USRPT vindicated?

RE: USRPT vindicated?

67King — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 17:26:34 GMT

Maybe, but after his presser, it is pretty obvious he is too arrogant to heed advice from others. My daughter said last night, after saying she didn't like him (which I hadn't realized until then) that 'He has a stick up his butt." I had been leery, and thought maybe the arrogance was limited to his father. But no, he is a spoiled little brat, and frankly, I'm embarrassed that he represents our country. Have no idea what his politics are, but he obviously thinks that rules meant for the health of the group do not apply to him. As for the excuse that he is quarantined or whatever......the medal favotire pole valuter just got sent him for being COVID positive, so.........

RE: USRPT vindicated?

Allen Stark — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 16:21:54 GMT

Well said

RE: USRPT vindicated?

Chris Stevenson — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 11:39:56 GMT

The folks over at SwimSwam are just being brutal to MA. To be fair, that was an ugly last 15m or so in the 200 IM final but still. I think there is more than a little schadenfreude at his result due to politics or dislike for the family or whatever. But it is not at all so clear to me (as it is to many of the people there) that USRPT cannot produce a 200 swimmer.

His times in the 200 IM were podium-worthy. Yes he didn’t do those times inTokyo but he is hardly the only person to add time to his Trials time.

I do not know enough about the swimmers that USRPT produces to know if his (terrible) 200 IM race strategy is specific to him. If there is IMO one component missing from his swimming, it is not strength, speed or endurance, it is pacing. Is hs incapable of doing a controlled fast first 100 in a 200? (That’s an honest question.) If so, is that a fault of USRPT for not emphasizing pacing work? After all “pacing work” is a form of race-pace training.

IMO producing a strong last 50 is a matter of not practicing the desired pace on that 50, it is a matter of practicing a more controlled first 150. If he had enough in the tank he would be able to bring it home. IMO it is not a physiological problem, it is clear (to me at least) that he has the capability of winning Olympic gold if he swam a smarter race. But no one can sprint a 200 from start to finish, and I was 99% sure that the other top swimmers would be able to capitalize on his poor race strategy.

RE: USRPT vindicated?

Allen Stark — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 17:22:21 GMT

Andrews doesn't seem to get faster between prelims and finals. I wonder how much USRPT having no significant taper makes a difference. I also wonder if some of the problem is, he has been a pro since age 14 and did not go through College swimming. NCAA championships are a pressure cooker that gives a lot of experience in dealing with big meets.

RE: USRPT vindicated?

67King — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 15:04:46 GMT

I gotta admit, it is telling seeing him throw out anchors for the last quarter of everything. I can't help but wonder how a guy with his height advantage may fare if he incorporated some training to improve his stamina. Most of the workouts I do have similar philosophies, and when I do test swims, I'm dead by te last quarter of a race (e.g. I swim 25's at pace of stroke, and I'm dead after 75 yards). I've been assuming it was because my training tends to be less consistent than I'd like. I think, like most things, USRPT is probably one tool, not a silver bullet.

RE: USRPT vindicated?

orca1946 — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 16:02:09 GMT

And "dancing " bothers someone? Get a grip! We all need a way to let the stress out. You go girl!

RE: USRPT vindicated?

kellys — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 18:13:42 GMT

We’ll find out soon enough!

RE: USRPT vindicated?

Karl_S — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 16:24:23 GMT

Phelps had some interesting and insightful commentary. As I recall he was not convinced that MA would be faster overall in the 2IM is he backed off on the front half because his training is so focused on very fast paced swimming. He thought that the best strategy for MA was to continue with his current strategy because that's the way he swims the race and that's what has worked for him.

It does seem kinda hard to argue with a 1:55. You can count on one hand the number of people who have ever been that fast,

RE: USRPT vindicated?

Chris Stevenson — Sun, 11 Jul 2021 22:22:38 GMT

It is hard to argue that he is not a good freestyler since he qualified in the 50 free.

Yes it sounds weird to say this about such a great swim but I can’t help but think it is an issue of sub-optimal pacing. Whether that is an issue of USRPT or not I couldn’t say.

RE: USRPT vindicated?

kellys — Sun, 11 Jul 2021 17:23:14 GMT

His time at the Trials would have won a silver medal in the last olympics. He’s just a really good short axis swimmer which sets him up real good early on in the race. His breaststroke is a huge advantage for him.

RE: USRPT vindicated?

02ER5 — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 16:05:28 GMT

I was a mediocre freestyler but wanted to swim 500 yard free in high school meets my last year of high school. Interesting enough it helped my 100 yard fly.

RE: USRPT vindicated?

02ER5 — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 16:03:42 GMT

I think Sierra doesn't think that her dancing turns some people off. When your a front of a crowd and TV crowd you can't do your own thing as much since it turnoffs people. Sierra probably did the dancing at other meets where you don't have an audience and no one cared.

RE: USRPT vindicated?

02ER5 — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 16:00:49 GMT

Wave one had the 13 old kid from Brea. The first swimmer that has a crack at being a national level elite swimmer from that area since Janet Evans from Placentia. Kayla Han.

RE: USRPT vindicated?

