When it comes to using equipment in practice, I have to believe that I probably use equipment more then most...and I often feel as if I toe the line between keeping my swimmers ages 10-16 interested and engaged while at the same time keeping the workouts on schedule and flowing. I found that by using equipment at key points of the re-construction of a stroke/turn helps to re-enforce the muscle memory of what you are trying to emphasize.
First, the equipment the kids in our group have. We use the following:
Kickboard
Long fins
TYR Catalyst paddles (size appropriate for each kid)
Snorkel
Here is some equipment I have that we use:
5" PVC pipe
Tempo trainers
Mini-buoys
"Swim bones"
I have a short list of my favorite drills where I incorporate equipment in order to get the concept introduced, understood, and the correct parts of the concept emphasized with the type of care and attention to detail I typically like.
Backstroke
Drill: Triple Scoop
Equipment Used: One TYR Catalyst Paddle
Description: The swimmer lays on his/her back grabbing the bottom of the paddle and allowing the rest of the paddle to press against the forearm. With the swimmer on their side, the only movements in this drill aside from a steady kick is that the hand grabbing the paddle will complete a 3-part stroke cycle while the other "free hand" stays glued to the side. They then pull three times.
1. Small movement anchoring the hand down, then with an underwater recovery and the palm of their hand facing upward, sliding the hand back behind the swimmer's head.
2. Downward movement, focusing on a high elbow catch throughout the pull stopping well before the hands get to the hips , then with an underwater recovery, sliding the hand back behind the swimmer's head.
3. A full backstroke "pull" that finishes with the hands snapping past the hips.
***Special Note: Because there is no above water recovery, this drill does a great job isolating the pull. Depending on how good your swimmers are at catching water, you may use buoys and ankle bands for those a bit more advanced.***
Flip Turns
Drill: PVC Kick Flips
Equipment Used: 5" PVC Pipe
Description: I know I am going to make this sound way more complicated then it really is but here goes. I typically will make the kids do something like a 400-500 single arm freestyle (R/L by 25) with the off arm holding the PVC pipe at their sides. When they get to the flags, both hands lock onto the PVC pipe with their hands at the waist. They kick in towards the wall with their eyes looking straight down. They have to "FEEL" the wall approaching and activate their turn while still keeping their eyes looking down and their hands still locked on the PVC pipe, which makes the turn a little bit harder because it is done using primarily the core. The PVC pipe re-enforces the streamline as well as helps with the posture needed to complete the turn as if they were sitting in a chair. This has been a HUGE help in tightening up what we are doing in and out of our walls.
Butterfly
Drill: Varying Kick Drills
Equipment Used: Snorkel
Description: I typically like to vary the placement of the hands throughout the kick. An example set would be something like:
24x25 :40
8x
1-dolphin kick, hands crossed on chest
2-dolphin kick, hands out in front of shoulders
3-dolphin kick, hands at sides
I personally love the head and body position that using a snorkel emphasizes within butterfly, promoting proper body alignment while simultaneously keeping the stroke a bit flatter, allowing undulation without allowing (without choking because they buried their snorkels underwater) over-undulation. Is that a word? No sure, but I'm rolling with it.
So, I have given you a few different things I like to do. What are your equipment-aided drills that you do? Inquiring minds like to know.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Friday, September 13, 2013
Mom Always Stressed Good Posture...
If your childhood was anything like mine, you probably had your mom or dad constantly telling you to set up straight, pull your shoulders back when you walk, stand up proud, etc. I used to begrudgingly respond to the commands temporarily...only to go back to my usual slouched self when my parents weren't looking.
As many of you know, proper posture is extremely important in swimming, but as a coach, I have the same sense of urgency to correct my swimmers' posture as my parents had with me. Because I work with younger kids primarily, mostly 8-12 years old, I tend to focus on 2-3 main concepts that swimmers should focus on for each stroke and then work on details after. I call this Macro to Micro swimming. For each stroke, one of the main concepts is always head/body position. It is always stressed before most any other concept. Here is how I re-enforce it with drills/equipment for both backstroke and breaststroke:
Backstroke: Goggles off, balanced on forehead. I used to use cups and water bottles but balancing them became a chore dependent on how much liquid was in the cup/bottle. We do quite a bit of drilling with goggles on our forehead and I will also try to have small parts of our main set with goggles balanced on their foreheads to re-emphasize their body position while they are tired. Here is an example main set incorporating goggle balance:
4x thru
2x50 @ 1:00 teacup 12 k switch w/ goggles up
2x75 @ 1:10 80/90/100% by 25
2x100 @ 1:20 1-75 free/25 back, 2-50 free/50 back
Breaststroke: I am a proponent of using snorkels often. I think that snorkels in general re-enforce better head position which is huge in making sure that posture in the water is where it needs to be. Breaststroke is no different. I use snorkels with breaststroke, telling my kids that they are still to come up as they normally would but trying to keep the pipe of the snorkel in the water. In changing their head position, I am attempting to flatten their hips out a bit to prevent what I call "sea horse swimming". I am also focusing on eyes looking down. I often will pair this with some dolphin breaststroke in order to still keep the hip snap I am looking for intact while attempting to avoid dropping of their hips that would make it more difficult to snap at the end of the stroke.
