We have all been there – sitting behind a breaststroker, trying to overtake them, trying to get around their wide kicks and slow speed. Frustrating!!!

However, to get good at breaststroke – you have to swim breaststroke! That is to say, if you want to swim fast breaststroke in competition you have to train to swim fast breaststroke.

Many swimmers wonder why their breaststroke does not improve. Often the reason is simple…they don’t swim it enough in training.

How often do you do a full session of breaststroke? That’s breaststroke warm up, breaststroke kick, breaststroke pull, breaststroke drills, breaststroke main set, breaststroke starts / turns / finishes.

Many breaststrokers find themselves doing a few breaststroke drills in warm up, a few 50’s of breaststroke kick and then freestyle or medley main sets. Now often this is because of crowded lanes and the need to get the work done – particularly during main sets – but there is an old saying, “train the way you want to race”.

Allocate two to three sessions per week of nothing but breaststroke.  Breaststroke specific sessions, and especially timed breaststroke main sets. Then, watch how much you improve!

 2. Think SHAPE not STROKE

There are as many views and opinions on what constitutes perfect breaststroke technique as there are swimmers who swim it and coaches who coach it!

Don’t think too much about the stroke. The basics you learn in stroke school or in your junior squad program will take you a long way.

Instead think SHAPE.

There are three key shapes in breaststroke:

TORPEDO SHAPE – At the end of recovery with hands and arms stretched forward, legs squeezed together, toes pointed and everything is tight.  Although this shape is only held for a fraction of a second, it is important to extend yourself to be in this shape after every single stroke.

COBRA SHAPE – After the torpedo shape, you move into the cobra shape. This is when your legs are still long behind you, your arms are pulling in towards your chest at maximum strength position and your head is up looking directly ahead at the end of the pool (and you are taking an in breath).

FROG SHAPE – Directly following the cobra shape comes the frog shape. This is a shape that you would be familiar with when learning the breaststroke kick. Your feet are close to your backside and turned outwards with your toes pointing towards the sides of the pool. Your hands are under your chin/chest, about to push forward to regain that torpedo shape while your chest, hips and knees are making a long slightly outwards curved shape (hips are extended, not flexed).

 3. DON’T OVER THINK OR OVER COACH BREASTSTROKE

In keeping with the SHAPE NOT STROKE concept – don’t over think (or over coach) breaststroke. Learn the basics well, learn to do them consistently in training and learn to maintain them at high speed and under pressure in competition.

Too many swimmers (and coaches) catch the PBA disease: PARALYSIS BY ANALYSIS. That means that they spend too much time and energy getting breaststroke “just right” and are constantly tweaking, fiddling and adjusting timing, rating, pull width, kick depth, head position etc etc.

Once you get a good basic breaststroke – LEAVE IT ALONE!

Keep it simple. Think SHAPE.

4. LONG AND STRONG / LONG AND STRONG / LONG AND STRONG / LONG AND STRONG / LONG AND STRONG

Once you have a good concept of SHAPE, focus on long powerful kicks and strong powerful arms: or long and strong for short.

The critical shapes in breaststroke – the Torpedo shape and the Frog shape allow maximum distance per stroke from a position of maximum kick propulsion: maximum propulsive force at the point of least resistance.

Reach long – (torpedo SHAPE) and kick strong – (frog SHAPE)

The long and strong becomes a mantra and helps to develop rhythm in the overall stroke: reach long / kick strong, reach long / kick strong, reach long / kick strong etc etc.

5. SMALL, HEAD MOVEMENTS AND ALL OF THEM FORWARD.

In all swimming strokes (and just about everything else you do), your body follows your head. If your head is moving fast and excessively up and down, chances are in breaststroke, your body will also be moving up and down excessively creating too much drag.

In breaststroke, small head movements can help when there is too much height at the breath point and therefore not enough forward propulsion.

Try thinking FORWARD rather than UP and DOWN, i.e. push your chin forward to breathe then gently push your forehead forward back into the water. The total distance your head needs to move throughout the stroke is about 3-5 inches – the distance between your chin and forehead.

Whether breaststroke is the best stroke – you can decide. It is certainly ONE of the best four strokes and a stroke that can be fun, enjoyable and rewarding to swim.

WAYNE GOLDSMITH AND HELEN MORRIS

myth  (noun)

• 1. a traditional story of unknown authorship, ostensibly with a historical basis, but serving usually to explain some phenomenon of nature, the origin of man, or the customs, institutions, religious rites, etc. of a people: myths usually involve the exploits of gods and heroes
• 2. such stories collectively; mythology
• 3. any fictitious story, or unscientific account, theory, belief, etc.
• 4. any imaginary person or thing spoken of as though existing

There’s the Yeti.

There’s the Sasquatch.

There’s the shopping cart with four good wheels.

There’s  the low fat, great tasting chocolate cake.

And there’s these ten myths of swimming.

1. It’s faster under water.

It’s only faster under water if you are faster under the water. Just being under water does not mean you will move faster.

For example, if you swim freestyle at two yards per second pace, but only maintain a speed of 1.6 yards per second under the water – get to the surface!

 2. More training makes you a better swimmer

We’ve all heard about the magic numbers that supposedly guarantee swimming success, e.g. 50 miles a week, 60 miles a week, ten sessions a week, 20 hours of training a week, 3000 miles a year etc  etc.

There is no evidence to say that 60 miles is better than 48 or 56 or 79. There is no solid research to support the idea 10 sessions is any better than 8, 15 or 127.

More training by itself does not guarantee success. There is no short cut or easy road to swimming success. It takes a lot of hard work, commitment, dedication and discipline. But, just adding more sessions and more miles is not the only answer.

Swimming fast is about PHYSICAL fitness and physical factors like strength, speed, endurance and power. It is also about MENTAL preparation, technical skill and tactical knowledge / execution. It is a balance between PHYSICAL / MENTAL / TECHNICAL / TACTICAL elements.

So hard training is important but it is not the only thing.

3. Vitamins and minerals and supplements will make you a great swimmer

The world supplement means “something added, especially to make up for a lack or deficiency”.

The research around how effective supplements are at improving swimming performance is not conclusive. However these things are 100% conclusive for all swimmers:

• Consistent training
• Positive attitude
• Staying strong during tough times
• Honesty
• Great technique.

Buy a few bottles of these things and you can’t lose!

4. If you start out swimming one stroke well, you will always swim that stroke well

We’ve all seen the “child champs” – the nine year old superstar backstroker who seems destined for Olympic glory.  However, rarely, if ever do “child champs” make the Olympic team and win Olympic gold medals in the same stroke they first showed talent in. Often, kids will be a good breaststroker at 8, then a good freestyler at 11, then a top notch backstroker at 13 before ending up an outstanding flyer as a senior swimmer.

As kids develop and grow, changes in their limb lengths, their proportionality (i.e. the relationship of their limb length to overall body size), their muscle mass, height and weight, flexibility and strength will all impact on their ability to swim specific strokes.

Advice - become proficient in all strokes, in sprints and in distance events, medley and at dives, starts, turns and finishes. Then, no matter what happens to your body, you are ready for it!

5. Weight training makes you a better swimmer

Weight training, strength training, Pilates, Yoga, Spin classes, Dance classes etc etc can all help improve your swimming performance when used in balance with pool training and when integrated into an overall swimming performance program.

Just throwing around a few weights and getting stronger does not guarantee swimming success. 

Question: Why would you take up a weight training program?

Answer: To improve your swimming performance.

So the key issue is to ensure that the weight program enhances and supports what you do in the water.

 6. Body fat makes you swim faster because fat is buoyant OR being super thin will make you a great swimmer.

Sports scientists used to talk about % body fat or skinfolds and about optimal body fat levels for swimmers.

These days the critical concept is YOIPS – Your Optimal Individual Performance State.

There is no magical skin fold number or mystical body fat level that ALL SWIMMERS must attain to be successful.

