I'm looking to gain more knowledge about sprint freestyle swimming. As an long retired distance freestyler I don't have a great deal of personal knowledge of how to swim the 50 or 100 freestyle. I've coached many sprint freestylers and I know that many of the best sprinters have what I would say an amazing strategy to their sprint swims. I am currently giving private lessons to many age groupers and high school swimmers and I've been explaining to them that some of the best sprinters in the world swim their 50 or 100 with more strategy than just the plain old thought of swimming "FAST".
I would very much appreciate any of you sprinters out there who would like to share your strategies for swimming these two events. I would love to be able to pass on some of this information, but I think many of us in the masters community could learn from some of you as well. I look forward to seeing some of the responses. Maybe I will try sprinting one day (LOL):rofl: .
Terry:
If you don't get that book you ordered "Swimming the American Crawl" let me know. I have several copies and bought one about 2 years ago for $2.00 and I will give it to you free as a gift. I have read the book and have found some of the concepts way ahead of there time. Sherm Chavor, who was Mark Spitz's coach at Arden Hills said that if Johnny Weismuller would have trained the way people in the late 1960's and early 1970's did he would be perhaps be as great as anyone of that era and could have easily been the equal of Spitz in his opinion. He said this in the book he wrote called "The 50 Meter Jungle" that came out back in 1973. He also said that Buster Crabb would get clobbered because unlike Johnny he had stroke and body position defficiences and regardless of a change in training techniques he would not be able to keep up with the swimmers of the 1970's where he thought Johnny would.
I am glad you brought up the Spence brothers because Water Spence has an NCAA Record that will never be broken especially with the new NCAA rules regarding eligibility. He was the NCAA high point scorer for Rutgers at the age of 34 and is the oldest NCAA champion ever. It was a fact that has a professional Johnny Weismuller did a :48.5, while coaching the Spence brothers but it did not count and his record of :51.4 for the 100 Yard Free stood until 1944 when Alan Ford broke it at :50.8, but it was tied by 4 guys and I personally know one of guys that tied the record in 1942 named Bill Prew.
I had the pleasure of meeting Johnny purely out of luck. I was at the ISHOF a couple of days after the 1983 Short Course Nationals that were held there. I was in the Hall when Buck Dawson said that Johhny would be stopping by in the next hour. I was going to go swimming and workout but I thought I am going to stay here and meet this guy. He came by and did not look well at all. I remember how sad I was to see him in this state. He was real nice and was glad that the Masters program seemed to be taking off. He didn't say much and I didn't ask him anything and was stunned to finally meet this legend that I grew up with watching Tarzen and later Jungle Jim. I believe he died the next year sometime in 1984.
Terry:
If you don't get that book you ordered "Swimming the American Crawl" let me know. I have several copies and bought one about 2 years ago for $2.00 and I will give it to you free as a gift. I have read the book and have found some of the concepts way ahead of there time. Sherm Chavor, who was Mark Spitz's coach at Arden Hills said that if Johnny Weismuller would have trained the way people in the late 1960's and early 1970's did he would be perhaps be as great as anyone of that era and could have easily been the equal of Spitz in his opinion. He said this in the book he wrote called "The 50 Meter Jungle" that came out back in 1973. He also said that Buster Crabb would get clobbered because unlike Johnny he had stroke and body position defficiences and regardless of a change in training techniques he would not be able to keep up with the swimmers of the 1970's where he thought Johnny would.
I am glad you brought up the Spence brothers because Water Spence has an NCAA Record that will never be broken especially with the new NCAA rules regarding eligibility. He was the NCAA high point scorer for Rutgers at the age of 34 and is the oldest NCAA champion ever. It was a fact that has a professional Johnny Weismuller did a :48.5, while coaching the Spence brothers but it did not count and his record of :51.4 for the 100 Yard Free stood until 1944 when Alan Ford broke it at :50.8, but it was tied by 4 guys and I personally know one of guys that tied the record in 1942 named Bill Prew.
I had the pleasure of meeting Johnny purely out of luck. I was at the ISHOF a couple of days after the 1983 Short Course Nationals that were held there. I was in the Hall when Buck Dawson said that Johhny would be stopping by in the next hour. I was going to go swimming and workout but I thought I am going to stay here and meet this guy. He came by and did not look well at all. I remember how sad I was to see him in this state. He was real nice and was glad that the Masters program seemed to be taking off. He didn't say much and I didn't ask him anything and was stunned to finally meet this legend that I grew up with watching Tarzen and later Jungle Jim. I believe he died the next year sometime in 1984.