I will cover Free and Fly in my next post. Let me know what you guys do to promote good body/head position!
As many of you know, proper posture is extremely important in swimming, but as a coach, I have the same sense of urgency to correct my swimmers' posture as my parents had with me. Because I work with younger kids primarily, mostly 8-12 years old, I tend to focus on 2-3 main concepts that swimmers should focus on for each stroke and then work on details after. I call this Macro to Micro swimming. For each stroke, one of the main concepts is always head/body position. It is always stressed before most any other concept. Here is how I re-enforce it with drills/equipment for both backstroke and breaststroke:
Backstroke: Goggles off, balanced on forehead. I used to use cups and water bottles but balancing them became a chore dependent on how much liquid was in the cup/bottle. We do quite a bit of drilling with goggles on our forehead and I will also try to have small parts of our main set with goggles balanced on their foreheads to re-emphasize their body position while they are tired. Here is an example main set incorporating goggle balance:
4x thru
2x50 @ 1:00 teacup 12 k switch w/ goggles up
2x75 @ 1:10 80/90/100% by 25
2x100 @ 1:20 1-75 free/25 back, 2-50 free/50 back
Breaststroke: I am a proponent of using snorkels often. I think that snorkels in general re-enforce better head position which is huge in making sure that posture in the water is where it needs to be. Breaststroke is no different. I use snorkels with breaststroke, telling my kids that they are still to come up as they normally would but trying to keep the pipe of the snorkel in the water. In changing their head position, I am attempting to flatten their hips out a bit to prevent what I call "sea horse swimming". I am also focusing on eyes looking down. I often will pair this with some dolphin breaststroke in order to still keep the hip snap I am looking for intact while attempting to avoid dropping of their hips that would make it more difficult to snap at the end of the stroke.
I will cover Free and Fly in my next post. Let me know what you guys do to promote good body/head position!
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Creativity In Drilling/Training
When I first started coaching, I was initially told that in order to coach developmental groups, you must stick to the basics in terms of drills and stroke technique work. So there I was doing the same drill progression, deconstructing and reconstructing the stroke with the same few drills for each. What I found was that the kids, once they got the gist of the particular drill, tended to stop putting the same effort and focus in completing them as when they were first learning them. And it's not just with drills! I found that if you train the same way consistently, the kids get used to that as well.
To me, it seemed as if the P90x idea of muscle confusion applied to how kids viewed drills. In the P90x workout training, muscle confusion is the basic premise that an athlete's body will get used to certain training techniques and thus making it less effective. With my swimmers, once they got the basic premise of the biomechanics of the drill, they stopped putting the focus on what the drill emphasized.
So I started to focus on the drilling aspect first and how I reconstructed the strokes. I started to use drills in cycles and occasionally either re-introducing drills while cycling out other drills, combining drills, or simply making up new drills.
Re-Introduced Drills: I was lucky enough to have swam for Debbie Real, one of the best stroke technicians in the country, for most of my swimming career. One of the ways that she was able to consistently get the most out of us while building our strokes was her creativity within her practices. We probably had close to 30 drills or drill variations per stroke...and I may actually be underselling her on this. So having that kind of drill base was HUGE for me to be able to re-introduce drills.
So if I have 30 drills in my repertoire, I would have maybe 5 base drills like 12 kick switch or straight arm for freestyle that stay permanently in the rotation while maybe adding something that they hadn't done in awhile. Maybe it's a drill that focuses on a particular group weakness that came about in watching the swim meet last weekend.
