Thursday, June 30, 2011

And all the lights that lead us there are blinding


NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM

Equipment - fins, snorkels

1 x 300 on 5:00 rev IM DKS REC

1x{5 x 200 on 3:30 back EN1
{5 x 200 on 3:20 back EN2
{5 x 200 on 3:10 back EN2+

20 x 50 on 1:00 DK/FK EN2

20 x 25 fly on :30 EN2
fins and snorkel

1 x 100 CH EZ

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Get that groove...let it take you higher

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM

Equipment - cp, snorkel, paddles,

10 x 100 on 1:40 EN1
cp and snorkel

15 x 50 Scull/Kick on 1:15 EN1
paddles

3 x {1, 2, 3 x 50 on :40 EN2+
      {2 x 50 on :50 EN2
      {3 x 50 on 1:00 EN1

1 x 300 on 6:00 EN1
breast w/ paddles

9 x 25 Sprint Medley on :45

5 x 50 on 1:20 EN2+
BPA w/DPS Stroke

3 x 200 Back on 3:30 EN1+

3 x 25 on 1:00 Stroke Sprint SP3

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Somebody save me. Let your waters break right through

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM

Equipment - cp, snorkels, tennis balls, paddles, fins

15 x 100 EN1
1-5 cp and snorkel on 1:35 EN1
6-10 tennis balls and snorkel on 1:45 EN1+
11-15 paddles and snorkel on 1:25 EN2

9 x 25 sprint medley on :45 SP3

5 x {3 x 50 on 1:05 EN3
      {BPA fins and paddles
      {3 x 100 on 1:45 EN1
      {kick w/ fins

5 x 50 CH on 1:05 REC

Shallow End:

7 x {5 incline push-ups, 12.5 sprint no breath, 12.5 EZ  on 2:30 SP3

Monday, June 27, 2011

Very pretty, General. Very pretty. But, can they fight?

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM

Equipment - cp, snorkel, fins

12 x 100 on 1:35 EN1
w/ cp and snorkel

12 x 75 on 1:20 EN2
w/ fins and snorkel

12 x 50 on 1:05 EN3
BPA w/ fins, cp, and snorkel

12 x 25 on 1:00 HYP
no breather

12 x 50 on :50 EN2+
IMO/Fly

12 x 75 on 1:15 EN2
Back/Brst/Fr

12 x 100 on 1:40 EN2
rotate: IM, i/o IM, r i/o IM, rIM

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Finis Swimmer Snorkel in Butterfly

I have used the Swimmer's Snorkel, by Finis, for many years as a breath control and stroke technique device.  I have used it mostly in Freestyle, a little in Back and Breast, but very little during Fly.  Last week I observed on of my college swimmers using one for an entire set of fly.  I had to ask her about it afterward to see what her thoughts were.  She said it allowed her to swim more fly through a set without breaking down.  I however, noticed something more, but thought I would give it a more thorough try with a larger group...my senior boys.

Last Friday I gave a set of 25's Fly with snorkels and fins.  Throughout the set I encouraged the boys to keep their stroke profile, there stroke undulation, as tight as possible.  I really wanted to encourage them to engage their core more in the process of each stroke cycle.  When you have the snorkel on, you don't have to recover up to get a breath, but it also encourages a shallower downward motion as the hands are driving forward.  Undulate too deep, and your snorkel fills.  Recover to high, and you may as well not have on a snorkel because your face will be out of the water.

It was a real challenge for some of the boys to tighten up that body undulation.  However, once they got the hang of it, they began to use there core muscles (abs, lower back, upper legs) more in during each stroke cycle.  They were using there heads and arms less, and using their core more.  The result was more forward velocity in each stroke and fewer strokes per length.

I am sold on using the snorkel for fly, and encourage you to give it a try.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Fly Side Breathing

Olympic silver medalist Christine Magnuson captures gold in the 100 butterfly at the Charlotte UltraSwim
Side breathing as performed by Christine Magnuson

Side breathing during butterfly is nothing new.  However, I remember watching Mel Stewart winning the 200 Fly in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.  It was something new to me then, but it just now that I am starting to see why it might be a good thing...at least for some swimmers.

Since Mel's success there have been many to imitate his side breathing technique.  For some swimmers, I believe, it may be the best option for their fly stroke.

Reason #1:  There is an imbalance in the recovery between the right and left side.  Some swimmers "lean" to the right or left during the recovery of their arms.  This poor balance could be corrected by breathing to the correct side.  For instance, if a swimmer's right arm recovers a bit higher than their left, breathing toward the left side might tend to draw that right arm down a bit.

