The new Master's coach philosophy is to do lower yardage and more IM. Lots of kicks (strengthen the core), lots of drills, and lots of toys (snorkel, skull finger paddles, regular paddles, zoomers, regular fins, *** stoke fins, finis tempo trainer, light weight kick board...) (disclaimer...I have not bought any of this stuff, just have the normal toys). I am in my 60's, have swum forever, many years in masters, raised age-group kids through college swimming, and am very confused.
I am used to 10 x 100 or 5 x 200's or couple 500's, IM once in a while, option to swim IM or free, kicks as a set in a workout, you know what I'm talkin' bout.
Now I am exhausted doing 90 minutes of kicks and sprints and only going 2000 yards. Flipping at the end of every set, using weight balls in the water, doing 6 x 100 *** stroke kick no hands, doing tandem training, example: swimming arm in arm with the other 60 year old doing fly kicks then holding his legs while I kick and he strokes, then vise versa. Now it is not always exhausting, but it seems always to be frustrating.
Working hard is not the problem, but working hard doing fly kicks in 50 meter pools is frustrating. And my distance flog is suffering. Not just 4 x 50 fly kicks, but 10 x 50 fly kicks.
It has been 4 months with new coach. Others say that they workouts are making them stronger for races and allowing them to be tougher. I worry about hurting my back, my shoulders, and not getting in my yardage.
Fitness swimming should be challenging and fun; I am a wimp? Should I give it more time? I like my team!
Wow. Ridiculing swimmers. Maybe I'll forget about finding a team.
Kind of depends on how it's done. I used to have a spin class instructor who described himself as an "equal opportunity abuser." But he was a performer, a comic, teasing everyone equally as he promised, and even when I was the target of his insults, they were so funny that I couldn't help but laugh.... And I could give as well as I got. At the end of one class, he asked how many were coming back, and getting into the spirit of his example, I said, "I have to come back. I heard this class was supposed to get hard and I just wanted to see when that would happen." Reply "You'll see!" On a one-to-one level, the guy was very friendly and helpful. I just took the insults with a grain of salt.
My current swim coaches won't put people down as people, though they might engage in some friendly teasing--nothing personally attacking, but just helping to motivate. They also know when to recognize a good effort and that's huge as well. I'm cool w/ someone critiquing and some joking around, as long as there's an underlying respect or (as in the case of the spin instructor) a sense that this is a part of an act, and there's an understanding that you can't take it personally.
Main thing is whether you know the coach/instructor is respectful of you as a person.
I can't really judge that aspect of the guy the OP discussed--he might just be coming to this with his own ideas/agenda about what workouts should be, and maybe it's an adjustment process which communication on both sides can help to foster.
Wow. Ridiculing swimmers. Maybe I'll forget about finding a team.
Kind of depends on how it's done. I used to have a spin class instructor who described himself as an "equal opportunity abuser." But he was a performer, a comic, teasing everyone equally as he promised, and even when I was the target of his insults, they were so funny that I couldn't help but laugh.... And I could give as well as I got. At the end of one class, he asked how many were coming back, and getting into the spirit of his example, I said, "I have to come back. I heard this class was supposed to get hard and I just wanted to see when that would happen." Reply "You'll see!" On a one-to-one level, the guy was very friendly and helpful. I just took the insults with a grain of salt.
My current swim coaches won't put people down as people, though they might engage in some friendly teasing--nothing personally attacking, but just helping to motivate. They also know when to recognize a good effort and that's huge as well. I'm cool w/ someone critiquing and some joking around, as long as there's an underlying respect or (as in the case of the spin instructor) a sense that this is a part of an act, and there's an understanding that you can't take it personally.
Main thing is whether you know the coach/instructor is respectful of you as a person.
I can't really judge that aspect of the guy the OP discussed--he might just be coming to this with his own ideas/agenda about what workouts should be, and maybe it's an adjustment process which communication on both sides can help to foster.