Combining Drills: This is where I take a couple drills and combine them. Using the drill examples I used above, maybe it would be 12 kick switch with a straight arm recovery. With the added drills, there are added things to focus on. Not only would the kids need to think about getting on their sides while holding their body alignment with 12 kick switch, but they will also need to focus on driving their hips and recovering up over their heads as well.
Making Up New Drills: This one is something that I think is not as difficult as it sounds. There is no need to necessarily re-invent the wheel, although you are more then welcome to try something brand spanking new. There is plenty of help out on the interwebs. Websites like www.goswim.tv is a GREAT resource to have as Glenn Mills is great at introducing drills, explaining how the drill is supposed to be done as well as explaining the finer points of the drill.
Also I have found that just talking to other coaches whose teams may do a particular aspect of their stroke well. For example, I have to luxury of having CLASS Aquatics in our section and have a great rapport with both Steve Reardon, their Head Coach, and Kathy Duncan, their Head Age Group Coach, both of whom have probably forgotten more about swimming then I know. Both are very open and helpful with everything from business administration to stroke technique and refinement. I recently asked Kathy how she was approaching teaching the out-sweep and in-sweep on breaststroke and she gave me a few new drills and key phrases that she uses. I have found that coaches are your best asset...you just have to have the courage to start conversations and ask questions. I have not really been turned down for help from any coaches and over the last 12 years, I have talked to quite a few coaches.
Lastly, I occasionally will notice that I have a group problem that I need to address. This stems from watching my kids at a swim meet and watching what is breaking down in their strokes. So that typically motivates me to get into the water myself and start to play with my own stroke in order to see if I can't figure out a drill that may isolate the problem and get the kids to be aware of the problem as well. This has been where I have mostly adapted drills we have already done and tweaked them to fully accentuate the part of the stroke I want the focus to fall on.
Training: Because I tend to coach primarily 12 and unders, I am constantly trying out new ways to train kids and get them to do things that they ordinarily might not want to do. For example, I posted a 200 race strategy workout (Main Set #1) on the Pro Swim Workouts website. This workout is an example of how I deconstruct a race and base the main set around the race strategy we use. For 200's, I will typically tell my kids to to build the first three 50's then race. So I constructed a main set that emulated that strategy. My kids could have done 10x200 or 20x100 but they would have been bored to tears and their focus and attention to detail is significantly less.
I guess, in conclusion, I try to write workouts and do drills that I would want to do myself if I were in my swimmers' fins. Don't be afraid to be creative. Some stuff will work just as you imagined, most will be a process, and occasionally some stuff will be terrible and sometimes not even be as practical as you may have wanted. Regardless of the outcome, if it's new, the kids will get a kick out of trying it.
To me, it seemed as if the P90x idea of muscle confusion applied to how kids viewed drills. In the P90x workout training, muscle confusion is the basic premise that an athlete's body will get used to certain training techniques and thus making it less effective. With my swimmers, once they got the basic premise of the biomechanics of the drill, they stopped putting the focus on what the drill emphasized.
So I started to focus on the drilling aspect first and how I reconstructed the strokes. I started to use drills in cycles and occasionally either re-introducing drills while cycling out other drills, combining drills, or simply making up new drills.
Re-Introduced Drills: I was lucky enough to have swam for Debbie Real, one of the best stroke technicians in the country, for most of my swimming career. One of the ways that she was able to consistently get the most out of us while building our strokes was her creativity within her practices. We probably had close to 30 drills or drill variations per stroke...and I may actually be underselling her on this. So having that kind of drill base was HUGE for me to be able to re-introduce drills.
So if I have 30 drills in my repertoire, I would have maybe 5 base drills like 12 kick switch or straight arm for freestyle that stay permanently in the rotation while maybe adding something that they hadn't done in awhile. Maybe it's a drill that focuses on a particular group weakness that came about in watching the swim meet last weekend.
Combining Drills: This is where I take a couple drills and combine them. Using the drill examples I used above, maybe it would be 12 kick switch with a straight arm recovery. With the added drills, there are added things to focus on. Not only would the kids need to think about getting on their sides while holding their body alignment with 12 kick switch, but they will also need to focus on driving their hips and recovering up over their heads as well.
Making Up New Drills: This one is something that I think is not as difficult as it sounds. There is no need to necessarily re-invent the wheel, although you are more then welcome to try something brand spanking new. There is plenty of help out on the interwebs. Websites like www.goswim.tv is a GREAT resource to have as Glenn Mills is great at introducing drills, explaining how the drill is supposed to be done as well as explaining the finer points of the drill.
