1 second improvement

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Thu, 03 May 2007 12:48:36 GMT

I am convinced that I'm losing a second+ on the turn. Any advice on picking up a second on the 50 meter long course free?

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Tue, 01 May 2007 11:12:46 GMT

This mirrors what George said: 12. The fastest you ever travel is when you dive off the block and push off the wall. I got this of a web page a number of years ago and it is still around. members.tripod.com/.../21laws.htm ... Ironically, Rule 19 which says: 19. Embrace your opponents. They make you a faster, better swimmer seems to be a big No-No. Its effects (to which a lot of Forumites are attributing her non-recognized WR) are being hotly debated in two other threads. (Libby Lenton's 52.99. Nay-sayers are .....saying that Michael Phelps made her a faster, better swimmer. You really have to read those threads.) :)

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:29:41 GMT

Bud those are rules to swim by. I always said the dive and turn are the most important and to keep the body moving as close to the dive and turn speed as you can by swimmng streamline.

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:21:09 GMT

RE: 1 second improvement

rtodd — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 10:42:41 GMT

Turns. get the arms in a streamlined position ASAP, so when the feet hit, you are ready to immediately push.

RE: 1 second improvement

Xenadiva — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 08:12:58 GMT

This mirrors what George said: 12. The fastest you ever travel is when you dive off the block and push off the wall. I got this of a web page a number of years ago and it is still around. members.tripod.com/.../21laws.htm ... Yeah... David Marsh agrees! I just got a dvd on turns by David Marsh and this is one of the first things he mentions. I've got to improve my turns. Hopefully the dvd will help!

RE: 1 second improvement

Xenadiva — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 08:11:43 GMT

Yeah... David Marsh agrees! I just got a dvd on turns by David Marsh and this is one of the first things he mentions. I've got to improve my turns. Hopefully the dvd will help!

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 16:53:36 GMT

Thank you George. You responded at about the same time today as I did my PB on the 50 free at 27.78, and have reversed a trend which was creeping above 28.

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 15:37:31 GMT

Great starts an turns.

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 15:27:35 GMT

The first reply from the Fortress was awesome. I'd like to add two things; 1. Add some EVF isometrics where you raise your elbows near or above your ears and hold them there. The duration of an isometric will vary from six seconds to specific times (times that duplicate the goal time). Endurace swimmers need to hold the isometrics longer while sprinters may need to add stretch cords or light dumbells to their routine. 2. Perform EVF drill that are super slow and emphasize that aspect of the stroke. Dropping one second isn't easy but you can do it. Good luck, Coach T.

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 16:35:35 GMT

Streamlined. Not like any software I am accustomed to.

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 16:02:55 GMT

... SDKs on the starts and turns, even for free .... Thanks for your excellent summary. I am sorry but what is SDK? I guess DK is Dolphin Kick but what is S? You may be amazed but I know better SDK as Software Development Kit.

RE: 1 second improvement

ande — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 11:31:40 GMT

if I were in your situation and wanted to drop a second in the 50 free here's how I'd do it focus on the 50 in your training lose more weight get down to 170 - 180 lift weights 2 - 3 x / wk (start out very easy, consider getting a trainer) swim 4 - 6 times a week, preferably with a coach and team, if not find a partner in your work outs warm up then do sprints with plenty of rest do 15's, 25's & 50's swimming and kicking get timed on a few whenever you swim easy concentrate on distance per stroke, great streamlines, great form get your splits when you swim fast 50's learn the track start get a fast skin suit good luck hope you improve ande Thanks everyone for the advice. Ande, I'm almost 62 and have swum in 5 or 6 Masters events. Before that I last swam in a Jr. AAU meet in 1959. Training now is unstructured a few days a week. I don't want to get too much structure and get bored and quit, but I think I can improve my time by a second or two. 6' 198 lbs--down from 205 - 210 since retiring and exercising regularly. Jack

RE: 1 second improvement

Xenadiva — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 08:52:04 GMT

if I were in your situation and wanted to drop a second in the 50 free here's how I'd do it focus on the 50 in your training lose more weight get down to 170 - 180 Keep in mind that loosing weight is not always the answer. "From 1999 to 2000 Gary Hall Jr. dramatically increased his muscle mass. His body weight went from about 180 to 219 pounds during this same year." - The Swim Coaching Bible. Michael Bottom wrote this and was surprised that Gary's weight gain didn't work against him. He thought it would translate into increased resistance in the water, instead Gary could generate more power compensating for the increase in resistance. I would recommend buying "The Swim Coaching Bible". It will teach you a lot about swimming and will be useful even if you are not a coach. Michael Bottom doesn't have a book out and he wrote the chapter on Freestyle Sprint Training in this book. I had the opportunity to meet him at the Fina Masters Competition at Stanford. He's a pretty eccentric guy. He's very creative and after meeting him I understand why he was a good fit for Gary. Michael Bottom was Gary Hall Jr.'s sprint coach. I don't know if he is currently training him for 2008. Currently I'm also trying to get a better time in the 50 free. I know if I improve my turn it will definitely help. I just ordered some tapes. I'll let you know if they helped. Hopefully they will come in time. If not there is always next season. Good luck :)

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 05:48:01 GMT

DPS = distance per stroke. Even though you're swimming a 50, it's still important. I do a lot of 25s working on this, thanks to Paul Smith. I mix up the 25s, doing sprint, DPS, build, easy, kick, etc. I'm not saying I'm great at it. I still have a high stroke rate in a 50, but I do it faithfully. I'm sure others, such as Rich Abrahams, can give better advice. Plus, there is the "Ask Ande" thread. Warren: I am living proof that you do not need good "conditioning" for a goodly drop in the 50 free. I am in good shape for my age, but I have not done any engine building in the pool for awhile and I just swam my fastest 50 since college after being sick. This is masters and sprinting is not utterly defined by conditioning in the pool. Or I'd be sunk. Better to spend some time practicing sprinting, lifting weights, SDK-ing, and napping before meets. Doing sprints in practice is conditioning for the 50 free. I didn't mean endurance training. I wasn't very clear in my answer. I should have said step up the practice intinsity to get in better condition and you will drop a second.

