Ande's Swimming Tips: Swimming Faster Faster

[ande]

Swim Faster Faster: Tip 1

Do you want to swim fast in meets?

If you really do you need to

Swim fast in practice.

It's that simple and it's that complicated.

Pay attention to your training times and try to beat them.

Originally posted by ande on 03-09-2005 04:14 PM

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I started the "Swim Faster Faster" series of Swimming Tips on a whim. I've had the good fortune to train under some terrific coaches like Eddie Reese, Paul Bergen and Richard Quick and with some tremendous swimmers. Plus I continue to train with a masters group at the University of Texas Pool where UT men and women train along with several post grad Olympians and World Record Holders. I hope to continue to learn more about swimming and share what I've learned with you to help you Swim Faster Faster.

Read them, Learn them, Try them, Apply them,
Then let me know how it goes.

To find this thread on the WEB type in:
www.SwimFasterFaster.com

You might also enjoy my swimming blog
which you can find at
http://forums.usms.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4298
to read my most recent training sessions click on LAST

Thanks,

Ande

Index of Swim Faster Faster Swimming Tips

Tip # / Title / Thread Page you can find it on

Tip 01 Swim fast in practice. 1
Tip 02 Learn how to dolphin kick in streamline position. 1
Tip 03 very fast Kickers. 1
Tip 04 The power of HABIT 1
Tip 05 ACTING AS IF 2
Tip 06 Keep Your Head Neutral 2
Tip 06 Fewer Strokes 4
Tip 07 Crash Sprint Clinic 5
Tip 08 Lug Less Lard 5
Tip 09 Reasons for this Season 5
Tip 10 Start with Starts 6
Tip 11 Ease of Movement 6
Tip 12 R.F.A. 6
Tip 13 Action Cues 6
Tip 14 Have the right Equipment and Back ups Ready and Nearby 6
Tip 15 Fast Skin Type Suits really are faster. 6
Tip 16 Short Hair Weighs less than long hair 6
Tip 17 Long Fake Nails 6
Tip 18 Get a Grip / Hold Water / Clean Off the Air Bubbles 6
Tip 19 Train for a Couple Compatible Events 7
Tip 20 Swim Straight 7
Tip 21 Stay Away From the Lane Lines 7
Tip 22 Balls 7
Tip 23 Water is Heavy 7
Tip 24 Ideal Performance State 7
Tip 25 Race in a Fast Pool 7
Tip 26 Tapering 8
Tip 27 What We Say Outloud 8
Tip 28 Who You think You Are 8
Tip 29 Mentally Tough 8
Tip 30 Swim Your Own Race 8
Tip 31 It will pass 8
Tip 31 Get Strong 8
Tip 32 Goals 9
Tip 33 Your Plan 9
Tip 34 Choose 9
Tip 35 Improve Your Turns 9
Tip 36 My Reverse Calendar 9
Tip 37 Stay in Shape Between Seasons 9
Tip 38 To Time or Not To Time
Tip 39 Dive in with a dry fast skin
Tip 40 Easy Speed 9
Tip 40 Shaving 9
Tip 41 Get Truly Inspired 10
Tip 42 Smoothing the Wrinkles out 10
Tip 43 Faith 10
Tip 44 Unfatigued 10
Tip 45 How Often, How Far, How Hard and How Smart 10
Tip 46 Turn Cues 10
Tip 47 Flexibility 11
Tip 48 Ride The Glide 11
Tip 49 Get trained by a great coach. 11
Tip 50 Train in the Best Program You Can 12
Tip 51 WIPE THE SLATE CLEAN 12
Tip 52 No Ear Infections 12
Tip 53 Accountability 12
Tip 54 Show Up 12
Tip 55 the last battle technique 13
Tip 56 The 90 Day Experiment 14
Tip 57 Get It Together 14
Tip 58 Top 10 Strategies 14
Tip 58 Top 10 Strategies (where to get info) 14
Tip 59 Cause and Effect 14
Tip 60 The Rage to Master 14
Tip 61 Focus on One Event 14
Tip 62 Plan Your Meet Schedule (and other meet tips) 14
Tip 63 Training versus Meets 15
Tip 64 Technique 16
Tip 65 What Do I Need to Do to ... 16
Tip 66 Lead Your Lane 17
Tip 67 Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success 17
Tip 68 Get Tougher 17
Tip 69 Laurels 17
Tip 70 Improve Your Standing Vertical Leap 17
Tip 71 Sprint Training 18
Tip 72 Sets Education 19
Tip 73 More Sets Education 19
Tip 74 How to Correctly Split the 200 Breast and 200 Fly 19
Tip 75 Get Your Six Pack Back 19
Tip 76 Own Your Goal 19