The YOIPS concept is that each individual swimmer has an optimal body composition for their peak performance which is unique. For some swimmers that may mean being a lean, mean swimming machine. For others, an extra pound or two may help maintain their general health and well being and allow them to train consistently and shedding any excess weight will lead them to illness and being sick.

The bottom line is – find out what works best for you and stick to it!

7. Lane 4 is the fastest lane and the only one you can win from

World records have been set from all lanes.

World championships have been won from all lanes.

Olympic gold medals have been won from all lanes.

NCAA, National, State and Club championships have been won from all lanes.

Enough said.

8. A successful coach makes a great swimmer

One of the big mistakes a lot of swimmers (and parents) make is to change coaches too often for the wrong reasons. A good reason to change coaches might be that you have moved states or gone to College and you need a local coach to help you with your swimming program.

A poor reason to switch is because another coach seems to have produced a stand out young age group champion and you believe that simply by moving to their program, you will experience similar success.

Coaches are important in the scheme of things. Their training, knowledge and experience are invaluable to help all swimmers improve their physical, mental, technical and tactical skills.

However, a swimmer with a great attitude, who works hard consistently and who seeks to maximise the impact of every training session will succeed regardless of the coaching, facilities or club environment – they make their own luck and drive their own success.

A swimmer with a poor attitude, poor work ethic and negative approach will not succeed even if they go and train with Michael Phelps’ outstanding coaching team!

Coaches and swimmers (and parents) form a performance partnership – together they can achieve anything.

9. It will be all right on race day

Many swimmers have TWO BRAIN disease. It is a terrible affliction.

One brain is the one they use for training. It allows the swimmer to perform sloppy dives, slow turns and to always finish a few yards short of the end of the pool.

The other brain, the one they use for racing, only comes out at Meets and makes sure all the dives, starts, turns and finishes are perfect.

The problem is that over time the TRAINING BRAIN starts to take over the MEET BRAIN and that’s when things start to go wrong.

Train the way you want to race.

If you execute sloppy dives every day in training – you get sloppy dives at meets.

If you do slow turns every day in workouts – you get killed in the turns when you race.

If you stop a few yards short every repeat at training – you will lose most tight finishes in competition.

Train the way you want to race.

 10. The more money you spend on swim suits and equipment, the faster you will swim

You need high quality equipment to compete at the highest level but no amount of money will make up for missed training, poor skills, sloppy technique, a poor diet, a lack of quality sleep or a lack of self confidence.

Improve yourself first – physically, mentally, technically, tactically………then go and buy a fast suit.

If you are driving a beat up old car, with a broken down engine, bald tyres, a faulty gear box and low grade fuel, giving it a $5000 paint job doesn’t make it go any faster. Sure, it looks a lot better but it will not win any races.  

There is a common theme about all these myths – that is that people are always looking for a system or a secret or something they can buy or do to guarantee success.

There aint no such thing!

There is however, something that can make a real difference.

Something that can make every session outstanding and every day something special.

Something that can take every opportunity and turn it into a performance advantage.

You!

Wayne Goldsmith and Helen Morris

In swimming, effective propulsive movements are SLOW to FAST.

In Fly, you reach long, feel the water, catch then accelerate through the stroke to recovery. Same in back. Same in breast (arms and legs). Same in free.

It starts with an effective feel on entry and a strong catch then…..throughout the stroke it is acceleration that makes all the difference.

2. The relationship between HIPS and HEAD is critical

There is a critical relationship between the HIPS and the HEAD in swimming. Simply, when the head is up, the hips go down and if the hips are down three important things happen:

• Hips down means you kick down – instead of back.
• Hips down means your body is in an inefficient position
• Hips down means that your body is not streamlined

Be aware of this relationship and keep your head and hips in the right positions.

3. SOFT HANDS and feel!

If someone gave you a rose and said, “feel this – it is so soft” – what would you do with your hands? Cup them tightly? Clench them into a fist? Force your fingers wide apart with lots of tension? Or……..would you relax your fingers and hands and wrist and gently feel the rose?

You can’t feel anything with tight, tense hands. To improve your feel of the water, relax and think soft hands.

4. Think tall – think long

There is no doubt that objects that are long, tall, thin and streamlined move better through water than things that aren’t!

• Streamline off every turn.
• Streamline on entry at each dive and start.
• Streamlining off walls is important but………….think tall and think long all the time!

Believe it or not, an awareness of being tall and long in the water is important. For example in breaststroke recovery, think tall and long as you stretch and reach forward – reach long…..then kick strong.

It is the combination of long and strong that produces the most efficient swimming movements.

This “tall” thinking and awareness really helps your body move and flow through the water.

5. The faster you want to go, the more relaxed you have to be

Watch a little kid running. Now tell him to run as fast as he can…..what happens? He clenches his fists. He gets red in the face. He holds his breath. And he lasts about twenty yards!!

The faster you want to go, the more relaxed you have to be.

Speed is about relaxation – not grunting – not fist clenching – not tightening up – not breath holding – relaxation.

If you want to go fast, focus on staying calm, relaxed and moving easily.

6. The POWER Circle – POWER ON – POWER OFF.

Swimming has two primary phases – the “propulsive” phase and the “recovery” phase. For many swimmers, the recovery phase is actually an extension of the propulsive phase in that they don’t actually recover. The recovery phase is a time to relax and allow muscles to switch off in preparation for the next propulsive pull. Learning to do this can make a big difference to a swimmer’s ability to maintain a strong powerful stroke throughout a race.

Think POWER CIRCLE – POWER ON / POWER OFF. When the hands and arms are under the water and pulling it is power ON. As the hands leave the water to recover, it is power OFF.

The ability to turn the power off and relax during recovery is an important skill for all swimmers to develop.

7. Finishes – Head forward / Hips high / full kick / full stroke

Good finishes in all strokes have four common elements: HEAD – HIPS – KICK – STROKE

• Head – leaning forward towards the wall – as opposed to turning and looking at the opposition or the results.
• Hips – high and in a strong position – to keep the body in a streamlined position and moving towards the wall.
• Kick – still working and driving the body forward at the wall. In fly finishing with a strong down kick and in breast finishing with the feet accelerating all the way to a toes touch position.
• Stroke – finishing in a long, strong, tall position at the end of recovery so that the body is streamlined and capable of reaching and stretching towards the finish.

Every finish in training is a race finish and should include these four elements.

8. Starts – Key words = focused thinking

There are many distractions at the start of a race – noise, crowd, media, other swimmers, etc etc. The world is not going to shut down for you – you need to “shut” the world down.

To do this, try the simple “key word” technique.

 Find a word that means “start” to you – something like:

• Power
• Explode
• Drive
• Strong
• Relax

Take a long, deep breath – and if you can, take 5 seconds to inhale fully. Then on the exhale, say your key word quietly to yourself, taking 5 seconds to exhale fully. Repeat this for about a minute, continuing to breath deeply and slowly (about 5-6 breaths per minute), focusing on the key word every exhale.

This does three things:

• It gives you confidence and control over the pre race environment
• The slow deep breathing keeps you relaxed
• The focus word allows you to eliminate external distractions and focus on a good start.

 9. Turns – tight

 Turns are an important part of swimming and invariably great swimmers are great turners.

 Turns need to be tight.

•  Heels up close to the buttocks.
• Legs tucked up and under the body.
• Arms in close and held near the centre of the body.

 Being tight keeps the body in an efficient minimum resistance position but it also allows the swimmer to adopt the “coiled spring” position.

 Muscles can contract with greater power after being stretched and put under tension. By pulling the limbs in close to centre of the body, the large, powerful muscles of the legs, shoulders and back are placed on stretch.

 Then coming out of the turn, the body can open up with power and explosiveness and use this elastic energy to drive off the wall and get back into fast swimming!

 10. Consistency is the key

 The key to it all is to take the first nine tips and practice them consistently – every session – every day – every week.

 Consistency provides opportunity – opportunity provides the talented swimmer with the chance to achieve anything.