Also I have found that just talking to other coaches whose teams may do a particular aspect of their stroke well. For example, I have to luxury of having CLASS Aquatics in our section and have a great rapport with both Steve Reardon, their Head Coach, and Kathy Duncan, their Head Age Group Coach, both of whom have probably forgotten more about swimming then I know. Both are very open and helpful with everything from business administration to stroke technique and refinement. I recently asked Kathy how she was approaching teaching the out-sweep and in-sweep on breaststroke and she gave me a few new drills and key phrases that she uses. I have found that coaches are your best asset...you just have to have the courage to start conversations and ask questions. I have not really been turned down for help from any coaches and over the last 12 years, I have talked to quite a few coaches.
Lastly, I occasionally will notice that I have a group problem that I need to address. This stems from watching my kids at a swim meet and watching what is breaking down in their strokes. So that typically motivates me to get into the water myself and start to play with my own stroke in order to see if I can't figure out a drill that may isolate the problem and get the kids to be aware of the problem as well. This has been where I have mostly adapted drills we have already done and tweaked them to fully accentuate the part of the stroke I want the focus to fall on.
Training: Because I tend to coach primarily 12 and unders, I am constantly trying out new ways to train kids and get them to do things that they ordinarily might not want to do. For example, I posted a 200 race strategy workout (Main Set #1) on the Pro Swim Workouts website. This workout is an example of how I deconstruct a race and base the main set around the race strategy we use. For 200's, I will typically tell my kids to to build the first three 50's then race. So I constructed a main set that emulated that strategy. My kids could have done 10x200 or 20x100 but they would have been bored to tears and their focus and attention to detail is significantly less.
I guess, in conclusion, I try to write workouts and do drills that I would want to do myself if I were in my swimmers' fins. Don't be afraid to be creative. Some stuff will work just as you imagined, most will be a process, and occasionally some stuff will be terrible and sometimes not even be as practical as you may have wanted. Regardless of the outcome, if it's new, the kids will get a kick out of trying it.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Kick Work....with Tempo Trainers?!?
We do our share of stroke rate tempo work, both with and without a Tempo Trainer. However, I was looking to increase their kick rate and so into the pool I went. What I stumbled on was a great way to force a fast, snappy kick out of kids who may not understand just how fast and snappy their kick needs to be. So I started to play with different kick rate speeds for my underwater dolphin kicks and came up with a few that translated well with my group. I started my group on a set of 8x25 with fins on the :40, where I had each swimmer set their Tempo Trainer at :30. The set was to go halfway underwater, when they came up, it would be streamline dolphin kick on their backs still holding the same kick rate. What I saw was an almost full group transformation in the speed and explosiveness in their kick. The next set I had them go 8x25 @ :45 with a kick rate at :27, which put their kicks WELL beyond their respective comfort zones. With the slight increase in rest, they were expected to hold that pace and they all tried valiantly. The last set was 8x25 @ :50, but I increased the kick rate to back to :30 in an attempt to refocus them on a slightly slower yet more powerful movements and it worked like a charm. Time will tell as to whether or not my swimmers will translate this rate of kick into their normal everyday swim application, but the initial response has been crazy promising!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
New Beginnings
At Rattler Swim Club, we just went through a huge change with my business partner and Head Senior Coach leaving for another job in another LSC and I was able to use this as an opportunity to try some new ideas and look at the team through a completely different perspective. Amazingly, (knock on wood), the ideas I have implemented have worked well and opportunities are opening up for our team and myself as this time passes.
The regime change has been solid based on my seriousness towards keeping continuity amidst the temporary chaos and because of this, it really did seem to smooth the transition over amazingly well. With this, it made me think about the kind of mentality that we have on the pool deck, both coaches and swimmers alike, to where we aren't afraid to have fun, aren't afraid to work hard, aren't afraid to be ourselves...and it has culminated into an environment where I can continue to say that each swimmer in our program will leave our program a better person then they came in. That is an ideal that I cherish for more then how fast or talented a swimmer is.
The regime change has been solid based on my seriousness towards keeping continuity amidst the temporary chaos and because of this, it really did seem to smooth the transition over amazingly well. With this, it made me think about the kind of mentality that we have on the pool deck, both coaches and swimmers alike, to where we aren't afraid to have fun, aren't afraid to work hard, aren't afraid to be ourselves...and it has culminated into an environment where I can continue to say that each swimmer in our program will leave our program a better person then they came in. That is an ideal that I cherish for more then how fast or talented a swimmer is.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
How bad do you want it?
