By SwimSwam Contributors on SwimSwam
Courtesy: Andrew Sheaff
A key component of effective racing is adaptability.
In races that are 200 meters or longer, swimmers need to be able to control their speed and switch gears at the right time. They have to be able to change how they swim to create speed when they want to hit the gas. This skill allows them to effectively implement their race plan or strategically respond to another swimmer’s race plan.
In races 100 meters or shorter, swimmers often get a little excited and overswim the initial part of the race. Effective racers are able to recognize when they’ve lost their ideal rhythm, and they’re able to get it back very quickly. If they can’t, the race is often over before it really starts.
A lot of races have been lost because swimmers lacked the ability to instinctively modify their skills in the heat of competition, regardless of the race distance.
Fortunately, these are skills that can be learned with the right approach.
Alternate Stroke Counts
To help swimmers learn to switch gears, we have to put them in situations where they’re forced to make it happen. One of the simplest ways to do so is to have them alternate between higher and lower stroke counts.
Something as simple as:
4×100 Freestyle, take 10 strokes on the odd laps and 13 strokes on the even laps
or
8×25 Breaststroke, odd take 5 strokes, even take 7 strokes
By using stroke counts, we’re giving swimmers concrete goals to hit. The numbers also provide swimmers with concrete feedback as to whether they’ve done something different or not. Rather than going by feel alone, we can use the numbers to help swimmers calibrate what they’re feeling with what actually happens.
As the two sets above demonstrate, swimmers can be asked to alternate their stroke count within a repetition or by repetition. The range of stroke counts can be as narrow or as broad as you’d like, and you can change the numbers within a set however you’d like. The broader the range of stroke counts and the more variation present within the set, the more challenging the set will be.
This strategy can be particularly effective in breaststroke as many swimmers struggle with their timing, and they struggle to use the right timing at the right time in the right race. By exposing them to a range of stroke counts during training and asking them to regularly switch between different stroke counts, they can learn to control their timing.
Alternate Stroke Rates
While the above strategy is effective, it does require that swimmers are competent at counting their stroke. If they’re not, or you’re not a fan of stroke counts, the same approach can be taken with stroke rates. The drawback here is that you’ll need a Tempo Trainer or other similar device to ensure swimmers are hitting the stroke rates. It won’t happen otherwise.
We can use the same sets here to illustrate the concept:
4x [100 Freestyle @1.70 seconds per cycle (c/s) or 35 cycles per minute (cpm)
[50 Freestyle @1.40 s/c (43 cpm)
or
8×25 Breaststroke, odd @2.0 s/c (30 cpm), even @1.40 s/c (43 cpm)
In contrast to stroke counts, stroke rate adjustments will have to be made between repetitions when swimmers can adjust the tempo trainer. This can restrict set design to some extent. Swimmers also need a little more time in between repetitions to manage the tempo trainer.
The main advantage of using stroke rates is that swimmers just have to follow the beeps and make the necessary adjustments. As with stroke counts, the stroke rates provide objective goals and objective feedback as to whether those goals were achieved. After each repetition, swimmers know if they adjusted too much, too little, or whether they nailed it.
Aim For Speed
When first implementing sets that have swimmers alternating their stroke counts or stroke rates, it’s helpful to just worry about hitting the stroke counts or the stroke rates. That alone can be a challenge enough for many swimmers. Once they’re consistent with adjusting their stroke to make it happen, the next step is to ask for speed.
This is true regardless of the training context, whether it’s an endurance set, a race set, or a sprint set. Of course, the amount of speed they can create will be determined by the prescribed counts and rates, as well as the nature of the set.
The absolute numbers aren’t that important. What’s important is that swimmers are successful at switching gears, and they’re learning to create more and more speed within that gear. When swimmers can make that happen, they’ll have control over their skills, and they’ll be able to use those skills to go fast.
The ability to switch gears and race in control is a skill that any swimmer can learn. It just takes a targeted approach. This is a strategy that gets the job done, and it’s one that can be integrated into any training set.
ABOUT ANDREW SHEAFF
Andrew Sheaff has coached swimming for almost 20 years, including 6 years at the University of Virginia where he helped the Cavaliers win 3 NCAA team championships. He is the author of the book ‘A Constraints-Led Approach To Swim Coaching’, which identifies strategies for optimizing individual skill development in large group training environments. The book focuses on enhancing skills that directly improve performance and training those skills to reliably show up in races. He currently works as a consultant to coaches, clubs, and swimming organizations. He can be reached at his website www.coachandrewsheaff.com.
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