Tip 77 To Become a Better Swimmer 19
Tip 78 The Correlation Between Training and Competition times. 19
Tip 79 Breathe 19
Tip 80 Comparing and Desparing 20
Tip 81 Don't Train For Masters 20
Tip 82 Better Stories 20
Tip 83 Arrive Early 21
Tip 84 FUN 21
Tip 85 Are you getting slower, staying the same or getting faster
Tip 86 Coachability
Tip 87 Over Eating / Caloric Intake
Tip 88 Training for 1650
Tip 89 Training for 25
Tip 90 Critical Factors 22
Tip 91 What’s holding you back? 22
Tip 92 Faster Intervals 22
Tip 92 Breaking Through Barriers 23
Tip 93 The More You Do 23
Tip 94 Short Phrases
Tip 95 Contract
Tip 96 our finest moments
Tip 97 Altitude Training
Tip 98 How to Split an 800
Tip 99 Make a few Practices that are like Meets
Tip 100 What IF
Tip 101 What Suit Suits You
Tip 102 Don't Do Stupid Stuff
107. Prelim Final Meets
108 Failure and Frustration Can Fuel Redemption
109 Role Models
110 You Can Fake a 50 but You Can't Fake a 400
111 How was that swim?
112 Touch the D@#! WALL
113 Keep a Training Journal
114 Expectations
115 How Many Beats?
116 Sleep Tight Recover Right
117 Battling Burnout
118 Just for Kicks
119 What is the most important quality ...
120 Breastrokers and IMers: a single downward dolphin kick
121 Situations, Trade offs, Choices, Actions, and Consequences
122 Not Much Time To Train
123 Back Off
124 Modify
125 A Terrific Touch
126 Taper Time
127 Prevent Problems
128 Starting Out Starting Over
129 Beat Your Nemisis
130 Do You Like to Win?
131 Be a Draft Dodger
132 Get a Flu Shot
133 Come Up with Plan B
134 Let Your Significant other Sleep
135 The Formula for Kicking Faster
136 The Magic Surge Dive
137 How Many Kicks Can You Handle?
138 Convenience and Consistency
139 Emphasis
140 Be Aquadynamic
141 Swim Tips for Triathletes
142 Build a Pit Crew Around You
143 Perceived Effort
144 Pick a Project
145 Focus on what you need to fix
146 Do What You Know You NEED to Do
147 Preparing for a Major Meet
148 Placing Higher at Championship Meets and in Top Ten Rankings
149 Which Stroke is Your Stroke
150 Be well Prepared for the Most Difficult Part of your Races
151 Maintain a Swim Blog, write down your swimming details
152 Adaptation Rate
153 Drop a Suit
154 Don't Close Your Patent Office
155 Do What You Know You Need to Do
156 Drafting
157 In and Out of the Flags
158 Mistakes and Rehearsal
159 Strength vs Body Proportions
160 After You've Exhausted The "Quick Fix" Tips
161 Train for Trials
162 Time and Record your Races
163 Mentors and Mentees
164 Out with the Old and In with the New
165 Build a Better Boat
166 Confidence
167 Everybody Wants to Be Rich
168 Sometimes a Slight Technique Modification Can Create a Major Time Improvement
169 Get in the Zen Zone
170 Places to Swim
171 Getting Sick or Injured Right Before Your Big Meet
172 Track Starts and Cap over Straps
173 Weight and Tapering
174 Whip Whipper Snappers
175 Distance Habits vs Sprint Habits
176 Your Own Draft
177 Split Differentials for the 50 Free Short Course
178 Figure Out What to Fix
179 Do Something Different, Do Something Drastic
180 PREPARE to Be Tested
181 Train to Maintain and Sustain a Powerful Kick
182 Waist Management
183 Don't Let Your Dreams Go Down the Toilet
184 Counting Counts
185 "Is the Prize Worth the Price?"

[ande]

Swimming Faster Faster: Tip 2

Learn how to dolphin kick in streamline position.

Become great at it.
Learn how to kick fast when you're fatigued.

It's critical for fly and back.
Many freestyle sprinters are dolphin kicking off their starts and walls too.

Practice dolphin kicking on your
right side,
left side,
back and
belly.

Get timed for 10 yards, 15 yards, 25 yards and 50 yards.
Work to improve those times over the season.

Train to the point where you know
how many kicks you're going to take off each wall in each race.

