Are the suits really the best $500 value out there ?
Ok - the Blue 70 is $390, but you many people buy two, just in case the other one rips -- the LZR is what ? $600 -- so, I figured $500 was a nice round number.
Other ways to get faster for $500:
- hire a personal coach for weekly lessons > you should be able to find a good college swimmer with a good eye for technique for some indivual instructions. You learn very little in a group setting - and coaches only have so much time for each swimmer.
- join a gym -- I guess it depends on location, but you should be able to pay for about a year - no personal trainer for that budget though...
- do the swimetrics + a couple of coached sessions > I did try it - great info, a must for anybody
- read Ande's blog and thread on how to get faster and donate the money
- join a faster, bigger, better team -even if you have to drive further ($500 would be gas money) > this can work wonders..
Any of those better than the suits ?
Former Member
Ehoch- what is swimmetrics (sp)
http://www.swimetrics.com
They were at Nationals in the warm-up pool -- I tried right after Rowdy (also looked at his video analysis) --- it's very good info, but I think you need a very good coach / follow-up and underwater video session on your own to really put it to use.
They attach a small band to you and film you underwater while swimming - this provides you with a m/s or speed within any part of your stroke - frame by frame. For example - I could see that my left arm catch is not as strong as the right - I saw how I am losing speed while doing the S-type stroke and why my SDK is rather terrible.
I am going to try to get them out for our team.
Join USA-S for increased racing opportunities. USA-S meets are charged per event, so they are much cheaper to participate in, especially if you have one target race you need practice in.
They are cheaper but in my area, they charge you a surcharge(well in LCM meets) if you send them in manually so I have to use to Team Manager software which is easy for me now. Then, there is a hassle of pool certification issues. If it is not certified, you have to plea with Aquatic Directors to measure them. Of course, if you are Dara Torres, people will bend over backwards and forwards and back again to get a pool measured, certified without even Dara knowing that the pool had to be measured and certified. I am guessing here!!!
I will offer my spare bedroom for those who want to swim at 5430 above sea level to train. The drops in time are amazing going from a mile high or more.
Are the suits really the best $500 value out there ?
Other ways to get faster for $500:
I can think of a couple more that would help me more than a suit...
(1) Buy a DVD. Personally (and this is not an endorsement) I would buy Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen's freestyle DVD. I've seen parts of it and it has good camera work.
(2) Buy a digital video camera. Take it to the pool every couple of weeks. Have a swim buddy film you, then you film the swim buddy.
(3) Go to a swim camp or clinic.
Just so everyone knows, McCrusty dropped 17+ seconds in his 400IM between the CO state meet and nationals.
That's nothing!! Some folks drop that between their seed time and the swim!!!
By the way, you had some very nice swims at nationals. Way to go.
Tim
Thanks Tim! Now, I just have to work on getting my altitude time down into that range so I can compete with you and Mike here at 5280.
Dara and I are almost the same person, but my interest in USA-S meets is more race practice, not to get USMS times. I don't know if there are added fees if I don't submit using Team Manager, but I do know that we are talking about $3.25/event, vs $40 for max 5 events. That and there are half a dozen more local meets I can make, compared to the 3 local USMS meets.
Plus, the competition at USA-S meets is so much better. I have been in a 200 free, 2nd to last of 5 heats, and lapped the person next to me. My time wasn't fast, the person next to me just had no idea what their entry time should have been and ended up entering a time way too fast. This happens a lot less when you are racing people who compete at least a dozen times a year.
We rarely have the 40.00 flat fee in the D.V.. Well, the FINS meet in Philly next weekend has a flat fee. One of the USA-S meets that I am doing in June will only cost me 10 bucks(I am only doing 2 events) and If I make finals, I can have a free race. :bliss: . With USA-S meets, they always offer the 200 fly and I have alot of competition which isn't always the case at local Masters meets. Plus, I like the idea of doing swimming meets with finals again.
They are cheaper but in my area, they charge you a surcharge(well in LCM meets) if you send them in manually so I have to use to Team Manager software which is easy for me now. Then, there is a hassle of pool certification issues. If it is not certified, you have to plea with Aquatic Directors to measure them. Of course, if you are Dara Torres, people will bend over backwards and forwards and back again to get a pool measured, certified without even Dara knowing that the pool had to be measured and certified. I am guessing here!!!
Dara and I are almost the same person, but my interest in USA-S meets is more race practice, not to get USMS times. I don't know if there are added fees if I don't submit using Team Manager, but I do know that we are talking about $3.25/event, vs $40 for max 5 events. That and there are half a dozen more local meets I can make, compared to the 3 local USMS meets.
Plus, the competition at USA-S meets is so much better. I have been in a 200 free, 2nd to last of 5 heats, and lapped the person next to me. My time wasn't fast, the person next to me just had no idea what their entry time should have been and ended up entering a time way too fast. This happens a lot less when you are racing people who compete at least a dozen times a year.
