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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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.
Erik,
To speak a little more to this, I have both my age-groupers and master's swimmers do something similar to this in order to gain a better sense of their timing for the stroke. I have them sprint 25 legs with easy arms, sprint 25 arms with easy legs, then sprint 50 full stroke. Obviously, depending on the swimmer's age and ability I alter the yardage and intensity, but it has had a significant impact in the fluidity of the stroke.
I like where this post is going...keep it up!
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.
Erik,
To speak a little more to this, I have both my age-groupers and master's swimmers do something similar to this in order to gain a better sense of their timing for the stroke. I have them sprint 25 legs with easy arms, sprint 25 arms with easy legs, then sprint 50 full stroke. Obviously, depending on the swimmer's age and ability I alter the yardage and intensity, but it has had a significant impact in the fluidity of the stroke.
I like where this post is going...keep it up!
