Video Feedback Circuit

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

For this set, we set up our underwater video camera in the end lane.  Swimmers performed the 15m fast underwater kick in that lane.  They watched their video on a time delay on our flat-screen TV and then did the 5 x 25, one in each of our 5 remaining lanes.  We repeated this circuit for 30 minutes.

This could obviously be easily modified to look at any stroke or any technical aspect in that first 15m.

Deceptively Hard Set with Coach Brad Robbins

Posted on by rdwoodruff
Brad Robbins
Tigard Tualatin Swim Club
 
Here was one we did recently that started deceptively easy, but had them working super hard by the end. 
Goal was to be their best 200 time + 5 sec or faster. Bonus points for being under their best time.

 

Did you like this set? Try this IM Transitions Set and this Early Season Spice with Just a Touch of Fly also from Coach Robbins.

Fun Kick Set for Age Groupers with Coach Mike Cook

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Mike Cook
Mason Makos

We wanted to come up with a fun type kicking set with our 12 and unders to help them with that last 10 yards of their races

Warm up
12 x100
4 free @1:45
4xIM @1:40
4xfree @1:30

2x
4×50 free to back @50 with fast turn and 5 second underwater dolpins

KICK SET
40 x 12.5 @25
   1 minute rest
30 x 12.5 @20
   1 minute rest
20 x 12.5 @15
   1 minute rest
10 x 12.5 @13

All 30 swimmers left from middle of pool to both ends. We had 5 lanes.   We got some good kicking with high energy from the kids.  It provided a good change as I noticed they were dragging a little the other day

We than went into a big main set of 20×100’s

Racing With Coach Mike Cook and the Mason Makos

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Mike Cook
Mason Makos

We had extra room today and so we decided to have the kids race a lot.  We wanted them to understand that even though they were tired they were still able to get up and race back to back.

WARM UP
24×25 free with snorkels@30 (focus on long stroke head steady)
24×25 back @30 (focus how far can you push the underwater, but you have to be up in 5 seconds)

Pre set
12×50 kick @1:00
12 x50 free pull@1:00 paddles
12×50 free to back @1:00 fast turns hold underwater for 5 seconds

Main set
1×50 free all out for time
10×50 free all out for time with fins ( must beat time fro first)
100 easy kick and get ready for one more 50
1×50 free for time with fins (fastest of day)

We had 24 8-12 year olds and all 8 lanes (3 heats of 8 with one heat swimming at a time. The next heat was responsible for getting the time and letting them know.  The kids had a good time and felt involved with each other.

Did you like this post? Check out Coach Cook’s IM Ready Set and his Broken Miles Set

IM Ready with Coach Mike Cook

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Coach Mike Cook
Mason Makos

We are 2 weeks out from our IMX meet and so we did this set with our senior prep group(11-14)

4×200 IM/free @2:45
4×100 IM FAST@1:40
4×50 fly/back @1:00

3×200 IM/free@2:45
3×100 IM FAST @1:30
3×50 back /breast @50

2×200 IM/free@2:45
2×100 IM FAST@1:20
2×50 breast/free@1:00

1×200 IM/free@2:45
1×100 IM FAST @1:15
1×50 free all out

1×400 IM ( get out and dive at each wall how tight can you make those streamlines)

All 200 IM are distance for stroke on IM portion.  All free is fast

Free/Kick/IM/Underwater with Coach Brad Herndon

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Brad Herndon
Head Coach
GCY Makos

GCY Makos National Team 1/3/2018

Warm-Up (24 min, 1500):
500-400- 300-200- 100
Swim – Kick w/ Fins – FR Pull – IM – Drill w/ snorkel

Pre-Set (22 min, 1200):
8 x 50 Free Kick Only @:55 (Board)
   :40 sec transition
8 x 50 FR Pull Only @:50 (Buoy, paddles, snorkel)
   :20 sec transition
8 x 50 FR Swim Only @:45 (Continuous Boil Kick)

Main Set 1 (44 min, 2400):
Underwater focus, pop up “between the 15m marks” every length!
4x
3 x 50’s Kick @ 1:00 (no board, max out underwaters)
      First – Fly/Back on back, Second – Back/Breast on back, Third- Breast/free
      on stomach (MAX underwaters on fly, back, and free kicks)
3 x 50’s Swim @ :55
      First – Fly/Back, Second – Back/Breast, Third – Breast/Free
      Execute turns efficiently , max underwaters
3 x 100 IM’s @ 1:45
     All 3 = Max Underwaters Descend, 3 rd is all out still with max underwaters!

Main Set 2 (18 min, 1200):
8 x 150’s @ 2:15 with fins
1-4 Freestyle w/ paddles and short fins, DESCEND!
5-8 Back, long fins, no paddles, focus is on underwaters popping up between
the yellow, still descend time! ALWAYS max out last 25 underwater effort!

Cool Down (2 min, 100):
EZ choice 100 minimum

TOTAL = 6500

200s Inferno with Coach Wibke Ahrens

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Wibke Ahrens
Head Coach
Schwimmverein Mannheim/ Germany

*Two hundreds inferno*
 
Warm up:
4x 150m  @ 3:00  IMO bw (starting with free)  50 stroke/ 50 kick/ 50 drill
12x 25m  @ 0:35  1x uw kick (side/back/front)/ 1x free min. cycle counts
                            w/ fins
1x 100m  @ 2:00  ez
 
Main set:
5x 200m  @ 3:30  IM/ Bk or Br (all 5 the same)  80% effort
1x 200m  @ 3:15  free
4x 200m  @ 3:35  IM/ Bk or Br (all 4 the same)  85% effort
1x 200m  @ 3:15  free
3x 200m  @ 3:40  IM/ Bk or Br (all 3 the same)  3” faster
1x 200m  @ 3:15  free
2x 200m  @ 3:50  IM/ Bk or Br (all 2 the same)  3” faster
1x 200m  @ 3:15  free
1x 200m  @ 4:00  IM/ Bk or Br   all out
1x 200m  @ 3:15  free
 
1x 200m  @ 4:00  ez w/ fins
 
Warm down:
8x 50m  @ 1:10  25 without breathing (free/ fly/ uw kick/ pull out)
                         25 ez
1x 200m             ez 
 
5800 scm/ 120 min  
 
We did the main set in three groups with different send offs depending on the personal best.
The fastest group did it the way written above.
The second group started with a send off 3:50 and ended with 4:10.
The third group (some younger swimmers) did the same send off like group one but only 150s.
 
Enjoy!! 🙂

Booming Buckets and Underwater Kicking

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

For this set we used our 2-gallon buckets pulled behind via a rope attached to a stretch-cord belt.  We increased the sprint distances on the red 25s and then tried to really hammer the purple 25s.

For the 50s kick, we used a Finis Tempo Trainer to set a fairly aggressive tempo for the 8 underwater kicks off every wall.

All in all, the set worked pretty well.

Broken Butterfly

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

This was one of our recent most popular fly sets among the swimmers.  We had 5 lanes and 22 swimmers, so the broken 200s happened in 4 lanes with half of the group while the 5 x 50 happened in the 5th lane (against the wall) with the other half.  We had only two or three swimmers in lane, allowing for good fly technique.

Snake Circuit with a Full Pool

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

The challenge: How to make the best use of 30 minutes of pool time with 50 teenage swimmers in 5 SCM lanes.  Here is what we did.

Each swimmer performed a 50 drill in lane 2, then moved into lane 3 and did a 50 swim with a fast turn, and so on.  We have an underwater camera hooked to a TiVo in Lane 6, so after the swimmer sprinted past the camera, he climbed out and watched his technique with a coach.  Get back in lane 2 and repeat. 

This one was a hit with swimmers and coaches alike.

Kicking Down the New Year with Coach Brad Herndon

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Brad Herndon

Head Coach
Greensboro Community YMCA
This is one of our “countdown sets” we did today long course meters after our hardest workout last night. We are down in Florida training outdoors! 

It takes exactly 1 hour and 50 min and is 5500 LCM, it is the warmup, pre-set, main-set, everything except cooling down (we did 400 with fins ez), only equipment needed is a board (although several used snorkels):

10 x 50’s swim at :55
10 x 50’s kick at 1:05
9 x 50’s swim at :55
9 x 50’s kick at 1:05
8 x 50’s swim at :55
8 x 50’s kick at 1:05
7 x 50’s swim at :55
7 x 50’s kick at 1:05
6 x 50’s swim at :55
6 x 50’s kick at 1:05
5 x 50’s swim at :55
5 x 50’s kick at 1:05
4 x 50’s swim at :55
4 x 50’s kick at 1:05
3 x 50’s swim at :55
3 x 50’s kick at 1:05
2 x 50’s swim at :55
2 x 50’s kick at 1:05
1 x 50’s swim at :55
1 x 50’s kick at 1:05

RULES:

Any stroke board optional as long as you can make the interval!

Last 50 in a series is all out sprint!

Each lower number of 50 cycles you pick up your speed

Fly Challenge (optional, 6 of our 34 did this): The last 4-3-2-1 swims are all butterfly!

Anytime you choose fly or back you have to go for the 15m mark!

All sprint kicks goal is under :45!

The intervals we did take you away from the top then you work back towards the top…

All levels did this, highlights:

We had a 35 br sprint (boys) and a a few 39’s girls

Several 27’s from boys on free

A kicker broke 40 a few times…