Football player turned swimmer

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Sun, 11 Jan 2004 15:35:14 GMT

Well everybody, i didn't do all that bad for the time off i had...my first 50free was the only thing that was a bit off when i swam a 28.4. but then in my 100free iswam a 106.6, and my best time before break was a 1.05.1 or something in the 1.05's....so i was pretty happy with that...then in my relay i was the lead man and my 50 time was a 27.4. I was psyched with that cause that was my last race and close to my top time in the 50....Everybody said that i looked very clean and fast through the water, that my turns looked tight, (which i think still need to be tightened) and that i had great starts. now it is just punding out yardage and getting experience in the water. i felt real good in the water too...but my shoulder is starting to bother me but i am fighting through it...i took today off from practice cause i could barely move my arm this morning.....but i'll be back at it on tuesday...oh...i think i am not getting into a streamlined position early and efficient enough off my turns....i think that is really slowing me down....but...practice practice practice.....

RE: Football player turned swimmer

mattson — Sun, 11 Jan 2004 03:49:13 GMT

Sounds like you found the joy of swimming relays! :D I remember a Div III All-American sprinter (at the U of R) who would go a second faster (in the 4x100), he could psych himself up that much. Your comment about the hurting shoulder sounds scary. You'll notice the volume of threads in this forum that deal with swimmer's shoulder, surgery, injury prevention, etc. I trust that you have checked with the sports trainer / doctor?

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Thu, 08 Jan 2004 14:10:14 GMT

hey everyone...well it has been an interesting winter break...i was only able to get a few workouts here or there in and am disappointed in that.... BUT i have been surprised with my endurance in this first official week back to practice....I have been completing nearly every set that coach has put before me, maybe not as fast as everyone but am finally able to do a 500 without pausing....i don't know how fast i am currently in my 50 but my team has a sort of "pickup" meet this saturday against SUNY Buffalo...I will post my time this saturday evening or sunday.... I did try lying on my backand touching my toes to the floor....my right foot was at parallel and my left foot was above...:( (i think this is cause of injuries i had during football...) For breaststroke i would need a complete weeks worth of lessons in form and technique and pull, cause i have no idea on how to properly swim breaststroke, (pickleswim can vouch for me;) ) but maybe i should give it a shot....i feel real good in my stroke though, staying long and clean....i am noticing that my turn is a bit sloppy right now and will work on that...and my start is in a good place but can definitely use improvement...One thing that i have a problem with on my start is looking down and not out... I don't bring my head up all the way....But a complete analysis will be had come this weekend....thanks for the continued support and encouragement.........

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Wed, 07 Jan 2004 16:57:07 GMT

I am with Cynthia, you have the perfect breaststroke build. I have coached several high school and college football players. Most were too muscle bound for freestyle, but powerfull enough for breaststroke. If you lay on you back and try to touch your toes to the floor, how far do you bend your feet? Anything less that parallel to the floor means you got a LONG way to go. Now if you are one of those who can touch the floor with your toes, you may have a 21.0 in you:p I call that ballerina toes:D But all the fast men and women have that. Now if you can stand up and rotate the feet 90 degrees to each side like a frog, you are a natural breaststroker. Actually if I were you, I would sneak a few workouts with a masters group. Most have great coaches who concentrate on technique. Also work on you start, a good start can make over a second difference compared to a poor start. Being a powerfull football player means you should use that strength as an advantage. A strong start and pushoff at the wall is the easiest way to get faster.

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Tue, 06 Jan 2004 09:58:47 GMT

Hey Joe, how's it going for you? Update us.

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Tue, 25 Nov 2003 13:37:25 GMT

Hey everyone! sorry i went away right after our meet his weekend to boston, and i just got in about 3 hours ago. Thanks for the anticipation! Welllll.......I did improve my time a bit....my fastest yet at a 27.1 with a relay start and inthe standing start of the 50 free i posted a 27.6, which my coach says is pretty much in the target area right now. I also swam in the 400 free relay and posted a 1:05.something which could have been better but i screwed up a turn and def "hit the wall" on the third length. But i did improve which i am happy about and leaves 5 seconds to cut off in about 90 days to get to a 22. Let me know what you all i think and thanks for pushing me with encouragement!

