Cesar Cielo is fastest swimmer in the world -- 25 yards in 8.88 to the foot -- he was just trying to "maintain" on the second 25...
There are 3 ways to swim faster in any given race:
1) Improve your technique -- if you become more effecient in your technique, your times will drop across the board
2) Maintain a pace as close as possible to maximum speed -- You can hold your maximum speed for 6-8 seconds. There are no swim races of that length - so when training for any swimming race (50 up the mile), you are trying to maintain a pace as close to your maximum speed as possible.
3) Get Faster = improve your maximum speed
I would say on average, Masters swimmers (and age-groupers) spend their in the water workout season according to the following breakdown (rough guess):
1) Improving technique = 20-30%
2) Maintaining close to max = 65-79%
3) Improving Max Speed = 1-5%
Think about it -- if you swim 4-5 times per week, that equals about 20 hours a month. Did you spend more than a full hour in October on maximum speed ?
This Thread is all about Category 3 -- Improving your Max Speed --
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kick tempo often affects stroke tempo
Amen -- this is something I will have to focus on much more. I come from the 200 Free swimming almost a catch-up stroke with a very strong kick - the kick really determines my speed. However - for sprinting this does not work any more (at least for me at the moment) - I now have to basically intentionally try to ignore my kick and just focus on arm speed (thinking the legs will follow the arms and go automatic).
That is less than ideal - so I will have to increase my foot speed - and do the vertical kicking.
Here is favorite drill for learning to use your legs while sprinting --
Start sprint swimming for 6-8 strokes and then stop using your arms (just leave them in the front) - but continue with the same kick you were using while sprint swimming. Are your legs just splashing or are they driving you forward ? Does the kick feel different from a kick only sprint ? Do it the other way around - start kicking turn it into sprint swimming ? Go sprint swim / Kick / sprint swim all within a 25 --- and please - all at full speed and no more than a 25.
kick tempo often affects stroke tempo
Amen -- this is something I will have to focus on much more. I come from the 200 Free swimming almost a catch-up stroke with a very strong kick - the kick really determines my speed. However - for sprinting this does not work any more (at least for me at the moment) - I now have to basically intentionally try to ignore my kick and just focus on arm speed (thinking the legs will follow the arms and go automatic).
That is less than ideal - so I will have to increase my foot speed - and do the vertical kicking.
Here is favorite drill for learning to use your legs while sprinting --
Start sprint swimming for 6-8 strokes and then stop using your arms (just leave them in the front) - but continue with the same kick you were using while sprint swimming. Are your legs just splashing or are they driving you forward ? Does the kick feel different from a kick only sprint ? Do it the other way around - start kicking turn it into sprint swimming ? Go sprint swim / Kick / sprint swim all within a 25 --- and please - all at full speed and no more than a 25.
