, head loose, eyes on the tiles. Glide until you stop, then stand. Notice how the water holds you.
- The comparison, 5 minutesSwim a short distance your normal way, then once with less urgency.
- Stop while it feels goodWrite down what changed. That’s enough for day one.
Questions runners ask about swimming
Why am I out of breath after one length of crawl when I’m a fit runner?
Because swimming is limited by skill before fitness. Aerobic fitness carries over from running only partly. A lifted head, sinking legs and a rushed breath create drag that no amount of fitness can pay for. Fix the position and the breathing, and your running fitness finally becomes usable in the water.
Can a runner really learn front crawl from a book?
Yes, if you can already swim 25 metres of crawl, even untidily. The book works in short attempts of four to eight metres, one cue at a time, with a readiness gate at the end of every chapter. Every check can be done alone: count your strokes, listen to your entry, notice which part tires first.
How long does it take a runner to swim crawl efficiently?
The book offers 8-, 12- and 16-week routes, depending on how often you get to the pool. They are planning guides, not deadlines. You move on when you pass each gate: calm breathing, an unbroken 50 metres, then 100 m, 400 m and your race distance.
Why do my legs sink when I swim freestyle?
Usually because the head is lifted, the body line is broken and the kick is trying to fix it. Lean and muscular runners feel it most. Kicking harder raises your heart rate but rarely your hips. Balance comes first; then a smaller kick from the hip keeps the line.
Does the book prepare me for a triathlon or open-water swim?
Yes. Part 4 builds distance up to your race distance. Part 5 covers supervised open-water transfer, the wetsuit, cold water, the fear of unknown depth, and sighting without a black line, one variable at a time.
Should I just wear a wetsuit to solve my sinking legs?
A wetsuit lifts the hips, but it can hide the technique problem. Floating is something the suit does to you; balancing is something you do. The book treats the wetsuit as a tailwind, not a tow rope.
Is this book for complete beginners who can’t swim?
No. If you can’t yet get in, swim, stop and return to the wall without help, start with a qualified swimming instructor. The book is also not a training plan for competitive swimmers.
New roads are built by walking them.
You never felt ready for your first long run either. So do what you’ve always done: commit to less than you think you need. One point. One drill. One honest attempt.
- Title
- From Runner to Efficient Swimmer: Master the Crawl
- Author
- Heiko Stribl
- Format
- Paperback, 16 chapters in 5 parts
- ISBN
- ISBN-TO-ADD