NATALIE COUGHLIN is an awesome dolphin kicker and she currently holds the AMERICAN short course yards records in the WOMEN's

100 Yard BUTTERFLY :50.01
200 Yard BUTTERFLY 1:51.91

100 Yard BACKSTROKE :49.97
200 Yard BACKSTROKE 1:49.52

100 Yard FREESTYLE :47.00
200 Yard FREESTYLE 1:42.65


But don't dolphin kick in breastroke
You might get DQed.

[ande]

Just about every fast swimmer I ever trained with
like Kim Linehan, Rick Carey, Steve Lundquist, Rowdy Gaines, Scott Spann, Kris Kirchner, Nick Nevid, Shaun Jordan, Chris Jacobs and William Paulus.
Were very fast Kickers.

Eddie Reese told me Gary Hall could kick some very fast 50s and 100s. Same goes for Ian Crocker, Nate Dusing, Aaron Piersol, Neil Walker, and Brendan Hansen.

I'll bet that Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte are also.

So how's your kick.
Are you a fast kicker?
Do you plod along in kick sets or go for it?

What ever your current kicking ability is,

I GUARANTEE you this.

If you focus on kicking faster and
consistently work on it in training,

YOU WILL BECOME A FASTER KICKER.

Which will make you a faster swimmer in meets.

I think it's important for YOU to know your kicking times
for each stroke you swim and work to improve them.

What are your kicking times (in yards and meters) for the following: 15, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, & 200
in each stroke?

What's the fastest interval you can kick
10 x 50 on and
10 x 100 on

when I was 14 I was one of the worst kickers on the team,
by the time I was 20 became on of the best kickers.

Begin by eliminating this sentence from your vocabulary and brain. "I'm not a fast kicker."

When kick sets arrive focus on improving your best kicking times.

I do most of my kicking with out a board.

[jim thornton]

Ande,

what you say about kicking echoes what Michael Phelps said in a recent interview I did with him for Men's Health magazine--i.e., the fastest swimmers are the fastest kickers.

A few questions:

1) how does this translate into speed, do you think? clearly, kicking is a less effective, and much more tiring, means of propulsion than arm strokes. are you in the camp that thinks a strong kick helps you torque your arm strokes better somehow, or is it just a matter of keeping your legs from sinking and thus increasing drag?

2) what do you think about kicking in longer distances--500s or longer, definitely, but even in 200s?

thanks for your thoughts; i enjoy your comments.

[mattson]

I picked up Laughlin's "Swimming Made Easy", and the section on kicking is interesting (chapter 8). A major point he makes is that an efficient kick is coordinated with the rest of your stroke. Just kicking harder may strengthen your legs, but if the extra motion is adding to drag and energy loss, you won't see the improvement. That's why he suggests drills (instead of using a kickboard), to find your best kick and make sure it is part of your entire stroke.

[ande]

for sprinters a powerful fast kick adds speed and lift

some swimmers use a six beat kick in the 400, 800, and 1,500
I think ian thorpe does
if you plan on six beat kicking in the longer events
you must train with a six beat kick

you've definitely got to work out the timing and the intensity of your kick. many beginning swimmers use their legs too much and incorrectly.

Kim Linehan who set the world record in the 400 and 800 used a two beat kick

Most people should definite 6 beat kick in the 200 free and on 400 IM last 100's

streamline dolphin kicking is very important too
michael phelps takes 3 or 4 dolphin kicks of each wall in his freestyle

I'd think most triathletes should 2 beat kick to conserve energy for the bike and the run

ande

Originally posted by jim thornton
Ande,

what you say about kicking echoes what Michael Phelps said in a recent interview I did with him for Men's Health magazine--i.e., the fastest swimmers are the fastest kickers.

A few questions:

1) how does this translate into speed, do you think? clearly, kicking is a less effective, and much more tiring, means of propulsion than arm strokes. are you in the camp that thinks a strong kick helps you torque your arm strokes better somehow, or is it just a matter of keeping your legs from sinking and thus increasing drag?

2) what do you think about kicking in longer distances--500s or longer, definitely, but even in 200s?

thanks for your thoughts; i enjoy your comments.

[ande]

Swimming Faster Faster: Tip 4

The power of HABIT

What are your training habits?

Are you a hard worker?
Do you use sloppy form?
Do you pull on the lane rope in backsteoke?
Do you use a 6 beat kick all the time?
Do you dolphin kick off each wall when swimming back fly or free?

We become what we do

What kind of habits do you have?
What kind of habits are you forming?

Perfect swimming form when you're dead dog tired is a great habit to have.

As you train
think about one habit you'd like to lose and
the habit you could replace it with

good luck swimming faster faster

ande

[kernow]

"do you pull on the lane rope in backstroke"

ROFL...

