A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

RE: A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

flystorms — Thu, 29 Dec 2016 01:52:58 GMT

A good idea for an exhibition event! Personally I might keep the usual order but make it back to back 200 IMs. It seems less daunting than the usual way. Chris you may be onto something here. I die after 25 fly and might as well have a noodle and flowered cap for my *** stroke. Doing it this way might make it more palatable. Then again, maybe not. But I love this whole thread and idea. It sure would make things interesting to see different strategies in action based on skills.

RE: A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

Chris Stevenson — Thu, 29 Dec 2016 01:47:49 GMT

A good idea for an exhibition event! Personally I might keep the usual order but make it back to back 200 IMs. It seems less daunting than the usual way.

RE: A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

smontanaro — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 09:35:24 GMT

Here's my thought on the logic of the 400 IM: Fly - first to just get it over with Back - need lots of oxygen after all doing all that butterfly *** - third in order by default (see freestyle) Free - what a relief after all that other stuff A masters coach I had several years ago said the worst part of a 400IM for him was the final pullout on the *** leg. It was a real lung buster.

RE: A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

Rich B. — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 08:47:11 GMT

RE: A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

Rich B. — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 08:15:29 GMT

Though I have to add, I agree with pwb's "king of events" description. It would be interesting to know how the order of strokes came to be. Anyone have any info on this?

RE: A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

Allen Stark — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 07:10:25 GMT

I usually find the first *** pullout the hardest and have, more often that I'd like to admit, opted to skip it! Do the pullout IF it is faster. Coming up nearly vertical because you are gasping for breath is definitely not faster.Better no pullout, a clean breakout and enough oxygen in those circumstances. On the other hand, if you have good breath control and a slow surface BR, spend as much time underwater as possible with the idea that, the shorter distance you have to swim BR, the better you will do.

RE: A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

Patrick W. Brundage — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 04:26:22 GMT

A masters coach I had several years ago said the worst part of a 400IM for him was the final pullout on the *** leg. It was a real lung buster.I usually find the first *** pullout the hardest and have, more often that I'd like to admit, opted to skip it!

RE: A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

Patrick W. Brundage — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 02:08:10 GMT

...I wonder if you, Patrick, think you could swim 400 yards of IM faster by rearranging the strokes as you see fit. To me, an interesting thought experiment. Well, the Swim Devil Masters put on their most awesome Sprinter Spectacular every late Feb/early March and they have an exhibition 100 IM where you can choose to swim it in any order. I have played around with different order there and had believed that starting with breaststroke would be the best as I could maximize my underwater pullout, which is the only decent part of my breaststroke. However much faster that made my breaststroke leg, I ended up horribly behind all the other guys and then faced a wave-pool on the remainder of the strokes. I'd be willing to try another order on the 400 IM, but I doubt I'd change the fly start or the free end. I could possibly see some logic in going fly - *** - back - free to lump the short-axis strokes with the long-axis strokes, but I doubt I'd see much time improvement as I like the ability to breathe like a madman on the backstroke after the fly.

RE: A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

Patrick W. Brundage — Mon, 26 Dec 2016 12:18:04 GMT

RE: A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

jim thornton — Mon, 26 Dec 2016 09:52:18 GMT

Sacrilege, my man, pure sacrilege to profane the King of Events with such blasphemous blathering. “I thought such awful thoughts that I cannot even say them out loud because they would make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish.” ― Anne Lamott I am pretty sure that gin drunk straight out of a "cat dish"--as you put it--is even more intoxicating. But that's beside the point. Blasphemous blathering that my idea may well be, I wonder if you, Patrick, think you could swim 400 yards of IM faster by rearranging the strokes as you see fit. To me, an interesting thought experiment. I have a veterinarian friend whose father was a vet at Churchill Downs who told me once that when race horses tie up, smart jockeys are able to get them to slightly adjust their gaits, recruiting less fatigued muscles. It seems to me that the 400 IM is designed to thoroughly exhaust the entirety of the human body, as well as our alleged spirits, but perhaps the switching of strokes as needed in a judicious manner can permit the exhausted musculature a brief rest and respite, enhancing the overall speed. What is so bad about introducing a clearly strategic element to the sport of swimming? Other sports (golf, short track speed skating, chess) have it. Why not swimming? The polls indicate that swimmers tend to have among the highest grade points of any collegiate athletes. Why not force them to use their brain power a bit more?

RE: A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

jim thornton — Sun, 25 Dec 2016 12:41:33 GMT

We could even make it 400 IM LCM by 25s to add a judging component a la figure skating!

RE: A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

Rich B. — Sun, 25 Dec 2016 11:30:59 GMT

Why not also the long course 400 IM (by 50s)?

RE: A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

orca1946 — Sun, 25 Dec 2016 01:28:51 GMT

With style points for the start?

RE: A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

Former Member — Sat, 24 Dec 2016 15:25:13 GMT

I like the idea. I have wished this was an option ever since I swam my first 100 fly! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

RE: A New Strategic 400 IM: how to make swimming interesting!

orca1946 — Sat, 24 Dec 2016 05:08:14 GMT

I'm sure the turn judges would love to keep track of what is legal!!!