Tag: Freestyle

Do the Funky Chicken

Posted on by rdwoodruff
Susanna Grundstein
Assistant Coach
Stony Lane Swim Team
This particular drill was designed to encourage critical thinking regarding stroke technique. Word to the wise: it is designed to show swimmers why they don’t want to do certain things. Swimming this way doesn’t work. 
That’s the point.
 This drill, which I call “Funky Chicken,”  encourages children to think about the way they are swimming and what effect each motion has on their speed and efficiency. In this drill, errors are amplified, so even the simple mistake of swimming with open fingers or a closed fist makes a huge impact. 
 The goal: the ability to break apart your stroke and ask, “If the effects of this action were multiplied by 5, would the action be making me five times faster, or five times slower?”
Funky Chicken Teaching Tool
1) ATTEMPT 25 yards or meters of freestyle with thumbs locked in armpits. If you’re in a longcourse pool, at your discretion. THIS WILL BE DIFFICULT TO SWIM, SO BE PREPARED FOR IT. They often look quite comical. 
2) As the swimmers. to name specific pieces of the drill that made swimming that way so ineffective/hard. As they come up with reasons, point out what error equates that particular challenge. I’ve gone further into detail about this discussion below.
3) 25 yards regular freestyle to gauge which skills still need work, then branch into other drills once target areas acquired. I find following up with fingertip drag helpful. 
Discussion: 
At the other end, talk to the kids about why they think this drill was so hard to swim. Have them break it down. I’ve seen people come up with as many as 10 problems. For each problem they come up with, point out which error is equivalent to that problem. Here are a few of the answers people have come up with over the years, and an equivalent mistake. These are only some of the answers. There are more. I’ll do my best to give you the technical version, instead of the 9 year old friendly version, which can get pretty silly sometimes. 
a) Recovery practically requires contortion (recovery not easy) – Contortion swimming and arm-watchers. Shoulders don’t really do that. It hurts. Don’t try to watch your arm as you recover, and don’t stick it straight up in the air behind your shoulder either. It hurts. Finger tip drag a good follow up to this one. (generally only found in first year swimmers)
b) Hard to swim in a straight line– crossing your head during a stroke leads to wiggling. If you throw a ball like this (flop and round and finish throwing pointing at the floor) where does it go? Not where you want it to. Wherever you’re pointing is where the ball will go. Well, guess what? Wherever you’re pointing is where you’re going to go. And if you’re pointing one way on one stroke, and the other way on the next, it’s going to take you forever to get where you’re trying to go. 
c) Wiggling is TIRING– Yes. If you wiggle while you throw a ball, it doesn’t go far. The same thing applies to swimming. If you want to get any actual results from your actions, you’ll need to tighten your core muscles. 
d) Breathing was really difficult. Yes. Basically in order to breathe they have to breach like a whale. Equivalent to over enthusiastic rotary breathers and burrowers. Indirectly related to the fact that breathing forward partially closes your airway, so really, breathing forward barely counts as breathing. 
e) Every time I took a breath I stopped moving, and then had a really hard time getting started again. – Again, yes to both. Equivalent to breathing forward and/or treading breath. Lifting your head up stops forward motion, and it’s a lot easier to keep moving than it is to get started again. An object in motion stays in motion, and an object at rest stays at rest unless acted upon by an opposing force. On top of that, breathing forward allows a much smaller intake than rotary breathing, while still taking longer. 
f) only using half your arm– shortened stroke and/or windmilling. The shorter wingspan equates to, among other things, the decrease in power generated by strokes without full extension or when the back half of the stroke is chopped off. It also illustrates what happens when you don’t actually exert any pressure on the water during a stroke (i.e. windmilling) It’s not the number of strokes you take, it’s how much you get out of each one that matters. Long stroke strokes. Or, as I like to tell my kids, “You aren’t trying to get to the bottom of the pool, are you? Reach for your destination. That’s the wall, not the floor.” 
g) pushing with your elbow- nothing to push with – swimming with your hand in a fist or dropping either the wrist below fingertips  or elbow below wrist during the pull. In any of those situations the force generated is all concentrated on a single small point (the fist, the elbow of the heel of the hand). Instead of meeting with resistance, the single point of pressure pierces through it, so that nothing comes of the action taken. A flat surface is more effective at pushing than a single point, which will puncture.  In small children, the fist is the more likely error. In the middle age groups, the dropped elbow. In older children, the dropped wrist. Trying to swim with any of those is like forcing yourself to swim funky chicken…and why would anyone voluntarily swim funky chicken? 
h) hole in between upper arm and forearm- swimming with open fingers, The water goes right through the holes in between your fingers. You can’t eat soup with a fork. 
i) I kept sinking. –  This is a good one. Mostly it equates to burrowing, but it can be tailored to match the swimmer who says it. Because the kids are getting virtually no aid from their arms in this drill, their feet are doing all of the work. But because of the wiggling, it’s hard to keep kicking; they sink a little, then run into several other problems, particularly problems A & D (contortionists and breach-breathers). 
Basically any time you make one of the errors we just talked about, you’re forcing yourself to swim Funky Chicken. And why would anyone ever voluntarily swim funky chicken?
This drill works especially well for wigglers, contortion swimmers, and frantic windmillers.