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 13:19:37 GMT

well it sounds like it's working for you. i'm still focusing on the shorter races. i really wanna get my 50 time down but it's tough to break the habit of engine building which i'm so used to. we have already started lifeguarding on the weekends down here so i've been doing a couple open water swims. i think i'm going to start using the ow swims for lifeguarding as my conditioning and just sprint sprint sprint when i'm in the pool

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:46:08 GMT

so fort what kind of stuff have you been doing in the pool? yardage? i saw you went a 25 in the 50 free, that's smoking fast

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:54:54 GMT

Thanks everyone for the advice. Ande, I'm almost 62 and have swum in 5 or 6 Masters events. Before that I last swam in a Jr. AAU meet in 1959. Training now is unstructured a few days a week. I don't want to get too much structure and get bored and quit, but I think I can improve my time by a second or two. 6' 198 lbs--down from 205-210 since retiring and exercising regularly. Jack

RE: 1 second improvement

ande — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:12:27 GMT

you went 27.9 now tell us more about you age sex your current training previous training when is your focus meet strength height weight put a video on youtube splits (what was the time for your first 25?) BTW fort, those were some excellent answers ande Assuming an excellent technique in the 50 free, where can 1 second be gained? The start, the turn, the equipment?

RE: 1 second improvement

The Fortress — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 09:07:22 GMT

so fort what kind of stuff have you been doing in the pool? yardage? i saw you went a 25 in the 50 free, that's smoking fast Thanks Jesse. Yardage? :confused: No, I'm not familiar with that concept. :rofl: I haven't done any real enginge building since last summer/fall because of my shoulders and time constraints. Plus, you don't need tons of yardage for sprinting. I've just been doing what I listed above really. When I swim on my own, 3-4 times a week max, I warm up, do drills, a little pacework and then loads of 25s and underwater SDK-ing with and without my monofin and warm down. 2500. 3000 if I'm really ambitious, but not lately. When I swim with my team, at most 1-2 times a week during the school year, I do around 4000. So I usually only go 4000 1x per week with a more organized workout. I usually go on the day(s) when the team focuses on strokes and sprint work. 2 days of 4000 is a big week for me. I avoid distance free day if possible and I adapt distance free sets. (I'm not really a freestyler, just a good free sprinter. Or at least that's what I've always thought.) When I'm being uber-disciplined and not consumed with work or kid stuff, I run 2x a week for 30-40 minutes and I lift moderate weights 2x per week. (But did not do that the last 2 weeks when I was doing my sickness taper.) I stretch too. I'm pretty flexible; I think that helps. Well, the loosey goosey shoulder tendons don't help. Because I don't have the time or shoulders for engine building (although I'm hoping to do more next year after prolo), I'm a big believer in quality over quantity and intensity over yardage. Just for fast sprints, not for other stuff like the 200s or the 400 IM. I've just basically been following Ande and Paul Smith's sprinting advice and training mostly but not entirely on my own. I feel like I should wear a sign saying "I am an Ande's blog addict. Sprint. Do it often." I have a teammate who used to be a sprinter and is now hooked on engine building and is in amazing condition. He said, however, that his sprints were a bit off at zones and his distance events were fabulous. I think it's hard to train for both. Are you still focusing on the shorter distances?

RE: 1 second improvement

Xenadiva — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 07:48:54 GMT

You might want to frequent the message boards at: www.theraceclub.net This is Gary Hall Jr.'s site. If anyone knows anything about sprinting, he will.

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 15:13:53 GMT

Da second! da unfathomable second! Sounds something like this: If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds' worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son! --Rudyard Kipling I have been working on taking TWO seconds off my 50 meter free time, long or short course. I have already taken one second off. This has been going on for about two years. Funny, on some days when you feel you did horribly, you did okay, other days, you feel you were fast, you weren't so fast. I need to do everything Leslie mentioned above, plus do a faster SDK, make a better turn (mine is old fashioned, I turn and come out on my front), plus have confidence and enough air to do a SDK on the way back. On May 12th I'll have a chance at swimming a LCM 50, and I am gonna go underwater all the way to the magical place Phelps goes to. I might even try and do a 50 fly, which almost caused my demise a year ago, when I thought I would drown and die at the 45 meter line. Take care, billy fanstone

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 14:45:54 GMT

Assuming an excellent technique in the 50 free, where can 1 second be gained? The start, the turn, the equipment? better condtioning can get you 1 second.

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 14:11:48 GMT

Last time 27.91-- starts OK, turns fair

RE: 1 second improvement

Former Member — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 14:05:18 GMT

How fast are you now? That is going to play a role for sure. How are your turns and starts now?