List Your TOP Focus Points - All Strokes, Starts, Turns!
Former Member
Hello to ALL !
I think we might all really benefit from a large-scale collective exchange of our personal treasure troves of time-tested "focus points" for all strokes, turns, starts, and pre-swim/pre-race preparations.
Maybe we can all cut-n-paste these lists for our own future reference. I will try a few categories to start.
Looking forward to your participation!
Freestyle:
1. train flutter kick aerobically (500y sets twice weekly)
2. breath every stroke on 100y races and higher (except breakout/finish)
3. use side SDK to transition to break-out (on turns)
4. stretch ankles at home (really helps)
Breaststroke:
1. breath late (as hands just start to shoot ahead
2. train 25 sprints with pull buoy (no kicking)
3. train this stroke towards end of workout (to avoid knee injury)
Butterfly:
1. enter hands slightly wider than shoulders (any closer is wasted energy)
2. round-off hand-exit at hips (to aid arm receovery)
3. use side SDK to transition to break-out (on turns)
Pre-Race Ideas:
1. do several near-race-pace sprints 20-30 minutes before any sprint race to get the muscles and heart/lungs primed for racing (this is the trend)
2. have a good bowel movement before racing (really helps!)
3. use the Phelps "double swim cap" method (minimizes goggle issues)
to be continued.........
:D
Parents
Former Member
Sorry guys, I guess I should have written in more detail, but the "focus point" format does not really allow for much elaboration.
The 500y flutter kick sets are "in addition to" any other kick sets performed during the week.
As you well know, most kick sets are training the leg muscles for "power" not for endurance and so this is indeed an aspect of kicking which is most often overlooked and under-trained.
Training the legs exclusively for power with no aerobic conditioning (of the legs) will give you exactly that, and only that.
If using whole stroke swimming as an analogy, it would be like training for 100m free only doing 100m free swims. Yes, you would develop great power, but without any additional aerobic/threshold-type training for added support, you will also not finish that race as fast as is possible.
Legs are no different (in my humble opinion) and so should also have "some" aerobic training.
Sorry guys, I guess I should have written in more detail, but the "focus point" format does not really allow for much elaboration.
The 500y flutter kick sets are "in addition to" any other kick sets performed during the week.
As you well know, most kick sets are training the leg muscles for "power" not for endurance and so this is indeed an aspect of kicking which is most often overlooked and under-trained.
Training the legs exclusively for power with no aerobic conditioning (of the legs) will give you exactly that, and only that.
If using whole stroke swimming as an analogy, it would be like training for 100m free only doing 100m free swims. Yes, you would develop great power, but without any additional aerobic/threshold-type training for added support, you will also not finish that race as fast as is possible.
Legs are no different (in my humble opinion) and so should also have "some" aerobic training.
