Ask Ande

[ande]

Hey, Ande! I'm looking forward to seeing you at Nationals! See you in MV!

I'm looking forward to it
I need to book my flight and hotel

[Roland Wolfe]

John Smith - You could go to the aquaerobics pool and play with a water noodle. -Probably should have done that right when you aged up though. You'll have to do some catching up now.

[__steve__]

The ladies in the aqua-noodle class would love your muscle car

[Average John Smith]

John Smith - You could go to the aquaerobics pool and play with a water noodle. -Probably should have done that right when you aged up though. You'll have to do some catching up now.

Certainly qualifies as motivation by humiliation, unfortunately, I would need to gain another 50lbs just to make the cut for that group.

[Average John Smith]

Dear Ande,

I think I may have found some motivation.

Since you said I can't (shouldn't) live my life vicariously through my children, I am thinking about racing my son next season. He goes a 100yd fly, gives me 1.5 seconds, and I go a 100yd free. I may reserve the right for a full body suit at the last second if needed though.

The general humiliation aspect appeals to me, and he is more likely to remind me through the next half year to keep working out.

If you would like to join me in this potential wager let me know. I am thinking you go a 100yd fly with a 8 second spot.


Your thoughts?

[Rich Abrahams]

Clark ought to be in mid 45's by then, so you may need more than just the full body suit!
Rich

[ande]

I want you to live vicariously and
be THAT dad

Bets work great for you
I'm happy to race you in 100 fl &
you give me an 8 sec spot
Accepted ( cyber handshake)
I think with Clark you'll need 2.5 to 3 sec comparing his 1 FL to your 1 Fr
I think you'll be 48.0 to 48.7

[Average John Smith]

....
I'm happy to race you in 100 fl &
you give me an 8 sec spot
Accepted ( cyber handshake)

Yeah.... right.

Do you want in on this bet or not Raz?

[Average John Smith]

Clark ought to be in mid 45's by then, so you may need more than just the full body suit!
Rich

Probably right...... I am older and slower now. I'll toy around with the numbers before I talk to him.

[ande]

Yeah.... right.
Do you want in on this bet or not Raz?

Probably right...... I am older and slower now. I'll toy around with the numbers before I talk to him.

Glad you agree
what are the numbers?

[Fenella]

Ande
Six months ago I attended a course given by a young coach who has worked with a number of international squads. His basic theory for sprinting is summarised as Coach B below- it seems to encourage a body position like a speedboat in the water- with head high and feet low- and a quick and "light" style
I have just attended a course by Coach A, older, and internationally renowned. His theory for sprinting is summarised as Coach A below- but delivered quickly and with power for sprinting. When I tried it out I certainly felt my whole body working hard and in coordination .. it seemed like TI with steroids

The styles seem so at odd with each other, I would appreciate your thoughts ...... I am a flabby , middle aged, wannabe sprinter.

Coach A	Coach B
Keep flat in water with a tight core	Scull in front of head and when feel front of boy rising – this is correct position for stroke
Eyes on bottom of pool	Water line between hairline and eyebrow, and watch hands enter water
Rhythmic 6 beat kick with clear linkage to arm entry	Very shallow - very fast leg kick with big toes almost tapping - no linkage

[ande]

Hi

You're going to get conflicting advice

Coach A
Keep flat in water with a tight core (OK, think you need to rotate too so I want to know what he means by flat
Eyes on bottom of pool (aka keep Head neutral, look up a little before turns to sight your turn)
Rhythmic 6 beat kick with clear linkage to arm entry (not sure about this, you want a powerful propulsive kick


Coach B
Scull in front of head and when feel front of boy rising – this is correct position for stroke (what does this mean?
Water line between hairline and eyebrow, and watch hands enter water (think that's too high
Very shallow - very fast leg kick with big toes almost tapping - no linkage (not sure how much amplitude is ideal, some, not much

with true sprinting you need a little reckless abandon and give up a little control
you want to be fierce and get lost in the moment

watch underwater videos of great sprinters and do what they do

[__steve__]

with true sprinting you need a little reckless abandon and give up a little control
you want to be fierce and get lost in the moment

watch underwater videos of great sprinters and do what they do

and what work's for one may not do the same for others, or even be recommended to try:

[ande]

Hi Myranda,

your question in SFF is an Ask Ande Question. so I moved it and my answer over here.

myrandalove wrote:
Hi, I am 17 and have begun swimming competitively this last year. I joined my high school swim team in February and did well for my first year. I have continued to swim with the my coach who is also a masters swimming coach in addition to hs coach. I swim 4x a week since my high school season ended and I feel like I have vastly improved since I was on the team. I even did an open water mile and each workout is around 3,000 meters. My times have improved a lot for example: my 500 free time in Feb. was around 8:00 minutes while now, I can do 500 's on intervals of 6:40 now. My fastest 100 free during the season was 1:03, it dropped dramatically near out championships from a 1:10. however my fastest 50 was 28 seconds the entire season, no matter how hard I tried I could not break the 28 second barrier and I didn't improve my time at all throughout the season. Recently i did a timed trial for the 50 free. I expected to see a big improvement by at least 1 or two seconds since i think my technique has really improved..I went all out, but I only did a 28. This is frustrating and disheartening, because I really want to qualify for the sections finals when I join the team again. I need 26 seconds by March or April to qualify.