RE: Football player turned swimmer

ArtShark — Tue, 25 Nov 2003 10:16:49 GMT

Good Job Joey! I hope you make your goal. If not, it won't be from lack of enthusiasm. We are all rooting for you here on the forum. Not just for you but for your entire team! You and your coach and team are an inspiration. Sort of "Bad News Bears". I am sure your team will grow in size and strength over the next few years and the Bad News Griff's will be a contender in the future. Keep up the good work, and remember that when your college days are over we would love to have you join the Niagara Region Masters Swimmers!

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Mon, 24 Nov 2003 11:22:24 GMT

Hah, I was just checking in to see if Joey had posted yet. I have been at my son's swim meet all weekend and had been away. Joey, let us know the progress, good or bad. If bad, remember, when trying to improve technique, sometimes you slow down, but the real prize is at the end of the season, not now. If good, let us know the progress!!

RE: Football player turned swimmer

swimr4life — Sun, 23 Nov 2003 10:18:23 GMT

How are you doing Joey? We haven't heard an update from you lately. We're all pulling for you!

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Wed, 19 Nov 2003 16:34:27 GMT

you're welcome. I like that idea for a thread. You going to start it?

RE: Football player turned swimmer

ArtShark — Wed, 19 Nov 2003 10:45:13 GMT

Thank You for the links Laineybug. I found them to be very informative. I think Joey will find them useful in his search for information. The advice is really also very interchangeable regardless of what sport you participate in. I think it would be useful to start a thread that has all of the regulars here post their favorite links that they have found to be beneficial. I'll bet it would create quite a library for us, and Joey.

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Tue, 18 Nov 2003 16:06:05 GMT

yes it does! here is a link to an article written for age group swimmers, but it will give you an idea about how to do it www.gaswim.org/.../swimtip60.htm here is a link to more articles on the mental game of swimming. Again, written for the age group swimmer, but they are still applicable to us. www.gaswim.org/.../swimtips.htm

RE: Football player turned swimmer

swimr4life — Tue, 18 Nov 2003 10:12:21 GMT

VISUALIZATION WORKS! It sounds weird but, just try it. I did it a lot before a big regional meet when I was your age. I did all my lifetime best times at that meet! Do deep breathing and relax your body first. Then visualize yourself before,during and after your race. Write your own mental script of the "perfect race" and do it over and over. I believe the mind is about 75% of any performance! You have to believe you can achieve anything before you can actually do it! :D

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Mon, 17 Nov 2003 11:30:09 GMT

Joey, This sounds a little touchy-feeley, but try closing your eyes, and seeing in your mind's eye what the perfect 50 free would look like. Can you see what doing the perfect turn would look like? If yes, try to spend a little time seeing yourself doing the perfect turn. Believe it or not, many world-class athletes have found that this mental rehersal can help them do it for real when they do the real race. Just another tool for your journey. Use it if it works for you. In any event, you're doing great! Enjoy the trip. Matt

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Mon, 17 Nov 2003 09:31:24 GMT

For breathing i do manage to take only one breath on the first 25, and the second 25 i take 3-4. I have been working on my turn and my start and both have improved immensely, yet are still far from perfect. I do think that a strong breath before the turn would help, since my capacity and efficiency aren't very high. Also, my coach and i have focused much on my stroke, and obviuosly it isn't flawless but keeps improving. Thanks for the advice and please keep it coming! (i do have a meet this weekend and will let you all know how i did!)

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Fri, 14 Nov 2003 13:58:33 GMT

Im not so sure about the whole breathing thing. In the 50, you really shouldn't breathe that much, i think 2 breaths a lap is pretty sufficient, if not too much. The 100 is more about breathing, so I usually take one every 4 on my hundred. Im no coach, but Im a sprinter, and it works fairly well for me. Anyway, back to the focus. KEEP UP THE HARD WORK JB! You're doing awesome. :cool:

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Thu, 13 Nov 2003 11:37:41 GMT

Morrison, Maybe a swim snorkel is the answer? I think that a quick exhale/inhale going into the turn is a key ingredient to a strong finish in the fifty. And to sneak in a breath now and again definitley involves some body roll. Minimal breathing is the quickest invite to wearing the proverbial piano on your back, especially on the last lap of a 100 free. I think that the fastest swimmers are best able to remain streamlined during their breathing. Keeping a steady supply of oxygen in their lungs is a positive advantage. Obviously a sprinter doesn't want to breath every stroke, but every four, or even three can do the job. If taking a breath means putting on the brakes, it's time for some stroke correction.

