Introduction.
I coach 3 mornings a week at a 25 meter pool with an average of 25 swimmers in 5 lanes. I coach 2 evenings a week at a 25 yard pool with an average of 12-14 swimmers in 5 lanes. Both workouts are for one hour. They are mixed groups with competitive swimmers, triathletes, and people who just want a good workout. Ages range from 20 to 87, with an occassional teen-ager dropping in. My emphasis is on techinique and pace. I swim 3 days a week with a coach at a Y pool. I use some sets that I learn from my coach, Laura Peter. I also write a workout for myself for Saturday mornings. The workouts that I coach are 2500-2800 meters for the fastest lane, scaled down for other lanes. In the yard pool, they are 2700-3000 yards for the fastest lanes. For my personal workouts, I aim for 2500 yards and try to boost it to 2700 in the fall.
Thanks for the questions.
1. "Butter/flutter" is a term I learned from Coach Emmitt Hines. On the push-off, swim fly for at least 3 strokes or as long as it feels good, then switch to free. It encourages swimmers to at least try some fly. Years ago I read that Coach Hines got his swimmers to swim a 200 fly but starting out with butter/flutter and gradually increasing the amount of fly per length.
2. Drill explanations:
a. Change 6 (sometimes called 6 kick switch). Kick 6 times on your side, change to the other side for 6 kicks. Change 3 is 3 kicks on each side.
b. Change 6 with 3. This is the 6 kicks on your side, 3 arm pulls (1 1/2 strokes) as you turn, then 6 kicks on the other side.
c. Catch-up. This is to hold your hand on the surface of the water (freestyle) until the other hand comes around and touches it. This drill encourages you to glide and to lengthen your stroke.
d. One arm - hold one arm extended, stroke with the other arm. Be sure that you roll back with stroke so you are not always on your side.
e. 3R-3L means 3 right arm only (as above), 3 left arm only.
f. 3R-3-3L means 3 right arm only, 3 strokes, 3 left arm only.
g. One arm opposite breathe. On this one, you keep one arm at your side, stroke with the other arm and breathe on the side where you are not stroking. If you have your left arm at your side, stroke with the right arm, and breathe on the left. This forces you to roll.
Any other explanations needed?
Thanks for the questions.
1. "Butter/flutter" is a term I learned from Coach Emmitt Hines. On the push-off, swim fly for at least 3 strokes or as long as it feels good, then switch to free. It encourages swimmers to at least try some fly. Years ago I read that Coach Hines got his swimmers to swim a 200 fly but starting out with butter/flutter and gradually increasing the amount of fly per length.
2. Drill explanations:
a. Change 6 (sometimes called 6 kick switch). Kick 6 times on your side, change to the other side for 6 kicks. Change 3 is 3 kicks on each side.
b. Change 6 with 3. This is the 6 kicks on your side, 3 arm pulls (1 1/2 strokes) as you turn, then 6 kicks on the other side.
c. Catch-up. This is to hold your hand on the surface of the water (freestyle) until the other hand comes around and touches it. This drill encourages you to glide and to lengthen your stroke.
d. One arm - hold one arm extended, stroke with the other arm. Be sure that you roll back with stroke so you are not always on your side.
e. 3R-3L means 3 right arm only (as above), 3 left arm only.
f. 3R-3-3L means 3 right arm only, 3 strokes, 3 left arm only.
g. One arm opposite breathe. On this one, you keep one arm at your side, stroke with the other arm and breathe on the side where you are not stroking. If you have your left arm at your side, stroke with the right arm, and breathe on the left. This forces you to roll.
Any other explanations needed?