[shoalsswimmer]

All of what Ande says makes sense. I'm a 40 year old sprinter (24 high in the 50 free, not super fast, but anything over a 100 is tough for me. I always come away from a meet knowing what I need to work on to improve my times - and it's usually not my speed between the flags (though I may could use a little more gas in the tank coming home in the 100). It comes down to KICKING! The streamline dolphin kick out of turns and on the start are so important now and I have a long way to go with becoming consistently good at it. Working turns correctly in practice, mucho kick drills, improving flexibility and core strength should lead to better times.

My question is - Does anyone have any quality sprint workouts they can share with me (or know where I can find some) to mix in with the longer interval types? And if I train 5 days per week - what should be the ratio of quality vs quantity workouts?

BTW - I used to be one of the fastest "backstroke kick lane rope pullers" there has ever been - too bad that's not an event!

[craiglll@yahoo.com]

My question is - Does anyone have any quality sprint workouts they can share with me (or know where I can find some) to mix in with the longer interval types? And if I train 5 days per week - what should be the ratio of quality vs quantity workouts?

Mel's workouts onthis site are very good for sprtinting. I think that wiht in his posted workouts there are soem very good sprinting sets. Also check out the workout section on Swiminfo.com.

[valhallan]

ande, it's time for you to write a book. I would definitely buy one.

You're also right on the money about kicking.

[shoalsswimmer]

Thanks for the workout tips.


Perfect swimming form when you're dead dog tired is a great habit to have.

That's where I want to be...especially on the last 25 of a 100. It would be great if it felt as good as the first length. Is there such a thing?

One of my biggest problems is having to breathe so much on that last 25....It interferes with my kick to where my legs want to cross over. Also, my stroke breaks down some as well.

Is it mainly a conditioning thing or does this happen to most people. A factor of how fast you go out?

[geochuck]

Originally posted by shoalsswimmer

One of my biggest problems is having to breathe so much on that last 25....It interferes with my kick to where my legs want to cross over. Also, my stroke breaks down some as well.

Is it mainly a conditioning thing or does this happen to most people. A factor of how fast you go out?

Just wondering what good does it do to breathe during the last 25. Does this oxygen get into the system enough to help.

George www.swimdownhill.com

[shoalsswimmer]

From geochuck - Just wondering what good does it do to breathe during the last 25. Does this oxygen get into the system enough to help.

Well, for me, to stay alive, I must have oxygen at some point after sprinting for 75 yards. It would be great not to have to breathe again after that last turn - I'd even settle for 2 breaths instead of the 4-5 that I do take.
Any sprinters here that don't breathe at all durnig the last 25? If so, I guess I better get my A double S in some better shape!

[geochuck]

Originally posted by shoalsswimmer
I'd even settle for 2 breaths instead of the 4-5 that I do take.
Any sprinters here that don't breathe at all durnig the last 25? If so, I guess I better get my A double S in some better shape!

I never took a breath for the last 12 yards of a hundred and with a few dolphin kicks, how many breaths can you get in.

George

[shoalsswimmer]

I never took a breath for the last 12 yards of a hundred and with a few dolphin kicks, how many breaths can you get in.

Good point. My last breath is probably taken with about 6 strokes left (freestyle).. maybe only 5-6 yards out?

[valhallan]

Check with your lane timers ability to perform CPR before trying this.

[Allen Stark]

A couple of years ago at NCAA Nationals I saw (on TV) a foreign swimmer (whose name I don't remember) swim down and touch out Michael Ervin in the 100 Free breathing every stroke. I was amazed,but I guess if you can breath as part of your body roll and not slow down the more oxygen the better. Michael Phelps breaths every stroke on Butterfly and it works for him. If you are completely losing your rhythm the last 25 you are probably going out too fast. The 100 is not an all out sprint,it is a controlled sprint. After 20-30 seconds you are basically out of muscle glycogen if you are at a full sprint,and at that point you would have to slow to aerobic speed. To avoid this you must go out slightly slower.Try to get the last three 25's the same split and 2-3 seconds slower than the first 25.Keep slowing the first 25 until you can do this. You can start going out faster as you are able to finish faster.(Tip,focus on distance per stroke the first 25.I you take 2 strokes fewer than your competition the first 25 you will have more left the last 25 than they do.)

[ande]

personally i think it's a bit extreme and probably detrimental to NOT breathe the last 12 yards of any race that is 100 or more.

a better guideline might be
don't take a breath from the flags in
whether you're coming in to the wall or leaving

it's no biggy in 50's. Some swimmers do a 50 with no breath
I tend to take 1 - 3

[shoalsswimmer]

Thanks everyone for the input!

Good luck in all of your meets!