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Wed, 12 Nov 2003 17:49:10 GMT

When I coached high school swimming, the swim season was winter, so I recruited football player for their strength. Got them in the water and we always had a good 200 free relay. The football coach of course complained that his O-line was losing too much weight, but they were in great shape, had fun, and swam well. I could typicall get them down to 23-28 in a season. So 22 for a college football/swimmer should be reasonable. Remember in the 50, you really don't need to breath and body roll is over rated (necessary, but not a major contributor in the 50). I've got a masters swimmer right now who goes 22 no breather, 25 with breathing (trying to figure that out so he can do a 100). Best of Luck and listen to your coach he sees what your doing everyday.

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Wed, 12 Nov 2003 08:10:39 GMT

Morrison: A 22 no breather and a 25 with breathing? How can someone be that inefficient with their breathing? Check stroke rate. My guess is that they are slowing down their stroke rate significantly. And because their coach (erroneously!) taught them that body roll is not important in sprinting, they are not increasing their distance per stroke when they slow down their rate.

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Mon, 10 Nov 2003 17:33:07 GMT

In my undying support for Joey, he did awesome. A lot of swimmers will swim their whole meet the way they swim their first race. Joey knew where he messed up, and fixed it in the relay, and went 27.5. He's on his way, just gotta keep practicing. Someday soon he'll beat me ;-) Just kidding, he already did.

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Mon, 10 Nov 2003 16:38:03 GMT

Well better than what I did. I stop swimming the 50 yard free around 15 years old but I once did a 30.0, 50 yard fly and my free as a teenager was similar in speed to it. So, probably the fastest I could have went is a 29 point something. 1:07 is not bad on the 100 yard that takes endurance I usually swam a 1:05 and one time did a 1:03.8 in it. Now at 46 you could kick my butt. I probably do it around 1:16 to 1:20,so have swam it in a meet as an adult but only a 200 meter free. The community college team I was on had both men and women that swam since high school or earlier,so you are not doing that bad.

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Mon, 10 Nov 2003 15:20:27 GMT

Wow this is frustrating. Well rob got the results for the 50 and i was also in the 200 relay where i swam a 27.5 i think my coach told me. Of course that was a relay and starts give you a little bit of a jump. But, i was so disappointed in my 50 time, which Rob posted as 28.3. I was with the swimmer next to me from niagara the first 25, i then did my flip turn and ended up on the lane line!! So i def know where i need my work. That guy went something like 23, where as i went 28.3 i think. I was furious with myself. The whole way down on the first 25 i could not beleive i stayed with the athlete from niagara. But, my goal is for the others to try and stay up with me. So my coach told me he is gonna focus on starts and flipturns with me. Form wise on my stroke we have cleaned up a lot ofmistakes. I am know turning my head for breathing instead of bending it out of the water. I feel great about grabbing water and hitting the dead spots. I'm keeping my elbow high on the recovery and having a smooth entry into the water(not consistently but have worked on it) One major thing that i have to make a habit is keeping my legs straight when i kick. I bend at the knee way too much. I did also swim the 100 two weeks ago and went something like 1:07. I was pretty psyched and also pretty sore;-). I never imagined being sore from swimming but it is there. ( i apologize!) but my coach is happy with my progress and feels that after we clean up my ugly flip turn and get me out off the block i should drop a nice chunk of time. Then it is all water time. I thank you all for your continued interest and support and will report back with further developments.

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Former Member — Mon, 10 Nov 2003 12:32:22 GMT

Joey, update us on your progress. The Niagara meet was Saturday but no results are on line.

RE: Football player turned swimmer

knelson — Mon, 10 Nov 2003 11:14:15 GMT

The results say "long course meters" but I'm assuming the meet was actually short course yards? Joey mentioned a turn, so it definitely wasn't long course.

RE: Football player turned swimmer

Rob Copeland — Mon, 10 Nov 2003 09:56:06 GMT

Men 50 LC Meter Freestyle 1 Yacos, Mike Niagara 23.03 2 Smith, Brandon Niagara 23.05 3 Zilbauer, Jason Canisius 23.28 4 Butler, Joey Canisius 28.32 5 Knott, Liam Canisius 32.03