“Broken and Blast” Kick Set

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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Underwater Skills and Speed with 11-12s

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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Dueling Kick Sets

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

We did these two parallel kick sets recently because we only have enough Drag Sox for 1/2 of my group to wear at one time. Prior to this, we had mostly used the Sox for short bouts of underwater kicking and sprint swimming. I loved this set — it was something a little different that really made them push themselves. We were in a 25m pool.

Group A did:

9 x 50 flutter kick with Drag Sox and board @ 1:40.

While Group B did:

10 x 75 flutter kick with board Descend 1-5 and 6-10 @1:30

Then switch sets.

One of our favorite ways to start practice is w/ a good quote. Here’s a bunch to try, conveniently divided by the occasion in which you might want to use them: https://swimmingwizard.com/e-books/

Free and Stroke with the YBCC Phoenix

Chris Brookover, YBCC Phoenix

10 pounds of stuff in a 5-pound bag.

Fall 2018 Warm Up

1 x 400 @ 6:00  Loosen

4 x 50 @ :45 Drill w/ Forearm Fulcrums

4 x 100 @ 1:30 Descend 1 – 4

Aerobic

#A+

1 x 600 @ 8:00

1 x 500 @ 6:30

1 x 50 EZ Back @  2:30

1 x 400 @ 5:00

1 x 300 @ 3:40

1 x 50 EZ Back @  2:20

1 x 200 @ 2:25

1 x 100 @ 1:10

#A

1 x 600 @ 8:15

1 x 500 @ 6:45

1 x 50 EZ Back @  2:30

1 x 400 @ 5:15

1 x 300 @ 3:50

1 x 50 EZ Back @  1:55

1 x 200 @ 2:30

#B

1 x 600 @ 8:30

1 x 500 @ 7:00

1 x 50 EZ Back @  2:30

1 x 400 @ 5:30

1 x 300 @ 4:00

1 x 50 EZ Back @  2:30

1 x 200 @ 2:35

Kicking:

#A

3 x 200 @ 3:20 Kicking W/ Fins

3 X

6 x 25 @ :25

Rest :30

#B

3 x 200 @ 3:30 Kicking W/ Fins

3 X

5 x 25 @ :30

Rest :30

Stroke – Perfect Technique – Intervals not that hard – thus you can think.

#Back

6 x 100 @ 2:00 W/ Fins & Fulcrums

6 x 100 @ 1:45 Back Swim – Build Each – Best Average

6 x 50 @ 1:15 Cup Head Drill Back Stroke

6 x 50 @ :50 Back Swim [2nd 25 Faster / Minumum 5 Kicks off wall]

6 x 25 @ :50 Spin Drill Backstroke

2 X

6 x 25 @ :45 Back Swim – All Out Sprint

Rest :30

#Breast

6 x 100 @ 2:00 Breast 4 Kick / 1 Pull – Double Pull Outs

5 x 100 @ 2:00 Breast Swim – Build Each – Best Average

6 x 50 @ 1:10 Free Kick no Board – Triple Pull Outs

6 x 50 @ :55 Breast Swim [2nd 25 Faster / Minumum 5 Kicks off wall]

6 x 25 @ :50 Spin Drill Breaststroke – [Breast Pull / Free Kick – Not Swim]

2 X

6 x 25 @ :45 Breast Swim – All Out Sprint

#Fly

6 x 100 @ 1:45 – Fly Kick On Back w/ Fins

8 x 25 @ :40 Swim Fly [Boys 6 Kicks 5 Strokes, Girls 6 Kicks 7 Strokes]

Rest :40

8 x 25 @ :40 Swim Fly [Boys 5 Kicks 6 Strokes, Girls 5 Kicks 8 Strokes]

6 x 100 @ 2:00 – Fly Kick Underwater – Streamline Position

8 x 25 @ :45 Swim Fly Fast – Horsehoe Finish

1 x 100 @ 3:00 EZ Free

8 x 25 @ :50 Swim Fly Fast

Swim Down

4 x 75 @ 1:30

3 x 50 @ 1:00

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Underwater Kick Set #37

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

This was a brief underwater kicking set that we did in a SCM pool as a pre-set before yesterday’s post. The instructions were to kick fast underwater to 12.5m every time (this was cut off in the picture below). For the first 6, the swimmers held one paddle out in front of them with the broad surface perpendicular to the oncoming water (to create drag).

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Kick Set with a Kicker

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

This kick set will be a bit of a challenge if done correctly.

10 x 100 kick choice, but all same stroke, descend 1-10, pay attention to clock

#1-4 @ :10 rest

#5-7 @ :20 rest

#8-10 @ :30 rest

200 ez swim with fast turns and 4+ underwater kicks

6 x 100 kick @ :20 rest, goal is for all 6 to be faster than #8 from the first set

Editor’s note: This post was originally published to this blog in August 2017. Check out our scrollable archives below for more hidden gems!

Burning The Candle at Both Ends

Erik Wiken

First time I ran this, kids had never heard of the phrase before and didn’t understand why I would call this set that name. After 20 x 25s, they knew why…

1. Partner Up:

-You will need 1 Buoy & 1 Kickboard per tandem, both with center-mount snorkel (HIGHLY recommended)
2. 20 x 25 @ 1:00 (interval & # of repeats according to ability)

(want to make it longer?, suggest breaking @ 1/2 or 1/3s with a 50 easy on same interval)

One person does a 25 sprint scull (hands out in front of snorkel), head in line

The other person does a 25 sprint FR tombstone kick**, head in line

Rotate equipment after each 25
**Tombstone Kick: Stand board on end, grab 1/2 way and stick bottom half in the water. Board stays vertical. (We also do tombstone kick sets where the last repeat (usually 25s) we “bury it”, board is vertical and totally submerged.)

Editor’s Note: This set was first published to the Swimming Wizard blog in 2010

The Dolphin Maker

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg  YMCA

Want to have a killer underwater kick in your arsenal for the end of a race? You had better practice kicking hard and fast under fatigue! Try this one:

5x through:

4 x 100 free w/ fins 1 @ 1:10, 1 @ 1:05, 2 @ 1:00

This initial set of 100s is intended to put the athlete in a fatigued state. Then immediately go into:

6 x 25 @ :30  First 2 with fins, last 4 no fins: #1 All UW dolphin kick, #2-6 Max UW kick and then sprint

:30 extra rest to put fins back on.

Editor’s note: This set was originally published to this blog in 2010

 

Kick Stations

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

Lately we haven’t had as much lane space as we are accustomed to, and one day last week we had nearly 40 high-school-aged swimmers in 4 lanes. We did the following kick stations that allowed us to put nearly 20 swimmers in one lane for the first station while spreading the other 20 out over the three remaining lanes. Turned out to be a pretty good kick set.

Underwater Kicking Power & Lightning Speed Set

Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

We did this set at the end of a long practice that included dryland that was heavy on the legs and a long kick set. The goal was to work some underwater power and then get some “lightning speed” underwater kicks at the end of each round. It worked well, with a few of our swimmers setting personal bests & team records at the 25m underwater kicking distance.

For the part written in green, one athlete wore the belt/cord and a partner stood on the deck and held the cord to provide the resistance.