Can speed practice alone help long distance endurance?
Former Member
If I only practice to improve the speed in short distance, will it help increase the endurance needed for long distance? In other words, say I have trained for several months for (only) speed, could I, one day, suddenly find myself swimming long distance without feeling tired?
(Obviously the opposite is not true: simply being able to swim slow long distance doesn't help improve the speed.)
Parents
Former Member
An interesting thread. I don't know much about physiology, so I can't comment on those arguments. I would have thought that if you manage to reduce your short distance times by eg improving grip on water, reducing resistance this will surely translate into better long distance times. On the other hand if you improved your long distance times by the same means, this would also improve your short-distance times, so even the relationship Solar shows above is true it doesn't show which is the best way train. I can well believe though that shorter distances allow better focus on improving technique at speed.
An interesting thread. I don't know much about physiology, so I can't comment on those arguments. I would have thought that if you manage to reduce your short distance times by eg improving grip on water, reducing resistance this will surely translate into better long distance times. On the other hand if you improved your long distance times by the same means, this would also improve your short-distance times, so even the relationship Solar shows above is true it doesn't show which is the best way train. I can well believe though that shorter distances allow better focus on improving technique at speed.