You want to improve your 50 freestyle time.
You want to swim faster faster. You are at 28 and you need to go 26 by March

Do you think it's possible?
YES

Is it because I am not a sprinter?
NO
it is because you have not developed the ability yet.

What can I do to achieve this?
LOTS of things
Train 6 or 7 days a week, focus on SPEED, 15 meters, 25 yards, & 50 yards.
Improve your technique
Improve your kick
Lift weights and get stronger

What suit did you wear when you went 28?
get a faster suit and wear it when you go for the time

it begins by setting your goal,
Then Making your plans
then MOST IMPORTANT
Do your plan each day and
track your progress

Swim Faster Faster is full of ideas that can help you
Swim Faster Faster Index

my rewrite of Tip 265 should prove most helpful to you:

"Train harder, smarter, faster, further, more often with a
positive attitude, coached by a
great coach, with
fast fun positive hard working team mates, in a
convenient facility with adequate lane space & at
convenient times while having
tons of fun"

Lastly, start NOW.

[dwil]

Ande:

A quick question. A year or so ago, you had workouts posted on this site and I understand they (USMs.org) rotates the workout providers every year or so. But I was wondering if they are still on the site somewhere. I really found those to be beneficial. And would be lying if I said I enjoyed doing them all, but I felt great afterwards and noticed over time I was able to go on faster intervals.

Thanks.

[ElaineK]

Hey, Ande!
Are you going to Worlds and/or Nationals? If so, I'll see you at both!

Cheers!
Elaine-iaK

[ElaineK]

Hey, Ande! I'm back again...

I may be "Elaine-iaK" to you, but Bruce calls me "Aquadog" at meets and hums "Aqualung" by Jethro Tull to get me psyched up for my races. Knowing you are a songwriter, I thought I would post my quick (and pathetic ) re-write of "Aqualung."

Standing on the starting block--
psyched up for the race with good intent.
Crouching down the whistle blows--
exploding from the blocks off I go!
Hey Aquadog

Racing hard with all my might--
my flying arms are quite a sight!
Hey Aquadog

Feeling lactate in my blood--
I hope I don’t finish this race with a thud!
Whoa, Aquadog

Oh, I’m feeling old--
my arms slowing and struggling.
Getting through
the only way I know.
Arms hurting bad,
as I try to finish this race--
I dig down deep
my heart wants to succeed.

Feeling alone--
other racers are up ahead
if I’m to finish strong
it’s going to be all up to me.

Aquadog I am--
I will fight, not give up easy.
I may be slow, but
I’ll achieve, you’ll see.

I still remember
how fast I used to be--
when I swam faster butterfly,
back and breast, and even free.

“The older I get the faster I was”
that is my motto now,
but nothing is going to stop me,
my passion is swimming.

Oh, I’m feeling old--
my arms slowing and struggling.
Getting through
the only way I know.
Arms hurting bad,
as I try to finish this race--
I dig down deep
my heart wants to succeed.

Feeling alone--
other racers are up ahead
if I’m to finish strong
it’s going to be all up to me.

Aquadog I am--
I will fight, not give up easy.
I may be slow, but
I’ll achieve, you’ll see.

Aquadog I am--
I will fight, not give up easy.
I may be slow, but
I’ll achieve, you’ll see.

Standing on the starting block--
psyched up for the race with good intent.
Crouching down the whistle blows--
exploding from the blocks off I go.
Hey Aquadog

Racing hard with all my might
My flying arms are quite a sight!
Hey Aquadog

Feeling lactate in my blood--
I hope I don’t finish this race with a thud!
Whoa, Aquadog

Whoa, Aquadog!

[sahoehle]

Hey Ande! I just found this thread. This is probably a question I could ask my local masters coaches, but I kind of want to just show up to practice more often and impress them. If they ask why, I'll give you credit. If not, I'll pretend I'm just really motivated.

I'm new to swimming--started last November. Masters has been a great experience. Everyone is welcoming, no one judges even if they can swim circles around me. I swim a 100 yd free in about 1:35. I'm going to race a 100m free in September. I'd like to bring my time down before then (with expectations appropriately adjusted based on the yards to meters conversion). I'm not expecting to turn into a record holder, but I want to show the people helping me that I'm trying, I care about my swimming, and I want to improve.

I've heard of the whole "taper" thing, but I never really thought it applied to me because I'm not an elite swimmer.

My two-part question is...how many times per week should I be swimming right now to improve but not overwork myself? Do non-elite swimmers taper?

I hope this is a really good two months of training. Thanks!

[ande]

Here it is
http://forums.usms.org/forumdisplay.php?95-Workouts

Ande:

A quick question. A year or so ago, you had workouts posted on this site and I understand they (USMs.org) rotates the workout providers every year or so. But I was wondering if they are still on the site somewhere. I really found those to be beneficial. And would be lying if I said I enjoyed doing them all, but I felt great afterwards and noticed over time I was able to go on faster intervals.

Thanks.

[ande]

Hi elainiak
Aqua dog
Change it to aqua fox
I entered nats
No worlds
Need to get room & air