How much endurance training?

How much stretching should we do? I just met a Watsu instructor, he said he could limber me up in 5 minutes and that I would not have to train any more just 5 minutes a day of Watsu http://www.watsu.com/ I do not believe him...

trying to swim in any way like michael phelps (as if i could) is just smart. i breathe every stroke on a 200 fly (if i didn't need to breathe so much, i might be a sprinter) fad :A fashion that is taken up with great enthusiasm for a brief period of time; a craze. evolution:A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form. semantic?

A 'fad' that I remember from the hoary depths of my early swimming memories: W-a-ay back, Chet Jastremski dropped sprint breastroke times by a then jaw-dropping amount. Breathless swim coaches studied 8mm images of him swimming (largely above water, complete with sun-reflections) and saw that he was swimming a very different kick than the then 'frog' kick and had their swimmers imitate it. Many young swimmers blew groins, knees etc. trying to swim 'just like Chet' without realizing that Chet had some sort of gymnastics background (as I recall) and had the flexibility to accomplish something close to the now-accepted kick we know. That was a fad and a dangerous one.

When a certain technique is employed by the vast majority of world-class swimmers; is that a fad? Hi Dave, It is. And the reason I say this is within a year or two, that technique may then be changed again based on an even better swimmer. Fad may not be the right word, but what it implies is coaches don't have the answers, so they try things out based on great swimmers' performances. I think most coaches would not call this "fad", they would call it "new science", but whatever it is called, it is all still very experimental as new crops of swimmers pop up. I remember back in the 60s and 70s, we were ripping up the pool with mega-yardage, I'm talking mega yardage. Then in the 80s, the yardage theory lost momentum and science took over (better stroke mechanics.) And some people have stayed with this combination, and some, in the 1990s reverted back toward mega-yardage again. The reason is no one really knows exactly what works so the ongoing debates and experiments continue. Fad? Maybe. There was a backstroker in the 68 Olympics, Kay Hall, I believe, and she did this really unusual stroke thing underwater. Instead of pushing down with the hand at the end of the stroke, she pushed upward (palm facing sky), so everyone rushed to change all their backstrokers hand movements. Well, the problem encountered within a couple of years was this: bicep tears. So, it had to be abandoned. Like Michael Phelps, Kay's arm movement was great for her, but really bad for others. Fad? Maybe. And I want George's stretch-man. Donna

I got a question. Which is better for endurance? waking up not eating breakfast and run 5 miles and eat after or eating breakfast before and running 5 miles. If you dont eat you have no energy and get tired faster and work harder. If you eat you are energized and run faster. What do get more out of?

Warren, I would like to add this: if you are hungry, eat and wait a bit. If not, you probably still have fuel from dinner that has been processed and your body will respond. Why not 6-8 ounces of a sports drink if in doubt? Donna

I'm sorry, rationalize it? Rationalize what? I guess my lightbulb is off; isn't revolutionizing something based on a person's own rationalization? I just don't understand the statement, that's all..... Are you saying guesswork based on opinion, or a person's own experience? I'm not trying to be mean, I am just really confused by this, that's all......Maybe it is too "deep water" for this person. (sigh) I will say this, I am surprised that there are not a thousand fads out there about how to swim well; only a dozen or so, and it seems to change about every decade. And swim times are fast nowadays, so some people have figured it out even if it is only a handful and they have figured out what makes them fast for them, not what some report said. We are all unique and need to find our own way within guidelines that we know work. We all have different "vessels" and we will part that Red Sea accordingly. Or, in my case, I will be a slow barge to Utila. Donna

If you don't want to revolutionize swimming, then don't don't use words lilke revolutionize and transformation in your goods... deleted my post by accident. crap.

Nobody messes with my family ... ;) People tend to get caught up in semantics a lot on here and attack instead of asking for clarification ... I'm trying to think of a way of clarifying the breaststroke example, but I can't quite word it correctly ... You're quite the loyalist, FlyQueen. Very admirable. Semantics and rationalizations often dominate forums. I guess it provides fun and wordplay/swordplay for everyone. I can make no comment on the evolution of breaststroke. I detest the stroke just like your odd avatar. Having said that, it seems like the breaststrokers are the nicest, most civil bunch on this forum. Flyers are very loud, boistersous, and sandpaper-y, but I will :drink: with them.

I think I will get these (see link)...since they are as graceful and sleek as breaststroke...not that Fly Queen or Sprintress here would grasp that....:thhbbb: :rofl: / I grasped your meaning. Another diss on us sprint flyers. :rofl: How much grief can we take in one day. I was so busy attempting to grasp all the meanings of this thread that I just failed to grasp my Diet Coke properly and it has now spilled on my keyboard... So Rich, what's your take on proper ratio of technique to endurance training. Have you grasped an opinion from the thread or from your own training? The clutzy sprintress. Caped: My lovely avatar came from a book entitled "The Princess Knight." It's about a little girl who wants to be a knight like her brothers instead of learning how to knit and play the harp. I bought it for Lil Lil Fortress to encourage her to grow up and be loud and boisterous and form her own opinions.