optimal split differential between 50s in 100

So maybe it would help if I did some 100 frees in practice or meets? :joker: Does your 3 second theory hold for the strokes too or just for the 100 free? Must be a higher differential for strokes. Plus, does the 3 second differential for the 100 free hold for every age group? To swim a strong hundred...you do need a strong engine. The 50 might be one of the few events where you can escape the guillotine of lactic acid that drops down on most people around 30 or more seconds into a strong effort. When you think about it...the 100 is an endurance sprint. The last lap is where your homework can pay-off. I think you could still do your sprints...just put 4 of them together at a time. That kind of training is grueling. Keeping yourself on a solid diet of tight intervals combined with the speed work is a great recipe. Some masters do very very well with as little as 2500 to 3000 yards a session. It all depends on how hard the work load is. And yes that formula works great for any stroke ...any age...Did it work for you? I've tried it for the Cesar Cielo going sub 19 for the 50... 18.69 plus 1 = 19.69 19.69 plus 2 = 21.69 19.69 plus 21.69 = 41.38 (with a.50 margin) That works. He went 41.17. And for the average Joe...... 27.50 plus 1 = 28.50 28.50 plus 2 = 30.50 28.50 plus 30.50 = 59.0 (with a.50 margin) 59 to 59.50 is the outcome. Our age group kids who try to break "the minute" always seem to do it once they nail a 50free at 27 seconds.

One final thought-question: a friend from yesteryear gave me a race strategy that seemed to work pretty well for the 100 when you aren't in peak shape. It was this: Go out the first 50 as fast as you can while staying smooth--no thrashing The third length, concentrate on stretching out your stroke till you reach the far flags. At this point, begin a dead sprint. Do the turn as fast as possible and give it all you have left on the final length. This sometimes works for me because concentrating on smoothness the first 50 keeps you fast but not dead all out fast; then you have the psychic rest of the third length just trying to keep your stroke long and fluid. Then the true miserable hog-wimpering death march only lasts 25 yards, and we should be able to endure that, right, no matter how wimpy and--in Leslie's words--ouchee-avoidant we may be. But, having said this, I have never done my best times using this strategy. Anybody else have a solution? This is similar to how I swam a recent 100 back LC and 100 fly SCY. Seemed to work pretty well for me. I was happy with the times. I might have done a tad more "building" on the third length. But that, in a nutshell, is essentially how I swim 100s right now on my limited yardage. No way can I go "all out" on the first 50. That piano is freakin scarey. It hurts like hell anyway, but no need for a hideous piano IMHO.

So there was actually an error in the formula as you originally stated it. It's actually twice your fastest 50 times plus four seconds, not three. I was waiting for the hole poking. From an engineer no less! :doh: One second off of best 50...then 2 more seconds over that time...is four! I guess that's where the .50 fudge factor came about. "It's actually twice your fastest 50 times plus four seconds, not three." Thanks kirk. :)

I think the reality is almost everyone's going to hold back a little on the first 50, that's why you need to go in with the mentality that you're going to go out as fast as you can. I do agree with Rob that your training and swimming strengths are a factor. Unless you're in great shape taking out the first 50 within a second of your PB is going to take its toll on the second. However, I think if you are in great shape and want the fastest possible 100 free this is what you need to do.

I really think you should go out as fast as you possibly can. Usually this means you'll be at least a couple tenths off your best 50 (which makes sense because you're slower touching to your feet rather than your hands). Then just try to hold on for the second 50. That said, I've never split a 100 like that in my life, but I still think it's the way to go for the fastest possible time. If you can pull it off you'll have an incredible time. If not, you could die like a dog on that second 50, but at least you went for it and maybe it will inspire you to train harder and actually be able to do it next time. I think this is bad advice. In the first 25 seconds of all out swimming you will exhaust your anerobic capacity. Lactic acid will quickly develop and you will fade quickly. Your splits will be too far apart and your time will be worse than if you had swum the race correctly. I don't have the monster book Swimming Fastest with me but it offers race guidance. I think it suggests the 1st 50 is about 1 second above your best 50. It aims for the 2nd 50 about 2 secs above the first 50.

I really think you should go out as fast as you possibly can. Usually this means you'll be at least a couple tenths off your best 50 (which makes sense because you're slower touching to your feet rather than your hands). Then just try to hold on for the second 50. That said, I've never split a 100 like that in my life, but I still think it's the way to go for the fastest possible time. If you can pull it off you'll have an incredible time. If not, you could die like a dog on that second 50, but at least you went for it and maybe it will inspire you to train harder and actually be able to do it next time. I think this is bad advice. In the first 25 seconds of all out swimming you will exhaust your anerobic capacity. Lactic acid will quickly develop and you will fade quickly. Your splits will be too far apart and your time will be worse than if you had swum the race correctly. I don't have the monster book Swimming Fastest with me but it offers race guidance. I think it suggests the 1st 50 is about 1 second above your best 50. It aims for the 2nd 50 about 2 secs above the first 50. That is the way Roland Schoeman did it in Athens and it seems to be his preferred way of approaching the 100m. He shares the world record for the 100m free SCM with Ian Crocker (46.25). He also has the world record for the 50m free SCM (20.98) and the 50m fly LCM (22.96). Some may argue that it was exactly this approach that cost him the gold in Athens. Watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch He goes out in a blisteringly fast 22.60 (this is less than a second faster than his best all out 50 - I think he went a 21.74 once but I just can't find it now) and comes back in 25.63 for a total time of 48.23. Only 6 hundredths of a second off Van Hoogenbrand! His split difference is 3.03. Imagine if he could get that second 50 to within 2.5 seconds of the first....that would be under world record pace. You can see the wheels starting to fall off in the last 25m and Van Hoogenbrand gains steadily on him. Now perhaps if he had gone out in a 22.90 it could have made all the difference.... Syd

ideal is 1.5 - 2.0 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?

I really think you should go out as fast as you possibly can. Usually this means you'll be at least a couple tenths off your best 50 (which makes sense because you're slower touching to your feet rather than your hands). Then just try to hold on for the second 50. That said, I've never split a 100 like that in my life, but I still think it's the way to go for the fastest possible time. If you can pull it off you'll have an incredible time. If not, you could die like a dog on that second 50, but at least you went for it and maybe it will inspire you to train harder and actually be able to do it next time.

IUsually this means you'll be at least a couple tenths off your best 50. One more stat from 2007 NCAA's. The average 50 time was 19.76, almost a full second slower then the first 50 split in the 100 (20.72).

Here's a second's worth of progress in 6 months... Splits for 100 Free SCY April 07 34.79, 34.57 = 1:09.36 October 07 30.53, 37.66 = 1:08.19 Ummm far from optimal! This is what happened when I did it Kirk's way (not his at his suggestion...I just did it). I also forgot to breathe on the first 25. I was looking for a 1:05 or less but it was over by the time I got to the first turn. I know I told a few of you about this before but I only got the splits yesterday...enjoy! "Death by Piano" :rofl: