Speed, whats it take to get it?

One word. Swim You can lift weights, ride a bike, run, anything to increase cardiovacular endurance, but the one and only thing that will make you fast in the pool is to SWIM. Good luck

thank you, what are some drills I can do, when I was 12, I could do a 200 IM in 2:06.91, is that good?

To swim fast you have to swim fast. Sounds silly but you can workout all day and night but if you don't throw in some fast sets you won't ever really know how to train and swim fast.

I agree with Barry. You should try to build an endurance base for the season by getting in some long swims, which can include kicking and pulling. Add some sprints so you can retain/regain your speed. Don't forget warmups and recovery swims at the end, as well as stretching. Dryland work is fine but there is no substitute for swimming.

A 2:06.91 200IM when you were 12 would have put you in the top 5 in the nation for USA Swimming. So yes, I would call that good. Either: 1) you were injured the last two years 2) burnt out 3) had a coach/parent totally oblivious to your potential 4) In error (FOS) with your time/event provided 5) you already knew this was fast and just needed someone to stroke your ego (congratulations) So which is it? and why haven't you competed the last 2 years? For drills, you should go to the bookstore/liabrary/amazon.com and look for one with pictorials of recommended drills i.e. Swimming Drills for Every Stroke by Ruben J. Guzman

well, I'm in the military, and when I was 10-12, I lived in VA, and I would swim alot, and so I joined the swim team, Then I moved to WA State, and I've been living here for about 2 years, and i just haven't joined any teams. now, I am looking to get SERIOUS about swimming again, so I have been getting into shape again for swimming. I am going to join the Bangor swim team, and I am going to swim for the school. I also play football and baseball, so I dont think it'll be that hard to get back in shape. thats my story. I just want to know some drills I can do to get into REALLY good shape for swimming, thats all

I can't use a coach beacause the swim team doesn't start till October, and the schools swim team doesn't start till like november

I just want to know some drills I can do to get into REALLY good shape for swimming, thats all Wrong question ! You need a Coach. I know around 200 Drills and use a selection of them when i coach my swimmers. The drills are selected to focus on whatever aspects of the stroke that I am working on that week. Within each Macrocycle I devote one week to progress thru phases of the stroke, i.e body position & balance, breathing, arm recovery, hand entry, catch, pull ( middle 1/3 ), pull (end phase ), Kick and that is just for freestyle. You also have to work on Backstroke, *** and Fly, I usually have every 4th workout as a 'non free' day. Then workouts have to have a balance of Aerobic work, Anaerobic threshold ( VO2 Max ) work and Lactate production & Lactate tolerance work. Not all in the same set, usually! The relative proportions of these change during the season. Then the whole season needs to be planned to gradually build up the training volume and intensity so that you peak for your big meet. The coach will also be able to see where you can improve your stroke technique, and will tailor drills to help you imrove your skill. This is the work of a Coach, use us ! One big thing is to STRETCH your Ankles ( under a sofa is one way ). Ankle flexibility has a HUGE influence on your efficiency in the water. You can have a propulsive kick while creating less drag with your legs than swimmers with tight ankles. Increse your flexibility & Core body strength, Yoga or Pilates would help greatly. Flexibility sets the upper limit to your technique. Your technique sets the limit to how fast you can swim. There are no magic 3 or 6 drills that "will make you faster ". With swimming you have to work on everything, there are no short cuts ! Good luck, you already seem to be pretty fast, I will look out for your name in the future!

ask the coach if he will do some one-on-one coaching! There is no master's team where I live and I have a one-on-one session once a week... my coach then suggests workouts for the remainder of the week. One-on-one can be very rewarding as the entire workout is geared just for YOU!

OK JC Fly, try this. I think that a good idea would be to watch some swim videos. This US Masters site will rent them to you for 2 weeks, delivered to your door for a very reasonable fee. The link is: www.usms.org/.../videos.shtml There really is not the space in this forum to describe a good range of drills and detail how to do them correctly. Good luck, Gareth.