I have heard that some Masters coaches are more interested in general fitness than speed.What is your experience? Do you feel that your coach prepares you to swim 50s and 100s?Is sprinting a regular part of practice at least once a week and if so do you do it as a main set or as an add on at the end?Do you do lactic acid sets?How much do you work on starts and turns?
For me, as a coach, I concentrate on what that particular swimmer's goals are. If they aren't going to compete in meets then I don't really focus on speed, but I focus on the fitness and enjoyment of the sport. However, if someone is looking to qualify for nat's then I will be looking to design a practice that concentrates on speed and race technique.
Overall, it all depends on the swimmers in the pool.
I agree that there are different swimming populations with different needs. Even among competitive athletes, some will have pretty different needs than others (eg triathletes and OW-focused swimmers, compared to sprinters). Neophyte swimmers may need a lot more technique-oriented coaching than others.
But I disagree very strongly with the notion that speed-work -- maybe "high intensity" work is more apt -- is not appropriate for fitness-focused swimmers. Most spinning classes, for example, will vary the tempo and intensity during the course of the exercise. Why shouldn't swim practices do the same?
For me, as a coach, I concentrate on what that particular swimmer's goals are. If they aren't going to compete in meets then I don't really focus on speed, but I focus on the fitness and enjoyment of the sport. However, if someone is looking to qualify for nat's then I will be looking to design a practice that concentrates on speed and race technique.
Overall, it all depends on the swimmers in the pool.
I agree that there are different swimming populations with different needs. Even among competitive athletes, some will have pretty different needs than others (eg triathletes and OW-focused swimmers, compared to sprinters). Neophyte swimmers may need a lot more technique-oriented coaching than others.
But I disagree very strongly with the notion that speed-work -- maybe "high intensity" work is more apt -- is not appropriate for fitness-focused swimmers. Most spinning classes, for example, will vary the tempo and intensity during the course of the exercise. Why shouldn't swim practices do the same?
