"What do YOU need to do to have a major swimming breakthrough?"

I have not posted in a good while, but have gotten consistently valuable advice from Ande and others, often indirectly. I love this forum. Beginning several years ago I began trying to rebuild my freestyle stroke. My form was generally okay, but my timing was poor–no “front quadrant”–more like opposing arms on a windmill. I worked with a coach, and I changed the stroke to a significant degree but it hasn’t really changed my speed. Meanwhile I have been working on other strokes and making progress there. The same coach worked with me on my backstroke, which was (is) horrendous. I swim IM to keep from getting bored, both in practice and in occasional competition. So here’s the thing: one day, while trying to get my backstroke to work I was using fins to keep me moving a little more efficiently while I worked out what my hips, shoulders and arms should be doing. Somehow, the extra propulsion from the fins made it possible to time the stroke better, and–boink!–suddenly I got it. The relationship between the action of my arms seemed related in a new way. I immediately turned over and tried it on my front. Same thing: suddenly, I was “climbing the rope.” I felt like a completely different swimmer, like I was literally crawling over the water. It was crazy. An epiphany. Since that time I have been able to recreate that feeling without fins for relatively short distances. My timing is way better when I don’t breathe, so once I get to breathing every stroke I lose the feeling, I think because I pull the trigger on my right arm too quickly when I breathe to my left. Anyway, I do feel different on sprints, and I am trying to figure out an approach for dropping time in my 50 free. When I have swum it in meets I have tended to feel like I’m fighting the water. So I know I have to do more sprinting in practice. I swim with folks who are mostly fitness swimmers. It’s a bit awkward to do sprints. But I can figure that out. Here is my basic question (sorry it’s taken this long to get to it!) How often should I sprint in practice? I know that I need to improve my 25 first. Specifically, how many times a week, assuming 4 to 5 workouts per, approximately 2500 to 3000 yards? Secondarily, can I use the fins sometimes to reinforce the proper rhythm? I mean this less as a sprinting question than a drilling one. Finally, does anybody know of a realistic way to self-time 25 yard sprints? Thanks in advance!

I have not posted in a good while, but have gotten consistently valuable advice from Ande and others, often indirectly. I love this forum. Beginning several years ago I began trying to rebuild my freestyle stroke. My form was generally okay, but my timing was poor–no “front quadrant”–more like opposing arms on a windmill. I worked with a coach, and I changed the stroke to a significant degree but it hasn’t really changed my speed. Meanwhile I have been working on other strokes and making progress there. The same coach worked with me on my backstroke, which was (is) horrendous. I swim IM to keep from getting bored, both in practice and in occasional competition. So here’s the thing: one day, while trying to get my backstroke to work I was using fins to keep me moving a little more efficiently while I worked out what my hips, shoulders and arms should be doing. Somehow, the extra propulsion from the fins made it possible to time the stroke better, and–boink!–suddenly I got it. The relationship between the action of my arms seemed related in a new way. I immediately turned over and tried it on my front. Same thing: suddenly, I was “climbing the rope.” I felt like a completely different swimmer, like I was literally crawling over the water. It was crazy. An epiphany. Since that time I have been able to recreate that feeling without fins for relatively short distances. My timing is way better when I don’t breathe, so once I get to breathing every stroke I lose the feeling, I think because I pull the trigger on my right arm too quickly when I breathe to my left. Anyway, I do feel different on sprints, and I am trying to figure out an approach for dropping time in my 50 free. When I have swum it in meets I have tended to feel like I’m fighting the water. So I know I have to do more sprinting in practice. I swim with folks who are mostly fitness swimmers. It’s a bit awkward to do sprints. But I can figure that out. Here is my basic question (sorry it’s taken this long to get to it!) How often should I sprint in practice? I know that I need to improve my 25 first. Specifically, how many times a week, assuming 4 to 5 workouts per, approximately 2500 to 3000 yards? Secondarily, can I use the fins sometimes to reinforce the proper rhythm? I mean this less as a sprinting question than a drilling one. Finally, does anybody know of a realistic way to self-time 25 yard sprints? Thanks in advance!