Hitting race pattern while fatigued.

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

The primary purpose of this set was in the 4 x 100.  We are challenging ourselves to get out agressively on #1 and then hang tough through that fatigue on #s 2-4.  Most of our swimmers were able to achieve the stated objectives, but really had to work to make it happen. In my opinion, that means the bar was set at exactly the right height.

Distance With Drills and the Freeway Set from Coach Edie Rogers

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Edie Rogers
Charlottetown Bluephins
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada

1. Distance with drills

4 x 500 free on 7:30 SCM
#1 All open turns with no breathing for first 2 cycles
#2 Every 4th length long arm dog paddle
#3 Easy down, fast back
#4 Flip mid-length and no breathing for first 2 cycles after the flip

2. Freeway set:
Start 3 swimmers in a lane at 2 second intervals. Swim continuously for approx 400 metres or any length you like. The third swimmer must pass the 2 ahead before getting to the wall. The lead 2 swimmers must slow their pace to let this happen, the last swimmer is then the leader for the next length, and so on……

6 Motivational Tips for Swim Coaches

The "X" Set for Age Groupers with Coach Dan Mascolo

Posted on by rdwoodruff
Dan Mascolo
Associate Head Coach

Cheshire Y/Sea Dog Swim Club (CDOG-CT)

In a conversation with another coach, I explained a test set that I had devised years ago that I use several times per season to both help gauge their progress throughout the season as well as to help the kids realize what kind of intervals they can actually handle at practice. I am sure that other coaches do this or something very similar.
The X-Set

5 X 100 Free @ “X”

1:00 Rest

5 X 100 Free @ “X” – :05

1:00 Rest

5 X 100 Free @ “X” – :10

1:00 Rest

5 X 100 Free @ “X” – :15

1:00 Rest

5 X 100 Free @ “X” -:20
This set has evolved over the years so now we cap the set at 5 rounds, so that you can “win” the set instead of not having a goal in front of them to strive for once they have passed their best result. I do this set with my 3 Age Group practice groups ages 9-12. Swimmers continue until they miss a send off at which point they are “X”terminated. They climb out and give the coach their results and then rejoin the group going 75’s instead of 100’s.
We start the first test each season with the same sendoff
Age Group 1 (9-10’s without Age Group Champ cuts) starts at 2:00
Age Group 2 (9-10’s with AG Champ cuts; 11-12’s without cuts) starts at 1:45
Age Group 3 (11-12’s with AG Champ cuts) starts at 1:30

After the first test we will adjust the starting time looking at how many swimmers “win” the set. Usually we will start the set :05 faster starting with the second test and keep it there for the rest of the season. We keep an all time top 5 list and kids really fight to get on that list.

Free/IM Day with Coach Brandon Fain

Posted on by rdwoodruff
Brandon Fain
New Braunfels YMCA Swim Team
New Braunfels,  TX   
KICK 12 X 50 FINS          1:00
           -4 BK 4 FLY 4 FR
           – ALL IN STREAMLINE
           – AT LEAST 12 YARDS UNDERWATER
SWIM 2 X 150
            – BREATHE 3-5-7 BY 50  REST :15
            – ALWAYS WORK THE TURNS
SWIM 8 X 75
            – 50 IM ORDER 25 FREE  1:45
            – BUILD
SWIM 3 X 150 FREE                  3:00
             – BREATHE 3-5-7 BY 50 REST :15
             – WORK STREAMLINES / TURNS
SWIM 4 X 125.                            3:00
             – 100 – 80% / 25 – SPRINT
DRILL 6 X 100 IM                      2:30
            – DON’T DO SAME DRILL MORE THAN TWICE
DRILL 6 X 50 FREE                  1:05
            -SIDE KICK 6 + 3 STROKES

I always drill at the end of practice.   I believe doing good drills at the end of practice will help hold strokes together at the end of a race.

