Freestyle Set for 11-12 Year-olds at SwimMAC

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Max Cristofori
North Dolphin Division Lead/ North Dolphin 1 Lead Coach
SwimMAC Carolina

This set uses these drills (click for videos)
Arizona freeze drill
Thumper Kick
 

1x
      4×25 Paddle Push Fr K  snkl:45 (2 paddle up against the front of each wrist)
      2×25 Paddle Push alt 1-Arm w paddle snkl Fr K :45 (1 paddle up against the front of wrist)
      4×25 Arizona Freeze Drill 3 count snkl :40 
1x
      20×25 Free :25 Rainbow Focus 2+4/0+2 (4 underwater dolphins, 2 strokes without a breath on exit)
1-5 = Elbow Forward, Hands Pointed Down 
6-10 = Count S/L (strokes per length)
11-15 = S/L -1 per 25
16-20 = 2+5 (5 underwater kicks)
1x
      4×25 1-Arm Fr -full rotation  :40 
      2×25 3/4 Catch Up – Drive the Hips :40
      4×25 Overload Fr Drill :30 (paddle on right hand, fin on left foot. Slow arm stroke with non paddle hand and then quick pull through til paddle hand is set)
1x
      20×100 Free 1:30 Rainbow Focus 2+4/0+2 
1-5 = Drive the hips 
6-10 = Count S/L 
11-15 = S/L +1 per 25
16-20 = 2+5
1x
      2×25 Thumper Kick w/ snkrl :45
      4×25 12.5 Thumper/12.5 small little fast kicks :40
      4×50 Free K :50
1x
      20×50 Free :45 Rainbow Focus 2+4/0+2 
1-5 = power the kick 
6-10 = speed the kick 
11-15 = Max UW kickout on turn 
16-20 = streamline kick last 5 yards

Friday the 13th IM Set with Coach Clarke Nyman

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Clarke Nyman
Eagle Swim Team

Props for this set goes out to Carl Barr from Mariner Swim Club, as he came up with the concept.  This is now a staple set for Eagle Swim Team in Peak Season.  It’s great that it falls on Friday the 13th this year, just adds to the tears collected.  
[ALL from a dive RACE] [rest interval is climb out and step up]
[#1]   1×100- 25 Fl/Bk/Br/Fr
[#2]   1×125- 50 Fl/ 25 Bk/ 25 Br/ 25 Fr
[#3]   1×150- 75 Fl/ 25 Bk/ 25 Br/ 25 Fr 
[#4]   1×175- 100 Fl/ 25 Bk/ 25 Br/ 25 Fr
[#5]   1×200- 100 Fl/ 50 Bk/ 25 Br/ 25 Fr
[#6]   1×225- 100 Fl/ 75 Bk/ 25 Br/ 25 Fr
[#7]   1×250- 100 Fl/ 100 Bk/ 25 Br/ 25 Fr
[#8]   1×275- 100 Fl/ 100 Bk/ 50 Br/ 25 Fr
[#9]   1×300- 100 Fl/ 100 Bk/ 75 Br/ 25 Fr
[#10] 1×325- 100 Fl/ 100 Bk/ 100 Br/ 25 Fr
[#11] 1×350- 100 Fl/ 100 Bk/ 100 Br/ 50 Fr
[#12] 1×375- 100 Fl/ 100 Bk/ 100 Br/ 75 Fr
[#13] 1×400- 100 Fl/ 100 Bk/ 100 Br/ 100 Fr
(Fly around #7 or #8 can be edited to single arm combos for those swimmers weaker in this stroke, to prevent shoulder injury and quality of the stroke)
… if it wasn’t Friday the 13th and you want more Breast and Free work, it could also be done this way
[ALL from a dive RACE] [rest interval is climb out and step up]
[#1]  1×100- 25 Fl/Bk/Br/Fr
[#2]  1×125- 25 Fl/ 25 Bk/ 25 Br/50 Fr
[#3]  1×150- 25 Fl/ 25 Bk/ 25 Br/75 Fr 
[#4]  1×175- 25 Fl/ 25 Bk/ 25 Br/100 Fr
[#5]  1×200- 25 Fl/ 25 Bk/ 50 Br/100 Fr
[#6]  1×225- 25 Fl/ 25 Bk/ 75 Br/100 Fr
[#7]  1×250- 25 Fl/ 25 Bk/ 100 Br/100 Fr
[#8]  1×275- 25 Fl/ 50 Bk/ 100 Br/ 100 Fr
[#9]  1×300- 25 Fl/ 75 Bk/ 100 Br/ 100 Fr
[#10] 1×325- 25 Fl/ 100 Bk/ 100 Br/ 100 Fr
[#11] 1×350- 50 Fl/ 100 Bk/ 100 Br/ 100 Fr
[#12] 1×375- 75 Fl/ 100 Bk/ 100 Br/ 100 Fr
[#13] 1×400- 100 Fl/ 100 Bk/ 100 Br/ 100 Fr

I.M. Fartleking

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

Fartlek = continuous swim. Start off with the fly instructions, then when wrench bangs on side of pool, sprint fly into turn and sprint 25 back. Then follow back instructions. Repeat for Bk-Br and Br-Fr transitions.

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Practice Splitting 200s

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

We did this set recently on a day where most of my group was at a high school meet.  This allowed me to get splits on all 6 people for each 50 of each 200.  I recorded the splits on a dry-erase board, and after each 100 easy we reviewed their splits.  Increasing their speed within each set of 3 amplified the learning curve.  We learned a lot doing this set.

Two Kinds of Pain

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

I needed some swimmers to do distance freestyle pace.  Others to do some fast stroke work.  22 swimmers in 5 lanes with 1 coach… how to manage?  Parallel sets that allowed me to go back and forth timing the two groups.

A photo posted by SwimmingWizard (@swimmingwizard) on Jan 4, 2017 at 5:29pm PST

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Dryland Pictionary

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

In order to keep dryland fun, competitive, and highly interactive, one thing we have done recently is have “Pictionary Dryland.”  We divide the group up into 3 teams of 6-8 people, each group with a whiteboard and dry erase marker.  I used this Pictionary word generator website for the clues,and show it to one artist from each team.  All 3 teams try to solve for the same word simultaneously.  The winning team gets the satisfaction of watching the other two teams do a dryland exercise (30 squats, 20 push-ups, etc.) immediately after that round.  Continue doing rounds of Pictionary and dryland exercises as long as you want.

An extra-awesome thing has started to happen… Sometimes, a few members of the winning team will do the dryland exercise with the losing team. Coach is mighty proud when that happens!