This may seem like a radical suggestion...or incredibly simple minded. Nonetheless, here's the concent: So much of our workout time, particularly on "distance sets" days, is concentrated on freestyle sets that I'd say our total weekly yardage is probably close to 85 percent or higher freestyle. (I would also venture a guess that this is a not uncommon scenario for many masters teams around the country.)
I know this emphasis on freestyle helps freestyle performance in meets, and I think lots of swimmers--myself included--have always reflexively assumed that if you're in decent freestyle shape, you can swim other strokes reasonably fast, as well; that aerobic and anaerobic conditioning for freestyle translates directly to, say, backstroke or butterfly conditioning.
But I also know that running doesn't particularly help swimming performance, because the muscles used are too sports specific, and you have to train the specific muscle you're going to use in a race. So I started to think maybe we should be doing "distance" sets in different strokes, particularly if any of us wanted to swim faster 200s (and the 400 IM).
As the "player coach" for our little team here in western pa, I've had us start doing distance stroke sets--for example, we did a 1000 backstroke, followed by 5 x 200 backstroke, on Monday.
We've only been doing this for 3-4 weeks now, but it's already made a difference, at least for me. I lowered my lifetime best in the 100 back last week (I'm a very mediocre backstroker) by almost a second--down to 1.02.6. (If I only knew how to do a backstroke start!)
Anyhow:
1) how many of you out there do distance sets of non freestyle?
2) do any of you have any data on stroke specific training, i.e., is it just a coincidence or does it really help to better times in these events?
3) assuming you're in pretty good freestyle shape, does shifting to training more backstroke or other non-freestyle stroke cause you to start deconditioning in freestyle?
Thanks for any advice or comments; I am hoping to shift topics somewhat from the last thread I began...
To all my fellow posters on this topic:
Thanks very much for your considered and considerable insights into this subject. Frank, I took the liberty of forwarding your reply to my teammates--I think this will encourage them to give some thought to the benefits of non-freestyle during our practices (this even for the non-competitive fitness swimmers.)
Anyhow, I am continuously impressed by the level of intelligence this forum is so frequently capable of--and the advice on any aspect of swimming seems to me outstanding. One thing I am particularly impressed by is how people will exemplify their opinions with specific examples. When there is no readily available data, there is also frequently an acknowledgement of this fact, too. No one pretends to have the final, definitive word--and this, I think, is also a tribute to the good nature and wisdom of my fellow posters.
Here is what I personally will take away from this thread:
1. If you want to get good at a specific stroke, it's important to practice this stroke
2. there is probably some cross over effect from one stroke to another, so training backstroke might actually help one's freestyles performance (provided you don't completely drop practicing freestyle)
3. swimming the various strokes regularly, as opposed to just freestyle, will probably make you a stronger overall swimmer; improve your race times in the nonfreestyle strokes; remedy muscle imbalances and possibly give you some extra trained muscles fibers that you can call upon when your conventional freestyle muscles start dying in a race; and finally, as indicated by the 400 IM practice sets Frank mentioned, swimming non-freestyle might actually help distance freestyle race performance (probably because of an accumulation of the aforementioned factors.)
4. none of the above has been proven by swimming scientists, at least that we know of, however, it sounds intuitively plausible. At worst, it's most likely akin to chicken soup for a cold--it won't hurt you!
5. Finally, there are so many factors which go into the physical and mental side of swim training. For many people, doing other strokes in practice will prove a powerful antidote to monotony--not to mention a remedy for overtraining. (As butterflybeer mentioned, I find that by this point in the season, having done primarily freestyle for months, that a switch to more backstroke, etc. allows me to work harder with less fatigue in practice. Maybe my freestyle muscles are a bit overtrained at this point?)
Anyhow, thanks again. Now, if someone could just provide advice on how to do a backstroke start before our next meet March 7th...
To all my fellow posters on this topic:
Thanks very much for your considered and considerable insights into this subject. Frank, I took the liberty of forwarding your reply to my teammates--I think this will encourage them to give some thought to the benefits of non-freestyle during our practices (this even for the non-competitive fitness swimmers.)
Anyhow, I am continuously impressed by the level of intelligence this forum is so frequently capable of--and the advice on any aspect of swimming seems to me outstanding. One thing I am particularly impressed by is how people will exemplify their opinions with specific examples. When there is no readily available data, there is also frequently an acknowledgement of this fact, too. No one pretends to have the final, definitive word--and this, I think, is also a tribute to the good nature and wisdom of my fellow posters.
Here is what I personally will take away from this thread:
1. If you want to get good at a specific stroke, it's important to practice this stroke
2. there is probably some cross over effect from one stroke to another, so training backstroke might actually help one's freestyles performance (provided you don't completely drop practicing freestyle)
3. swimming the various strokes regularly, as opposed to just freestyle, will probably make you a stronger overall swimmer; improve your race times in the nonfreestyle strokes; remedy muscle imbalances and possibly give you some extra trained muscles fibers that you can call upon when your conventional freestyle muscles start dying in a race; and finally, as indicated by the 400 IM practice sets Frank mentioned, swimming non-freestyle might actually help distance freestyle race performance (probably because of an accumulation of the aforementioned factors.)
4. none of the above has been proven by swimming scientists, at least that we know of, however, it sounds intuitively plausible. At worst, it's most likely akin to chicken soup for a cold--it won't hurt you!
5. Finally, there are so many factors which go into the physical and mental side of swim training. For many people, doing other strokes in practice will prove a powerful antidote to monotony--not to mention a remedy for overtraining. (As butterflybeer mentioned, I find that by this point in the season, having done primarily freestyle for months, that a switch to more backstroke, etc. allows me to work harder with less fatigue in practice. Maybe my freestyle muscles are a bit overtrained at this point?)
Anyhow, thanks again. Now, if someone could just provide advice on how to do a backstroke start before our next meet March 7th...
