Tag: Quality

Challenging Set from Coach Chris Flamion, B.R. Ryall YMCA

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Chris Flamion
B.R. Ryall YMCA Swim Team

Wanted to share a set that my assistant coach has been using for nearly a decade.   The whole set started when one of his athletes was a a meet, swam the 100 Free, hopped out and right up onto the blocks for a 500 Free.  The set is named after the athlete and he still gets asked about the set from time to time.  The athlete recently finished 14th at Trials.

We use this about 5-6 Weeks out from Championships as a bit of a gut check, and to really show the athletes where they are.  We record all the times from the set and compare them year to year.

Most of the 100s are within 3-4 seconds of lifetime, and the 500 varies heavily but normally within 20 seconds.  We do occasionally get some lifetime best in the 500s
6 Rounds:

100 Free All Out From a Dive @ 3:00
500 Best effort @ 7:00

IM Variant: We started doing variants as some of our Senior Group don’t swim the 500, or any free.  We wanted the IMers to force to sprint their worst stroke as they will rarely do it on their own.  100s were really good, most within 1 or 2 seconds, and the 400IMs were universally within 15 seconds
6 Rounds:

100 Worst Stroke @ 3:00
400 IM Best Effort @ 7:00

Sprint Variant: This was also all new this year and put the sprinters in some of the highest lactate levels I have ever seen.  50s started within a seconds of Lifetime and dropped off dramatically.  200s started within 10s and a handful held it, most faded pretty badly.
9 Rounds:
50 Free All out Dive @ 2:00
200 Best Effort @ 4:00

Butterfly Quality Control

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

With narrow lanes and lots of turbulence in our pool, I try to find ways for our swimmers to get in good quality fly sets without having to dodge teammates, do 1-arm strokes, or have to worry about getting hit in the face.  This set accomplished all of those objectives AND helped us deliver some fast performances at practice.  On the 25s, we were able to go :10 apart.  On the 75s, I would start the second heat when the first heat had finished about 60m (SCM pool).  For the 125s, the second heat would begin as soon as the first heat had finished about 110m.  This also produced a “chasing” effect that encouraged swimmers to finish their last 25 fast lest they get caught by a teammate in embarrassing fashion.

Deceptively Hard Quality Set

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Brian Clark
Chico Aquajets/Durham Dolphins

This is one of my favorites.

5 rounds of:
25 fast/1:00
50 fast/1:00
75 fast/1:00

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UGA 25s with Coach Ian Goss

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ian Goss
Head Coach
Stingrays Swimming

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Have you read these books that can help you be a better swim coach?

Editor’s Note: The Swimming Wizard’s goal is to publish at least one set, practice, or idea EVERY DAY for all of 2016! To keep it interesting, we need your help! Click here to help us achieve that goal by submitting one of your sets!

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The Shoulberg 500

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Brian Clark
Chico Aquajets & Durham Dolphins

Here is the Shoulberg 500.  It can be done any which way, but fast.  The particular one below swimmers have to do each distance a different stroke, their choice.  But of course, fast.

2×25/40
50/1:00

25/40
75/1:20

2×50/1:00
75/1:20
25/40
50/1:00

2×25/40

Good hard, fun set.  Great for a kick set also.

Editor’s Note: The Swimming Wizard’s goal is to publish at least one set, practice, or idea EVERY DAY for all of 2016! To keep it interesting, we need your help! Click here to help us achieve that goal by submitting one of your sets!

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Boom Boom 75s

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
 
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

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Editor’s Note: The Swimming Wizard’s goal is to publish at least one set, practice, or idea EVERY DAY for all of 2016! To keep it interesting, we need your help! Click here to help us achieve that goal by submitting one of your sets!

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Race Pace 50s the Hard Way

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

Editor’s Note: The Swimming Wizard’s goal is to publish at least one set, practice, or idea EVERY DAY for all of 2016! To keep it interesting, we need your help! Click here to help us achieve that goal by submitting one of your sets!

Recently, I have become concerned that our race pace work was too “sterilized” (meaning it doesn’t mimic the conditions of a race), so the idea here was to keep their heart rate up in between the groups of 50s by setting an interval that didn’t allow them to swim slowly or recover completely.  For some athletes, this set was a great success while others (typically the more sprinter types) really struggled.  Our swimmers all have pace cards so they can quickly know exactly what pace+1 etc is. All 50s were choice but swimmers were strongly encourage to do each round of 50s of a single stroke.

Quality Set from Coach Kevin Harrod

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Kevin Harrod
Solon Stars Swim Team

The Swimming Wizard’s goal is to publish at least one set, practice, or idea EVERY DAY for all of 2016! To keep it interesting, we need your help! Click here to help us achieve that goal by submitting one of your sets!

Good quality set to end winter break training.

