what is the optimal differential between the first and second 50 on a 100 yard short course freestyle? The first 50 benefits from the dive and the relative freshness of the swimmer; the second 50 requires two turns and contending with lactate and fatigue.
Is it better to go all out and try to hold on, or save a little for the end?
Say you can swim an all-out 50 by itself at 25 seconds. How would you ideally swim the 100?
Example: 25.5 then 28.5 for 3 second differential and a 54.0
or 26.0 and 28 for a 2 second differential and a 54.
Which method do you think is best?
Parents
Former Member
Going way be to when I was little (we're talking no older than 14ish), my coach would always give our splits at meets. Our goal was to make them as close as possible or within a second or 2.
Sometimes, mine would be a difference of like 4 seconds. He would say "It looked like you were dragging Yamahas behind you! You know, those big pianos!" Funny how the piano sayings seem universal with some other coaches, according to our stories...
Or, in things like ***/fly, if we pulled ourselves way up out of the water on the turns to get some extra air "you looked like Godzilla!".
Needless to say, going back to topic, your splits should be pretty close. Obviously, that first 50 will ALWAYS be the fastest, espcially with the start, but your other 50's shouldn't be that far. In distance, you should be holding fairly steady 50 to 50 with little fluctuation.
Then there's the 200, the worst distance/sprint known to man. It's in a category of it's own. I hated it with a passion. Talk about dragging Yamahas. That same coach told me to "take it out quick the first 50, cruise that middle 100, then bring it home the final 50. Don't save any for the dance."
He had a lot of sayings...
Going way be to when I was little (we're talking no older than 14ish), my coach would always give our splits at meets. Our goal was to make them as close as possible or within a second or 2.
Sometimes, mine would be a difference of like 4 seconds. He would say "It looked like you were dragging Yamahas behind you! You know, those big pianos!" Funny how the piano sayings seem universal with some other coaches, according to our stories...
Or, in things like ***/fly, if we pulled ourselves way up out of the water on the turns to get some extra air "you looked like Godzilla!".
Needless to say, going back to topic, your splits should be pretty close. Obviously, that first 50 will ALWAYS be the fastest, espcially with the start, but your other 50's shouldn't be that far. In distance, you should be holding fairly steady 50 to 50 with little fluctuation.
Then there's the 200, the worst distance/sprint known to man. It's in a category of it's own. I hated it with a passion. Talk about dragging Yamahas. That same coach told me to "take it out quick the first 50, cruise that middle 100, then bring it home the final 50. Don't save any for the dance."
He had a lot of sayings...