I got ahold of this video via Facebook from Paul Yetter, a very decorated swim coach on the East Coast, and this video speaks volumes about the state of today's athletes, and frankly people in today's society. But instead of droning on and on about societial issues, I will keep it strictly to swimming.
Eric Thomas, AKA "The Hip Hop Preacher", is the motivational speaker who is narrating this video and the meat and potatoes of what he is saying towards the second half of the video is VERY true. The premise of the video is that in order to be TRULY successful, you have to want success as badly as you want your next breath. But on the second half of the video, he discusses how its not good enough to "kinda want it". You are either willing to sacrifice for success or you are not, but there is no real middle ground with this.
In swimming, it is such a marathon of a sport, that is not uncommon...and frankly, rather normal to question what you are doing or why you are doing it from time to time. The trick is to always have both your short term as well as long term goals at the forefront of your thoughts, to stay focused on the PROCESS rather then immediate results. It takes TRUST in everyone involved in the process, from the swimmer to the coach, as well as the parents. And lastly, it takes SACRIFICE....lots and lots of sacrifice. That HS football game you wanted to go to? Gonna have to show up after halftime in order to finish practice. That party Friday night? You have a real hard morning practice the next morning so staying out late is not advised. Your boyfriend/girlfriend is pissed that you have 3 swim meets out of town in the next 4 weeks? There are always cell phones to use.
Bottom line, in order to be truly successful in the sport of swimming, are you willing to sacrifice? I mean REALLY willing to sacrifice? If you want it, it is there for you to take. But that means that you have to be there to answer the bell. Every time. No excuses. No second guessing. 100% commitment. And what do you get in return besides the idea of no regrets? SUCCESS. As complex as carrying it out seems, it all goes back to the simple premise of "HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT IT?".
Thursday, June 16, 2011
One of my FAVORITE sets, exposed!!!!
Today at practice, I let our Senior Group know that I was going to be running practice tomorrow afternoon (our Senior coaches are both out of town at the Santa Clara International Grand Prix) and to remember to bring their fins for our main set. Immediately, I had three excited (I think) Senior swimmers who simultaneously asked "ARE WE DOING 20x50's?!?!?!" which I answered YES to. They were stoked and so was I, as it is truly my favorite set.
Before I drone on about the beauty of this set, let me explain what it is. The set is 20x50's on 1:30 with fins, 4x50 SPRINT and 1x50 easy, 4x thru. I let the kids immediately start their easy 50 after their 4th 50 sprint has been completed so they have more time after warming down to re-group and get ready for the next round. The goal of the set is to have each swimmer swim 1-2 seconds FASTER then their fastest swim meet 50 free time. I typically only do this set short course every two weeks or so, but this continues throughout the Long Course season.
Here is the why I love this set. The swim portion is short enough and the rest is long enough that you can get a real honest effort on every repeat from any swimmer, whether they are 9 or 19 years old. This set has also been a real predictor of what swimmers are capable of by the end of the season. Because they are racing their OWN times, each swimmer is held accountable for their times. So if little Johnny is a 27.50 in the 50 free, I am expecting him to hold 26 or 25 EVERY SINGLE SPRINT REPEAT. I use this set to teach detailed race strategy as well as a racing mindset and set the heats up to race. There is a real focus on breath control, holding our breaths for 2 strokes out of turns and flags to wall on our finishes.
I heart this set more then most any other "test" set I do with my kids. Because I coach primarily 12 and unders, this set is a great teaching tool, both technically as well as developing intestinal fortitude in younger swimmers who may be uncomfortable getting out of their respective comfort zones. I can work with some swimmers on learning how to keep their stroke rates up or how to keep their stroke together as fatigue sets in while with others, it is simply coaxing greatness out of them, helping them realize their potential by holding their hand through the bravery it takes to be willing to hurt through a set. Each swimmer will get something out of this set, which when working with larger groups, is something I as a coach cherish.
