Threshold Slow Reveal

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

How a coach presents a set can have large implications in how it lands for the swimmer. In this particular case, the way the set is revealed is key. This set was given to the team in parts. At first, I told them just about the 10×100 and 1 x 150. Then, after we calculate their paces, I gave them the second part and challenge them to go faster. We did the second part, then we calculated their paces and revealed the 3rd part and challenged them AGAIN to go even faster. We could keep going, but the slow reveal effect starts to go away after the 3rd part. In total, this was an excellent set for our crew in terms of pushing themselves to go faster than they thought they could.

Underwater Golf

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

We have had many posts on this blog using the “Golf” concept (adding seconds swum and cycles taken over a distance and aiming for a lower score). Here is a twist to that concept focusing on underwater dolphin kicking

6x (1x 100 back, fly, or free + 1 x 50 EZ) @ 3:00

On the 100s, get your time and then SUBTRACT the total number of dolphin kicks that you took in the 100. Calculate your score during the EZ 50. Give a high level of effort on the 100 and aim for a lower score each time.

Example:

Swimmer goes 1:08 in the 100 back and took 7 dolphin kicks off each wall (28 total), the golf score would be 40.

68 seconds – 28 dolphin kicks = 40

Not-So-Mini Mini Meet

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Coach Blake Proffitt, SwimRVA, Richmond, VA

SCY

Standard Warmup w/ a 600

(600+ 2×150 + 4 x 50)

6 x 50 descend 1-3 to P1000, 4-6 at P1000 @:50

Athletes swim entire championship lineup (minus 1650 free) consecutively, all timed finals

1,000 free (done as 10 x 100 free @:10 rest)

200 free @9:00

100 breast @6:00

100 fly @6:00

400 IM + break ➡️ day change @14:00

200 Fly @ 9:00

50 Free @ 6:00

200 Breast @9:00

100 Back @ 6:00

500 Free + break ➡️ day change @14:00

200 Back @9:00

100 Free @ 6:00

200 IM – Done!

Add up all times to determine your score!

End-of-year reflections on coaching

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

A few coaching-related reflections at the end of the year that I thought might be helpful to share.

  1. Keep in touch with your colleagues and elders in the sport. Especially those who coached or mentored you. They won’t be around forever.
  2. There is no such thing as over-communication. It is best to operate on the assumption that people don’t understand how you think. Always explain the “why” even if you think they already know.
  3. Strive to teach, not just tell. Teaching communicates so much more.
  4. Writing is the best means of clarifying and developing your own ideas.
  5. Sharing your ideas will lead to the multiplication of your ideas.
  6. “As the island of knowledge grows, so does the shoreline of ignorance.” The more I learn, the more I discover I still don’t know.
  7. There is more than one path to high performance. Each swimmer has a different path. Each coach has a different method.
  8. The kids who need your coaching the most may be the ones who are most difficult to coach.
  9. Your coaching makes a difference. Much of your impact will not be known until far into the future. Make peace with this.
  10. Take time off for yourself and have a life away from coaching. You will be a better coach and person for doing so.

Wishing you success and well-being in 2024!

IM Set in SCM

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

We did this set in a 25m pool. Swimmers on this interval had best times range from 1:51-2:00 in the 200 yard IM. They got 3-5 seconds rest on the 150s and were getting :50-1:00 rest on the 200 IM in each round.

Many 150s and a Surprise Challenge!

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

We did this set in a 25m pool with an eye toward our 200 free best times in SCY.

The goal on all the 150s (in meters!) is to be faster than our best SCY 200 free times. That was not a major challenge on the 1 x 150 and 2 x 150, but it becomes a significant challenge by the time you get to 4 x 150 and 5 x 150.

We did three different intervals, with swimmers’ best time indicated at the top. Swimmers with best times under 1:45 went on 2:00. Swimmers with best times between 1:45 and 2:00 went on 2:10, and swimmers with bests slower than 2:00 went on 2:20.

In between, we did 3 x 100 the same way each time – #1 holding a tennis ball in each hand, #2 doing “Paddlehead” drill, and #3 using paddles, holding them against our forearms.

At the end of the set, we did an easy 100 and finished with a SURPRISE challenge – a fast 175m freestyle swim with fins and paddles with a goal of beating our best 200 yard times.

