Hi, I'm new here. I'm going into high school next year, and this is my last year for the long course JO's. I'm swimming the 200 IM in August, and I'm not sure what my strategy should be. (I'm female, by the way.)
My sprint times are (SCY)(approximated):
50 fly: 33 sec.
50 back: 34 sec.
50 ***: 44 sec.
50 free: 30 sec.
As you can see, my breaststroke is very slow. Normally, in a two hundred, the only way I can get an acceptable time is if I go all-out sprint on my fly and backstroke, so I can get an edge before the inevitable drop-back in breaststroke.
But of course, after I do this, I'm really tired, and I fall back even more, and I barely catch up in the freestyle, if I do at all. Does anyone have any tips for me to try and...I guess, regulate myself?
I've been working on my breaststroke technique, but after I do my butterfly and backstroke rounds, my legs are really tired. :drown: My goal is just to have a 200 IM that isn't so rickety, and to be able to regulate myself throughout.
Thanks in advance!
Parents
Former Member
It is not smart to sprint fly and back to minimize your loss in breaststroke. The 200 IM is too long and tiring to do that. You will have nothing left midway through breaststroke and freestyle will be slow and painful.
My son swims a 1:55 200 IM SCY.
His splits are (approximately)
Fly: 25
Back: 30
***: 33
Free: 27
His weakness is backstroke, his strength is breaststroke. My son ignores me (imagine that) when I tell him that he goes a bit too fast in fly but he likes to attack fly and put pressure on the rest of the field. He holds on in back, attacks ***, then fights to finish as strong as he can.
I suggest swimming the fly at the same pace you'd swim a 100 fly. It should be smooth and fast, but not a sprint. Build your backstroke since it is good for you. You should work hard to improve your breaststroke so it is not such a weakness. In particular work to make it smoother and less tiring.
Do not forget to work on your turns. The back to *** turn is often costly in time.
It is not smart to sprint fly and back to minimize your loss in breaststroke. The 200 IM is too long and tiring to do that. You will have nothing left midway through breaststroke and freestyle will be slow and painful.
My son swims a 1:55 200 IM SCY.
His splits are (approximately)
Fly: 25
Back: 30
***: 33
Free: 27
His weakness is backstroke, his strength is breaststroke. My son ignores me (imagine that) when I tell him that he goes a bit too fast in fly but he likes to attack fly and put pressure on the rest of the field. He holds on in back, attacks ***, then fights to finish as strong as he can.
I suggest swimming the fly at the same pace you'd swim a 100 fly. It should be smooth and fast, but not a sprint. Build your backstroke since it is good for you. You should work hard to improve your breaststroke so it is not such a weakness. In particular work to make it smoother and less tiring.
Do not forget to work on your turns. The back to *** turn is often costly in time.