Any coaches out there, I would love to hear what you have to say about the set, whether you would be willing to try it, and if so, what the results were with your swimmers.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Backstroke Basics
As a swimmer, I loved all things backstroke. I even took to the underwater craze as Jeff Rouse introduced it to the world in 1992....almost liked it too much and had the DQ slips to prove it. But backstroke came so naturally for me as a swimmer, I struggled as a coach to teach and coach it up. I couldn't identify with bad body position, inability to sink my hand down, or the problem of overreaching. I was searching for ways to simplify the stroke and maximize the efficiency. I have focused on three different keys to teaching backstroke to younger swimmers:
1.) HEAD POSITION: I always tell my swimmers that the most important thing they could do for backstroke is have good head position, because the body follows the head. Good head position=better body position. So I always tell them to keep their heads back and their heads still. We have a few things we do to exaggerate this concept, but the most useful thing we do is to drill while having their goggles resting (unstrapped on the head) on their foreheads. This forces them to keep their heads back and still. Some kids find a way to angle their goggles on their head to where it won't fall off if their heads are too far out of the water, but I typically can see that and let them know to get their heads back more. We have drilled up to an hour doing exactly this.
2.) PROPER KICK: My coach used to say that backstroke was 70% legs and I wholeheartedly agree. But I see too many swimmers that hinge their kicks from their knees, limiting the power they have with their kick. I stress the importance of kicking from their hips as opposed to their knees. We do alot of posture/streamline kicking with fins, both to teach and work underwater work (that's another blog post entirely) as well as to ease into strengthening the hip flexor muscles that take time to develop.
3.) DRIVING SHOULDERS: I tell my kids that backstroke was misnamed and should have been named sidestroke because if swimmers swam with their bodies flat, they wouldn't be nearly as fast. So a lot of our backstroke drills emphasize shoulders, then thumb exiting the water first, then driving our shoulders and pinkies towards the bottom of the pool as it enters. We have a drill sequence that I call "Build-A-Backstroke" that accentuates this exact thought process.
I'm curious to see what focus points other coaches use and how they apply the concept to their swimmers strokes. These are the big three for me. Have a great day!
1.) HEAD POSITION: I always tell my swimmers that the most important thing they could do for backstroke is have good head position, because the body follows the head. Good head position=better body position. So I always tell them to keep their heads back and their heads still. We have a few things we do to exaggerate this concept, but the most useful thing we do is to drill while having their goggles resting (unstrapped on the head) on their foreheads. This forces them to keep their heads back and still. Some kids find a way to angle their goggles on their head to where it won't fall off if their heads are too far out of the water, but I typically can see that and let them know to get their heads back more. We have drilled up to an hour doing exactly this.
2.) PROPER KICK: My coach used to say that backstroke was 70% legs and I wholeheartedly agree. But I see too many swimmers that hinge their kicks from their knees, limiting the power they have with their kick. I stress the importance of kicking from their hips as opposed to their knees. We do alot of posture/streamline kicking with fins, both to teach and work underwater work (that's another blog post entirely) as well as to ease into strengthening the hip flexor muscles that take time to develop.
3.) DRIVING SHOULDERS: I tell my kids that backstroke was misnamed and should have been named sidestroke because if swimmers swam with their bodies flat, they wouldn't be nearly as fast. So a lot of our backstroke drills emphasize shoulders, then thumb exiting the water first, then driving our shoulders and pinkies towards the bottom of the pool as it enters. We have a drill sequence that I call "Build-A-Backstroke" that accentuates this exact thought process.
I'm curious to see what focus points other coaches use and how they apply the concept to their swimmers strokes. These are the big three for me. Have a great day!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Enjoying the Process
The late great George Haines once said that (paraphrasing as it was a convo we had almost 10 years ago) today's kids are end result-driven, where they think that all they have to do is call out a time and it will just magically appear at the end of the season. They need to understand and appreciate the journey of the process to get to where they want to go if they ever truly want to know what success in this sport is.
I was reminded of this recently as we were preparing for WAG Champs. I asked one of my swimmers to remind me of what she wanted to go in the 100 backstroke by JO's. Her response was 57 in the 100 when her best time was 1:02 at last year's JO's. I then asked her if she had any idea of what she would need to go out at the 50 mark in order to to have a chance at her goal. It took her awhile to figure it out, but eventually she remembered and came up with 27-high, 28-low, which I agreed with. Her best time in the 50 back was 28.4, so she would need to go faster then her fastest 50 in order to achieve this.
It is easy for swimmers to pick a time out of the air but do they truly understand that there are steps A, B, C, and D that need to be taken in order to get to the end result? I preach realistic goal setting and understanding the process. With each goal, I ask my swimmers to pick a set, either a test set we do regularly or any other we have done in the past, in order to explain to me what kind of work they think would help them get to their goals. I also ask them to break down their splits according to what they feel they should be going. From there, I give them feedback and I either ask them to adjust their goals or keep them as is.