 We are creatures of habit. What we do repeatedly and what becomes habit, is what we do instinctively in times of fatigue and pressure, i.e. racing. If you practice doing things consistently well in training and doing things well becomes your “habit” under the pressure and pain of racing you will always come out on top.

 Wayne Goldsmith

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The Swimming Site will be the SOSS – Swimming One Stop Shop – for everything you ever wanted to know about swimming including:

• Swimming Coaching tips
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• Swimming and Competing - swim meets, pacing, motivation, performance skills.
• Swimming Technique and skills tips
• Swimming Training program ideas and information – training sets, training tips, peaking, tapering.
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THE Swimming Site – make it YOUR Swimming Site.

1. BK – SK – FK – SK (Kick Drill)

The trick to great fly kick is to learn to kick with strong, flowing, even power and rhythm in both directions.

Try this drill:
Push off in with your arms by your side. Kick six kicks on your back, rotate to your left side and kick six kicks on your side, then rotate over to your tummy and kick six kicks on your front and rotate over again to your right side for another six kicks.

The aim is to keep a strong, even, flowing kicking movement throughout the drill particularly the first and last kicks after and before you rotate to a new position.

2. Power On, Power Off Drill

Without doubt the single most important concept in FLY. When your arms are under the water it’s Power – feel, catch then pull with power and acceleration. But..as soon as your arms leave the water it’s POWER OFF – long, loping, relaxed, easy arms in recovery.

To practice, put on your fins. Push off in streamline. Do slow motion one arm fly with the resting arm by your side. As you complete the one arm fly say to yourself:

• Power On (on hand entry)

• Power Off (as your hand – little finger first) exits the water.

Get a flowing rhythm going: Power On – Power Off, Power On – Power Off, Power On – Power Off , Power On – Power Off ….you will be amazed how well this works!

3. O’Neil Strength Drill

Lots of variations of this drill but I like Susie O’Neil’s version best.

• 5 x 50 Fly on 1:30 as (25 kick on your back / 25 sprint) – short course pool.
• 1st 50. 25 Fly kick on your back carrying your water bottle with both hands and straight arms. The bottle should be pointed straight up to the sky and your arms at right angles to the water. Leave your bottle at the end of the pool and sprint 25 fly.
• 2nd 50. Same as the first 50 but this time carrying your pull buoy straight overhead – arms at right angles to the water surface.
• 3rd 50. Same as above but this time carrying your fins.
• 4th 50. Same as above but carrying your kickboard overhead – arms at right angles to the water surface.
• 5th 50. Dive sprint 25 fly. At the end where all your swim gear now is, load up your kick board with your water bottle, pull buoy and fins (lay them on top of the board as if it was a table), hold the fully loaded kickboard straight above your head – arms at right angles to the water surface and kick 25 fly on your back.

Do it again if you liked it!

This is a really fun drill and yet it actually helps build strength and kicking ability.

4. Best of All Fly Kick Drill

Dolphin kick with arms folded over your head!

5. Countbacks

Great fly swimming is about combining maximum distance per stroke (long strokes) and speed (fast strokes).

This drill is called countback.

3x (8 x 25 on 1:00). Easy 100 backstroke every 8.

1. Aim to swim 25 fly in 10-12 strokes. Hold 200 metre pace.
2. Do it again and aim to do it in one stroke less – hint: you can go up to 15 metres underwater!! Same pace.
3. Do it again and aim for one less stroke. Same pace.
4. Do it again and aim for one less stroke. Same pace.
5. Now hold the number of strokes you achieved in the 4th repeat and pick the pace up to 100 pace.
6. Repeat.
7. Repeat.
8. Now increase your speed to 50 metre pace but maintain the same stroke count.

The aim over time is to do the same drill but over long distances and with shorter rests, e.g. possible progression might be:

• 3 x (8 x 25 fly countback drill on 45)
• 3 x (8 x 25 fly countback drill on 40)
• 3 x (8 x 25 countback drill on 35)
• 3 x (8x 25 countback drill on 30)
• 2 x (8 x 50 countback drill on 1:30)
• 2 x (8 x 50 countback drill on 1:20)

To make it more challenging, as you improve try to breath every two or even three strokes.

6. Drill, Kick, Swim Combinations

The great swimming coach Einstein said training set designs are only limited by your imagination. Try these fly – kick – swim – drill – speed sets.

• 4 x (4 x 50) fly on 60 Each set of four as 1-2. Drill 25/Swim 25, 3. stroke count. 4. explode first 25 metres.
• 8 x 50 fly drill on 60 (25 fast and with power / 25 easy but long strokes).
• 5 x (2 x 50 fly on 60 as drill 30 / explode final 20 metres with no breathing last three strokes to the wall). Easy 100 free between each 2 x 50.
• 4 x (3 x 50 fly on 60 as 1. Drill 50, 2.Swim (stroke count), 3. 25 Moderate / 25 m Fast)

7. Long Flowing Fin Fly

One of the best ways to develop rhythm in fly is to do long reps with fins. Start with 100 metres. Then add 100 metres per week. Aim to be able to swim 800 – 1000 metres fly with fins easily and with flow and rhythm.

Swim only fast enough to maintain momentum and flow. Breathe every two or three if possible concentrating on a relaxed, neutral head position and the “power on / power off” mantra. Try to hit a consistent stroke count and even pace throughout the swim.

Wayne Goldsmith

Introduction

Competitive swimming is all about swimming fast, and speed, in conjunction with technique, forms the most precious element of a swimmer’s make-up. Coaches are, after all, dedicated to one task: preparing swimmers to swim their event as fast as possible.

While some swimmers possess a greater degree of natural speed than others, it is clear that a well planned training program should improve swimming speed and competitive performance of all swimmers.

This article examines three approaches to the development of speed in all swimmers and outlines their coaching and scientific rationale. We then introduce the concept of total condition training, which has the aim of maximising both speed and endurance. Several features of this model are discussed in detail and relevant suggestions on developing speed in swimmers are presented.

What is Swimming Speed?

In practice, the operational definition of speed varies from sport to sport and within in a sport, such as swimming, from event to event. In a generic sense, we can think of speed as the ability to swim a given distance in the shortest possible time.

Speed can be further divided into four components: as reaction time, acceleration, maximum speed and speed-endurance.

Reaction time in swimming is defined as the start time, which is time off the block from a full racing start to the 5m mark.

Acceleration is the ability to reach maximal speed in the shortest possible time – this is obviously a key factor in the 50m and 100m events.

Maximum speed is the peak swimming speed that a swimmer can reach (and often only sustain for a few meters).

Speed-endurance, or race-pace, is the speed that swimmers can hold over the required race distance. This speed is slower than maximal speed, but the differential between speed-endurance and maximal speed is smaller for the better swimmers.

Apart from the 50m event, it is possible that the swimmer with the highest maximum speed may not necessarily be the winner. Start times, turn times and finish times are often decisive factors and inspection of competitive evaluation reports from national and international meets will bear this out.

The skill and technical aspects of swimming are obviously critical and have been addressed in many articles in Australian Swim Coach (see articles by Bernie Wakefield, Ken Wood and Gennardi Tourestski).

This article will focus on the training considerations for the development of physiological capacities that underpin the various aspects of swimming speed.

Fitness and Technical Requirements of Swimming Events

In order to develop a good speed training program for individual swimmers, it is necessary to examine the fitness and technical requirements of the different events.

For the 50m event, it is obvious that reaction time, acceleration and maximum speed are all critical factors.

For the 100-200m events, all the different aspects of speed (reaction time, acceleration, maximum speed and speed endurance) are important.

For the middle-distance and distance events, reaction time, acceleration and maximum speed are less important, but a highly developed level of speed endurance is critical.

Once these factors are sorted out, the planning of speed training can begin. Initially, the aim is to plan a general training program that addresses the overall needs of the team or group. However, it is necessary to evaluate each swimmer individually to determine the strengths and weakness for each of the different components of speed.