02ER5 — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 15:58:16 GMT

Michael Andrew only problem is in the last 50 of the 200 Im not certain is because he goes out too fast or USRPT is not as good for 200's..

RE: USRPT vindicated?

02ER5 — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 15:54:27 GMT

Good point. I did almost all USRPT training when I was 12 to 14 years old. I was on novice teams similar to summer league teams but more year round. I mean almost since there was some slow kicking on a board, but I think I didn't do more than 2,800 yards between the ages of 12 to 14 and by age 16 when i train more yardage I only improved 4 seconds in the 100 yard fly and 5 seconds in the 100 yard breaststroke. More yardage at slow paces didn't make me that faster.

RE: USRPT vindicated?

67King — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 00:06:27 GMT

Asked one of the girls' coaches, who was a backstroker at UT, about that. He said that for the 100's, you see that because tempo is critical, and they have to be strong enough to do it. Not many are. The 200's look very different.

RE: USRPT vindicated?

Benjamin v.d.W. — Sun, 20 Jun 2021 01:31:30 GMT

Vindicated? Maybe. It certainly is working well for one swimmer though it is telling Michael Andrew is having trouble in the last 50 of each 200. The old idea that 200 swimmers need to train 300/400s may still hold a lot of water, so to speak. Then again this is the US Olympic Trials and it's a one-of-a-kind sort of meet in which there is so much pressure of all kinds I think it's hard to judge something from a few races.

RE: USRPT vindicated?

Elaine Krugman — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 19:07:24 GMT

You are absolutely right when you state it in those terms. I meant it in a narrower context; literally, the margin by which she placed 2nd rather than 3rd in that specific 200 race. She absolutely was solid and earned her way to a relay slot; no question about it! I am so happy for her!

I know this is her 4th Olympics-- one of the reasons I really wanted to see her make the team. I love seeing Olympians who dedicate themselves year after year for so many years! Remember Dara Torres at 45? WOW!

Regarding Sierra, I don't know her like you do, so I only have what I saw to go on. It didn't leave a good impression on me. I'm entitled to my opinions! If she is "a very nice young woman," that's great!

RE: USRPT vindicated?

Jeff Enge — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 13:00:14 GMT

Phelps, Lochte, Dara Torres, I think Amanda Beard and Jenny Thompson made 4? Might be a couple others. And Schmitt should get at least a relay 100 swim tonight too!

RE: USRPT vindicated?

Allen Stark — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 04:24:43 GMT

I do race pace oriented workouts and occasional USRPT sets, but I am not a USRPT swimmer. Real USRPT is very consistent and very regimented. Almost every elite is doing race pace, Michael Andrews is the only USRPT swimmer I know of to make the Olympics

RE: USRPT vindicated?

Karl_S — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 00:08:14 GMT

Allison did not "squeak" onto the team. Squeak is finishing 7th in the 200 and getting onto the relay as a prelims swimmer because someone gave up their slot or DQed. Alison finished a solid 2nd in the 200 fr with a solid swim. She will get to swim the individual 200 fr and the 4x200 FR in Tokyo, the latter probably in the finals session. This will be her 4th Olympics. Quick quiz: Name other swimmers who have been on 4 Olympic teams. Phelps and, um, er, ah,. yea, the list is pretty darn short. Allison is awesome!

Don't be dissin' Sierra Schmidt's pre-race dancing either. She has found a playful way to manage pre-race jitters. I've met her and her family quite few times. She is a very nice young woman, (who does some truly brutal sets in the pool) and her parents are humble and generous.

RE: USRPT vindicated?

Elaine Krugman — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 22:19:11 GMT

This is the first thread I have seen regarding the current Olympic Trials. I have been glued to the TV every night, including during Wave 1! I was so excited to see Allison Schmitt squeak in for another Olympics!

Is it my imagination, or are many of the backstrokers entering the back of their hand before turning it for the pull (instead of pinkie finger first)?

Another observation: That gal in Lane 1 of the 1500 meter race sure was an exhibitionist, wasn't she? She did the same thing during Wave 1, and it was an obnoxious display of attention-getting behavior, in my opinion. It's too bad the cameras focused more on her rather than the other swimmers in the final race.

RE: USRPT vindicated?

Patrick W. Brundage — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 19:14:22 GMT

I think the label "USRPT" label is over-used and dumb. If you hear most coaches talk about their training programs these days, they emphasize race-pace training, whether it's ultra-short or not. Even Ledecky talks about doing a lot of pace 100s for her 1500, whereas, back in the 80s, us distance swimmers did a lot of 500s, 1000s, 3000s at much slower than race-pace.

My contention is that EVERY swimmer who made the Olympic Team (and, more broadly, Olympic Trials) is focused on race-pace training.

RE: USRPT vindicated?

Allen Stark — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 13:36:38 GMT

I basically agree with you, but I still hear people say something like “USRPT can’t be that great, nobody has used it and gone to the Olympics”

RE: USRPT vindicated?

Karl_S — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 01:22:37 GMT

USRPT was vindicated quite a long time ago. Some folks are just stubborn. No, it does not work for every event or every swimmer, but it is a highly successful training strategy in many situations.