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.
Wednesday, Nov 16
Today we used all the toys. Paddles and fins. Water bottles and sticks.
Empty water bottles and Gatorade bottles (not big ones) are for stroke work. They help you feel the catch at the beginning of the freestyle stroke.
The "sticks" are 16 inch dowels. I put rubber band on each end. We are working on a wide entry (shoulder width). When we do "Catch-Up" drill, swimmers are supposed to hesitate with both arms out in front and count 1-2 before stroking. Many don't hesitate or can't keep their non-stroking arm extended. If they are holding a stick, they have to wait to transfer the stick from one hand to the other. The rubber bands near the ends are so you can feel that you are holding the stick near the ends.
Warm-Up (1200)
300 Swim (100 free/25 breaststroke/75 free/50 back/50 free)
300 Pull (75 free/25 non-free)
300 as 50 Kick/50 Swim
~Fins on. Move to lanes with same type of fins~
150-300 Kick as (3-6) x 50. I’ll start each lane.
Main (1400)
~Get water bottles~
50 as 2 x 25 Swim down center line. Top of bottles pointing in, not “touching” line.
50 Swim w/o bottles
100 Swim. 50 with bottles-50 without
100 Swim at pace you can hold for 400.
400 Swim with goal time determined by 100.
100 50 catch-up with sticks / 50 swim
300 Swim free at same pace OR 200 Swim non-free (moderate)
100 Swim with bottles
200 Pull.
Cool-Down (100-200)
(4-8) x 25 count strokes
Cool-Down
Wednesday, Nov 16
Today we used all the toys. Paddles and fins. Water bottles and sticks.
Empty water bottles and Gatorade bottles (not big ones) are for stroke work. They help you feel the catch at the beginning of the freestyle stroke.
The "sticks" are 16 inch dowels. I put rubber band on each end. We are working on a wide entry (shoulder width). When we do "Catch-Up" drill, swimmers are supposed to hesitate with both arms out in front and count 1-2 before stroking. Many don't hesitate or can't keep their non-stroking arm extended. If they are holding a stick, they have to wait to transfer the stick from one hand to the other. The rubber bands near the ends are so you can feel that you are holding the stick near the ends.
Warm-Up (1200)
300 Swim (100 free/25 breaststroke/75 free/50 back/50 free)
300 Pull (75 free/25 non-free)
300 as 50 Kick/50 Swim
~Fins on. Move to lanes with same type of fins~
150-300 Kick as (3-6) x 50. I’ll start each lane.
Main (1400)
~Get water bottles~
50 as 2 x 25 Swim down center line. Top of bottles pointing in, not “touching” line.
50 Swim w/o bottles
100 Swim. 50 with bottles-50 without
100 Swim at pace you can hold for 400.
400 Swim with goal time determined by 100.
100 50 catch-up with sticks / 50 swim
300 Swim free at same pace OR 200 Swim non-free (moderate)
100 Swim with bottles
200 Pull.
Cool-Down (100-200)
(4-8) x 25 count strokes
Cool-Down
