I live in a condo building. There is an indoor pool that measures 11.3 metres (I counted up the floor tiles and multiplied by one's length :)
I also have a pass to a local 25 metre pool, because 11.3 metre laps are pretty stinkin' short.
I was wanting, though, to stay home and use the condo pool once or twice a week.
Suggestions on what I can do in there? Not deep enough for diving, unfortunately.
I'd thought of doing lots of turn practice, and some very short sprints, but after that I'm stuck.
Thoughts?
Thanks,
Heather (doing a 5K open water swim Sunday all breaststroke - think happy thoughts!)
Get a swim belt (surgical tubing attached to a Velcro belt). You attach it to the edge of the pool and swim in place. A number of the USMS sponsors carry these.
Former Member
Learn to pop up early on your turns in order to get more air and more practice actually swimming. Underwater dolphins are in, but they aren't necessary. Fred Bousquet, the short course 50m world record holder, comes up much sooner than his competition off the turn. If you want to do breaststroke, you could skip the underwater pulldown.
I have a small pool in my backyard that I use when the water is warm enough (no heater)...more in addition to regular workouts, if I happen to miss I may do a little more.
Anyway, I do lots of *** stroke pullouts...I try to make it all the way across, and can watch my shadow on the bottom of the pool to see how my hands are configured. I'll rotate a few very long pullouts then some short ones and get in 3-4 strokes before I hit the other side.
I've also found the small pool is great for practicing fly, which I'm very bad at. You can concentrate on kicking, stroke work, etc, and not feel like you're dead when you hit the other wall.
As mentioned, I also do some kicking drills, as well as arm drills...something I learned when playing water polo is to keep your toes on the surface, and scull your arms to take you to the other side (forwards AND backyards). That is also a great ab workout.
I've looked at the teathers, but I don't have a ladder or anything to attach it to (have steps), so at a loss for what to do with it. I do have a waterfall and some large rocks on the sides that I could use if it were long enough.
Former Member
The short pool should be fine for doing balance and streamlining drills, such as those recommended by TI. These drills are done at a much slower pace than normal swimming.
Former Member
Originally posted by SwiminONandON
You can always work on kicking too ...
But if you do practice kicking take care that you don't get those senior ladies wet. :)
Are your plans to mainly do open water swims or also pool competitions?
If you plan to do pool meets then the shortness of the pool may throw your timing and stroke off.....not to mention the hazards of the stalking seniors.
Former Member
... unfortunately, my condo is primarily a seniors' building (even though I'm 33 :) and some of the older ladies saw me with the tether once and threw hissy fits... I was actually followed up to my apartment to see where I lived.
I tethered it to the ladder and checked VERY carefully - no damage at all.
I found it difficult to do fly or breaststroke on the tether, though.
But maybe I should monitor the pool and find times when there's nobody else around (which is most of the time!) and just go for it again. :)
As for the suggestion about shortening up my turns... I'd always thought I should make them LONGER?
Heather
Former Member
Most times when you do "turn practice" in a standard 25 meter/yard pool, you keep stopping about half way down the lane, turn around and do it again, and again...
11.3 meters is about 12.5 yards. You have a half-length lap pool there. If you just keep going wall to wall, it simulates "turn practice", but without all the stopping. Therefore you can do a whole bunch more practice turns there in any given time than you would at any standard pool.
Looks like a great training opportunity to me! (Not good for a longer workout though.)
When I was a kid, before I got into swimming, my family joined a local summer swim club. The pool was 25 yards, with a diving well off the side of the deep end, making the pool a L shape. The width of the diving well was a little less than half the length of the 25 yard pool. I remember that the summer swim team would do turn practice across the width of diving well, so that was probably very similar to you swimming in your condo's stubby pool.
Former Member
You can always work on kicking too ... you can also work on both underwater work AND stroke work by either staying under the whole way OR popping up right away ...
