I started swimming in August, since them I learned all the strokes and pretty much realised that I am most proficient in sprint freestyle events(considering my times for all the strokes).Well, I have a few questions:should I just consentrate on 50 and 100 m. free events then without paying much attention to other strokes, well, maybe just a little bit for a change...Or should I still keep working at all the strokes, maybe versatility in all of them will contribute to my freestyle improvement.Another question is: if I concentrate on freestyle sprint, how should my work-outs look like then?Should they consist of shorter distnace training only with occasional all-out sprint work-outs(25s and so) and a lot of interval training or should I still throw in distnace in my work-outs?I want to compete and compete in a good shape!I can do a 29 sec. 50 free(SCM) and a 1:03-1:05 100 m. free(SCM) depending on how I feel...Is that good considered I was never coached, did all on my own(videos, books, forums) and only introduced myself to swimming August, 2004?I am 24 years old, pretty tall (6'1")and lean(165lb.), so can I expect to go under 55 sec.(that is my goal) for 100m within a year or not?And what can I expect long-term(4-5 years), considering that I will probably get a coached program and will still be insanely passionate about the sport as I am now(I train 6 days a week, sometimes twice a day.How hard does it get once you go under a minute for 100 SCM?I improved dramatically since August(my time was 1:50 when I just started), , but now I feel that every second is a battlle...
I would appreciate everyone's input...
Thanks!
Parents
Former Member
My experience is that it takes people at least two seasons to go from not having swum, to breaking a minute in 100 (yards or meters). There are exceptions, but I think that even with a coach it's not something you can expect to do in under a year.
It took me three years of high school swim team to break a minute in the 100 yard backstroke. Right now I'm at about 1:15, which was my second year high school time. I calculate that it might take me at least 6 months to be able to break a minute. That is, if I reduce my time by at least 2% a month.
But, that's not the way it works.
We (you and I) will continue to improve, but will have breakthroughs and plateaus. I expect that my 6 months will turn into 10 months. Not because it's more difficult to drop 2% off a 1:01 time than a 1:15 time (in high school I didn't notice a difference), but because there are good days/weeks/months and bad ones.
FYI:
I calculate my improvement by the formula: (time dropped) / (your time) = (percentage of improvement)
This calculation, however will give me a number that will slowly go down over time. Currently I multiply 2% by my time and the result is the time I hope to get next month.
If you want a percentage that should never change, use: (time dropped) / ((fastest time possible for you) - (your time)) = (percentage of improvement)
However, I don't use the second formula for the exact reason you asked the "can I do it?" question. Elite swimmers, who should only be gaining by small percentages have breakthrough performances. At the top of their game, faster than most anyone else in the world, they still drop a second or two. Yes, they worked harder for their second or two than I currently work for my second or two, but it's always possible to drop a second or two no matter what your current time is.
My experience is that it takes people at least two seasons to go from not having swum, to breaking a minute in 100 (yards or meters). There are exceptions, but I think that even with a coach it's not something you can expect to do in under a year.
It took me three years of high school swim team to break a minute in the 100 yard backstroke. Right now I'm at about 1:15, which was my second year high school time. I calculate that it might take me at least 6 months to be able to break a minute. That is, if I reduce my time by at least 2% a month.
But, that's not the way it works.
We (you and I) will continue to improve, but will have breakthroughs and plateaus. I expect that my 6 months will turn into 10 months. Not because it's more difficult to drop 2% off a 1:01 time than a 1:15 time (in high school I didn't notice a difference), but because there are good days/weeks/months and bad ones.
FYI:
I calculate my improvement by the formula: (time dropped) / (your time) = (percentage of improvement)
This calculation, however will give me a number that will slowly go down over time. Currently I multiply 2% by my time and the result is the time I hope to get next month.
If you want a percentage that should never change, use: (time dropped) / ((fastest time possible for you) - (your time)) = (percentage of improvement)
However, I don't use the second formula for the exact reason you asked the "can I do it?" question. Elite swimmers, who should only be gaining by small percentages have breakthrough performances. At the top of their game, faster than most anyone else in the world, they still drop a second or two. Yes, they worked harder for their second or two than I currently work for my second or two, but it's always possible to drop a second or two no matter what your current time is.