See other Swimming Wizard posts with the tag QUALITY

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F.A.T. (For a Time) Tuesday with Glenbrook Aquatics

Posted on by rdwoodruff
Head Sr. Coach
Glennbrook Aquatics
 
Our focus today was tired speed. I wanted to give the kids a gut check and asked them to find a way to sprint when tired. We warmed the kids up and then talked about expectations for honest efforts prior to revealing the set. It was 2 rounds as shown below – no breaks between rounds. The long interval on the sprint was to allow free time after the sprint to prepare for next round. Some took advantage and used time for active recovery. Others went the painful route and layed on the deck until it was time to go. We go a great effort from the kids. I will probably add a little more interval to the best average swims next time, but not much.

Enjoy!



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The Sprinter’s Dozen

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Ryan Woodruff
 

SCY
P100 = 100 yd race pace. We performed the first one of each set from a dive and the rest from a push.

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The Pyramid of Pain

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff
 

This set provides some incentives for fast swimming.  The picture below explains the process of the Pyramid.  All swimmers begin with a 200 for time with the goal of being within 6 seconds of lifetime best (girls) or 8 seconds (boys).  100 easy for all, and then those that failed will do a broken 200 (75-50-50-25 @:10 rest) while those that succeeded in reaching the goal will do a broken 100 (50-50@:10rest).  The goal on the broken 200 is a lifetime best.  The goal on the broken 100 is within 2 seconds of lifetime best.  The second swim is followed by another 100 easy, and based on a swimmer’s success or failure he then completes either a broken 200 (75-50-50-25@:20 rest), a broken   100 (50-50@:10 rest), or an all-out dive 50.  The goals are a lifetime best, a best +3 or faster, and the starting 50 split for a lifetime best 100, respectively.  Success or failure on the 3rd swim leads to 10 push-ups or a “Hooray!”

We performed two rounds and saw many season-best practice swims.
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"Beat the Beep" Race Pace Set

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff

This set uses the Tempo Trainer Pro to help our swimmers swim at race pace for 200 yard events.  The beauty of using the Tempo Trainers is that the swimmers can focus on tempo, technique, etc. without having to listen for times.  They simply listen for the beep and try to keep up with it.

We set the Tempo Trainers for a swimmer’s average pace for a 25 in a 200 yard race.  Use the pace cards to find your race pace.  This means that the swimmer will hear a beep at the beginning and end of each lap swum at pace.  We call the time between beeps a “segment.”  Thus for a swimmer whose best 200 time is 2:00, 1 segment equals either a 25 swim performed in :15 seconds or :15 seconds rest.

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Man-Ups!

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Spencer George
Head Coach
Long Eaton Swimming Club

A set we like to use at Long Eaton Swimming Club, Derbyshire England is called “man ups”. Its a basic complex training set that hurts but is great fun.

Straight through the following:
10 Press ups
50m swim max effort
10 squats
50m swim max effort
10 Dips
50m swim max effort
10 Calf raises
50m swim max effort

Our top lane swimmer go around 2:10 200 free and their turnaround is 3:45 for 8 Man Ups. You can add Med Balls or weights to increase the intensity of some of the exercises if you want. Another variation is for IM, obviously the 50’s are IM order but the exercises change to hit the strokes as close as possible, so V sits before Fly, Dips before Back, Squats before Breast and press ups before Free. Have fun and “MAN UP”

Ron "Stix" Ballatore Tribute Workout

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Everyone who met Coach Ballatore will not soon forget him. Read more on his bio and his passing Here.

“Stix” knew how to get guys to go fast. Here is a set that he loved to do at the end of practice. We did it frequently when I had the honor of having him on deck while I was in Gainesville.   It is a good, challenging, team-building set to finish a workout.

Divide your group up into teams of four or five swimmers, and put a swimmer from each team in each lane. All swimmers on a given team will swim a no-breath 25 simultaneously. Before they start, the coach assigns one swimmer from the team a goal time for the no-breath 25. If that swimmer completes the 25 without taking a breath and beats the goal time, he earns a point for his team.  Then the next team takes its turn.  Each team is done (and gets out and goes home) when they score a pre-determined number of points.  Swimmers get fired up for their teammates and for their own 25s.  The coach can control the intensity by adjusting the 25 goal times.

Thanks, Stix.  You will be missed.

1000 yard Medley Relay Set

Posted on by rdwoodruff

Ryan Woodruff

Head Coach
Parkland Aquatic Club
ryan.d.woodruff@gmail.com
This set works well with up to six swimmers (two relay teams) in a lane. Divide your group into groups of two or three- try to make even teams to give everyone a good race. Have them race a 1000 (or whatever distance you choose) medley relay. If your teams have three people each, swimmers swim the strokes in regular medley relay order. If you have only two swimmers, leave out one of the strokes. This ensures that swimmers don’t swim the same strokes repeatedly. Swimmers complete a single 50 at a time…swimmer 1 does a 50 back, swimmer 2 does a 50 breast, etc. Use the starting blocks for some extra work climbing out of the pool every time, or just stay in the water and go from a push.