Overall, the set was highly successful. Most of our swimmers were making the 150s under their best, and a handful made the 175 goal. High levels of effort were pretty common across the group.

IM Transitions and Descend

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

SCY

We had a very full pool for this workout , with many of our collegiate swimmers home for the holidays. This set allowed us to get in some work that works for everyone. Intervals were spacious and allowed for some solid descending work. Saw some good speed on the final 100 off the block.

IM Set Geared Toward the Freestyle Leg

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Coach Gwynn Harrison, Bridgewater College

25m pool

4 x 500 (broken into)

75 Fly…..25 Back (on 1:45)

75 Back…25 Breast (on 1:45)

75 Breast…25 Free (on 1:50)

***Work good turns, fast exchanges. The 75s are controlled, the 25s are FAST.

75 FAST Free on 1:15

50 FAST Free on 1:00 (Goal: under your 200 IM free split goal)

25 Sprint to FAST finish

50 Easy – Regroup, about :30 extra between sets

Quality Freestyle Set with Coach Gwynn Harrison

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Coach Gwynn Harrison, Bridgewater College

We did this set in a 25m pool, so note send-offs and goals.

5 x 500 (broken into):

175 – within 10 seconds of goal 200 time in yards…

25 Easy

75 – 3+ seconds under goal 100 time in yards…

25 Easy

Dive 100 – Goal: take out of your 500 free…

50 Easy REGROUP – about 1:00 between sets

Be sure to check out Coach Harrison’s Short But High Intensity Free Set that we posted yesterday.

“Golden Race” 100s

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Coach Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

You may have heard about the Golden Race that debuted at the World Cup meet in Budapest recently. The race pitted the winners of the individual 100s against each other in a time-handicapped prize race. It’s an interesting twist on racing that we modified a bit to use at practice.

We were 2 days post-meet, so we have some recent fresh meet results.

3 x 100 Golden Race @ 7:00

We put 1 swimmer up on each block for a choice 100. Coach starts counting backwards with a stopwatch… 1:20…1:19…1:18…1:17 and so on. Each swimmer dives off the block for the 100 when they hear the time that they swam at the meet this past weekend. The winner is the one who finishes the 100 first. Essentially, the 100 is handicapped to their recent race results.

Swimmers enjoyed it and swam faster than expected. They could choose their stroke for each 100, and swimmers formed themselves into heats irrespective of speed.

The stopwatch that I started with the countdown can also be used to time the swimmers. Since I started counting down at 1:20, if the stopwatch reads 1:27.2 when the swimmer touches, then he swam approximately 7.2 slower than his meet time. This information allows swimmers to be racing the clock AND each other.

Next time I might try assigning swimmers to teams and awarding points for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.

Short But High Intensity Free Set

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Coach Gwynn Harrison, Bridgewater College

We did this set in a 25m pool, so note send offs and goals.

6 x 250 (broken into):

75 – on 1:15 4 dolphin kicks off first wall, 6 on 2nd, 8 on 3rd

75 on :55 – Make the Interval

75 – Push (male goal under 45 – most went 46-48) (female goal – under 52, most went 54-55)

25 – Easy, REGROUP, about :45 between sets

*this was coach send to restart, they got about :45 rest in between rounds.

Butterfly Focus with Blake Proffitt

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Blake Proffitt, SwimRVA

SCY


2x
2×25 fast Fly A-20 B-20/25 C-25
1×50 BK A/B/C-50
3×25
1×50
4×25
1×50
3×25
1×50
2×25
1:00R
Focus on the fly was holding the same distance and speed underwater and staying within a 1 cycle range on top of the water

They did a short recovery and went to the blocks for:


8x
100 FL on 1:30 with fins focusing on coordination at lower tempo
Fins came off
Hopped on the blocks and went a broken 50 25FR/25FL with :10R at the 25 on 1:30

Doing it Wrong to Do it Right: Crossing Over During Backstroke Hand Entry

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

One of the most difficult technical changes to make in swimming is getting rid of a habit of crossing over behind the head during backstroke hand entry. This set is a progression that we used to rectify that problem using overcorrection.

Credit to Andrew Sheaff for inspiring this post with a recent post of his own. I highly recommend you check him out www.coachandrewsheaff.com

Imagine the hand entry positions as times on a clock face: