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...
Jim thanks for the reply. Your right about there being no scientific data out there to prove this but there are a lot of coaches and swimmers that claim improvement by it. As a swimmer I can tell you that I feel the effects of IM and non prmary stroke training and it makes me a better skilled and conditioned swimmer for my distance free. You keep mentioning the backstroke and not the IM so that seems to be your primary stroke after free. I have seen you do the fly and that is the one stroke that most people have to be careful of especially masters swimmers because of injury and recovery periods for the next pactice session. Also remember technique really counts while swimming and it can fall apart especially in fly when tired and fatigued. Also remember that everyone has different skills and different abilities when swimmming the competitive strokes.
An observation I have made is that breaststoke and then fly are the hardest strokes followed by backstroke. Now I am bias of course because back is my primary stroke along with distance free. Up until 15 years ago I would have said fly but there as been so many changes in breastroke in the last 15 to 20 years that it make it the hardest. I learned to swim breastroke watching Ron Clark, Chet Jastremski, and Bill Mulliken and the stroke has changed so mush especially with the wave action that they have which was evident when Mike Barrowman swam. Since the late 60's back has not changed that much except the starts, turns, and streamlining of the walls underwater. The actual surface swimming has not changed that much.
I am kind of familar with some of the workouts that you do because 2 years ago you posted some here done with Bill White and I also remember that you were a sprinter to middle distance back then. In last 2 years I seen improvement in your middle distance to distance times and on this website I saw your improvement in the 1 hour swim. So are you doing more distance free training then back then? And if you are, do you feel the effects in recovery? Does it get boring? Do your swimmers that swim with you not like it? I think your going in the right direction introducing stroke and IM work in your routine.
Now I have a set for you. Almost 2 weeks ago on Sunday February 15 I went to the pool for a swim and hardly anyone was there. They had a college meet and all of the lane lines were in the pool and I had a lane to myself and had time to do whatever I wanted. With another person I did a warm up of about 600 choice. Then I did 3X400 IM - 8:00 4X300 IM - 6:00 6X200 IM - 4:00 12X100 IM - 2:00 for a total of a 4800 yard set. The emphasis that I was thinking about was the best race effort I could have with recovery to do the next repeat better. Try to decend but at least don't die while doing this and if your body is telling you to do these evenly then do that.
As each set was done it felt easier to do the next because your swimming 1 less 25 of each stroke. The whole point is to recover enough to do the next swim as fast and as good as you can without stroke flaws and really work technique for all 4 strokes and make sure your turns and finishes on the transitions from stroke to stroke are good and legal. Really hit those turns and think of the streamline pushoffs. After the IM work do a nice warm down preferably 300 but get your body in a relaxed zone before you leave the pool. The next day or day after the recovery of your body will tell you what type of shape and conditioning your in and I think it will help your distance free.
Jim thanks for the reply. Your right about there being no scientific data out there to prove this but there are a lot of coaches and swimmers that claim improvement by it. As a swimmer I can tell you that I feel the effects of IM and non prmary stroke training and it makes me a better skilled and conditioned swimmer for my distance free. You keep mentioning the backstroke and not the IM so that seems to be your primary stroke after free. I have seen you do the fly and that is the one stroke that most people have to be careful of especially masters swimmers because of injury and recovery periods for the next pactice session. Also remember technique really counts while swimming and it can fall apart especially in fly when tired and fatigued. Also remember that everyone has different skills and different abilities when swimmming the competitive strokes.
An observation I have made is that breaststoke and then fly are the hardest strokes followed by backstroke. Now I am bias of course because back is my primary stroke along with distance free. Up until 15 years ago I would have said fly but there as been so many changes in breastroke in the last 15 to 20 years that it make it the hardest. I learned to swim breastroke watching Ron Clark, Chet Jastremski, and Bill Mulliken and the stroke has changed so mush especially with the wave action that they have which was evident when Mike Barrowman swam. Since the late 60's back has not changed that much except the starts, turns, and streamlining of the walls underwater. The actual surface swimming has not changed that much.
I am kind of familar with some of the workouts that you do because 2 years ago you posted some here done with Bill White and I also remember that you were a sprinter to middle distance back then. In last 2 years I seen improvement in your middle distance to distance times and on this website I saw your improvement in the 1 hour swim. So are you doing more distance free training then back then? And if you are, do you feel the effects in recovery? Does it get boring? Do your swimmers that swim with you not like it? I think your going in the right direction introducing stroke and IM work in your routine.
Now I have a set for you. Almost 2 weeks ago on Sunday February 15 I went to the pool for a swim and hardly anyone was there. They had a college meet and all of the lane lines were in the pool and I had a lane to myself and had time to do whatever I wanted. With another person I did a warm up of about 600 choice. Then I did 3X400 IM - 8:00 4X300 IM - 6:00 6X200 IM - 4:00 12X100 IM - 2:00 for a total of a 4800 yard set. The emphasis that I was thinking about was the best race effort I could have with recovery to do the next repeat better. Try to decend but at least don't die while doing this and if your body is telling you to do these evenly then do that.
As each set was done it felt easier to do the next because your swimming 1 less 25 of each stroke. The whole point is to recover enough to do the next swim as fast and as good as you can without stroke flaws and really work technique for all 4 strokes and make sure your turns and finishes on the transitions from stroke to stroke are good and legal. Really hit those turns and think of the streamline pushoffs. After the IM work do a nice warm down preferably 300 but get your body in a relaxed zone before you leave the pool. The next day or day after the recovery of your body will tell you what type of shape and conditioning your in and I think it will help your distance free.
