is it possible to get great times without competing or does speed come only from competition?
Parents
Former Member
Some people are great workout swimmers, and some are great competitors. And some are both.
To answer your question I think that you can be fast without entering many meets. But you have to become involved in meets to become more of a "racer". The meet conditions will put your body through much more physical stress than one could ever imagine during normal workout conditions. Not many of us will want to train to such extremes where one's body is absolutely spent.
The bottom line is that lactic acid "death sets" are not the norm for the average lap swimmer. If you've ever gone all out on a two hundred yard distance you'll know what this feels like. The best monitor for hard work is the "how close to tossing your cookies in the pool" test. If you're anywhere near these conditions, that's a workout! But at this age who needs that? (Unless you're training for some serious competition.)
Work on technique, and get faster the dignified way. Swim smarter, not harder. Then you can take your game to a meet, and see what kind of pay-off all that training brings.
Some people are great workout swimmers, and some are great competitors. And some are both.
To answer your question I think that you can be fast without entering many meets. But you have to become involved in meets to become more of a "racer". The meet conditions will put your body through much more physical stress than one could ever imagine during normal workout conditions. Not many of us will want to train to such extremes where one's body is absolutely spent.
The bottom line is that lactic acid "death sets" are not the norm for the average lap swimmer. If you've ever gone all out on a two hundred yard distance you'll know what this feels like. The best monitor for hard work is the "how close to tossing your cookies in the pool" test. If you're anywhere near these conditions, that's a workout! But at this age who needs that? (Unless you're training for some serious competition.)
Work on technique, and get faster the dignified way. Swim smarter, not harder. Then you can take your game to a meet, and see what kind of pay-off all that training brings.
