Hey there
i realise that this is a predominantly american board and that as an englishman i may not be welcome. however that shouldnt matter, the only thing that does is we all share a passion for swimming.
i've been at it since i was 5, i got to national level and even made it on to the loughborough university team (where most of our olympic swimmers are based), though it was short lived due to time constraints. it was either swim, or get a 1st class degree in engineering (from what is one of the UK's top engineering universities). i chose the latter.
however, i havent given up on swimming.... i merely switched to a different level/form.... speed life saving. we, at loughborough, are one of the best speeds teams in the UK, however after recently going to the world champs in berlin, its clear that despite us being top in the UK, we barely make a splash on the world stage. As the next world champs are based in Newquay UK in 2010...this must change.
reading around here, you guys are very good, very fast... looking at some of the gym and swim sessions posted by JMiller, they look like they'd be very useful for speed lifesaving, a sport mostly dominated by 1) freestyle and 2) butterfly/dolphin leg kick and 3) short, sprinty events.
i think this place can help me raise my game for 2010 and i would be grateful for any help and advice you guys can give. after all america has kicked ass in the pool for years, especially kicking our asses....so why not learn from the guys who are clearly the best.
i am seeking to improve my power in the water, so i can sprint harder. also improve power in my legs so i can actually use the rescue fins that our sport demands (Sebak or Leader fins made from composite materials, much more hi-tech than standard fins and not at all like scuba fins). for that the sprint sets i have found here look useful, but i would like guidance on gym work.
sorry for the long post!!!
Alex
p.s. if anyone would like some explanation of the speed lifesaving events... please ask and i will be happy to explain. we do get looked down upon by normal swimmers, but having been to a few european and world events i can tell you the athletes are no less impressive and after having got a normal swimmer to do one of our events he quickly changed his mind after coming dead last to guys who would never ever make it onto a team such as loughborough.
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wowza. i have nothing against the UK, per se, but this speed lifesaving...
so, i had never heard of it before you mentioned it, and now i have done some quick reading of it. it is basically combining the elements of competitive swimming with rescue elements of lifeguard certification. it's certainly a different game in practice than competitive swimming.
assuming that the feel of such a competition is much like the rescue equivalent of completing aquatic obstacle courses, then i would imagine that the ability to kick hard and hold your breath for a good long time are key to any success.
so, you get to compete with composite fins, and you want an edge in kicking. perhaps add some weight to your legs while kicking with the composites? get some waterproof running weights that can be applied to the legs? something like this: www.nefitco.com/swim_ankle_weights.html
as for in the gym, you could go with the leg press. on that you can either do a straight press, or you could do some sets where your legs are extended, but it is the pointing of toes that does the lifting. leg press is good for the entire leg, and the pointing toes version is good for the calves. leg lunges are good for maintaining mobility, flexibility, and toning. running helps too.
--Sean
Well here's a break down of the events if anyone wants a better idea
Speed lifesaving events
200m Obstacle
this is a 200m swim basically
in the pool there are 2 1m deep gates, each placed 12.5m from the end of the pool (long course pool therefore having a 25m gap between them)
rules stipulate that the swimmer must surface before submerging for each gate.
more adept swimmers generaly do fly off the start to get them under the first gate fast and then transition to freestyle. in general its a surface dive using *** stroke and then once under the gate the fastest way is dolphin kick to the surface some 5m beyond the gate.
a good time for an UK swimmer is around 2:10 this will have a good chance of winning nationals. however at the world level the finals were sub 2 minutes, which is crazy considering having to go under water 8 times in addition to turns.
4x50 obs Relay (same as above, just in a team relay)
100m Rescue Medley
event is as follows:
50m sprint, followed by a 17.5m underwater section to retrieve a fully submerged manikin (6 stone ish in weight). the remaining distance is swum carrying the manikin. some will do side or lifesaving back stroke, the best carry it on their backs using one arm freestyle.
this is a tough event, we got a top loughborough swimmer to this event and despite going high 23 to feet, he came almost last by the end. there is so much more to this sport than just swimming
100m Tow with fins
100m swim using the rescue fins and a rescue tube/torpedo. swimmer does 50m sprint to the wall where a team member is holding a half filled manikin. once at the wall the manikin is released and the swimmer must then clip the tube round the manikin within 5m and then swim to the end. Sub minute is a good time.
100m Carry with fins
Similar to the tow event, fins are worn but no resuce tube. the best swim the first 50m underwater (in around 20 seconds) and at the end of the lane, swing round to pick up a fully submerged manikin and bring to the surface to carry the manikin the remaining 50m
50m Carry
similar to the 100m event except no tube or fins are worn. its a 25m dash to the middle of the pool, surface dive to pick up a submerged manikin (should be able to go 3m down in one fluid motion and you are alowed to push off the bottom) and then carry it the remaining 25m. 35 seconds or under is good, depends on pool depth.