Reason #2:  The upper body is recovering too high out of the water.  If a swimmer recovers too high out of the water, asking them to breath to the side may help lower their head position.  By asking them to breath to the side and keep their lower cheek on the surface of the water, they may be able to keep their head lower on the breath.

Whether it is the 1st or 2nd reason, the result is the same, a tighter undulation during the stroke.  Such a body motion would encourage a swimmer to engage their core throughout the stroke, instead of just throwing their upper body up and down during the stroke.

Tomorrow I have another idead for encouraging a more core strength during the undulation in butterfly.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow, and when it's time, you'll know

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM

Equipment:  cp, snorkel, fins

6 x 225 on 3:30 EN1
free w/ cp and snorkel

30 x 25 fly on :30 EN2
fins and snorkel

Watch GoSwim.tv video of Scott Tucker's freestyle and low profile breathing

Speed Set:
10 x the following on 2:30 SP1+
10 dips
12.5 meter Free sprint, double climb out (focus on low profile breath)
25 meter Stroke sprint

7 x {2 x 50 on 1:00 FK w/fins EN2
        {2 x 25 on 1:00 uH2O DK w/fins HYP/EN2

Thursday, June 23, 2011

It's funny how falling feels like flying...for a little while

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM


Equipment - cp, snorkels


10 x 150 on 2:15 EN1
catch paddles & snorkel

12 x 75 on 1:20 EN2
SKS

Dryland/Pool Circuit:
10 x {8  Bench Jumps
       {10 Med-ball cleans
       {1   Lap around pool
       {10   Kettle Ball raises
       {1   Sprint to pool doors
       {75 meter Free/Fly/Free
       {10 TRX horizontal pull-ups
       {10 push-ups
       {3   pull-ups


1 x 500 choice in the shallow end

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

I have been to the mountaintop

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM


Equipment - fins, kb


8 x 125 on 2:05 IM double the Free EN1

6 x 25 on :45 MOPS SP3

2x{1 x 100 on 1:30 Free EN1
{1 x 150 on 2:10 Free EN2
{1 x 200 on 2:50 Free EN2+
{4 x 50 on :55 S/K Stroke EN1
{2 x 75 on 1:45 Breast/Free/Back Breath Control HYP

1x{1 x 500 on 8:00 IM EN1
{10 x 25 on :30 Fly EN2

2x{1 x 100 back on 1:40 EN1
{1 x 100 free on 1:25 EN1
{1 x 100 back on 1:40 EN1
{1 x 100 free on 1:20 EN2
{1 x 100 back on 1:40 EN1
{1 x 100 free on 1:15 EN3
{1 x 100 back on 1:40 EN1

5 x 200 on 3:15 EN2
FK w/ fins

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Tempo and Breastroke

I have been spending the weekend at the 2011 Santa Clara International.  The 200 Breaststroke was Friday evening, and I had the pleasure of watching the likes of Rebecca Soni, Amanda Beard, Brendan Hanson, and Eric Shanteau.  They are all American legends in the stroke and sport, and I wanted to pay particular attention and see if I could pick up some insight into what helps make them successful.

Rebecca and Amanda were first, and I decided to take stroke rates for Rebecca.  Her first 50 tempo was right around 115 strokes per minute.  She then took it up to 121, 225, and then 130 on each of the remaining 50's.   I was able to see and increase in Amanda's stroke rate as well, though I was not able to time it (only one watch).  Rebecca's splits were :33.51-:35.65-:37.10-:37.12.  Amanda's splits were :33.72-:37.05-:38.21-:38.55.

Eric and Brendan were next, and I decided to measure Eric's stroke rates.  He held is 1st 100m pretty steady at 110-115 strokes per minute, but he rapidly increased his tempo, up to around 125 strokes per minute, by the end of his 2nd 100m.  Brendan also increased his tempo dramatically.  During the last 50 he had a tempo that was clearly faster than Eric's.  Eric's splits were :30.59-:34.06-:34.31-:34.56, while Brendan's splits were :30.85-:34.57-:34.35-:34.79.

I have always coached my breaststrokers to work their distance per stroke at the beginning of their races and to work their tempo towards the ends.  My rationale is that they need to feel the water and gradually increase that tempo throughout the race.  In doing so, they will be able to hold their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th splits tighter together.

In our Santa Clara International sample batch, the ladies splits drop off a bit more that the guys, but they are swimming longer and, as a result, probably endure a bit more fatigue throughout the race.  The guys hold their splits pretty tight.  I really think that my recommendations hold true and are supported by these results.