In essence, there are three common approaches used for the development of speed in swimmers:

1. High-Volume and High-Intensity Training;
2. Specific Energy System Training;
   and
3. Total Condition Training.

1. High Volume and High Intensity Training (Broken Egg Coaching)

We refer to this approach as “broken egg coaching”, because it is much like throwing a dozen eggs against the wall, and seeing which one doesn’t break. The high-volume high-intensity approach has the following features:

• Give all swimmers as much volume and intensity training as they can handle (or can’t handle).
• Three weeks out from the meet reduce the volume and do a few sprints.
• Rest one week out by drastically reducing the volume and pray that the speed will come when the swimmers are rested.

This approach, sometimes seen in swim programs with a big feeder system, works on giving swimmers a great deal of non-specific work. If a coach adopts this approach, then they can be confident that the average fitness of their squad will be higher than the average fitness of most other squads, making them very competitive at most levels. Many coaches have been relatively successful using this coaching method.

It is generally accepted that a well-developed aerobic base is necessary for success in swimming at the highest level. Long term success is also dependent on developing a broad range of physiological, psychological and technical skills.

The high-volume and high intensity approach can often produce great age group results and is particularly effective when working with large teams. Coaches who have achieved success using this technique are understandably reluctant to change a tried and proven method.

In the long-term however, neglecting overall development in the effort to maximise training volume and intensity in the hope of short-term goals, is in our opinion, more likely to limit success at older age group and elite levels. Remember, “many meaningless miles means mass mediocrity”!

Pros

• Swimmers get very fit and are competitive at most levels of competition.
• Swimmers develop a large aerobic base.
• Easy to control large group of swimmers.

Cons

• Potentially an increased risk of illness and/or injury.
• Does not permit training to be tailored to individual needs.
• Swimmers may become overtrained and burned out.
• Performance can be limited at the top level owing to neglect of the full development of all energy systems and swimming abilities.

2. Specific Energy System Training

It is often heard that sprint swimmers do too much volume training, and many commentators cite the principle of specificity to justify their argument. The dynamics of the different energy systems and the principle of specificity suggest, at face value, that sprint swimmers should do less work than currently advocated by most coaches.

In some circles, it was and is fashionable to look for low-volume and high-intensity sprint training programs.

The model of specific energy system training is based on the following rationale:

First, most swimming events last around 2 minutes or less and consequently highly anaerobic in nature; and second, basic physiology and the principles of specificity suggest that swimmers need to perform training at race-specific speed in order to develop the appropriate energy system(s) required for that particular event.

On this basis, it is argued that sprint swimmers should do far less training at submaximal level and concentrate on the development of the alactic (ATP-PC) and lactic (anaerobic glycolysis) energy systems through sprint training.

Among other things, this system-specific approach overlooks the interactive effects of training all the energy system pathways concurrently. It is a fundamental principle of physiology that all energy systems contribute to the energy requirements of physical activity: the contribution of each of the three systems is dependent upon the intensity and duration of exercise.

It is an oversimplification to assume that short-explosive events are totally alactic or that middle and long-distance events are totally aerobic. Every swimming race requires a combination of all the energy systems.

The periodised nature of modern swimming training programs permits endurance, strength, speed, power and technical skills to be developed concurrently. Inspection of most coaches’ training programs would show that all these attributes are addressed to some extent during each week of training.

Pros

• Is consistent with the principle of specificity of training.
• Develops great speed over short distances.
• Has proved to be popular with swimmers.

Cons

• Limited aerobic development in spring swimmers may have negative consequences in lactate breakdown and removal.
• Increased risk of injury and swimmer ‘burnout’.
• May limit swimmer’s ability to finish off races.

Total Condition Training

A theme which has stood the test of time and is considered the most effective way to prepare all swimmers, including sprint swimmers, is a balanced and integrated training program that addresses all the aspects of conditioning.

A fully integrated training program normally follows a periodised format where endurance, speed, strength, power, and all the necessary skills and technique, are developed concurrently.

A periodised approach requires that certain aspects of fitness are emphasized at different stages of the training program, but an underlying feature is that all elements are maintained at an acceptable level.

The current format of the Australian and international calendars, where there are approximately 12-14 weeks between national championships and major international meet, is sufficient time to fully prepare all aspects for all swimmers; hence the title “Total Condition Training”.

Pros

• Facilitates concurrent development of endurance, speed, strength and skill.
• May lead to higher level performance in the longer term.
• Permits a more general preparation of swimmers for a full range of events.

Cons

• Long-term goals may be at the expense of short-term gains.
• Specialised and detailed program is more suited to smaller sized squads.

Features of Total Condition Training for Speed

To improve start time, which is the time from a dive start to the 5m mark, and can be sub-divided into reaction time and movement time.

Reaction time is the time from the firing of the starting gun to the first sign of movement.

Movement time is the actual duration of the start from the first sign of movement to the swimmer reading the 5m marker.

The start is an explosive movement and will be assisted by a conditioning program that develops strength and power in the lower body. Of course, starting is also a skill that needs to be learned and perfected through appropriate instruction and practice. It may be useful to set aside 10 minutes for group starting practice (and relay change overs) every week or two.

To improve acceleration, training sets incorporating a systematic increase in speed, up to maximal speed, should be undertaken.

In swimming parlance, the most common acceleration drill is the “build” set and its many variations. This work is undertaken normally over 50m or 100m and involves an increase in pace through each lap or 25m segment. The increments of the increase in speed will vary according to the individual swimmers event and specific requirements.

Some coaches also use “variable pace” drills where swimmers can accelerate and decelerate according to a set pattern. E.g., 8 x 50m on a 60 second cycle alternating 25m fast, 25m easy with 25m easy, 25m fast.

Another type of acceleration drill is a short descending set such as 8 x 50m D1-4 on 60 seconds, where the times are descended from moderate to fast in efforts 1-4 and again in 5-8.

Strength and power training is essential to fully develop the various components of speed.

This work may take the form of traditional strength training in the gym (free weights, machine weights or circuits) or more specialised forms such as plyometrics, jump training, swim bench, jump squats, power cleans or other strength and power related activities.

It is worthwhile to consult a strength and conditioning coach or gym instructor to discuss the strength and power training requirements for both age group and senior swimmers.

Similar to speed, there are different components of strength such as general strength, maximal strength, power and strength endurance. Power is the combination of speed (time) and strength (force) and therefore higher velocity drills must be considered; power will not be developed unless high speed intervals are used.

The most commonly used drills for power training are sets of 15-25m efforts at maximal effort from either a dive or push start eg. 10 x 50m as 20m fast – 30m recovery on a 1:15 cycle.

In the model of total conditioning, maximal speed is developed by a combination of endurance, speed and supplementary training activities.

Maximal speed can only be sustained for a short distance (duration) before deceleration is evident. Deceleration or slowing of swimming speed is most likely the result of biochemical and physiological processes such as depletion of the high energy compounds ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and creatine phosphate within contracting skeletal muscle.

The most effective means of developing speed is through a periodised program of high to maximal velocity short interval training. This type of work takes the form of sets like: (i) 10 x 25m FS maximal effort or (ii) 8 x 50m at 200m race pace with 100m recovery swimming, where the most important factor is the speed or pace of the repeats.

Maximal race speed will only be improved when swimmers are swimming at speeds very close to, equal to, or in excess of existing maximal speed. This can be achieved by use of speed assisted drills.

An important principle of the physiology of sprint training is that very high energy compounds in the muscle such as ATP and creatine phosphate (CP) are depleted rapidly during maximal effort work and take approximately 3 minutes to be fully restored.

Recent research at the University of Western Australia has shown that it may even take 4-6 minutes before normal levels of ATP and CP are restored. This means that longer interval sprint work which significantly depletes CP levels (e.g. maximal effort 50m and 100m intervals) for outright speed is most effective on cycle or turn around times of approximately 5 minutes.