It's ok to shoot for the stars.....just have a plan of HOW you want to get there!
I was reminded of this recently as we were preparing for WAG Champs. I asked one of my swimmers to remind me of what she wanted to go in the 100 backstroke by JO's. Her response was 57 in the 100 when her best time was 1:02 at last year's JO's. I then asked her if she had any idea of what she would need to go out at the 50 mark in order to to have a chance at her goal. It took her awhile to figure it out, but eventually she remembered and came up with 27-high, 28-low, which I agreed with. Her best time in the 50 back was 28.4, so she would need to go faster then her fastest 50 in order to achieve this.
It is easy for swimmers to pick a time out of the air but do they truly understand that there are steps A, B, C, and D that need to be taken in order to get to the end result? I preach realistic goal setting and understanding the process. With each goal, I ask my swimmers to pick a set, either a test set we do regularly or any other we have done in the past, in order to explain to me what kind of work they think would help them get to their goals. I also ask them to break down their splits according to what they feel they should be going. From there, I give them feedback and I either ask them to adjust their goals or keep them as is.
It's ok to shoot for the stars.....just have a plan of HOW you want to get there!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Breaststroke philosophy shift
When I was growing up, the idea of a "wave-action breaststroke" was all the rage. Swimmers like Amanda Beard (the teenage version) and Mike Barrowman dominated breaststroke events at the world stage and their breaststrokes were mimicked quite a bit, where we were taught to come up and almost pull our shoulders back before firing forward. My coach used to equate it with "traveling like an inchworm".
Since then, things have changed quite a bit and my own personal breast philosophy has as well. I now am teaching my swimmers to always have the tops of their shoulders and head pointing to the wall they are going to throughout their entire stroke. It just made sense to me to teach breast where the body is moving forward at all times. Devil's advocate may say that this would only work for those with tremendous breast kicks behind them and I agree and disagree. By putting the emphasis on steady body and head position, it minimizes the amount of movement needed to move forward, allowing non-breast strokers a simplified stroke to improve while allowing breaststrokers the opportunity to maximize their kick strength.
One of my favorite sets that we do to get a GREAT VO2max workout in while really making head and body position the focus is 8x100 SPRINT with fins on 1:45/2:00. The swimmers are to alternate 25's of dolphin breast and flutter breast, where a constant kick throughout is stressed. Most swimmers will shut the legs down as their hands turn in at the beginning of the their breaths. I stress the importance of a steady kick throughout. My JO group (my fastest 10-12 yr olds) do these on the 1:45, getting anywhere from :30-:40 seconds rest. My GOLD group (my fastest 8-10 yr olds) will do 6x100 on the 2:00, getting :15-:30 seconds rest. Because of the amount of rest each swimmer gets, it gives me perfect opportunity to remind/correct bad or fading head/body position in between repeats. I have attributed this set to the transformation of my group's breast efficiency and consistency.
Since then, things have changed quite a bit and my own personal breast philosophy has as well. I now am teaching my swimmers to always have the tops of their shoulders and head pointing to the wall they are going to throughout their entire stroke. It just made sense to me to teach breast where the body is moving forward at all times. Devil's advocate may say that this would only work for those with tremendous breast kicks behind them and I agree and disagree. By putting the emphasis on steady body and head position, it minimizes the amount of movement needed to move forward, allowing non-breast strokers a simplified stroke to improve while allowing breaststrokers the opportunity to maximize their kick strength.
One of my favorite sets that we do to get a GREAT VO2max workout in while really making head and body position the focus is 8x100 SPRINT with fins on 1:45/2:00. The swimmers are to alternate 25's of dolphin breast and flutter breast, where a constant kick throughout is stressed. Most swimmers will shut the legs down as their hands turn in at the beginning of the their breaths. I stress the importance of a steady kick throughout. My JO group (my fastest 10-12 yr olds) do these on the 1:45, getting anywhere from :30-:40 seconds rest. My GOLD group (my fastest 8-10 yr olds) will do 6x100 on the 2:00, getting :15-:30 seconds rest. Because of the amount of rest each swimmer gets, it gives me perfect opportunity to remind/correct bad or fading head/body position in between repeats. I have attributed this set to the transformation of my group's breast efficiency and consistency.
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