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?
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 :)
When you swim a number of swims (say 10x50's, 5x100's, etc) all fast and try to maintain the fastest average time you can. Your times may not all be exactly the same but you want the average of all your times to be the fastest you can make it.
When you swim a number of swims (say 10x50's, 5x100's, etc) all fast and try to maintain the fastest average time you can. Your times may not all be exactly the same but you want the average of all your times to be the fastest you can make it.
So I can "best average" on a number of different sets, which I tend to do.
10 x 100 Free @ 1:15 (1:07s)
10 x 50 Fly @ :45 (:33s)
5 x 200 IM @ 3:00 (2:25s)
5 x 100 Free @ 5:00 (:58s)
These are all best averages, aren't they? Or am I wrong? I guess I'm confused as much as That Guy was. :dunno:
When you swim a number of swims (say 10x50's, 5x100's, etc) all fast and try to maintain the fastest average time you can. Your times may not all be exactly the same but you want the average of all your times to be the fastest you can make it.
Thank you!
When you swim a number of swims (say 10x50's, 5x100's, etc) all fast and try to maintain the fastest average time you can. Your times may not all be exactly the same but you want the average of all your times to be the fastest you can make it.
Best average means work them all hard. Don't blast the first one or two repeats so the remainder drop off a lot. Don't be gutless in the beginning, saving up for the end.
Rich - pretty good system and makes sense to me (reminds me a ittle of golf and trying to track score vs bogie through the round). About how far above a best time would you recommed trying to hold for best averages 10x50 @ 3 min.?
Going to try this set and some of the sets knelson put up too.
thanks, Bill
About how far above a best time would you recommed trying to hold for best averages 10x50 @ 3 min.?
Going to try this set and some of the sets knelson put up too.
thanks, Bill
The relationship between best average and best time for a particular set depends on the individual. Some people can run marathons at 90% of their aerobic max. I'm sure I couldn't complete a marathon unless I walked most of the way at 20% max. The set that I mentioned trains your anaerobic enurance (especially for a 100). Personally, a 30 average is about 4 to 4.5 seconds slower than my shaved and tapered recent max. It's probably about 2-2.5 seconds slower than I could do 1 rep max in practice mid season. A good middle distance swimmer could probably keep their best average much closer to their race max.
My reason for starting this thread was not to see if you knew (or thought you knew) various terminology, but get the coaches to agree and use common terms exclusively instead of interchangeably.
Most long time swimmers will know the difference between build and descend and if negative splits are involved. But how many of you see others in your lane looking as if the coach was speaking Basque instead of English, and the lane is getting ready to go? There is no time to explain and you have to trust that swimmers #3, 4, 5, and others will be doing what is intended.
And those terms were only examples. There are many terms that are used in training, some very specific to one coach or region. Most of us know what the catch up stroke drill is, but how many have heard of the mustard stroke? Me too, until one day at a workout many years ago.
Any response from coaches would be welcome, although most have way better things to do than cruise the forums looking for complaints.
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?
Competitive Swimming needs a glossary or dictionary, maybe an acronym committee could create definitions and standards. Perhaps a spin off of the rules committee could standardize the lingo and acronyms.
If urbandictionary.com can do it why can't we?
The term definition example.
Here's Several websites that contain Definitions of Swimming Terms:
mvm.org/workouts-glossary.phpwww.staps.uhp-nancy.fr/.../swimterms.htm
Swimming Drills and Set Notation
Training Plan Terms and RPE/HR Zone Chart
Swim Smooth Glossary
Warrenton Masters Swim Team
Lap: swim down and back, though some coaches say "lap" when they mean length.
Length: swim one length of the pool
build: increase effort during a swim
descend: increase speed during a set
Anyone else have terms of inconsistency or ambiguity?
not really
Can we get the coaches to issue forth a letter of understanding on certain terms, so we have an interchangeable vernacular across the country?
there's too many terms, a website with a glossary, a swim dictionary or list of training definitons might be best
It's important to understand the terms, acronyms and abbreviations your coach uses.
One of the tricky ones my coach uses is:
KRLS: Kick Right Left Swim
What's most important:
If you don't know ASK.
There's also
BONK:
when you've trained so far and hard that you have no more glycogen in your muscles, you're hurting bad and it feels terrible
GET OUT SWIM:
is a challenge, if the swimmer swims a certain fast time or faster then she, her lane, or the whole team get out of practice
You Lead, You go first:
means: you're faster than me or I"m gonna draft off you
5 apart:
swimmers leave 5 seconds apart in a lane on a set,
means the follower wants to draft
usually short course especially when there's 4 or more swimmers in a lane
10 apart:
swimmers leave 10 seconds apart in a lane on a set,
means the leader doesn't want the people behind him to draft
usually longcourse, short course only if there's 2 or 3 in a lane