In practice, this is achieved by having swimmers undertake some low to moderate-intensity aerobic recovery swimming during long and intensive sprint sessions. E.g., 8 x 50m maximal effort with 200m recovery on a 5 minute cycle.

Active recovery is preferable between efforts as the body will recover more quickly than with passive rest (e.g. sitting on the deck or supporting one self on a lane rope!).

Another important type of sprint training is the short rest spring set such as 4-8 x 50m FS maximal effort on a 35 seconds cycle. Gennardi Touretski refers to this type of set as an “activation” set. The aim is to activate or mobilise the physiological processes of the lactic acid energy system (anaerobic glycolysis).

This set is only done infrequently at key points in the training program – such as during the transition from aerobic to quality work, prior to a mid-season competition, and during a full length competitive taper.

The work is very arduous and should only be attempted when swimmers are in good shape. Not only does it play a role in stimulating some of the necessary physiological adaptations, it is of course, very specific training for 199-400m events.

A comment on lactate tolerance training. This term has been used in several of the classification of training systems developed for swimming and refers to high intensity interval work that is known to elicit high levels of blood lactate.

In one sense the term is misleading, because it may imply that the main aim of the exercise is to develop high levels of lactate in order to stimulate the development of physiological processes. Of course, the debilitating effects associated with an elevated level of muscle and blood lactate can impair training and competitive performance.

The critical aspect is to improve the swimming speed during this type of work. A common mistake is to focus too heavily on the effort. Swimming these type of sets with high heart rate and blood lactate levels at slow speeds is not a very effective method of training.

Experienced coaches will know the considerable limitations of doing repeat maximal effort 100’s eg. 6 – 8 x 100m maximal efforts on 8:00. There is, arguably, a place for such sets, but a more effective approach is to incorporate recovery swimming between each of the quality efforts. This way, you get better speed without the interference of high blood lactates.

Coaches should use speed-assisted drills throughout the training program. Examples of speed-assisted drills include the use of paddles and pull buoy, stretch cords and various pulley systems.

The Australian Institute of Sport has recently installed a motorised pulley in its 50m pool and this has proved to be very useful in introducing swimmers to higher level speeds.

For example, with senior male freestyle swimmers, the speed is set to 20-22 seconds, which is slightly in excess of race speed. The pulley system is also an effective means of checking the quality of streamlining of individual swimmers. Any deficiency in streamlining (excessive drag) becomes very noticeable when the speed of the pulley is set above normal race speed.

Summary

The development of speed-endurance is, as the name suggests, a combination of speed and endurance training. We have suggested that a highly developed background of endurance is essential to support the speed training necessary for an elite level sprint swimmer. This approach, of course, has to meet the requirements of individual swimmers, and what suits one swimmer may not suit another.

In brief terms, speed-endurance is developed through a periodised program of basic aerobic work (longer intervals at the level of sub-maximal aerobic and anaerobic threshold), general dry-land strength-endurance training in the gym, and specific high-intensity interval training (sets of high intensity 50-200m intervals).

The frequency of speed training is another common topic of conversation. Through experience, some coaches devote a number of specific sessions to speed each week, while others will incorporate a few sprints at the end of every workout.

However, there is no hard and fast rule. For a full and exhausting sprint workout it is suggested that at least 24-48 hours of recovery (i.e. low to moderate-intensity aerobic swimming) be undertaken before the next full sprint workout. This time is required for muscle glycogen stores, particularly in fast twitch muscle fibres, to be restored to normal levels.

This length of recovery should also permit regeneration of neuromuscular pathways that regular muscular contraction. Central nervous system or neuromuscular fatigue may limit the ability to swim fast even though muscles may be fully hydrated and refueled.

The importance of the technical aspects of sprint swimming is appreciated by every coach.

In addition to the subjective evaluation of the coach (the so-called coaching “eye”), it is good practice to utilise video camera technology to occasionally assess and correct the technical aspects of each swimmer’s stroke.

Some elite coaches may have access to more sophisticated biomechanical analysis of the different strokes at different speeds.

One approach to the development of speed is to improve the efficiency and economy of swimming throughout the full range of training and competitive speeds. While all coaches acknowledge the importance of improving efficiency and economy during submaximal swimming, it is also equally important in higher velocity sprint swimming. The best sprinters have efficient and economical techniques at the higher speeds in terms of both metabolic and mechanical factors.

Speed should be assessed regularly by timing 25 and 50m efforts in the swimmer’s main stroke. Coaches do this routinely and it is a good way of checking how an individual swimmer’s speed is responding to training.

To check reaction time, acceleration and maximal speed it is appropriate to use a dive start. To simply check acceleration and speed, a push start can be used. Coaches (and swimmers) should use the 25m and 50m split times from their best competitive effort as a reference point.

For speed-endurance, most coaches use either 100m and 200m race pace (and occasionally 400m race pace). In this work, the average pace held through a 100m or 200m, is used in 50m intervals e.g. 8 x 50m at 200m race pace (e.g. 32 seconds for a swimmer with 2:08 200m PB) with a 100m recovery swim between each effort.

Measuring the stroke rate and stroke count is a practical method of evaluating (in gross terms) the stroke mechanics of any given swim.

During competition, most 50m and 100m swimmers will reach stroke rates between 50 and 60 stroke cycles per minute. During low-to-moderate intensity aerobic swimming (which forms the majority of the weekly volume) stroke rates usually range between 25-40 strokes per minute.

It is essential, therefore, the ensure that high-intensity sprint work is completed with race specific stroke rates (50-60 strokes/min). If a swimmer is unable to “rate up” to the appropriate level, it may be prudent to hold the speed session over to another day when they are able to complete the workout as specified.

Wayne Goldsmith

Swimming successfully is as much about time management as it is about training hard. Fitting in training, schoolwork, rest and recovery and having some time to yourself is a difficult juggling act even for the most committed and dedicated athlete.

One of the toughest things to do when managing your week is to schedule time to do nothing. For most athletes doing nothing is just as demanding as doing the hard training in the pool and gym.

Rest, relaxation, recovery and restoration – Those times when your body is growing, adapting and developing are fundamental to swimming success. Allocate some time every week for recovery.

Most stress in life is caused by not doing things when you should have done them. The anguish and tension you feel behind the blocks is quite often the result of not preparing adequately in the weeks leading up to the race. The anxiety you feel on the way to an exam is sometimes the result of not doing the necessary study that you should have done before exam day.

Effective management of your time can not only improve your swimming (and your study) but it can help to minimise those nervous moments when you know you should have prepared better.

Proper Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance!

Some Hints for Time Management:

1. Prioritise, put first things first. Do those things you have to do first.
2. Use spare time to make life easier. Get an early start on a school project in your lunch breaks. Read your required school reading in the car on the way to training. Do sit ups and push-ups in the ad breaks when watching t.v. Stretch your neck and shoulders when sitting at school or in front of your computer.
3. Set goals for every week and design a plan to help you achieve them. At the end of the week, (the best time is Sunday afternoon or evening when you are rested) review the previous seven days and evaluate how you went. Plan to do one thing a little better every week.
4. Pick a time that you can put aside every week to plan for the next week.
5. If in doubt – do it now!

Step One: Design a simple weekly schedule. If using a computer it’s easy to do something like this in a word processing program, spreadsheet program or even a database program.

Some swimmers design their own weekly schedule, enlarge it to a full page size (A4) and stick it up on their wardrobe or bedroom door so it’s the first thing they see each morning.

Step Two: Fill in the things you have to do. For younger swimmers this usually means school. For senior swimmers it may mean work or University study commitments. Doing what you have to do when you have to do it means you have more time left for what you want to do.

Step Three:Write in training times and other swimming activities. Include gym and other dryland training as well as club night and competitions.

Step Four: Schedule rest and recovery times. As one Olympian once told me, “It wasn’t until I started scheduling rest periods that my times really started to improve.” Allow extra time for homework, school projects and study.

