Can’t decide if that’s pink font IMJ post…
If not replace the word swimming with cycling and read it back whether you’d expect continual 10% pace improvements.
That was 22 days ago 
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OK, I will leave with my tail between my legs and return to the safety of IMJ and ST
I just want to be able to swim fast. No matter how good I get on a bike, no matter how fast I can run, I will not be satisified unless I can swim well. I am never going to be close to @Chriswim, but a 1 hour IM swim is my holy grail
Yes, I know I do actually have to go to a pool and practice 
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Im going to go against a lot of my advice about technique technique technique, its important but it may seem a holy grail but in swimming terms 1hr is not fast so does not need this “perfect technique” that people aspire to. I see people with ‘awful’ technique much faster than that, generally 2 things need work before all else, mobility in the ankles and shoulders and stroke rate is an issue in adult males, then build your fitness to hold that rate. What is your current average stroke rate?, then in a 25m pool how many SPL do you do on average at that rate? Lets focus on those two metrics, find some dry land for you that you can do watching TV and see what we can do remotely for “free speed”
Also it is worth considering how many days a week you swim. what do you currently do?
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This 
If your Strava is accurate, you’ve averaged just over 3km/week this year & even less last year. Your just not going to see any improvement from that volume, 10km/week is probably minimum to get the mix of quality sessions, drills, hard intervals, endurance etc & even then, 10km is not going to yield what 16-20km would which most good swimmers are hitting.
I’m on a similar swim journey to you, I saw some good gains at 10km & now striving for 16km. In my experience speed comes from front to back balance & the rest is marginal gains. I do the volume/drills & balance/speed improves.
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When I was a bit more focused and motivated and doing ~10K PA I was around 65 minutes cruise pace for an IM. Did drills, reps and actually used the wetsuit in the summer.
Not sure where I found the time now.
I would have probably needed another 5K at least PW and more videoing etc to knock that down to 60.
Shoulder, back and ankle flexibility was my biggest problem.
Also, when I actually did kick sessions I found improvement, probably from the balance and position rather than the propulsion it produced.
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I feel attacked
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Completely agree, as do many others judging by us having the same discussion every 6 months (post #2463) and have been since end days of TT1 if I remember rightly 
Meanwhile spoons has turned himself into a phenomenal bike-runner, but shouldn’t need to be the Maurten Moover.
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It’s meant with the best intentions 
But you don’t need to keep searching for new advice or the magic fix. And you’re clearly not remotely work shy or a stereotypical IMJer (I’ve never been on there but use the term jokingly from the rep here).
So it seems odd that after years of being told to swim more, and given some advice on content of what to do , you’ve continued to put <10% of your total time into your biggest weakness.
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While we’re on the subject; I would like a magic fix 
I am doing a total of 90 min per week (60 min session & 30 min lunch swim). Post accident and surgery (ac dislocation g5) I don’t want to over work my shoulder if possible.
I’m happy with my top end speed, 100m TT, is the only way to build on edurance for say 1500m, more time in the pool?
noted… 
Those who swim “effectively” with “awful technique” still manage to (in no particular order):
- have at least reasonable streamlining and balance
- good/sufficient rotation
- length of stroke
- effective breathing
- hands like shovels (or a catch that suggests that)
- reasonable flexibility
- a history of good yardage
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it’s certainly better than doing less…
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Ha, ask a stupid question 
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I have a pretty thick skin, and apreciate a dose of reality.
I’m not going to get better on the bike or the run - with a lot of work I may be able to maintain what I have for a couple more years. Zwift is a great place to see my performance records, on the bike my peak was 2021, there’s no way I am going to reproduce those numbers
I still want a sub 9 hour triathlon, and its very obvious that any gains will come in the pool
@Hammerer I absolutely get what you say, if I increase my swimming I get faster through better fitness, as soon as I reduce volume I get slower. Just before Covid, I got my IM swim time to 1h5m, I could probably get to 1h through volume in the water. However, I think that the best solution is a combination, there is clearly some low hanging fruit on technique, however, time in the pool is also critical.
My swimming so far this year was limited by 3 weeks of almost no training due to covid. Even so I am managing around 5-6k per week, I really need to up this to >10k.
My current job has reduced my ability to train dramatically, evenings are really tough; Swim training is a real time killer, 1hr in the pool takes 2 hours out of my day, I’ve started to do more time on the Ergo and S&C, some of this will translate to better upper body fitness and will hopefully help improve my swim
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Some kids are doing 25 spl but still swimming 4.20 / 400m with a higher sr
Some swim quite flat, but have the shoulder mobility to get away with it
Watch 12 year old girls for that and pt. 1
Mobility of ankles and shoulders is key and what holds back many AOS.
Yes but within reason. Gold squad kids, 11-13, doing 10-15k a week for a year and 5-10 for 2yrs previous can generally break 5.45-6 for 400 some faster. El Niño isnt the best FC swimmer but went 12min for 800 and ~23 for 1500 at 12 yrs old (squad swimming 3 years with nearly 1 of that lost due to Covid)
But yes my posts sometimes arent articulated well enough and i do need to clarify more what i mean in case the IMJ crowd take them as gospel im guessing what i meant was “it depends”
Not just fitness, you will find the path of least resistance through learned behaviours. You see with a lot of kids, point things out and it goes in one ear and out the other but through time in the water, they adapt .
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This is key with any skill acquisition. You get taught what you should be doing but ultimately you need to feel it and understand it in a way you ‘get it’ at that time.
With AOS, especially in triathlon, we are constantly bombarded with technique, drills, do’s/dont lists, etc. but without someone on the deck I’m not sure how much helps or hinders. Not that the advice is wrong per se but that so much thinking is going on but without someone to physically there to teach. You need an SUV just to transport your swim toys to the pool, and they won’t let you use them. 
@Hammerer’s advice has improved my swim technique loads with simple advice, simple sessions. I have done loads of it but I am old and learn slowly. But I have had to figure it out in the pool.
Just need to get fitter so it translates to faster race times.
It’s late, not sure if that makes sense 
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don’t big him up…
yep, that’s him…
To simplify the above…if you can feel the water and you put in the time, you can get somewhere
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just need to transfer it it to open water so it translates to faster race times…
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You do see that a lot even with good pool swimmers. Using Alex as a benchmark, he has been able to swim 1.10 / 100 at 7/10 since he was 14/15 but its not always translated to his race day performances. Hes definitely improved that no end the past 2-3 years.
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I will take anything i can get
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