Something to consider.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Warming up Aussie style; Finis Swimmer's Snorkel & TYR Catch Paddles

A couple of weeks ago I was watching and interview, on Floswimming.org, with some coaches of the Australian National Team.  The Aussies were training in Tucson and tuning up for the Santa Clara International.  One of the coaches, who was working with the distance/mid-distance group, had the swimmers warming up with a snorkel, paddles, and a buoy.

I grew up with coaches that avoided using paddles during warm-ups.  They were afraid of shoulder injuries that could occur with the added stress of the paddles on the cold shoulder muscles.  However, after watching the Aussie distance swimmers I decided to take give it a shot.


I primarily work with HS age boys, some of whom are small enough that a buoy would actually mess with their body position, so I avoid using the, but I do have some Finis Swimmer's Snorkels and some TYR Catch Paddles.  I have liked using the snorkels  to, among other things, allow for a smoother, more connected, stroke, and I like the catch paddles because they promote an extended stroke and proper catch without putting much strain on the shoulders.


By giving the boys a long warm-up with an easy-to-moderate interval, they can relax into some beautiful strokes right at the beginning of practice.  By the time they complete it, they have essentially done a long technique swim without much fuss.  I have been using the snorkel/paddle combination in warm-ups for about 2.5 weeks now, and I am liking the results.  The guys are able to keep their strokes in-line/connected and are able to establish a nice catch early in the practice.

Watch the video, listen to Coach Vince Raleigh, consider giving it a try.





Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Miracles with happen as we trip, but we're never going to survive unless we get a little crazy

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM

Equipment - fins,

12 x 100 Fr/Bk/Brst/Fr on 1:45 EN1

9 x 25 Sprint Medley on :45 SP3

7 x the following circuit:
10 dips
dive in, sprint 12.5 meter fly, climb out
dive in at the corner toward shallow end and sprint into the turn, come off in 2nd lane
25 Catch-up Free, climb out
10 TRX Pull-ups
lunges to bleachers
jump the bleachers, either the 2xstairs (small jumps) or 1x bleacher seats (big jumps)
:30 seconds rest

12 x 150 on 2:55 FK or DK w/fins EN2

Shallow End:
10 x 25 on 1:05 Breath Control HYP

Monday, June 13, 2011

You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM

Equipment - cp, snorkels, paddles, fins

14 x 100 on 1:40 EN1
1-7 free with cp & snorkels, 8-14 back with cp

20 x 50 on 1:00/:50 EN1/EN2
Swim/Kick

4 x {3 x 50 BPA Stroke on 1:20/1:10/1:00  EN3
      {3 x 25 Sprint Kick on 1:00 SP1
      {1 minute break

15 x 100 on 1:40 EN1+
Paddles & fins, 32 hand hits/100 kick the rest

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Finis Swim Mirror - Seeing is Believing

I recently purchased the DVD from GoSwim.tv featuring Steve Haufler...it is a great video filled with great tools, methods, and progressions.  I plan to review the DVD soon, but in the mean time I want to write about one of the tools Steve Haufler uses regularly throughout the video; mirrors.

Finis Inc manufactures mirrors for placement on the bottom of the pool while working on swimming skills.  The 45.5"x28" polished aluminium mirror weighs about 3 pounds and is easy to place on the bottom of the pool so your swimmers can see themselves as they pass or hover over it.

I have been using the mirrors to encourage my learn to swim students to do anything from put their faces in the water, to working on proper stroke technique and body position during freestyle and breaststroke.  If you put several mirrors in a line, they would be appropriate for more advanced swimmers as they work on hand placements, etc.

The mirrors themselves are pretty sturdy when in the water and in the bottom.  Having said that, you want to be careful when putting them in the water and taking them out.  Aluminum can bend, bow, and be dented easily.  Small dings won't make much of a difference, but avoid dropping or banging the mirrors about.

Finis sells the mirrors for around $105, but you can find them for around $10-$15 cheaper at amazon.com.  All in all, a pretty good investment for swimmers and learn to swim students.  Definitely worth the small investment.

Friday, June 10, 2011

How do you like me now? Now that I'm on my way...