Step Five: Schedule time for doing the things you want to do, (spending time with family and friends, going to the movies, watching t.v. etc). Part of achieving long term success is maintaining a balance in your life. Scheduling time to enjoy life is just as important as training and racing well.

Wayne Goldsmith

In swimming, effective propulsive movements are slow to fast.

In Fly, you reach long, feel the water, catch then accelerate through the stroke to recovery. Same in back. Same in breast (arms and legs). Same in free.

It starts with an effective feel on entry and a strong catch then…..throughout the stroke it is acceleration that makes all the difference.

2. The relationship between hips and head is critical

There is a critical relationship between the hips and the head in swimming. Simply, when the head is up, the hips go down and if the hips are down three important things happen:

• Hips down means you kick down – instead of back.
• Hips down means your body is in an inefficient position
• Hips down means that your body is not streamlined

Be aware of this relationship and keep your head and hips in the right positions.

3. Soft Hands and Feel!

If someone gave you a rose and said, “feel this – it is so soft” – what would you do with your hands? Cup them tightly? Clench them into a fist? Force your fingers wide apart with lots of tension? Or……..would you relax your fingers and hands and wrist and gently feel the rose?

You can’t feel anything with tight, tense hands. To improve your feel of the water, relax and think soft hands.

4. Think tall, think long

There is no doubt that objects that are long, tall, thin and streamlined move better through water than things that aren’t!

Streamline off every turn. Streamline on entry at each dive and start. Streamlining off walls is important, but think tall and think long all the time!

Believe it or not, an awareness of being tall and long in the water is important. For example in breaststroke recovery, think tall and long as you stretch and reach forward – reach long…..then kick strong.

It is the combination of long and strong that produces the most efficient swimming movements.

This “tall” thinking and awareness really helps your body move and flow through the water.

5. The faster you want to go, the more relaxed you have to be

Watch a little kid running. Now tell him to run as fast as he can…what happens? He clenches his fists. He gets red in the face. He holds his breath. And he lasts about twenty yards!

The faster you want to go, the more relaxed you have to be.

Speed is about relaxation, not grunting, not fist clenching, not tightening up, not breath holding, relaxation.

If you want to go fast, focus on staying calm, relaxed and moving easily.

6. The Power Circle: Power On – Power Off

Swimming has two primary phases – the “propulsive” phase and the “recovery” phase. For many swimmers, the recovery phase is actually an extension of the propulsive phase in that they don’t actually recover. The recovery phase is a time to relax and allow muscles to switch off in preparation for the next propulsive pull. Learning to do this can make a big difference to a swimmer’s ability to maintain a strong powerful stroke throughout a race.

Think Power Circle: Power on / Power off. When the hands and arms are under the water and pulling it is power on. As the hands leave the water to recover, it is power off.

The ability to turn the power off and relax during recovery is an important skill for all swimmers to develop.

7. Finishes: Head Forward, Hips High, Full Kick, Full Stroke

Good finishes in all strokes have four common elements: Head, Hips, Kick, Stroke

Head: leaning forward towards the wall – as opposed to turning and looking at the opposition or the results.

Hips: high and in a strong position – to keep the body in a streamlined position and moving towards the wall.

Kick: still working and driving the body forward at the wall. In fly finishing with a strong down kick and in breast finishing with the feet accelerating all the way to a toes touch position.

Stroke: finishing in a long, strong, tall position at the end of recovery so that the body is streamlined and capable of reaching and stretching towards the finish.

Every finish in training is a race finish and should include these four elements.

8. Starts Key Words: Focused Thinking

There are many distractions at the start of a race – noise, crowd, media, other swimmers, etc. The world is not going to shut down for you. You need to “shut” the world down.

To do this, try the simple “key word” technique.

Find a word that means “start” to you, something like:

• Power
• Explode
• Drive
• Strong
• Relax

Take a long, deep breath and if you can, take 5 seconds to inhale fully. Then on the exhale, say your key word quietly to yourself, taking 5 seconds to exhale fully. Repeat this for about a minute, continuing to breath deeply and slowly (about 5-6 breaths per minute), focusing on the key word every exhale.

This does three things:
1. It gives you confidence and control over the pre race environment
2. The slow deep breathing keeps you relaxed
3. The focus word allows you to eliminate external distractions and focus on a good start.

9. Turns: Tight

Turns are an important part of swimming and invariably great swimmers are great turners.

Turns need to be tight.

• Heels up close to the buttocks.
• Legs tucked up and under the body.
• Arms in close and held near the centre of the body.

Being tight keeps the body in an efficient minimum resistance position but it also allows the swimmer to adopt the “coiled spring” position.

Muscles can contract with greater power after being stretched and put under tension. By pulling the limbs in close to centre of the body, the large, powerful muscles of the legs, shoulders and back are placed on stretch.

Then coming out of the turn, the body can open up with power and explosiveness and use this elastic energy to drive off the wall and get back into fast swimming!

10. Consistency is the Key

The key to it all is to take the first nine tips and practice them consistently – every session – every day – every week.

Consistency provides opportunity – opportunity provides the talented swimmer with the chance to achieve anything.

We are creatures of habit. What we do repeatedly and what becomes habit, is what we do instinctively in times of fatigue and pressure, i.e. racing. If you practice doing things consistently well in training and doing things well becomes your “habit” under the pressure and pain of racing you will always come out on top.

Wayne Goldsmith

The great Austrian philosopher, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is reputed to have said, “Success comes from staying in close contact with your goals”.

Every swimmer has goals or dreams. For some the dream is finishing their first event. For others it’s an Olympic Gold. The challenge is turning dreams into reality.

Goal setting is one powerful method of staying motivated and focussed on the achieving of success. However, the actual setting of goals is not difficult. It’s a relatively simple matter to sit down, pull out a pen and piece of paper and write “I would like to beat Susie O’Neill at the Olympics”. The process of setting goals is much more than just writing down a list of things you would like to achieve this year.

The great news is that Psychological skills can be learned, can be trained, just like swimming skills, swimming technique and swimming fitness. Skills like concentration, imagery, self-talk, relaxation, motivation, focussing and goal setting are just some of the mental skills techniques that can be learned and mastered with a little effort.
However, mental skills are not magic – they are not a secret formula for turning ordinary performers into champions. Having a motivation session with a coach or psychologist the evening before a big event is unlikely to make up for months of poor training habits.

Mental skills, like any skills, need to be practised. Knowing about mental skills, but not actually practising them is the same as knowing that long swims increase swimming endurance but never doing more than 25 metres in training. How often have you heard a great athlete comment “Success is all mental” or “It’s 99% mental”? If mental skills are so important it makes good sense to practice them regularly.

Let’s focus on one particular mental skill- goal setting.
Goal setting is part of every day life. It’s the way our minds and bodies operate. We set goals, then do them. Goal – I want to eat that Tim Tam in the fridge. Motivation – I like the taste and I am hungry. Action – Get up and go to the fridge, open the door and get the Tim Tam.

Goals direct behaviour in a particular direction, and if we are motivated to act we move. There is a strong relationship between goal setting and motivation.

Psychologists today tend to talk more about Goal Management than simply goal setting. Goal management is the total process of using goals to focus in on a task and keep motivated in moving towards it.
Goal management is setting goals, evaluating goals, monitoring goals, chasing goals, reviewing goals and adjusting goals.

Having goals and dreams is one thing – being able to stay focussed and motivated to achieve them and work towards them every day is another.

One technique for staying motivated to work towards your goals is to give them a definite time frame.
A goal is a dream with a deadline.
Having a target date for your goal also makes a commitment to evaluation – a time or moment when you will evaluate, review and if necessary adjust your goals.

For example:
Goal: I would like to be a better swimmer this season.
This goal has little direction, is very broad and is not precise.

Alternate Goal: By February 2000, I will aim to improve my freestyle. To achieve this I will have my technique corrected by the coach this week, work on my technique every session and commencing next Monday morning at 6:00 am I will start the day with 30 minutes of stretching and strengthening exercises. Each Sunday I will do an extra swim session and in December I will enter all the freestyle events at three meets race to evaluate my progress.

