Debating doing College Swimming... Never Swam Competitively
Former Member
Here is the low down guys. I am a Sophomore at a pretty average division 1 university. I am a member of the cross country and indoor/outdoor track teams so i have been competitively racing for almost 6 years. I have never swam on a team before but... I want to! I feel as if I've gone mad. I want to try in college!! Next year, not this year, I need to get my base up i know that. off of 2 swims a week (500yards) i swim 500 yards free in 7:48 as of yesterday (you dont need to tell me how slow that is I already know). I am not afraid of hard work, swimming 2+ hours a day I can do that. I want to try! can anyone tell me what I need to do to see if i can get to around 5 flat in the 500 yard free? or a fast 1000 time it doesn't matter, just good enough to walk on the team. the weird thing is, i think I am a better swimmer than I am a runner. the pool just seems to click for me. can anyone help me out? I am willing to swim every day from now till next swim season to make this dream a reality! ...ps i'm a guy if that matters
Parents
Former Member
Forget about the haters, if you're motivated and willing to work at it go for it! The worst thing that might happen is that you don't drop as much time as you like but I guarantee you'll improve and be a better swimmer.
Like some have already said, if you can find a club, a coach, or just some ex-swimmers to train with and help you with your technique this would be the best way to start. Most novice swimmers improve immensely just by becoming more efficient with their stroke, turns, learning to streamline, and kicking off the walls.
As an athlete, you're probably already aware that you don't need to train by just swimming a bunch of long distance but do a lot of interval training. In order to achieve your goal, you not only need to develop technique but also work on your speed and you can do this through shorter distances and higher intensity swims.
Good luck to you!
Forget about the haters, if you're motivated and willing to work at it go for it! The worst thing that might happen is that you don't drop as much time as you like but I guarantee you'll improve and be a better swimmer.
Like some have already said, if you can find a club, a coach, or just some ex-swimmers to train with and help you with your technique this would be the best way to start. Most novice swimmers improve immensely just by becoming more efficient with their stroke, turns, learning to streamline, and kicking off the walls.
As an athlete, you're probably already aware that you don't need to train by just swimming a bunch of long distance but do a lot of interval training. In order to achieve your goal, you not only need to develop technique but also work on your speed and you can do this through shorter distances and higher intensity swims.
Good luck to you!