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM

Equipment - cp, snorkels

11 x 100 on 1:30 EN2

7 x 50 on 1:10 EN2
MOP 7 DK's off each wall

5 x 25 revRocket into climb-out on :45 SP3

Team Meeting to discuss Midnight Sun Invite, & upcoming set

6 x 25 sprint medley on :45 SP3

20 x 75 SKS with 10 TRX pull-ups EN3
timed, go it and set team record

7 x 50 CH Recovery on 1:00 REC

7 x 75 IM on 1:20 EN1
alt Fly/BK/Brst and BK/Brst/Fr

Breath Control set in shallow end

Thursday, June 9, 2011

I could use a little fuel myself, and we could all use a little change.

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM

Equipment - fins, kb, cp

10 x 100 FK or DK w/fins on 1:45 EN1

12 x 75 on 1:10/1:20 EN2
odds Fr/Bk/Fr, evens Bk/Fr/Bk

20 x 50 FK or DK w/fins on :55 EN2

8 x 125 on 2:05 EN2
IM, double and rotate

40 x 25 FK or DK w/fins on :30 EN2+

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

When I say jump, you say how high, I ain't never seen nobody get so high

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM

Equipment - catch paddles, snorkels, kickboard (optional)

12 x 125 Free on 1:55 Free w/ cp's and snorkel EN1

3 x 25 Dive Start Sprint on 1:30 in heats SP3

7 x Following Set:
10 TRX pull-ups/10 Push-ups
Shallow End:
#1 Mighty leap!  Pounce and sprint, climb out
#2 Mighty dive!  Underwater sprint, climb out
#3 Mighty dive!  Fly Sprint, climb out - move to long lane
5 med ball throw downs
Long Lane - 75 Free w/ 7 dks off each wall  EN2+

12 x 75 IM on 1:15 EN2

Partner Set:
6 x {4 x 25 Fly on :30 EN2
      {10 Med-ball vertical throws/drops each
      {back to pool and start on very next :05 together

6 x 25 on 1:00 SP3
Stroke Kick

100 CH Recovery Swim

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

The green light flashes, the flags goes up, churning and burning, they yearn for the cup.

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM

Equipment - fins/monofins, catch paddles

12 x 75 on 1:25 EN1
alt 50 back/25 brst and 25 back/50 brst

Choice of:
10 x 200 Back on 3:20 EN2
w/catch paddles

             or

16 x 125 IM (dbl Brst) on 2:10 EN2

2.5 x {6 x 25 on :40 SP3
      {sprint kick with fins/monofins
      {
      {6 x 50 CH EZ on :55 EN1

Shallow End:
10 x 25 on 2:00 HYP SP3
dive in no brthr swim across/climb out
dive in no brthr under H20 back/climb out

100 Recovery Swim/Cool Down REC

Monday, June 6, 2011

He's a fighter, he's my friend Always winning in the end....

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM

Equipment - catch paddles, snorkel, fins

10 x 150 on 2:15 EN1
catch paddles & snorkel

12 x 75 on 1:15 EN2
FK w/ fins

Dryland/Pool Circuit:
7 x {6   Bench Jumps
      {10 Med-ball cleans
      {1   Lap around pool
      {7   Kettle Ball raises
      {1   Sprint to pool doors
      {75 meter sprint
      {10 TRX horizontal pull-ups
      {10 push-ups
      {3   pull-ups



1 x 500 brst with paddles EN1
no straps, hold the water

5 x 200 Back on 3:15 EN2

Friday, June 3, 2011

Hold on to the feeling...Streetlights people

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM

Equipment: fins, catch paddles, tennis balls, paddles

3 x 500 w:10 rest  EN1
#1 with catch paddles & snorkel
#2 with tennis balls & snorkel
#3 with paddles & snorkel

10 x 100 on 1:40 EN2
fins & snorkel

10 x 25 MOPS on 1:15 SP3

21 x 50 All-Turns on :55 EN2+
accelerate into turns and finishes

Australian Relays

Thursday, June 2, 2011

If you want it you're gonna bleed

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM

equipment - catch paddles, snorkels

8 x 200 on 3:10 EN1+
free with catch paddles & snorkel

20 x 75 SKS with :30 rest & TRX pull-ups

100 CH EZ

20 x 25 Fly on 1:00 with 10 dips
in shallow end

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby

NLSC Gold Boys - AM
SCM

equipment:  catch paddles, fins, paddles

12 x 75 SKS on 1:30 EN1

6 x 200 Back on 3:20 EN2
with catch paddles

9 x 25 Sprint Medley on :45 SP3

team meeting about Fairbanks meet, speed training, 5 minute rule, food after practice, etc

6 x {1 x 75 flutter kick sprint with fins on 2:00 SP2
      {1 x 50 sprint pull on 2:00 SP2

6 x 50 on 1:05 RECovery Swimming