So many swimmers classify themselves as a "sprinter", "breaststroker", "middle distance", "IMer", etc.
Since training can affect the outcome, how can you tell if your talent matches what you're training?
To clarify with an example: How can you tell if you're really meant to be a distance swimmer vs. you like distance and you've trained yourself into it?
There's definitely something to be said for just doing what you like and going with it. Or to just take an all around approach similar to what is recommended for age groupers.
But what if you want to pick something to really throw your focus into?
Is there an objective way to decide what distance a person should focus on or what stroke a person should focus on?
If you have a specialty, how did you decide?
If you have a specialty, how did you decide?
Could be this is a different question for people who started younger but I think breaststrokers tend to be breaststrokers because they do best (relative to other people) in that stroke. It's probably one of the more obvious strokes people either naturally do well or don't. Those of us who started young probably specialized (at least eventually) largely based on certain events that qualified us for our highest level meets. I was a better 200 breaststroke swimmer than 100 or 50 - I know that based on my times and placings vs. others in that event. As an age grouper, though, my coach had us swimming every event at some point during every season - and we trained for everything also. It's easier to get to know what you are best at when you try everything.
This may be harder to do for those who start out as masters swimmers (though you still have the advantage of best times in everything)! Go to meets and try lots of events - see how you place relative to others. More importantly - see what you like to train and race!
As an age grouper, though, my coach had us swimming every event at some point during every season - and we trained for everything also.
My coaches did not do this and I wish they had. We all trained for "everything" but we were not put in everything. And by "everything" I mean mostly freestyle. I was put in the same two events for almost every meet forever and ever. And our meets never had 200s of the strokes, so hard to know how that would have panned out. And when we got older, sadly the 50s disappeared as well. When I did go to USA meets (rarely because my parents couldn't afford it), I swam in one of those already tested events - not something completely new.
I had a pretty short college experience because of illness that was too much to keep swimming & working. I recall my college coach actually having me train for the events I was racing, which was a nice change. But still, the same events. One meet we actually did have the 200 ***. I don't remember my time at all. I don't remember how I placed. I just remember the look of "ugh" and general disgust afterwards. But I don't remember if the "ugh" was because it was so much better than my 100 or because it was so much worse. My mind is playing tricks on me and I truly can't recall. But I know one was significantly better than the other. But even after an adult season dedicated to the 200/400 and a season dedicated to the 50/100, I can't figure out which.
If your desire is to rank as high as you can in an event - use the event ranking part of the USMS site to compare how your times rank vs. others in different events. What events do you find the most fun?
Don't worry about how others reacted in your childhood - you sound like you had a less than ideal swimming situation growing up. My USAS coach was really good - he really did make us do all of our off events at least once (and usually multiple times) over the course of a season. It was very obvious I was always going to be best (by far) at breaststroke but he wanted us to be well-rounded. Good thing, too, because I had a fairly lengthy plateau in my best events at one point - it was nice still being able to drop time in other things while that happened...
From an objective standpoint, this calculator is kind of cool. It tries to smooth out the anomalies that can appear in certain events in different age groups.
www.egswim.com/.../RatingTime.html
In addition to the above,the great thing about Masters is that you get to swim what you want.There is the Check Off Challenge to encourage you to swim every event. Do some of everything and find what you like/are good at.
I wonder if there's a test like this that translates into swimming?
kofitness2010.wordpress.com/.../
For example, if one was to take a time from a recent meet, add 20% and then see how many they could do on ? amount rest to determine if they are fast twitch or slow twitch in that event. I know when I add 20% to my recent meet times! some would be pretty tricky to hold and some I feel confident I could get several reps in on short rest. That would be kinda cool. Or just take a fraction of the event, (USRPT-ish), but whatever number you first fail at is an indicator of how much fast/vs/slow twitch you recruit.
Hmmm...
You may notice that in practice and in meets, certain strokes and distances come easier to you than others or that you tend to rank higher in those events relative to how you do in other events. Or when you do the stroke or event you have been able to attain a feeling of flow. There may also be some correlation between body type and best stroke/distance, but I'll let the experts weigh in. I've heard one coach say that shorter, stockier people tend to do better in distance *** and IM, for example.
I would try a lot of different events and see which ones you enjoy the most. I think it is fun and adds some nice variety to pick a stroke and distance that's completely different from what you usually swim and try to improve in it, regardless of how you compare with others. When I swim meets, I'll do a familiar event but also try to do something completely different. But I'm not an elite swimmer who is aiming for national records -- just trying to stay in shape, enjoy swimming, and get a little faster as I age.
I understand you can spit into a vial and send it off for solid results. Probably better than a biopsy too, because some of those fibers have already been adapted to accomplished training. Not sure how expensive it is.
