May 11, 2009

200 Freestyle Racing Advice from Coach Alex

The 200 freestyle is my favorite event in that it is both quick as well as predominantly one of the hardest races to learn how to effectively swim. The 2005 Missouri High School State meet is a great example of what can happen, both positively and negatively in this event. That meet gave me the opportunity to have one of the best races of my life, but not until after one of my most disappointing swims.

In prelims, my mind was clouded and completely beset by the enormity of being a serious contender at State. I sprinted early and subsequently died, finishing 7th at 1:46.3—this barely made the cut for finals. The first thing I told my coach was that I dodged a bullet and that kind of thing doesn’t happen very often. Needless to say, I was not happy with my swim I and needed to strategize a more effective race. The next day, I was much more prepared and had a controlled race, acquiring my first State win with a 1:43.8.

        Now, there is no one way to swim a race, as nobody is physically or mentally equal, but by practicing these simple steps, one can develop their own 200 freestyle.

        First of all, an exceptional 200 free comes from good training before good racing. Learning to race well is completely worthless if an individual is not properly conditioned. Simply put, practice, practice, practice! Here are five integral steps to practice for the race:

·        Learn to use your kick for more than just speed.

When swimming freestyle, kicking takes up significantly more energy than pulling. This means that a wasteful kick can seriously impair the amount of oxygen going to the arms—and they are what need it the most. Have a controlled kick that effectively complements your body roll. Remember, you can build up the power of the legs throughout the race, but you can never hold 100% for much more than a 50

         Break up the race and descend

One of the hardest things for young swimmers to get past is the intimidating length of the 200. By simply reconsidering the swim as 4x50s, young swimmers almost instantly feel more comfortable counting and racing this event. This is integral for racing smart. 

o   The first 50 should always be long and strong. Going out too fast in the beginning is a surefire way to get exhausted midrace. This is a great time to make sure one’s technique is exceptional so that speed can be built around that fundamental base in the coming 150.

o   The second 50 should be similar to the first. This means pulling stronger to try to catch up to the same split, as the first fifty had the benefit of a dive. Try to build this fifty up so that there is a fast speed going into the midpoint turn, which is where most swimmers start to get tired and slow down.

o   The third 50 will make or break a race. This is almost always the slowest leg of the race, so use that to your advantage. Try to race anyone around you by keeping your arms strong and increasing your kick to 80-90%. Remember, everyone around you is in just as much pain as you. Race ‘em.

o   Finally, anyone can sprint 25 seconds to a minute, no matter how advanced they are. Keep that head in the water as much as possible and give it everything you have left! If done correctly, all four splits will be similar in time, and perhaps even negative-split, which is ideal for mid-distance.

·       Unless you have gills, don’t be afraid to breathe

Almost any swimmer can swim a 50 with two or fewer breaths. However, trying to apply a gutbuster attitude for anything but the last leg of the 200 is only going to hurt the swimmer. I recommend most of my athletes to breathe either a 3 or 3-4 pattern until they are nearing the end, at which point they should keep their heads wet to finish as fast as possible.

·       Turns can be a blessing or a curse

Every time a swimmer passes the flags, he or she should be ready to flip turn as fast as possible. This means not only turning fast, but also approaching the wall at a high speed as well as having an aggressive breakout stroke. By only increasing the speed of the turns by 0.2 seconds each, a swimmer can easily drop a second and a half via walls alone, which is often equal to more than a body length. This happens to be the same amount I won by at State, so don’t be quick to look past the small stuff.

APRIL 6, 2009

ROWDY GAINES RECAP

It has been about 2 weeks since we had the opportunity to have multiple gold medalist Rowdy Gaines come to our pool for a swim clinic. For those of you that were able to attend, hopefully you learned some new swimming technique and drills from one of the best United States swimmers ever. However, I feel the most important part of Rowdy’s visit was his message about perseverance and role models. Before he left Springfield I asked Rowdy if he would be willing to contribute to the coaches corner to summarize his message for those that were unable to attend.  Here is what he wrote to our swimmers…

MSA Friends,

Every child has a gift. Some say mine was swimming. I hope I will be remembered for more than that but certainly I am proud of being a swimmer. I didn’t start swimming until I was 17 years old as a junior in high school. I tried out for 5 other sports and failed to make the team in each one. but I never gave up. My advice is the same to each and every child. I am living proof that you should never give up on your dreams.

Competitive swimming should be done for two main reasons...swim fast and have fun. And one cannot work without the other. You must have a passion for the sport to be successful and you must be able to set goals (not necessarily go best times) to enjoy swimming. Our sport is demanding but I will stack our sport against any other for the the values it teaches us on a daily basis.

Good luck to all this summer and beyond. I hope to see all of you again soon...

Take care,

FEBRUARY 25, 2009

DRYLAND TRAINING

For my first coaches corner, I wanted to address the importance of dryland training. First off, dryland training is exactly what it sounds like, any exercises we do on land with the goal of gaining strength, power, flexibility and coordination. Dryland training is so important for swimmers of all ages. There are many types of dryland training that can be geared for young beginner swimmers all the way to elite senior level swimmers.

Stretching

Stretching is a very important type of dryland training that can be used to improve a swimmers flexibility as well as prevent soreness and injury. A simple 5-minute routine prior to or following a pool workout can be very important to how a swimmer will perform in the practice to follow. Just simply getting the blood flowing and the muscles warmed up is a great way for a swimmer to start each practice.

Equipment Training

I like to incorporate as many “toys” or training aids as we can when working out because the swimmers like variety. Some of these training aids we use in dryland training are medicine balls, pull-up bars, abdominal wheels, and stretch cords. Using these pieces of equipment combined with a swimmers body weight helps to build overall core strength and muscle stability. I often tell my older swimmers that they do not need to max out on the bench press to become a better swimmer. That is for football players that need to push each other over. Instead swimmers need to be able to build the type of lean muscle that will enable them to handle their own body weight since that is what they are pulling through the water.

Overall I want both swimmers and parents to know the importance of dryland training and its direct correlation to faster swimming. Often times we don’t have the time during practice to implement all the dryland training we would like to as coaches, so this can be something that can be done outside of regular practice time. I always have swimmers asking me what else they can do to get faster and I always say, “more dryland!”

You would be surprised how sore you can get from 10 push-ups during each commercial of a 1-hour episode of American Idol. Trust me I have done it!

Swim Fast!

Coach Dave