What can you tell me about swimming flags to flags? I did about 10 of them today and wondered if I did them right! I didn't find very much here about it or anywhere else.
I regularly give a similar set to the older kids on my summer league team, I call them "buoy sprints." I modified it from a set given by the University of Richmond women's swim coach. Each round consists of something like this:
#1: Off the blocks and sprint to the far buoy (15m).
#2: Turn around and from a dead stop, sprint to the other buoy (about 5m).
#3: Turn around and from a dead stop sprint to the wall, do a race turn, and push off to the near buoy (about 25m).
#4: From a dead stop, sprint from the buoy to the wall, with a race finish (about 15m).
"Dead stop" means exactly that, no pushing off the bottom or pulling on lane lines. We'll do a couple rounds, with different strokes. Coaches stand by the target buoy to help those doing backstroke.
As other people mentioned, starting from a dead stop develops power. High turnover rate trains your nervous system. And we emphasize getting power from the kick, good starts, turns, underwater streamlines, and finishes. Keep in mind, of course, that the longest race in our summer league is a 100, and most races are 50s.
More info on the drill (and benefits) here-- www.yourswimlog.com/.../
It's all about developing speed. Done from a dead stop (sculling in place) and getting up to max speed as quick as you can.
It's one of Vlad Morozov's favorite drills as well.