4x25m Carry Relay
manikin is carried in the usual way on the swimmers back using one arm freestyle, change overs 1 and 3 happen in a 4m zone in the middle of the pool
4x50 Medley relay
blue ribbon event (as far as we're concerned) comprises a 50m free, 50m fins, 50m with a rescue tube and 50m tow.
the first leg is swum as a standard 50m freestyle
the second leg is done with fins and the top guys do the full 50 underwater in around 15-18 seconds
the thrid leg is a 2nd 50m freestyle with a rescue tube over one shoulder.
at the fourth leg, the 3rd swimmer passes the tube to the fourth swimmer who is wearing fins. the fourth swimmer wears the tube strap across the body like a seatbelt so it doesnt slip off and to even the load. the fourth swimmer leaves the wall as he/she puts on the tube and the 3rd swimmer must turn around and then hold onto the rescue tube and then kick like crazy as they get towed to the finish.
the fins look like this, the most popular make is Sebak (or at least thats what they used to be called, they have a new name now. they are made in Romania and cost around 150 euros)
www.lifesaving.livenet.pl/.../fins.jpg
there are also a company called Leader who make fins and they are gaining popularity. they are very heavy fins and if you are powerful enough to use them they give great forward momentum
i do have videos of these events, but no where to host them.
thanks for the advice guys!
wowza. i have nothing against the UK, per se, but this speed lifesaving...
so, i had never heard of it before you mentioned it, and now i have done some quick reading of it. it is basically combining the elements of competitive swimming with rescue elements of lifeguard certification. it's certainly a different game in practice than competitive swimming.
assuming that the feel of such a competition is much like the rescue equivalent of completing aquatic obstacle courses, then i would imagine that the ability to kick hard and hold your breath for a good long time are key to any success.
so, you get to compete with composite fins, and you want an edge in kicking. perhaps add some weight to your legs while kicking with the composites? get some waterproof running weights that can be applied to the legs? something like this: www.nefitco.com/swim_ankle_weights.html
as for in the gym, you could go with the leg press. on that you can either do a straight press, or you could do some sets where your legs are extended, but it is the pointing of toes that does the lifting. leg press is good for the entire leg, and the pointing toes version is good for the calves. leg lunges are good for maintaining mobility, flexibility, and toning. running helps too.
--Sean
Well here's a break down of the events if anyone wants a better idea
Speed lifesaving events
200m Obstacle
this is a 200m swim basically
in the pool there are 2 1m deep gates, each placed 12.5m from the end of the pool (long course pool therefore having a 25m gap between them)
rules stipulate that the swimmer must surface before submerging for each gate.
more adept swimmers generaly do fly off the start to get them under the first gate fast and then transition to freestyle. in general its a surface dive using *** stroke and then once under the gate the fastest way is dolphin kick to the surface some 5m beyond the gate.
a good time for an UK swimmer is around 2:10 this will have a good chance of winning nationals. however at the world level the finals were sub 2 minutes, which is crazy considering having to go under water 8 times in addition to turns.
4x50 obs Relay (same as above, just in a team relay)
100m Rescue Medley
event is as follows:
50m sprint, followed by a 17.5m underwater section to retrieve a fully submerged manikin (6 stone ish in weight). the remaining distance is swum carrying the manikin. some will do side or lifesaving back stroke, the best carry it on their backs using one arm freestyle.
this is a tough event, we got a top loughborough swimmer to this event and despite going high 23 to feet, he came almost last by the end. there is so much more to this sport than just swimming
100m Tow with fins
100m swim using the rescue fins and a rescue tube/torpedo. swimmer does 50m sprint to the wall where a team member is holding a half filled manikin. once at the wall the manikin is released and the swimmer must then clip the tube round the manikin within 5m and then swim to the end. Sub minute is a good time.
100m Carry with fins
Similar to the tow event, fins are worn but no resuce tube. the best swim the first 50m underwater (in around 20 seconds) and at the end of the lane, swing round to pick up a fully submerged manikin and bring to the surface to carry the manikin the remaining 50m
50m Carry
similar to the 100m event except no tube or fins are worn. its a 25m dash to the middle of the pool, surface dive to pick up a submerged manikin (should be able to go 3m down in one fluid motion and you are alowed to push off the bottom) and then carry it the remaining 25m. 35 seconds or under is good, depends on pool depth.
4x25m Carry Relay
manikin is carried in the usual way on the swimmers back using one arm freestyle, change overs 1 and 3 happen in a 4m zone in the middle of the pool
4x50 Medley relay
blue ribbon event (as far as we're concerned) comprises a 50m free, 50m fins, 50m with a rescue tube and 50m tow.
the first leg is swum as a standard 50m freestyle
the second leg is done with fins and the top guys do the full 50 underwater in around 15-18 seconds
the thrid leg is a 2nd 50m freestyle with a rescue tube over one shoulder.
at the fourth leg, the 3rd swimmer passes the tube to the fourth swimmer who is wearing fins. the fourth swimmer wears the tube strap across the body like a seatbelt so it doesnt slip off and to even the load. the fourth swimmer leaves the wall as he/she puts on the tube and the 3rd swimmer must turn around and then hold onto the rescue tube and then kick like crazy as they get towed to the finish.
the fins look like this, the most popular make is Sebak (or at least thats what they used to be called, they have a new name now. they are made in Romania and cost around 150 euros)
www.lifesaving.livenet.pl/.../fins.jpg
there are also a company called Leader who make fins and they are gaining popularity. they are very heavy fins and if you are powerful enough to use them they give great forward momentum
i do have videos of these events, but no where to host them.
thanks for the advice guys!
