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Perspective
Hello all parents and swimmers! My
name is Harold Burton – my daughter Brianne is 14 and has
been a member of the ...
Flip
Turns
1. Be sure to maintain your speed as
you approach the wall. (Increase the speed if possible, by picking
up your ...
Freestyle
A little history:
When the modern Olympics were reinstated, many of the "civilized"
nations only competed ...
Focus
What Can You Do to
Develop Olympic Level Concentration?
One of the hardest things to do, game after game, practice after
practice is to stay focused. Parents and coaches can often be heard
encouraging their teams and children to
“concentrate”!!! Unfortunately, what this can lead to
is a team full of players running around repeating the word
“concentrate” in their heads over and over again. The
result is some very intense focus on the word
“concentrate”, but no better attention to the challenge
the coach or parent was trying to help the player focus on.
Try this instead: everyday try to practice the mental skill of
focusing on the challenge at hand. What does that mean? Sports is
an experience, whether at practice or in a game, that comes at us
one challenge at a time:
Streamlining…or great flip turns
A fast start….or a high elbow catch
Great relay pickups…or keeping your hips up
Proper pacework…or breath control
We don’t usually think of sports this way because of the flow
of a game or practice. Try to practice approaching each challenge
with total focus, and then be ready to do it again very quickly for
the very next challenge. Don’t allow yourself to be
distracted from the challenge at hand…execute as well as you
can, then focus right in on the next challenge. Do not allow
yourself to be distracted. After you have practiced this mental
toughness skill for several weeks, it becomes second nature, and
you don’t have to think about it nearly as much. If you find
your focus slipping, go back to practicing the skill until you get
it back. Then, the next time your parent or coach encourages you to
“concentrate”, you will remember to focus on the
challenge right in front of you…or maybe you won’t
even hear them!!
As you watch the Olympics this year, try to watch the incredible
focus and concentration demonstrated by the athletes and coaches.
You will be able to see it written all over their faces. They have
practiced this skill for years and that is why, despite the
incredible number of distractions and the intense pressure at an
Olympic Games, you will see the athletes and coaches exhibit an
amazing ability to eliminate all the distractions and focus on the
challenge at hand. Get started now and you too can develop this
critical performance skill and take it all the way to the Olympic
level some day.
Submitted by: Tom Crawford
Spliting
Races
Splitting Races
By Russ Sampson
50’s – All-out effort should be given. Breath control
is a must. If unable to do a no-breather, breath once two to three
strokes before the flip-turn and once half way back on 2nd 25.
100’s – Set stroke up with 1st 25. Build the following
75 to all-out effort. First 50 should be 1.5 seconds slower than
fastest 50. Second 50 should be 1.5 seconds slower than 1st 50.
Breathing patterns; Fly = every other stroke. Free = every 4th
stroke, no breath last 15 yards.
200’s – First 50 should be 3 seconds slower than
fastest 50. 2nd-4th 50’s even split at 3 seconds slower than
1st 50. Exception – Freestyle; 1st 50 can be 2.5 seconds
slower than fastest. 2nd-4th 50’s can be 2.5 seconds slower
than 1st. Breathing patterns; Fly = 2 up, one down, for a 3 stoke
cycle. Free = Every 3rd stroke, no breath last 10 yds.
200 IM – Set stroke up with 1st couple strokes in 1st 25 of
each 50; build the rest of the 50.. Second 25 should be harder than
first. Try to negative spilt the 50’s. Freestyle is all-out
on 2nd 25. Breathing pattern; Fly = 2 up one down in a 3 stroke
cycle. Free = Every 3rd stroke, with no breath last 10 yards.
400 IM – Set stroke up with 1st 25. Build remainder of 75 for
each stroke. Each 100 should be negative
split.
500 – Negative split the 250’s by 1-2.5 seconds. First
hundred should be 4 seconds slower than fastest 100. 2nd-3rd
hundreds should be 1.5 seconds slower than 1st. 4th hundred should
be as fast as first. Last hundred should be hardest effort and 1.5
seconds faster than 4th. Breathing pattern; 2-3-3-2 for every ten
stokes with no breathing in or out of turns.
1000 – Negative split the 500’s by 3-5 seconds. First
500 should be 6 seconds slower than best 500. 2nd 500 should be 3
seconds slower than best. Even split the 100’s from 2-7.
Build effort through the last 300 with last hundred being faster
than 1st 100. Key to race is streamlining off walls. Breathing
pattern; 2-3-3-2 for every 10 strokes.
1650 – Even split the 500’s or slightly negative
splitting them by 1 – 1.5 seconds. The last 150 should build
in effort to all-out. The 500’s should be 6 seconds slower
than fastest 500. Last 150 should be faster than 1st 150. Breathing
pattern is every stroke; except for in and out of turns.
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