So, I am a so-so butterflyer--go 27.5 in the 50 yds and 1:04 IN THE 100 (59 yds old). I can only maintain body position and foreward motion if I am going around :32 on the 50's. I can't maintain any form and swim slower. Anything slower than this and I take on a cork like profile--all bobbing. I would like to learn to swim the 200 but there is no way in this life that I can maintain a :32 sec split--I want to know how I should train/what I should do to smooth out my form, swim slower and be able to hit ~ :36 sec's on the 50's. A mid 2::20's on the 200 would suit me fine.
So, not trying to be smart but I find minimal motivation in this story but a lot of envy on my part. I don't understand her stroke form! I struggle from the 100 yd point on and anything looking like miles has zero interest to me. I even have a hard time driving that far! I am more interested in lengthening my stroke (couple of good suggestions already on this--appreciate the help)or finding some manner to improve my core/kick. I find any pace over 32 sec on the 50's causes me to sink and do the "bob stroke". I don't know how to plane out and move efficiently. I am concerned that my conditioning may be insufficient and my training faulty. When I used to compete I would always negatively split the 100 fly (coasting on the first 50 and sprinting to win on the second) now I can't coast and struggle to finish the last 25 yds. Anything over 2700 yds in practice causes a great deal of muscle pain (arms and joints) so I try to stay around 2500 yds ~ five days a week. I don't mean to sound like such a whinner.
I have been experimenting with different fly technique a lot lately. Old(er) person fly is affected so much by the decrease in back flexibility that so many of us get with disc degeneration as we age.
A common problem with fly is that people go too vertical when they tire. In addition to the obvious causes of this, lack of strength and conditioning, I think too much knee bend contributes. I like to say that "dolphins don't have knees".
Emphasizing a straight leg up kick and keeping my thighs nearer the surface helps me keep my momentum going forward rather than up and down.
When I used to swim a 200 fly I always used my energy like a negative split swim in practice. And thought "easy, easy, build, now just finish" on consecutive 50's in a race. I think that going 200's in practice where the first 100 is easy free, open turn, and then a faster 100 fly is a good way to rehearse the effort needed to successfully swim a 200 butterfly in a race.
Good luck!
learn...:)
Madam Butterfly On Mad Manhattan Mission
Next time you're getting tired on that tough 'fly set, think of Dr Julie Bradshaw, from Britain. She's 47 - and this summer she's intent on testing sanity itself with a round-Manhattan Island swim - 28.5 miles - on butterfly. She will follow that up by swimming 3 miles down the Humber River in England - also on butterfly - and would be the first to do so.
Bradshaw, from Blackpool in the north-west of England, is known as the "Lady of the Lakes" courtesy of the records she has set while traversing various water courses of the Lake District not far from her home. She entered the Guinness Book of World Records when she swam butterfly across the English Channel in 2002 in 14 hours 18 minutes.
Her training will inspire some members of Britain's elite team at Loughborough University tomorrow when she warms up in their training pool from 7.30am to 3.30pm, doubtless much of it non-stop and butterfly.
Bradshaw, who lives and trains in Loughborough, where she is a part time lecturer at the university, said: "I know to some people it may seem completely nuts to swim butterfly for so long. While it is a very hard stroke to keep going with for most, I personally don’t find it much harder than front crawl. But it does take some long hours of training to get to that stage. I don't know why I keep trying what seems like the impossible. I suppose it's just in my blood. And I just keep looking for new challenges. Manhattan is my latest, and I'm sure it won’t be my last."
In the waters of Manhattan Bradshaw might soak in a little of the spirit of the place as summed up by author Tom Davies in 1979: "She has become a wicked and wild *** in her old age has Manhattan, but there is still no sensation in the world quite like walking her sidewalks. Great surges of energy sweep all around you; the air fizzes like champagne, while always there is a nervous edge of fear and whispered distant promises of sudden violence."
www.swimnews.com/.../8591
I breathe to the side to keep my head down in fly. If you are a freestyle swimmer, this should be easy. This also lets me go farther in fly.
Most of all - slow it down.
I breathe to the side to keep my head down in fly. If you are a freestyle swimmer, this should be easy. This also lets me go farther in fly.
Most of all - slow it down.
I am a freestyle swimmer, and I find this impossible to breathe to the side on butterfly!
Slow it down!!????!????????? :dunno: He must be talking about the 1st 50 or something. I take my 200 out about the same as my 400 IM...which is about the same as my 100 fly for that matter. :banana:
I find it very hard to get more than 2000 yards in a workout due to time constraints with work/family. You are doing more than me and the 200 fly is my favorite event.
One thing that has not been mentioned yet is using fins to do some longer fly sets. This may help keep your stroke together and allow you to focus on stretching your stroke out.
Slow it down!!????!????????? :dunno: He must be talking about the 1st 50 or something. I take my 200 out about the same as my 400 IM...which is about the same as my 100 fly for that matter. :banana:
:bow:But you are super-human.....some of us are just trying to finish the 200 fly legally
My advice for you is:
1) Train for the 500 free
2) Kicking: Improve your SDK & butterfly kick
3) Develop butterfly easy speed, (which sounds like an oxymoron)
4) Improve your butterfly technique,
5) get a Speedy Suit
6) swim 1 or 2 fast correctly split 200 fly's in practice each week &
7) master correct splitting for your 200 fly
I do #1 pretty much all the time. Most of my workouts are a freestyle base or IM base. I don't really do that much full stroke fly in practice anymore.
#2 I really should work on more. My strongest kick is my kick as my hands are finishing the stroke past the hips. I'm sure I could improve with my SDKs though. Always something to work on.
#3 & #4 Check. Can do. This takes lots of time to be relaxed and swim fast fly. I've always had the "natural fly stroke" from the age group years.
#5 Yingfa Baby!!! $33!!!
#6 1 or 2??!?! Full 200s!!???!! I'll just save these for the meets. :)
#7 This is the biggie!! I love to get out fast...and this is also the killer for me. I don't have enough true endurance to be able to hold on to my splits, but my heart still wants to try!! This is the part That Guy really enjoys in the head to head races. Hopefully we'll actually get to go head to head this next fall sometime!! :banana:
Very nice advice Ande!! It's good to know that I'm already 80% or so following your advice. :applaud:
