“Broken and Blast” Kick Set

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

SCM. For the broken 225 kick, we got our total kicking time (total time minus 3:20 for the 4 x 50 @:50). The goal on the following 200 was to beat that broken 225 time by at least 10 seconds.

In hindsight, the goal on the 200 wasn’t extremely tough, but it kept them honest and we got an effort level from the group that I would grade as an A-.

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Freestyle Win/Fail Set

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

This set prompted a discussion about how we judge success/failure during a set. Most often, there is a prescribed speed an interval that helps guide our effort level. On this one more than most, I wanted to push our swimmers to the verge of “failure” in the conventional sense of missing an interval. Post-set, we redefined success as having pushed ourselves to the limit and actually finding the point of failure.

Overall, our team embraced the challenge of this set. The intervals were specifically set up (25m pool) so that I expected the second set of 4 x 100 and the final 2 x 100 to be extremely challenging.

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Butterfly Power Stations

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

Each station takes around 9:00. We did each station 2x, doing the fly set at the bottom after each station (4x total).

“Buddy cords” refers to a stretch cord with a belt at both ends. Swimmer 1 pushes off and swims a 25 fly while swimmer 2 stays at the wall providing resistance for the 1st 10 cycles of fly. After the 10th cycle, swimmer 2 pushes off the wall and swims easy free following swimmer 1 who completes the 25 fly.

For the Drag Sox, the Set utilizes the Sox worn in two different ways. Sox at the ankles provides high resistance to the kick. Moving them up to the calves provides a little less. Taking the Sox gives the swimmers the boost of a fully involved kick for the last 2×25.

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Underwater Kicking & IM Blast Set

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

This workout involved two stations – one working underwater kicks and one doing an IM set. We did each station 3 times — the cord set was the same each time, and the IM set progressed through the three versions listed. The 3rd round was essentially a broken 400 IM.

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Quality Pyramid

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

We did this set off the blocks, and several of our swimmers said they liked it despite the fact that it turned out to be much harder than they expected. SCM.

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Pre-Champs Set with Mason Makos

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Coach Mike Cook, Mason Makos

11-14 year olds as they prepare for JO’s

Meet warm up (about 1500)

Pre set

4x

4×50 kick @1:00 (odds fast/easy)(evens easy fast)

4×25 Major @40 (focus streamline and underwater to 3 fast breakout strokes than easy)

Main set

4×200 free

#1 fast first 50

#2 fast middle 100

#3 fast last 50

#4 RACE

4×100 free with fins

#1 first 25 fast

#2 middle 50 fast

#3 last 50 fast

#4 RACE

*****************

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Vert Kick and then Beat Your Best

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

On the 175s, the goal is to beat your best 200 time (should get them at least :20 rest on those).

This turned out to be a good set for us, though we ended up needing to make some modifications at the end due to time constraints.

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“Titanic” Kick Set for 10 and Unders

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Max Cristofori, Head Age Group Coach, Swim Atlanta – Midway

10&U Set for [BB-AAAA 10&U’s]

WARM UP AND ENGAGEMENT

1 X 75 2:30

      [25 DOLPHIN DIVES, 25 SCULL, 25 BK/FR COMBO DRILL]

      1 X 25 FL SPRINT 1:00

      [OTB AND FINISH TO THE FEET]

      1 X 75 2:30

      [25 ROTISSERIE DOLPHIN KICK, 25 SL JUMP, 25 BR/FL COMBO DRILL]

      1 X 25 BK SPRINT 1:00

      [GUTTER START + FINISH TO THE FEET]

KICK SET – TITANIC KICK SET

      1 X 100 BK K IN SL 2:15

      [SHIP IS IN ORDER AND ON A LONG JOURNEY]

      2 X 50 BK K IN L POS 1:15

      [1 ARM UP IN THE ARM, OTHER BY THEIR HEAD, SHIP IS RUNNING INTO SOME CHOPPY WATER – URGENCY IS NEEDED IN KICKING]

      4 X 25 BK K IN SAILBOAT :50

      [BOTH ARMS IN STREAMLINE IN THE AIR, SHIP IS SINKING, KICK AS HARD AS POSSIBLE]

      2:00 PUT ON FINS – THE SHIP HAS SUNK

      4 X 25 FL K W SNORK IN SL :35

      [ON THE LIFEBOATS]

      2 X 50 FL K ON RHL/LHL 1:05

      [LOOKING FOR HELP IN BOTH DIRECTIONS]

      1 X 100 FL K ON BK 2:00

      [HELICOPTER SAVES THE DAY]

DRILL SET AND TEACHING POINTS

      [TEACHING TO GET THE PINKY THROUGH THE WATER]

      4 X 25 LONG ARM BK DRILL :45

      4 X 25 SAR/SAL BK :45

      4 X 25 3R3L BK :45

      4 X 25 6K SWITCH BK :40

      [PINKY CHOP!]

      1:00 REST EXPLAIN FLY DRILLS

      [TEACHING THE TIMING OF THE KICK WITH THE ARMS]

      4 X 25 HL BD BEO FLY K :45

      [HEAD LEAD, BODY DOLPHIN, BREATHE EVERY OTHER, 1-2-3-BREATHE ON THE UP KICK]

      4 X 25 POS 11 FLY K :45

      [ARMS IN AN 11 POSITION]

      4 X 25 RA/LA FLY :45

      [RIGHT ARM / LEFT ARM]

      4 X 25 333 FLY :40

      

SWIM SET AND PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

      2X

            6 X 25 FLY/FR :35

            [2+4+5 -> FR, 4 UW BDS THEN 5 CYCLES FLY INTO FREE, THINK OF THE TIMING OF THE KICK FOR THE 5 CYCLES OF FLY – PERFECT!]

            2 X 75 BK 1:30

            [50 STEADY KICK, THEN FOCUSING ON KICKING HARD IN THE LAST 25]

            3 X 50 FR/FLY 1:10

            [25/25 – 2ND 25 FLY TRYING TO WATCH KICKING MOTIONS AND HEAD POSITION]

            1 X 150 BK 3:00

            [NAIL EVERY FLIP TURN, 3-4 BD OFF EACH WALL!]

*********

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Race Speed with Coach Heiko Fikenzer

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Coach Heiko Fikenzer, SV Neptun Recklinghausen, Germany

This plan we did on SCM. We always have 3 lanes and today 5 swimmers per lane.

Pre and Quality – Set we did 2 times – 1 in Stroke (not Free) and 1 in Second Stroke/Free or IM.

bel = choice
TÜ = drill

Be = kick  (with speed variation)

The Main Set are Broken 200 – each with 20seconds Rest – only the last starts at A:0:30
Rü = Back ez
Kr = Free  ez

Flo means Fins

I love the progression of speed during the set – ok – not only me – the swimmers too 😊

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Underwater Skills and Speed with 11-12s

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

This is part of a practice I did recently with our top 11-12s. Our main focus was on underwater kicking. Our pool has a black line across the bottom approximately 9 yards from the wall.

For the 1:00 vertical kick and rotate, we were flutter kicking with our arms folded across our chest, performing a 90 degree rotation about every 5 seconds accompanied by my demonstration.

Texas 25 = push off and streamline underwater kick to the black line, flip, 4 underwater kicks, sprint back to the wall, turn, 4 underwater kicks and sprint to the opposite end. Texas 25 = 45 yards (everything is bigger in Texas).

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Fasts 75s + 150 Challenge

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

3x:

3x (75 fast from dive+75 ez)@2:30

1x (150 fast + 150 ez) @6:00

The goal on the 75s was just to be fast, execute excellent turns, and hold good technique.

For the 150s, we set a specific time goal based on the 75s.

For Free and Back, that goal was 2 x (best 75 time) + 6 seconds

For Breast and Fly, that goal was 2 x (best 75 time) + 10 seconds.

With those goals, we were able to get a pretty high level of effort with a high success rate.

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