I have formulated two theories on this ...
ONE - with age comes wisdom and with wisdom comes the realization that fly is the most superior stroke so we decide to master it ...
OR
TWO - flyers are the loudest and always have to have their voices heard ...
I'll go with ONE. 4 years ago I decided to learn the stroke. Now I can do a decent 50 without a form break. Time to start working on the 100.
Oh, Heather- you know that you and I are together on choice #2...
I resemble that Cruise. I am a very quiet conventional sort. I am just noisy and huffy when I can't do fly all I want.
I love me a 50 fly. That is probably my 2nd favorite event. The event is quick but challenging nonetheless. I always go for it, and feel like :dedhorse: afterwards. The 100 I like too. When you've been sprinting the previous 75, that last 25 is SO HARD, and each time I swim it, I feel like it is a major accomplishment just to have made it to the 100 mark!
Technique is everything with fly. Even the strongest swimmers can struggle with fly if they have poor stroke technique. I remember back in high school, with a little extra work on my technique and coordinating my breathing, my time dropped dramatically the next race.
I have formulated two theories on this ...
ONE - with age comes wisdom and with wisdom comes the realization that fly is the most superior stroke so we decide to master it ...
OR
TWO - flyers are the loudest and always have to have their voices heard ...
I think it's definitely #2.
Re butterfly as you age: 2006 New England SCM Championships
Greg Shaw, 55 years old - 100 meter fly 1:00.35!
AMAZING!!! :notworthy:
I will never forget watching the 80-85 yr old men swim the 200 meter fly at Nationals! I felt like such a wimp....swimming my little 50 fly!
I agree with the Fortress about age limiting the efficiency of the Fly. Probaly not only age, but the fact that older masters train less. If I swim well, or reasonably well, the first 25 meters of a 50 meter fly, then my problem is not being able to swim, but having the stamina to go the full 50. I am not even thinking yet of a 100 meter butterfly, but who knows? I got all confused and flustered and confounded by this frog versus dolphin kick issue. Recently, with less swimmers at the pool, our coach has begun giving me some "private" lessons on the fly. He is correcting small mistakes here and there in style. As I mentioned earlier, I died at the end of a 50 meter long course, even though bettering my pitiful time by 2 full seconds. But I did manage to go the whole way with no gliding after the hand entry. The gliding is what made if for me possible to swim the whole distance without going into butterstruggle, but I was going nowhere speedwise. I also believe the reason a lot of us swim the freestyle is that it is easier to swim. For our next racing calendar year which goes from March through November, I plan on doing some different strokes such as the *** and even maybe a backstroke. I can swim those strokes because I use to swim the I.M. medley, but I sure hate them, specially the backstroke where I fill in all my sinuses with water. Maybe I could try and swim the darn thing with nose clips and no goggles, and die of lack of air instead of water spillage into my brain via a communication between the diverse sinuses. Finally, I will practice more the Fly, on alternate days, because our training is pretty much standard for all, modifying only some distances, so not much Fly included. billy fanstone.
If I swim well, or reasonably well, the first 25 meters of a 50 meter fly, then my problem is not being able to swim, but having the stamina to go the full 50.
There is a theory out there that if you have an inefficient stroke you can overcome it to some extent by pure power, for a short distance. There is the possibility that if you improve your technique you will be able to swim further before running out of steam. One clue as to whether this theory applies to you would be how far you can sprint freestyle. If you can swim 200 free at a good clip but die in a 50 fly the problem might have more to do with technique than stamina. Theoretically speaking.