Same goal – but with more direction and with a clear process of achieving success.

Without doubt, staying motivated means concentrating on Process Goals. Concentrate on the process, the actions taken to actually achieve the performance rather than the outcome goals or performance goals.

For example:
Outcome Goal or Performance Goal: I would like to win the club championship in March next year.
This goal is focussing on the dream of “winning”.

Process Goal: I would like to win the club championship in March next year. My medley and backstroke are my weak events. I will concentrate on improving them by attending swimming sessions more regularly, working on my swim technique, improving my turns and stretching my hips and calves every day to improve my kick.
Same goal, but with a focus on the day to day process of success rather than just on the dream of a future victory.

Effective Goal management leads to confidence. It develops an attitude of “I can do”. Setting goals and achieving them leads to developing a self-belief that anything is possible.

An athlete needs to stay focussed on the immediate, not the ultimate. An athlete needs to have dreams but ask, “What can I achieve in training today?”, “What can I achieve in this training session?”, “What can I do right now to help me achieve my dreams”.
This immediate action to achieve an ultimate success formula is a powerful daily motivator.

You should concentrate on the process of doing a personal best, rather than the actual outcome (i.e. doing the time, winning, getting a medal). Focus on the controllable aspects of the performance like the number of strokes per lap swimming, how far you streamline, how aggressively you attack your turns and so on.
The goal of competing in a race may be to win – come first. However, in most cases winning is something over which you have little or no control. You have no control over the talent of the other swimmers in the race. You have no control over how much training the other swimmers in the race have done. You have no control over the commitment or dedication of the other swimmers.

The only thing you have some control over in terms of the race outcome is your own performance. Therefore it makes sense to focus on those things over which you have control to achieve the best possible result.

Swimmers will often worry about the outcome of a race and stress about winning or losing. By taking control of your performance and reinforcing the importance of concentrating on the skills and techniques you have learned in training, the “freak – out” experienced by many swimmers prior to a swim meet can be reduced. Of course the time to be working on swimming skills and techniques is at training. Getting to the meet and worrying about how to get that great performance is too late. The skills and techniques that will make the dream a reality are the things you practice as part of your daily training routine.

In training , make it happen. In racing on the day of the meet, let it happen! If you concentrate on doing the little things right in training all the time, you can make the success happen. If you just roll through training, not concentrating on great technique, missing out on sessions, don’t stretch etc, but then try to turn it all around on race day, it’s too late!
Make your success happen in training, then on race day, let the skills and techniques you have developed in training every day help you achieve your goal. Success means leaving nothing to chance.

Success means not relying on luck. Success means taking control over your performance by working on doing the little things right in training every day.

Nothing can absolutely guarantee success. But you can increase the likelihood of success by MAKING things happen through your own hard work, commitment and dedication.

Someone once said, “Life has taught me one thing about little things….there are no little things”.
Effective goal management and working methodically towards your dreams by implementing a plan of action and doing the “little things” right each day, will keep you motivated and focussed.
Set goals that are clear, precise and measurable sure, but most importantly, set into action the process of achieving those goals immediately and work towards them daily.

Be an achiever, be the athlete who achieves through careful planning and daily actions.

Wayne Goldsmith

The eternal coaching question – how much speed is necessary for endurance athletes?

At the present time in world swimming there are many opportunities for swimmers who are capable of sustaining fast speeds over middle and long distance races. Particularly in woman’s swimming where World and Australian Records have stood for many years, the ability to be fast over 400, 800 and 1500 metres presents a great opportunity for the female swimmer prepared to do a little work and focus on these events.

There is no doubt that endurance is a key factor in these events. However, there is no question that competitive endurance athletes need some speed.

1. In close competitions the ability to sprint fast away from the opposition or to a point in the race is important. In open water swimming for example, a burst of speed might be important to break away from a pack of swimmers, to sprint to a turning buoy first or to sprint from one pack up to another.
2. The ability to explode off the start, in and out of turns and over the final five metres in a tight finish is also important.
3. Developing the ability to swim faster training repeat times over one season or many seasons is dependent on having improved endurance and being faster over a single effort.

In the preparation of middle and long distance swimmers it is important to balance the amount of speed with the amount of endurance in the training program.

For example:

Training goal = 24 x 100 metres on 1:45 Holding 1:10 (best 100 time in competition = 1:09)
In this training set, the swimmer is aiming to hold one minute ten seconds for each 100 metre effort. However, as the swimmer’s best time for a single 100 metre effort in competition is 1:09 it is unlikely that holding 1:10 for twenty four 100’s is possible to achieve.

The principles of Energy system specificity suggest that maintaining 100% maximum for longer than 6-10 seconds is not possible. Therefore, it is logical to say that in most sporting events athletes spend the majority of training and competition working at sub maximal intensities.

In reality most athletes have difficulty maintaining more than 90% of maximum for very long.

Should the swimmer’s best time for a single 100 metre swim be 1:02 – 1:03 and importantly they have done adequate endurance training to resist the fatigue of swimming many 100’s, then holding 1:10 is far more realistic.

This, then, is the challenge. To enable the swimmer to swim faster than 1:09 they need do have done some speed training to develop that speed. Yet, to maintain 1:10 over 24 x 100 metres also requires great endurance.

Speedand endurance are in fact two sides of the same coin. Both are needed if the swimmer is to achieve maximum potential.

For example:

If a swimmer’s 100 metre best time is 60 seconds, it is likely and logical that their best 50 metre time is around 27.5-28 seconds. To swim a 27.5-28.0 second 50 metre swim, it is likely that the swimmer can swim around 12.5-13.5 seconds for 25 metres. And to swim 25 metres in 12.5 seconds requires the development of genuine speed.

Three of Australia’s leading male middle and long distance swimmers in recent years are Olympic Gold Medallists Kieren Perkins, Grant Hackett and Ian Thorpe. At a distance of 400 metres these three swimmers are able to swim around 3 minutes 45 seconds or an average time per 100 metres of around 56 seconds. In competition Perkins, Hackett and Thorpe have gone much faster over the first 100 metres (approximately 53-54 seconds) in middle and long distance races.

In order to go out at that speed they must not be at 100% or maximum speed or they would “blow up”. They must have a “speed reserve” and be at a relatively comfortable pace over the first 100 metres or their last 300 metres would be very slow owing to the level of fatigue, lactic acid etc.

When you consider that the 100 metres best time for the three swimmers is around 50 seconds it can be argued that they have a speed reserve i.e. traveling at 56 seconds per 100 metres is reasonably comfortable as it is approximately 6 seconds outside their best time.

In female distance swimming the benchmark is US swimmer Janet Evans whose world records set in the 1980’s still stand. Her world record marks in the 400 and 800 metres freestyle were seconds faster than the winning times for both events at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics. Her 400 metres freestyle world record of 4:03 is outstanding. Her 8:16 remarkable. Her endurance capacities are unmatched, yet, if her best 100 metre time was only 1:02, these fast times over longer distances would be impossible. Obviously she had the ability to swim fast and to sustain speed over 400, 800 and 1500 metres.

The Concept of Speed Reserve

The concept of Speed Reserve suggests that the limiting factor in Eliteendurance performance will be speed. This is not to say that speed alone is the key to endurance success.

Endurance training, long aerobic work and steady rhythmic sets are the core elements of the distance swimming program. However, in the end it is not so much the swimmer’s ability to swim long distances but to sustain high speeds for long periods that will win races over 400, 800 and 1500 metres.

A swimmer who struggles to break 1 minute for 100 freestyle, is unlikely to break 2 minutes for 200 freestyle or even come close to 4 minutes for 400 and so on.
However, a swimmer with a 55 second 100 and a solid endurance background has every possibility of swimming sub 2:00 and sub 4:00 because of the speed reserve factor.

Periodisation and Speed Reserve.

