After a 24 year absence from competitive swimming I started back two weeks ago. My stroke (crawl) falls apart after about 200 yrds. I can keep going but with a terribly poor stroke. After a short rest my stroke comes back to normal.
I've been swimming a 400 yrd warm up (I'll mix about 50yrds of *** in to save my stroke) then 10 x 50s on the 1:15. After that my stroke is breaking so I swim 25s then my stroke breaks again and I'll swim every other 25 ***. I've been swimming 30 to 45 minutes a day and running the same.
Cardio wise I am in good shape (I've been running everyday for a long time). I can swim *** for long distances with no problem.
Should I keep resting to let my stroke recover or just pound it out? Will swimming *** ever help my free? I would be thankful for any advise. At one time I was "real" swimmer and now I am embarrassed trying to get back.
Parents
Former Member
Is your stroke suffering because your arms get tired? Or, do you just feel like you lose the rhythym somehow?
Either way, you could think about 1) swimming some pull sets with a pull buoy, 2) incorporating front crawl drills, and 3) mixing in some backstroke (in addition to the ***) to work the muscles differently.
You'll get it back! A 400yd warmup after 24 years away already sounds pretty good to me....as does your ability to swim the ***-stroke.
Is your stroke suffering because your arms get tired? Or, do you just feel like you lose the rhythym somehow?
Either way, you could think about 1) swimming some pull sets with a pull buoy, 2) incorporating front crawl drills, and 3) mixing in some backstroke (in addition to the ***) to work the muscles differently.
You'll get it back! A 400yd warmup after 24 years away already sounds pretty good to me....as does your ability to swim the ***-stroke.
