Sorry about the length of this, I got it as short as I could...
I started swimming summer-league only as an 11-year-old, I was very slow at the time but have improved a lot since then. My goal was always to make it to the county meet, which I never actually did except in relays. We only swam 50's of each stroke, 100 free, and 100 IM. I alwyas assumed I was a sprinter because I did okay in the 50's and didnt' have the endurance to do a good 100. This past year was my freshman year, and I joined my college club team, swimming about 3 days a week for an hour, uncoached. This summer is my last summer of eligibility for summer league, and my 50's are about the same as last year. My 100's have improved a lot - 6 seconds off my 100 IM since last summer. Now I think I may be more of a middle-distance swimmer than a sprinter, especially since my summer league coach keeps telling me my strokes are not powerful enough for a good sprint. Now that my goal in swimmming can't be to do well in the county meet, I'm having trouble figuring out what my goals should be. My best stroke is backstroke, but I've really started enjoying the IM lately.
So basically, I think I may be a middle-distance swimmer, trying to figure out my goals for the next few years, and don't have a coach to help me. Any advice?
Parents
Former Member
Lots to consider here.
First - middle distance is generally events between 200 and 500 yards. It doesn't sound like you are really racing these events. 100s are considered sprints.
Just because your coach says your strokes aren't strong enough for sprints doesn't mean you aren't or can't be a sprinter. Maybe you need to look into training specifically to help your sprints.
But I think the most important thing is to figure out what you like to swim and have potential to be good at. I think you should race some events at your next opportunity and compare your results to some standards. If you are a college sophomore you could compare to Masters 18-24 times.
If you like backstroke - stick with it. If you think you want to do IMs, train for it and see how fast you can get.
Lots to consider here.
First - middle distance is generally events between 200 and 500 yards. It doesn't sound like you are really racing these events. 100s are considered sprints.
Just because your coach says your strokes aren't strong enough for sprints doesn't mean you aren't or can't be a sprinter. Maybe you need to look into training specifically to help your sprints.
But I think the most important thing is to figure out what you like to swim and have potential to be good at. I think you should race some events at your next opportunity and compare your results to some standards. If you are a college sophomore you could compare to Masters 18-24 times.
If you like backstroke - stick with it. If you think you want to do IMs, train for it and see how fast you can get.
