How to swim the 200 Free?

Asking how a sprinter swims the 200 free might not give you the best answer. Some sprinters just can't seem to get the hang of the 200 free. They try to go out too slowly and find that they end up with a slow time and die anyway. Instead, think of the 200 free for what it is. It is body surfing a tidal wave. Get out too fast and the wave will crash down on you and leave you in pain. Get behind the wave and you will have to work much too hard trying to catch up to the wave. It would be good to do some 200 pace sprints from the block or from a push where you feel "long and strong". 200 pace feels powerful, but not out of control. Let's start with the first 50. In a good 200, the legs will kick on the first 50, but the kick is not using a lot of energy. It is more to help keep tempo. If your 50 time is 28.7, then a good first 50 would be about 30.7 (about 2 seconds slower than your best 50). That might be too aggressive for you at this point in your training, though, so try some 50s from a start in workout where you try to hit 33 to the feet, with a relaxed stroke The second 50 is sometimes a challenge. You should feel good on this 50 and that can have one of two effects. You may decide, "I feel too good, I need to slow down". Big mistake. Slowing down on this 50 will let the wave slip past you. You might think "I feel good, I should go faster". This too is a mistake. The wave will certainly crash down on you if you do that. You need to find a zen-like state between these two thoughts. Keep your speed, but don't use up your energy. The split? 35 or so (about 2 seconds slower than the first 50). The third 50 is a build up 50 and in many ways this is a relief. You can begin to let your kick "work" if you have a good kick, without the fear of sapping all of your energy. You should play with building a 50 to get accustomed to bringing the kick into your stroke. If done right, when you hit the final 50, you should have enough energy left to let the kick loose and be able to come home at the same pace as the 3rd 50. If not, you might question why your left arm will not respond to commands anymore. Good luck!

Asking how a sprinter swims the 200 free might not give you the best answer. Some sprinters just can't seem to get the hang of the 200 free. They try to go out too slowly and find that they end up with a slow time and die anyway. Instead, think of the 200 free for what it is. It is body surfing a tidal wave. Get out too fast and the wave will crash down on you and leave you in pain. Get behind the wave and you will have to work much too hard trying to catch up to the wave. It would be good to do some 200 pace sprints from the block or from a push where you feel "long and strong". 200 pace feels powerful, but not out of control. Let's start with the first 50. In a good 200, the legs will kick on the first 50, but the kick is not using a lot of energy. It is more to help keep tempo. If your 50 time is 28.7, then a good first 50 would be about 30.7 (about 2 seconds slower than your best 50). That might be too aggressive for you at this point in your training, though, so try some 50s from a start in workout where you try to hit 33 to the feet, with a relaxed stroke The second 50 is sometimes a challenge. You should feel good on this 50 and that can have one of two effects. You may decide, "I feel too good, I need to slow down". Big mistake. Slowing down on this 50 will let the wave slip past you. You might think "I feel good, I should go faster". This too is a mistake. The wave will certainly crash down on you if you do that. You need to find a zen-like state between these two thoughts. Keep your speed, but don't use up your energy. The split? 35 or so (about 2 seconds slower than the first 50). The third 50 is a build up 50 and in many ways this is a relief. You can begin to let your kick "work" if you have a good kick, without the fear of sapping all of your energy. You should play with building a 50 to get accustomed to bringing the kick into your stroke. If done right, when you hit the final 50, you should have enough energy left to let the kick loose and be able to come home at the same pace as the 3rd 50. If not, you might question why your left arm will not respond to commands anymore. Good luck!