General Tips for Making it to State (High School Swimming)
Former Member
Hey,
Im a junior in high school, and this is my second year swimming on an official swim team. I joined the swim team as a joke my sophomore year, but I now love the sport and want to take it very seriously.
I moved up to JV last year and I'm now looking to move up to varsity this year and do very well in the 200 I.M.
My stroke techniques need lot of work. My *** is by far my best followed by the freestyle. The backstroke and butterfly are pretty much the same.
My *** is pretty decent and my coaches have said I'm doing it right. However with my back and freestyle, my hips are swinging out and I'm fishtailing. My coach tried telling me how to do it, but I'm still doing it. How do I fix this?
With my butterfly, I feel like it's a little strained and it doesn't really flow like I feel it should.
Also my kicking is very very weak. After a 50 freestyle/Back/Fly and i start burning out (especially fly since I don't really know how to do it) *** kick is cake.
My sophomore year I swam the 100 *** at 1:17.21
My times as of now are:
50 Freestyle: 27.3 Seconds
100 ***: 1:26.54
50 Back: 38 Seconds
50 Fly: 32 Seconds
Right now I'm training primarily through weight lifting (Working on all areas of the body,) and some swimming.
I am really looking to go from being a decent swimmer to someone who can place 1st in state (ideally : D)
Any advice would be appreciated.
In most states, I would expect that swimmers who are likely to qualify for and place at the statewide HS swim meet swim year-round. They work closely with their coaches on form and conditioning. Lifting is helpful for developing power; and cross-training in running, cycling, or rowing can be great for your heart and endurance; but the most important practice for swimming is swimming.
As a teenager with very little swimming experience, your most important step to achieving your best swimming is to involve yourself in a solid age-group program with a coach and teammates that you trust. I disagree that you should hunt for the coach from the "winningest" team and ask for private lessons. Hunt for that team and then join it, because the coach isn't the only reason that team wins.
I would also suggest that you work with your coach and your teammates to set some intermediate goals. Maybe you will turn out to be that unusually talented person who can go from "joke" to "champion" in three years, but maybe you won't. You can develop solid swimming skills that enable you to love and enjoy this sport for the rest of your life even if you don't win an event at a big meet, or qualify for state, or pay for college through swimming. Intermediate goals will help you figure out whether or not your ultimate goal is realistic, and they will also help you learn to love swimming and to achieve your best even if your best turns out to be statistically average.
In most states, I would expect that swimmers who are likely to qualify for and place at the statewide HS swim meet swim year-round. They work closely with their coaches on form and conditioning. Lifting is helpful for developing power; and cross-training in running, cycling, or rowing can be great for your heart and endurance; but the most important practice for swimming is swimming.
As a teenager with very little swimming experience, your most important step to achieving your best swimming is to involve yourself in a solid age-group program with a coach and teammates that you trust. I disagree that you should hunt for the coach from the "winningest" team and ask for private lessons. Hunt for that team and then join it, because the coach isn't the only reason that team wins.
I would also suggest that you work with your coach and your teammates to set some intermediate goals. Maybe you will turn out to be that unusually talented person who can go from "joke" to "champion" in three years, but maybe you won't. You can develop solid swimming skills that enable you to love and enjoy this sport for the rest of your life even if you don't win an event at a big meet, or qualify for state, or pay for college through swimming. Intermediate goals will help you figure out whether or not your ultimate goal is realistic, and they will also help you learn to love swimming and to achieve your best even if your best turns out to be statistically average.
