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Swimming Metrics (Pool Swimming)

Swimming metrics help you analyze each swimming session, and follow your performance and progress in the long run. The metrics record your swim distance, time and pace, stroke rate, and also identify your swimming style. In addition, with the help of the SWOLF score you can improve your swimming technique.

To get the most accurate information, make sure your have set which hand you wear V800 on. This can be set in V800 General Settings.

Swimming metrics are only available in the Pool swimming profile. To get the Pool swimming profile you must have at least 1.2 firmware on your V800.

Swimming Styles

V800 recognizes your swimming style, and calculates style specific metrics as well as totals for your whole session.

Styles V800 recognizes:

  • Freestyle
  • Backstroke
  • Breaststroke
  • Butterfly

Pace and Distance

The pace and distance measurements are based on pool length, therefore to get accurate data always make sure you have set the correct pool length. V800 recognizes when you turn, and uses this information to give you accurate pace and distance.

Strokes

V800 tells you how many strokes you take in a minute or per pool length. This information can be used to find out more about your swimming technique, rhythm and timing.

Swolf

SWOLF (short for swimming and golf) is an indirect measure of efficiency. SWOLF is calculated by adding together your time and the amount of strokes it takes you to swim a pool length. For instance, 30 seconds and 10 strokes to swim the length of a pool will equal a SWOLF score of 40. Generally, the lower your SWOLF is for a certain distance and style, the more efficient you are.

SWOLF is highly individual, and thus should not be compared to SWOLF scores other people have swam. It’s rather a personal tool that can help you improve and fine-tune your technique, and find an optimal efficiency for different styles.

Choose Pool Length

It’s important that you choose the correct pool length, as it affects pace, distance and stroke rate calculation, as well as your SWOLF score. The default lengths are 25 meters, 50 meters and 25 yards, but you can also set it manually to a custom length. The minimum length that can be chosen is 20 meters/yards.

The chosen pool length is shown in pre-training mode. To change it from there, press and hold LIGHT to access the Sport Profile quick menu, choose Pool length and set the correct length. It can also be changed in Settings > Sport Profiles > Pool swimming > Pool length.

Start a pool swimming session

  1. Press START in time view to enter pre-training mode, and scroll to the Pool swimming profile
  2. Check that the pool length is correct (shown on the display).
  3. Press START to begin training recording.

During your Swim

During your swim on the display you can view,

  • Distance
  • Pace
  • Time
  • Rest time
  • Heart rate and heart rate zones

You can customize what is shown on the display in the sport profiles section in the Flow web service.

After your Swim

In the training summary on your V800 you’ll see,

  • Average and maximum pace (pace/100 meters or pace/100 yards).
  • Lap information

  • Summary by swimming style, which includes:

    • Swimming time
    • Average and maximum heart rate (if a H7 heart rate sensor is used)
    • Average and maximum pace (pace/100 meters or pace/100 yards)
    • Stroke average (strokes/pool length and strokes/minute)
    • SWOLF

After your session you can view detailed breakdown of your swim in the Flow web service.

For more information on swimming metrics, see www.polar.com/en/support/V800/swimming_metrics_pool_swimming