What do YOU need to do to have a major swimming breakthrough?"
I started this thread over in the work outs section which I think doesn't get as much traffic as the general discussion board
so here's the link
forums.usms.org/showthread.php
but my point is,
No matter what, the time between right now and your focus meet is going to pass, and the things you do to prepare for your meet is of the UTMOST importance.
the choices you make
the chances you take
swim hard in practice
rehearse racing
I want to read your story about your breakthrough.
Decide it starts today
that this season will be your best season EVER
What do you need to do to make this true?
Ande
If you are a sprinter, it's essential to be be a fast kicker.
If you aren't, that's a piece of ripe low haning fruit.
Pick it,
take a bite,
savor it's deliciousness.
Everyone can improve their kick especially when it isn't fast.
This isn't about what interval people can make on repeat 50's.
I'm talking about drag racing.
What is your time when you kick all out for:
15, 25, and 50 meters.
Also it's important to be able to kick a fast 100 and 200, but if your 50 isn't fast, there's no point. You need to fix your fifty first.
If a sprinter kicks 50 meters around 1:00 he should work on improving his kick and make it much faster, world class swimmers can kick 50 meters under 30 and they can SDK 50 meters in 24 or 25. I'm pretty sure I can flutter kick 50 meters with a board around 35 and SDK in 30
You can be a faster kicker, once you develop it and learn to apply it while you swim, you will become a faster swimmer.
Your time will improve.
Ande
While I agree that a strong kick is essential for any swimming, a minute 50 kick isn't unheard of on my masters team, even among the faster swimmers. When we do kick sets, we rarely do a 50 kick on less than a minute interval, getting maybe 5 seconds rest. Even for the fastest lane with some former olympians, they may do 50 kicks on :50 or :55. The lanes towards the middle of the pool do 50 kick on a 1:10 interval.
I think you should decide where you get the most benefit and invest time in improving that first. As a former boss (a Texan) used to always tell me, "Pick the low hanging fruit first." Back when I took swimming instruction classes and taught swimming, I believe the manuals said the free kick accounts for about 30% of the forward movement in the stroke, so you can only go so far with overall stroke improvements by concentrating on the kick.
*** is an entirely different story, as the kick makes up a larger portion of the stroke (I don't remember the exact percentage). My 50 *** kick is about 10 seconds faster than my free. Improvements to the *** kick will have a far higher impact on the whole stroke.
If you are a sprinter, it's essential to be be a fast kicker.
If you aren't, that's a piece of ripe low haning fruit.
Pick it,
take a bite,
savor it's deliciousness.
Everyone can improve their kick especially when it isn't fast.
This isn't about what interval people can make on repeat 50's.
I'm talking about drag racing.
What is your time when you kick all out for:
15, 25, and 50 meters.
Also it's important to be able to kick a fast 100 and 200, but if your 50 isn't fast, there's no point. You need to fix your fifty first.
If a sprinter kicks 50 meters around 1:00 he should work on improving his kick and make it much faster, world class swimmers can kick 50 meters under 30 and they can SDK 50 meters in 24 or 25. I'm pretty sure I can flutter kick 50 meters with a board around 35 and SDK in 30
You can be a faster kicker, once you develop it and learn to apply it while you swim, you will become a faster swimmer.
Your time will improve.
Ande
While I agree that a strong kick is essential for any swimming, a minute 50 kick isn't unheard of on my masters team, even among the faster swimmers. When we do kick sets, we rarely do a 50 kick on less than a minute interval, getting maybe 5 seconds rest. Even for the fastest lane with some former olympians, they may do 50 kicks on :50 or :55. The lanes towards the middle of the pool do 50 kick on a 1:10 interval.
I think you should decide where you get the most benefit and invest time in improving that first. As a former boss (a Texan) used to always tell me, "Pick the low hanging fruit first." Back when I took swimming instruction classes and taught swimming, I believe the manuals said the free kick accounts for about 30% of the forward movement in the stroke, so you can only go so far with overall stroke improvements by concentrating on the kick.
*** is an entirely different story, as the kick makes up a larger portion of the stroke (I don't remember the exact percentage). My 50 *** kick is about 10 seconds faster than my free. Improvements to the *** kick will have a far higher impact on the whole stroke.
