If the major car companies, electronics companies and other industries can get together ad agree on certain industry standards, why not swimming? Do you think that all computer firms just suddenly come up with the USB? No, they all agreed to the design, capabilities and limitations, so all could compete and flourish on par.
Same goes for swimming, but it hasn't happened yet. Lap or Length have been argued to death here, with no consensus. This morning I was reminded of another set of easily confused terms; build and descend. I was taught that build meant increase speed (or at least effort) during the individual swim you are about to perform, descend was to make each swim in a set a little faster, so the last 100 (or whatever the distance) was faster than the first one .
Anyone else have terms of inconsistency or ambiguity? Can we get the coaches to issue forth a letter of understanding on certain terms, so we have an interchangeable vernacular across the country?
I've never encountered a different use for either "build" or "descend" than what Michael described.
That's always been my understanding and how i swim them. I'm a little less certain about the difference between "build" and "N/S" . How is 300 build differnet than than a 300 N/S. Would you use the N/S if swimming a broken 300 (3x100 on 5 sec RI) and the "build" if swimming 300 unbroken??
That's always been my understanding and how i swim them. I'm a little less certain about the difference between "build" and "N/S" . How is 300 build differnet than than a 300 N/S. Would you use the N/S if swimming a broken 300 (3x100 on 5 sec RI) and the "build" if swimming 300 unbroken??
A negative split would be swimming the 2nd half of the race faster than the 1st half of the race...something I'm not good at. :)
A built swim should be negative-split, but not all negative-split swims are necessarily build, if that makes sense. Let's say you're swimming a 400. If the intent is to "build" you might split it 1:15, 1:13, 1:11, 1:09 or something. If it's negative split you could split it the same way or you could do something like 1:15, 1:15, 1:10, 1:10.
Former Member
Something cool to try - do a set of 10x100's and descend 1-10 while at the same time building each 100 :bliss:
It's actually a good challenge and you have to think it through!
Another good one is double descend. An example would be 3x4x200. You have to descend each round of four AND descend by round. So on the first round you might do something like 2:30, 2:25, 2:20, 2:15. Then on the second one you need to be faster than 2:30 on the first one and 2:15 on the last one. On the third round you need to be faster than the second round. This is a real challenge. It's hard to not start out too fast!
OK. What does "best average" mean?
Everybody point and laugh, TG doesn't know what best average means :joker:
Now that's out of your system, so please kindly answer my question :)