Over time, swimmers aim to swim their training sets at faster times.

For example:
Season one: Training Goal = 10 x 200 freestyle holding 3:30
Season two: Training Goal = 10 X 200 freestyle holding 3:20
Season three: Training Goal = 10 x 200 freestyle holding 3:10
In each season the swimmer is getting fitter, stronger, maturing, perhaps growing and improving.

However, swimming faster times in training sets is dependent on two key factors:

• The swimmer’s endurance ability is improving
• The swimmer’s best time is improving.

The trick is to combine the development of SPEED with the much needed ENDURANCE so that over time both improve allowing the swimmer to:

• Do more work
• Do more work faster
• Do more work faster with less rest
• Swim faster in single efforts

Coaching Implications:

Develop real speed in endurance athletes in addition to developing endurance. In the end, the limiting factor to endurance performance will be a combination of speed, enduranceand technical ability (swimming technique and skill).

The optimal conditions for speed development are:

• Glycogen repleted
• Hydrated
• Motivated
• Interested – focused
• Un-fatigued
• Low levels of lactic acid

Within these conditions, swimmers have the ideal physiological and psychological conditions to develop real speed.
These conditions are generally found at the beginning of sessions. However, there is a strong argument to do speed sessions at the end of workouts when race conditions are more closely simulated. That said, it is unrealistic to expect that speed improvements can occur in those conditions experienced at the end of workouts. The emphasis should be on technical proficiency and stroke control at speed when tired rather than on speed alone.

Speed development Workout Structure (Optimal Conditions)

• Warm up
• Stretch

Speed development

• Easy Swim
• Stretch
• Easy, relaxed swim session
• Swim Down

Speed Training at the End of Sesions(see T.U.F. Training)

• Warm up
• Stretch
• Skills / Technique
• Fitness / Main set

Speed training – emphasis on technique and distance per stroke

• Swim Down
• Stretch

The development of real speed is very much neuromuscular (nervous system and muscles working together). What type of training activities stimulate neuro muscular development?

• Short distances
• Long rests
• Limited reps
• Stimulating environment

Develop speedand relaxation at the same time. Young swimmers in particular tend to “tighten up” and tense their muscles when asked to go fast. “The faster you want to go, the more relaxed you have to be”.

The latest thinking on overspeed work, i.e. pulling or pushing swimmers at faster speeds than they can go under their own power to try and force an improvement in speed, suggests that technique should not be compromised for overspeed training. The old “spinning arms” drills for freestyle and backstroke should be abandoned!!!!!Overspeed training should not be more than 1% – 2% faster than the swimmer can travel under their own power as at faster speeds, technique breakdown is significant. In a race, swimmers win by maintaining excellent technique and stroke control at maximum speed.

When developing speed in age group swimmers, often the trick is to keep their attention and maintain some order and discipline during the sets. Speed development sets are by their nature (long rests, short distances, stimulating environment) an open invitation for age groupers to lose focus and misbehave. It is important to have a range of sprint games on hand to maintain control of the workout.

Active recovery is the practice of doing a slow controlled swim between fast efforts. For example:

10 x 50 as Explode the first 15 metres, easy recovery swim 35 metres on 1:30 is an example of a speed development set with a fast explosive effort (15 metres) followed by an active recovery (35 metres).

The active recovery allows the swimmer to break down lactic acid and blow off carbon dioxide and provides the opportunity for the swimmer’s nervous system to recover. Active recovery is essential when doing repeated explosive speed intervals to ensure that the swimmer is capable of producing maximum speed each time.

Mark short distances on the side of the pool (5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, 15, 20 metres). These are important short distances for speed development work. By having them marked on the side of the pool (or even better marked with colored tiles on the bottom of the pool if you have an understanding pool owner) the coach can standardise the distances of speed intervals so they can be accurately recorded and tracked over time.

Speed development training can start with relatively young athletes. We know that the physiology of the young swimmer is capable of learning to swim fast. At around age 10, most athletes will possess:

• An almost fully developed aerobic potential (i.e. the potential to handle aerobic training loads and easy, low intensity training)
• The ability to learn new skills and learn complex co-ordinated movements
• The ability to produce fast movements through the co-ordination of the nervous system and muscular system.

However at the same time, we know that children do produce lactic acid but have difficulty dealing with it!

In coaching practice this means:

• Kids can do easy aerobic work.
• Kids can do stroke development work, technique work and skills work.
• Kids can do short sprints.

Kids will struggle with long, sustained sprints and in practice training sets such as 6 x 100 at Maximum speed with long rests / 8 x 50 at maximum speed with long rests etc should be avoided in young swimmers.

Like all swimming training activities, speed development is multi disciplinary. Maximum racing potential is achieved when the swimmer:

• Has a great technique
• Has excellent skills
• Has an excellent distance per stroke
• Has a strong desire to succeed and the motivation to go fast
• Has done the necessary strength, fitness and flexibility work
• Has maintained a high performance diet.

Having the physiological capacity to produce speed without the skills, attitude, technique etc to support that capacity will not produce optimum results.

Ten Speed Development Sets for Age Group Swimmers

1. 10 x 10 x 10. (Ten times 10 metres in ten minutes). Swimmers have ten minutes to produce 10 maximum speed swims over 10 metres. These can be from a wall outward or swimming in towards a wall. (TIP: When doing explosive starts that end mid pool i.e. not on the wall, have the swimmer finish with a race type finish and pretend (visualise) finishing on a wall. Having no wall is not an excuse for practicing sloppy finishes.
2. 15 x 15 x 15 (Fifteen times 15 metres in fifteen minutes)
3. 10 x 50 metres as 15 metres explode start, easy 35m with excellent technique
4. 10 x 50 metres as easy 35 with excellent technique – 15 metres explode finish.
5. Odds and evens of above (i.e. on the odds 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th repeats first 15 metres are Explodes on the even repeats 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th Explode the final 15 metres).
6. Half way Hots – (short course) Explode to half way. Rest 45 seconds. Explode to the other end. Repeat x 12.
7. Jump starts – Stand at half way (short course). Sink to the bottom, then spring quickly and powerfully up and forward. Use the momentum from the jump to help pick up speed. Explode to the wall.
8. Nine stroke power swims. Swim nine strokes at maximum speed in free and back. Note where you finish at the ninth stroke. Easy swim back to the start then try again. Goal is to see how far you can go on nine strokes at maximum speed. (Teaches distance per stroke at speed). For fly and breast try six strokes.
9. Super speed with a friend. Have a teammate put on fins and grab a kick board. Side by side race to the 15 metre mark. Change over. On the way back to the wall, you use the fins and board and your team mate swims. Motivating. Develops team spirit. Develops fast swimming and fast kicking.
10. Dive explodes. Just as it sounds – dive in and explode for 10-15 metres. Swim slowly to the other end of the pool. Repeat x 8-12.

Speed Reserve Summary

Distance swimmers need to have a program that is based on endurance training and aerobic development. This type of training helps develop the physiological and biomechanical factors that lead to efficient movement. It also helps develop rhythm and relaxation – two crucial factors in swimming successfully over the longer distances.

However, the emphasis needs to be on endurance and speed. Being able to swim 100 x 100 metres at a speed 5 seconds off your best time does not in itself guarantee being able to swim well over longer distances IF your best time is not very fast.

The aim at elite level is to be able to swim as close as possible to maximum speed for an extended period of time. If maximum speed is not very fast, then all the swimmer can do is sustain mediocrity. A swimmer not capable of breaking one minute for 100 freestyle is unlikely to come close to two minutes for 200 freestyle or four minutes for 400 freestyle, etc etc.

Whilst it is difficult to develop enduranceand speedsimultaneously, all programs should include a logical mix of both.

My thanks to Track and Field Sprint Coach and Sports Scientist Adrian Faccioni and leading Australian Distance Running Coach, Sports Scientist and author Dr Dick Telford for their inspiration for this article.

Wayne Goldsmith