What stroke do you personally train the most?

I love to swim *** in meets, when I do meets... However, to do a whole workout in *** (from warmup to warmdown) would be totally unrealistic for me. I try to do a portion of my warmup and warmdown in *** (about 1/4 or so of the distance), and try to incorporate it into the set as I can. Obviously if we're doing 20-100s on 1:25 I'll be passing on that. Yesterday I had planned to do 1/2 of our main set (10-100s on 4:00...all out) ***. I did the first free and was going to alternate. However, after I did the 2nd ***, the coach gave me feedback, so I continued with it. By the time I got to #8, I figured I might as well just keep going. My time varied by about 3-4 seconds through the 9 that I did ***. I think there is value to being a well-rounded swimmer, if for no other reason than it helps break up your set. I'll do some back if I'm struggling for air after a long *** set. You also may get a chance to use it in a meet someday...I did a 50 back once just because I had a long time between two other events, and it was pretty fun, it was more to break up my other events. Tim

swiminton, The coach usually plans for everyone to do free, unless they say otherwise. We do have stroke sets, IM sets, etc...but they are more the exception than the rule. Even then, you'll still have people who swim free anyway. If I really wanted to do a stroke set, I'll move down to a slower lane, where the intervals are more generous, and I won't disrupt the lane dynamics as much. Even then it is difficult, since people know me from a 'faster' lane and usually want me to go ahead. For sets where we already have plenty of time, I just tell my lanemates when/if I'll be doing stroke, and position myself accordingly. Tim

Now that's more like it!:)

Well one thing is for sure.....You won't get many responses about butterfly now.....I mean who swims most of thier workout butterfly anyway?....I guess someone like Dennis Baker might (or that guy who swims the 5K at Big Shoulders every year butterfly)??....but the rest of us mere humans could only swim most of the workout butterfly if the workout was only around 1000 - 2000 yards.....I love butterfly but I can't see how anyone could swim more of it than they do freestyle at practice? Newmastersswimmer

Even non-freestylers will tell you they do mostly freestyle. It's the stroke you do the most in warmup, it's the stroke most used in cooldowns, and the stroke most used on off-stroke days. I'm a breaststroker/IMer/backstroker. But we have two specific days on our team devoted to freestyle (though I suppose I could move over a lane and do other strokes). The other days I mix up the strokes, though freestyle still reigns. You can't do a total breaststroke workout in a lane full of freestylers.

Actually, this poll is likely to be misleading in its own way. I tend to spend most of my time working on the stroke with which I'm currently having the most trouble, but it certainly doesn't follow that that's my favorite stroke. A better question for those who compete might be "Which stroke do you swim most in competition?" Bob

Originally posted by Bob McAdams Actually, this poll is likely to be misleading in its own way. I tend to spend most of my time working on the stroke with which I'm currently having the most trouble, but it certainly doesn't follow that that's my favorite stroke. A better question for those who compete might be "Which stroke do you swim most in competition?" Bob What about those who don't compete?

Originally posted by newmastersswimmer Well one thing is for sure.....You won't get many responses about butterfly now.....I mean who swims most of thier workout butterfly anyway?....I guess someone like Dennis Baker might (or that guy who swims the 5K at Big Shoulders every year butterfly)??....but the rest of us mere humans could only swim most of the workout butterfly if the workout was only around 1000 - 2000 yards.....I love butterfly but I can't see how anyone could swim more of it than they do freestyle at practice? Newmastersswimmer I am actually curious to see if this is true for specialized swimmers. I am under the impression that they swim over half of their training in the stroke they specialize in. Obviously they can't swim as long as they would in freestyle. But I can't imagine someone who spends half of their time on free and the other half split among back, ***, and fly would do well in any of the three strokes. I am just beginnig to focus more on *** so I swim that stroke probably 75% of my swim. It would be good to hear from someone who has specialized in/foused on one stroke for a long time.

Tim, Are you saying that your coach simply tells you what the time interval is and how many sets but he treats all strokes the same? Shoudn't he/she adjust time intervals depending on what stroke it is? In the masters program I visited once, the coach simply put out the time and set and told everyone to swim. No other questions and no other instructions. She assumed that everyone was going to swim free to complete the workout, which may be indeed the case anyway at the master's level.

This may be the reality of masters swimming, because most other people will want to swim free, it's easier to swim longer distance, it's easier for the coach, triathletes in a masters program will want to do nothing but free, etc, etc, etc. Still, it doesn't make sense to swim mostly free if your main stroke is something else. Why can't someone do short (100m) free for warmup and cooldown, the swim your main stroke the rest of the time, with of course different interval and distance goals. Is lack of space the root of the problem (sharing one lane with others makes it very difficult to do anything else but free)? Or is it coaching of most masters programs? I m currently not affiliated with any masters programs. I go at a time when there arent too many people. I almost never have share the lane with more than one person (and many times have the lane all to myself). I warm up with 100 free, slow breastsroke pull drillsand kick drills, then to full breaststroke. I don't go for miles and hours like many freestylers do, but I get to swim the stroke I like.