Breathing Pattern for 50 fly LCM?

Tom, just a suggestion but if you have a set of fins (I like the softer TYR Split) use them to keep your speed and body position simulating race day/pace and practice several different breathing patterns (lots of rest, pure technique work, 80% effort). Count your strokes, look at your times...with enough practice you'll figure out what the perfect balance is for your style of swimming this event.

thanks for all the tips. I plan to do more 50 flys even though I am a 200 flyer. But, it was a really fun race. But, right now, I am lucky to finish a 200 fly. But, I am getting 20K LC meters every week so I should be fine for the meets that I am planning to do starting in July and ending with my Zone Champs in late August.

I agree with Paul. I have had great difficulty racing the 50 fly to my potential. I think I have a fundemental problem with rhythm during the race. In practice I am smooth, and typically breath every stroke or every other. In a race, off the blocks, I struggle for smoothness with the high speed off the blocks. During races I typically breathe every third. I may need to breath every 2nd, purely for the rhythm, not for air. I think I don't practice high speed fly often enough. I KNOW I don't race it enough.

I have tried various breathing patterns in the 25 yd. pool I practice in on weekdays. It's hard to pick a favorite. Breathing every other stroke or every three strokes gets me going faster, but I tire out. When breathing every stroke I don't tire as quickly, but I go slower, so I'm not sure I cover more distance before I get exhausted. I swim in a 50m pool saturday AM and tried 100 fly last practice, but only made it about 75m before I switched to backstroke for a bit, then switched back to fly and finished. But on another attempt I did make it 100m with fins. For the 100 LCM, try two up and one down, that might work for you if breathing every other stroke doesn't get you enough air. I've got no real advice for the 50, it isn't an event I do often. I don't think I've done it LCM for 20 years. I'd probably breathe every 4 strokes or so.

Tom, just a suggestion but if you have a set of fins (I like the softer TYR Split) use them to keep your speed and body position simulating race day/pace and practice several different breathing patterns (lots of rest, pure technique work, 80% effort). Count your strokes, look at your times...with enough practice you'll figure out what the perfect balance is for your style of swimming this event. Paul, The TYR fins sounds like a good suggestion. My issue is that some fins are always built for people with wide feet. But, I can go to this swim shop near work and try them on.

Can I jump in to your thread and ask about breathing on 100 fly LCM? I have tried various breathing patterns in the 25 yd. pool I practice in on weekdays. It's hard to pick a favorite. Breathing every other stroke or every three strokes gets me going faster, but I tire out. When breathing every stroke I don't tire as quickly, but I go slower, so I'm not sure I cover more distance before I get exhausted. I swim in a 50m pool saturday AM and tried 100 fly last practice, but only made it about 75m before I switched to backstroke for a bit, then switched back to fly and finished. But on another attempt I did make it 100m with fins. I'm swimming 100 fly in Arizona this weekend and will settle for finishing without getting disqualified, but my real goal is to finish strong instead of limping along and gasping for breath every stroke. I dug into my old shoe box of ribbons and my last (and best to date) 100 LCM fly was at age 13, 7/21/84 with a time of 1:22.52 in Butte, Montana of all places.

Here is an old thread I have found to be helpful. It's not really about the 50 but it does mention certain things that work for the 50 but not 100 and 200 forums.usms.org/.../t-1731.html

David I always swam a 100 fly breathing every two strokes and found it was not too bad. I only swam a 200 in a race once and had to breath every stroke or would not have finished. 100 free again is easier so I did not have to breathe too often. 50s fly or free for me in the old days no breathers. Just did not like to break rythym. The older I get the more I breathe. See you at Mount Hood.

For the 100 LCM, try two up and one down, that might work for you if breathing every other stroke doesn't get you enough air. This is what I did. I normally breathe every two so it took a conscious effort. If I stopped thinking about it I'd lapse to what I usually do (one-up-one-down).

Really great question. I tried (in practice) to do 6 SDK's off the start and then breathe every 5 for a 50 LCM fly. I died. Coach told me to not do that again. In 50 SCY I take 2 to 3 breaths total for the 50. In 50 LCM this past weekend, I decided to breathe whenever necessary - screw any planned pattern (except for the last 5 meters or so - no breath.) Went a 29.4 focusing on other race aspects and breathing whenever I needed it. 50 LC fly is so different from SC. I don't train for the 50 so take that advice with a grain of salt. :D Like you, I do 200 fly too (I'm starting to). LC - it's basically breathe all the time or suffer the consequences.