Free, Free, Free

Posted on by rdwoodruff
Brandon Fain
New Braunfels YMCA Swim Team
New Braunfels,  TX  
SW/K/DR 3 X 150
KICK 12 X 25 STREAMLINE ON BACK
KICK 8 X 75 FREE WITH BOARD
           25 MOD / 50 FAST
SWIM 12 X 50
             3 BUILD / 3 BREATH EVERY 5 X 2
SWIM 3 X 150 FREE
             MIDDLE 50 HARD
SWIM 8 X 75 FREE
             DESCEND BY 4

DRILL 10 X 50 FREE
             3 SIDE KICK 6
             3 THUMB DRAG
             4 CATCH UP
  

Snake Fly plus Back-Breast-Free with Coach Chris Brookover

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Chris Brookover
YBCC Phoenix – Head Coach
Director of Competitive Swimming

Snake Fly – Use all 6 lanes
3 x 3 x 150
Each set of 3 is comprised:
#1 – Fly/Free by 25’s @ 2:00
#2 – 50 Fly 25 Free @ 2:15
#3 – All Fly @ 2:30

 ———————-
Bk/Br/Fr Set
2x through the set below…
1st   75 = 50 Bk / 25 Br
125 = 25 Fr/50 Bk/ 25 Br / 25 Fr
2nd  75 = 50 Br/ 25 Fr
125 = 25 Fr / 25 Bk / 50 Br/ 25 Fr
6 × 75 @ 1:00 / 1:05
1 × 125 @ 1:45 / 1:50
4 × 75 @ 1:00 / 1:05
2 × 125 @ 1:45 / 1:50
2 × 75 @ 1:00 / 1:05
4 × 125 @ 1:45 / 1:50
R: 1:40

Above  2 X
1st   75 = 50 Bk / 25 Br
125 = 25 Fr/50 Bk/ 25 Br / 25 Fr
2nd  75 = 50 Br/ 25 Fr
125 = 25 Fr / 25 Bk / 50 Br/ 25 Fr

200 Free Mania

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

Just make it on the first 1 X 200. Hold that time on the 2×200, 3 X 200, and 4 X 200. From there, get faster on the 3X200, faster on the 2 X 200, and all out on the last 1 X 200

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The Chase Down Set

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Brian Clark
Chico Aquajets and Durham Dolphins

600 Free//8:00  open turn at 500 and get your time
500 Free/6:40  open turn at 400, get time, plus beat your 500 split from the 600
400 Free/5:20 open turn at 300, get time plus beat 400 split from 500
300 free/4:00 open turn at 200, get time plus beat 300 split from 400
200 Free/2:40 open turn at 1:00 get time, plus beat 200 split from 300
100 Free/1:40 open turn at 50, get time, plus beat 100 split from 200
50 Fast beat split from 100

Editor’s note: Our goal for this year is to provide coaches around the world with a free new idea or set EVERY DAY this year! Can you help us reach that goal? Please send submissions to swimmingwizard@gmail.com.
 

"Just Make It" Set for Triathletes

Posted on by rdwoodruff
Ken Axford
PEAK Multisport, LLC

USAT Rocky Mtn’ Region Talent Identification Coordinator

Times in long course meters, adjust as needed for SCM or SCY, and various abilities.
“Just Make It”

– 500 gradual WU  (ok to vary strokes but mostly free)
——–
3 x:
– 50 kick (choice) / 50 swim on 2:00
——–
– 9 x 50 (descend 1-3, 4-6, 7-9) on :50
– 150 easy
——–
10 x 200’s on:
– 3:00
– 2:55
– 2:50
– 2:45
– 2:40
– 2:35
– 2:30
– 2:25
– 2:20
– 2:15
*if you miss an interval by 2 seconds or more, take a 1-2 minute break then pull steady aerobic until the set is finished.
———
200 CD (back and free) 

The Alpe d’Huez Set

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Coach Doug Allen

800-600-400-200 drop the interval by:02 each base hundred
200-400-600-800 hold the prior 200 interval each base hundred

Editor’s note: Our goal for this year is to provide coaches around the world with a free new idea or set EVERY DAY this year! Can you help us reach that goal? Please send submissions to swimmingwizard@gmail.com.