Understand what you mean about technique failing. At IMUK last year I went in with no swimming for almost a year and was buzzing when I got out of the first lap in 35 minutes. The 2nd lap took me 45 minutes
I’ve never done a full set of drills, always just some single-arm and sculling stuff early in the set to get some feel.
Will take all this and Hammerer’s post on board and set myself up some hard sets. Reckong the first week will be 1k max but can increase to 1.5-2k in week 3. Only got to get a hard 500 done, then can look at a winter plan for longer stuff next year.
I’ve started using drills less and less the more experienced i get as a coach. I like doing “focus” swims so you just think about an area of the stroke as you swim. Most triathletes are technically weak but they are also unfit. Average sesison is a warm up, drills and they are lucky to do 30min main set of which 10 minutes is sitting at a wall. You need at least 40minutes of work in the main set so 60 mins if doing a 2/1 on rest ratio. Also I know with myself i can climb in…could climb in…and do my first 100 in the WU really easy in 1:30 but half way through a session I cant hold that at threshold. that’s fitness not technique as the technique is in there i am not fit enough to hold it. The number of masters swimmers like that also as they do 1 or 2 swims a week only but get them in a 100 race at a gala and they’ll win.
Obviously I agree you shouldn’t be enforcing bad habits, promoting ineffiency and risking injury with load through poor technique, but that’s still not enough of a reason that technique can’t improve alongside fitness, it’s not a before/after.
Even at 10 years old I’d question why kids were spending all competition warm up practicing tumble turns when we did hundreds a week even then, thousands by the time a little bit older.
Only once you do the same hard swimming he did in between the easy stuff
Agree. For me my regular “drills” is some body position stuff which is usually my form of kick warm up, followed by a few lengths recovery in between some warm up sprints of something promoting high elbow/catch like fists followed by skull/doggy paddle or something similar to sharpen what I want to do on main set.
Then the majority of my technique focus is trying to maintain that high elbow during the set, with drills thrown in during recovery/cool downs.
Exactly If you can’t swim substantially faster than your baseline easy cruise pace, even at the end of a session, then it’s not technique holding you back.
I’m currently trying yet another attempt to return to club swimming.
But I thought I’d just echo what @Hammerer and @Chriswim said about sprints.
Back in the late 2000s I trained with the main squad at Silly O’Clock (5.00 to 5.30am starts).
Even though I was the oldest person in the pool by at least 20 years, the coach loved my attitude to sprints.
As, although I knew I would quickly blow up spectacularly, I never ‘tanked’ a maximum effort sprint.
Whereas, most of the squad would always hold a bit in reserve to ensure they could finish the set.
Once, during the sprints, I was huffing and puffing as usual, desperately trying to get my breath back.
(Whilst simultaneously blowing out of my ar$e. )
Yet the rest of the squad were chatting away in the other lanes, a clear sign they were holding back.
At which point the coach’s whistle went and he came over to my lane.
He then pointed at me and told the rest of the squad this is what maximum effort looks like.
I was given a bit longer to rest, while the rest of the squad had to get out and do press ups at the pool side.
Then he re-started and extended the sprints until no one had the strength to speak.
I know this is a much discussed problem but was wondering if anyone had any advice or drills for being out of breath after a short period.
No matter how steady I take it, I seem to be gasping for air after 100m or so.
If I set off breathing every 4, I’m down to breathing every 2 within 50m. It very quickly turns into a panicked mess and my stroke goes to shit.
I’ve comfortably done 2km open water before, but even then was still fucked within a minute or two.
It’s just embarrassing
Nice work from the chap who decided to try a channel crossing with no support at all today, nothing. Picked up after 8 hours and 500m off the coast luckily
Further to the above replies, as I slow my stroke down to allow time to breath, I end up pretty much doing catch up drill. This is how I used to swim after watching Adam Ocean Walker videos. I guess as I’ve tried to increase my cadence, and lose the dead spot in the stroke, my breathing has gone out the window.
Ocean Walker “created” catch up swimming to get around an injury forgetting to mention he swims fast inspite of this and because he swam for years! I hate all these money making “techniques”. There is no single technique except moving as much water behind you as quickly and efficiently as possible. How each person does that depends on many variables.
Look at the power from his kick to keep him moving. I do know a masters swimmer. 18 stone, drinks, smokes and does about 10 strokes per length, very slow rate. Mid 40s will still win AG counties with a hang over
First swim since 2018 (apart from messing about on holiday).
Wanted to go in and 200, 24x25 hard, 200, but the pool structure wouldn’t allow it. 25m pool, not very wide and split into 2 big lanes with multiple people in each one so a bit of waiting.
Did
200 in 3:22 (1:37/1:45 !)
2 x 50 hard - (44sec & 44)
3 x 100 steady (1:45, 1:44, 1:44)
8 x 25 hard (19sec, 6x21sec, 22sec)
2 x 100 easy (1:45, 1:46)
Good to be back, lot to work on but some encouraging stuff. I genuinely didn’t know if I’d be a 2min/100, above or below.
The 25’s give me a bit of hope.
If you can’t swim substantially faster than your baseline easy cruise pace, even at the end of a session, then it’s not technique holding you back.
