I need seriously help for how to improve my SCY times. My LCM times are so much better than SCY by comparison, I know this might sound a little weird, but it's true. I suck at short course, and love racing in long course. I don't know what's causing this, but would like to go faster in both SCY and SCM. Currently I am not swimming for a masters team, because we don't really have one near by where I go to college. I do swim with our school swim club sometimes, but they practice at night, and I am more of a morning, afternoon swimmer, since I mostly have to work on projects for my classes at night. Just a little background on my swimming if that gives you a better idea of where I come from and how to possibly give me some advice. I started swimming when I was almost 3 years old, and first taught by my father. Since I was not born and did not grow up in the swimming power house-the US, I did not get to do competitive swimming until I decided to go to high school in Texas. I was a really solid distance freestyler, and breaststroker, and I have fairly decent butterfly too. I did suck at backstroke, and still do. :frustrated: But I had to almost completely stop racing/competing after only one year swimming on my high school team due to severe back injuries, and heart condition (I kindda have the same problem like Dana Vollmer's, my heart could stop at any random moment). Plus I was still picking up English, and had to complete my high school in just 3 years as I did not want to fall behind, (I entered high school as a sophomore). Now I am a junior in college, and I just recently started swimming everyday again, and found out just how much I miss racing and competing in the water. I make up my own workouts most the times, and sometimes use the masters' workouts you guys posted here. They seem to work pretty well for me, and I do feel I am getting stronger and faster every now and then. Distance freestyle is still my favorite, and I am starting to get closer and closer to my personally best time I set in high school almost 5 years ago! I just looked up the top 10 times for my age groups (18-24), and my 800m and 1500m (LCM) times fall within them!! It's pretty encouraging for me to know that. I am planning to also get faster for my fly and breaststroke and IM.
Dang, I can't believe I just typed such a long, lousy paragraph thingy about me and swimming. Sorry for making you guys read through all of that. But any advice for getting faster in SCY? Thanks so much! I have enjoyed reading through all of your comments (most of them are hilarious) here, and my dad just joined a couple weeks ago too! I can't wait to join a masters' team after I graduate. Should be tons fun!
All the best,
-Anlynn
P.S. What exactly is a "natural swimmer"? I have been told that I am one, but have no idea what it really means, though it sounded a lot like a compliment. lol. :joker:
Turns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The big thing I need to remember is getting my arms streamlined VERY quickly. You have to be streamlined BEFORE your feet touch the wall. That way you waste no time and you jet off the wall.....no plowing trying to get your arms streamlined.
Figure on dropping one second per turn when done correctly.
One possible contributor to slower SCY times might be your flip turns. If you have slow turns or a poor push off it might actually take more time than your unabated swimming. You might want to focus on making your turns faster. (Just one possibility).
Anlynn,
I have the opposite problem! I've noticed that distance swimmers tend to do better in long course than sprinters. I think that may explain part of your long course advantage.
I agree with waves 101....TURN,TURNS and more TURNS! Get a coach to watch your turns and give you advice on what you need to work on. You may need to work on increasing your leg strength to get a better push off the walls. Wall sits, squats and plyometrics can really help with your power off the turns.
I agree with waves.....SCY and SCM has a lot do do with the turns. Where as LCM relies mainly on swimming. Work your turns in practice and get some advice from a coach or another knowledgeable swimmer on how to do them properly!!!!
The videos are a great tool to use too. Those guys are fast for a reason. I love it when the olympics come around because you get to see all the TV coverage of these fast guys and see how they do it. Imitation of what they do is a good way of learning.
Glad you like the sig - and yes, I would also much rather swim WITH the dolphins than AWAY from the sharks, but sometimes that just the way it happens ;)
Chomp Chomp!
Happy Laps!
One of my favorite sets to work on turns and sprinting is "2 turn 50's". Start in the middle of the pool. Sprint into the wall and do a fast turn. Swim to the other wall for another fast turn and sprint back to the middle of the pool.
You can do 75's and 100's this way too. I like 50's so you can practice your turns with speed. You can add difficulty to these by starting from a floating position. Really makes you have to create a lot of force/power to get going.
I do mid-pool swims a lot. It's great for that added turn practice.
Starting from a dead stop without a push off from the wall is also a good way to learn how to get to speed as quickly as possible. This came in handy for me when I missed a turn in a 100 free last year, just barely got my toe on the wall but had no push. Even with the missed turn I came in only about 1 sec. slower than my best time.
One of my favorite sets to work on turns and sprinting is "2 turn 50's". Start in the middle of the pool. Sprint into the wall and do a fast turn. Swim to the other wall for another fast turn and sprint back to the middle of the pool.
You can do 75's and 100's this way too. I like 50's so you can practice your turns with speed. You can add difficulty to these by starting from a floating position. Really makes you have to create a lot of force/power to get going.
I just want to re-emphasize what rtodd said about getting into a tight streamlined position as soon as possible off of each turn as well as doing the underwater dolphin kicking.....If you have time idguru, check out the videos that Ande and Paul posted on the SPL SDK thread and the American Short Course Champoinship Thread of Ion Crocker's 100 free final and 100 fly prelim race....He is the KING of streamlining and underwater dolphin kicking!!
Newmastersswimmer
I just want to re-emphasize what rtodd said about getting into a tight streamlined position as soon as possible off of each turn as well as doing the underwater dolphin kicking.....If you have time idguru, check out the videos that Ande and Paul posted on the SPL SDK thread and the American Short Course Champoinship Thread of Ion Crocker's 100 free final and 100 fly prelim race....He is the KING of streamlining and underwater dolphin kicking!!
Newmastersswimmer
Amen! Ian's underwater DK, put in my own words, is non-human! :notworthy: He has insanely perfect streamline and DK. I am always in awe whenever I see him easily crosses the short course pool using only underwater swimming. He makes it seem so effortless and like reaching the other end of a bath tub. :bow:
Alright, guess it's time to really work on my turns and DKs!
Stay wet,
-Anlynn
