Tag: Woodruff

Team Challenge 50s

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

Our swimmers had been asking for a set where there was some sort of group incentive or group goal. I was happy to oblige with the set below (SCM).

The idea is this: we are doing 50s off the blocks until we score 400 points. Swimmers would score 1 point for the team if they beat their 1st 50 time for their best 200. 2 points were scored if they beat their 1st 50 time for their best 100. If they were able to beat the 1st 50 time for their GOAL time, they scored 3 points for the group.

Time goals were derived from the pace cards available on our Tools for Coaches page.

At random times in the set, we would do a 100 instead of a 50 with the stated goals.

As we started the set, I was concerned that it might take us a LONG time to get to the 400 goal. We got to 100 points relative ease, then to 200 it took a bit longer. As fatigue began to build (even with an ez 100 thrown in), the points started coming a bit more slowly, though the team stayed positive and supportive. After about 50 minutes and just shy of 300 points, I offered “get out swims” to 3 swimmers. We ended up with some phenomenal get-out swim 100s, and concluded the set. If I would do this set again, I might structure the points system slightly differently, but I was still pleased with the effort and the results we got.

Power Underwaters and Quality Fly

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

SCM. We did the 8 x 8 underwater kicks resisted with stretch cordz and SwimSmart Power Harnesses (which we reviewed here). The dolphin kicks were at high intensity. On the eighth repeat, we added 4 cycles of fast fly. The 25s, 50s, and 75s on this one went really well…the 3:1 ratio was just right for our group to do some real good fly while holding onto their rhythm and getting some recovery on the backstroke parts.

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IM Race Pace Transitions

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

This set was a challenging one for our crew… we had about 50% success with the 100s at P400IM. At the conclusion of this set, we took about 2:00 rest and then did a broken 200 IM. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

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Underwater Kick Set #37

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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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Excellent Fast 100s

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

2 x through:

6 x 100 all out from start

2 @ 5:00 (with a 100 ez)

2 @ 4:00 (with a 50 ez)

2 @ 3:00

200 easy swim

Swimmers had two options for strokes. They could either pick a stroke and stick with it for one round (6x100s). Alternatively, they could choose the “IM option,” doing all four strokes in IM order but tripling up on their best individual stroke.

This was a great set for us, with excellent esprit de corps and some pretty good results for early in the season.

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Rev that Breaststroke Engine

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

On days when we do what I call “quality sets” (generally fast swims off the blocks or race-pace swims from a push) I have noticed that our breaststrokers sometimes have difficulty getting up to full speed, even after a full warmup. This set was designed to get their engines going before today’s quality set.

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Descending Pyramid of 75s

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

The intervals on this set were based on best 100 times for whichever stroke was being performed. Swimmers whose best 100 time is under 1:00 Weedon the A interval,etc. In hindsight, the JMI (just make it) interval needed to be faster for our fastest freestylers. Our group did well on this set and was hitting some pretty good 75 times by the end.

Gotta Hit Those Walls

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

This set was originally published here in 2016

So much of performing good turns in short course fly and breaststroke swims comes from spacing the cycles out correctly.  The key is that swimmers hit the wall at the conclusion of a full cycle, and not on a short stroke or a long glide.  This set is simple but demands exactly that.

6 x 25 Breast @ :35 — Hit the wall correctly at specified cycle count or it doesn’t count (take :20 extra rest and then continue

100 ez free

6 x 25 Breast @ :30 — same instructions as above

100 ez free

6 x 25 Breast @ :25 — same instructions above.

100 ez free

200 Breast  odd 25s at min cycle count, even 25s 15m speed drill, 10m long and smooth strokes

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Freestyle Option and Choice Fartleks

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

SCY. We use the term “fartlek” to mean a continuous swim where we are changing speeds or instructions. In this set, we alternated a fartlek with a brief freestyle set. Swimmers were on either the more “distance-y” left side (milers) or the more middle distance-oriented right side. We came together for the 150s FPA (fastest possible average) at the end.

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“Almost Fast” Fly Set

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

The idea for this fly Set was to a good amount of “almost fast” fly on the 25s and then put together some good fast 100s. We incentivized the 100s and swam so well that we ended up doing only 1 each round (instead of 1,2,3). Some of the best fly we have done this early in the season!

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Quality 75s!

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

This was a good challenging set for us in our first SCY practice of the new season (We have been LCM for the first 3.5 weeks).

We did the odd 75s from a dive and the even ones from a push… the goal was to keep the even ones within the amount of time listed for each stroke relative to the odds.

The Swimming Wizard Blog is always looking for submissions. If your practice yesterday was a good one, tell us what you did: swimmingwizard@gmail.com

Vertical/Horizontal Breaststroke Set

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

Our breaststrokers enjoyed this one. The vertical kick was “eggbeater style.” In the 200, swimmers did 3kicks-1pull-2kicks-1pull-1kick-1pull where they focused on getting Distance per Stroke. The 6 x 50 with the squats was a great leg workout and we saw some pretty decent early-season times at the end.

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Product Review: Squeezeline, “The World’s First Streamline Sensor”

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

We recently tried a new innovative product from the folks at SwimSmart. It is called Squeezeline.

The Squeezeline is a small rubber-covered sensor that resembles a soft blue rubber pierogi in size and shape. It can be placed under a goggle strap or inside a swim cap so that when a swimmer streamlines tightly, the arm presses down on the sensor and creates an audible beep. This gives the swimmer feedback that they have “squeezed” the streamline well.

As a coach who has gone hoarse hollering “streamline!” at practice, this little device is a game-changer. Our age groupers tried it and liked it. Their feedback was that the beep was a little hard to hear when it was placed in a cap but was easier to hear when worn on the goggle strap.

It is important that the device be properly placed. If it is not directly between the arm and head, the pressure won’t trigger the beep. The Squeezeline works, though. The instant feedback it provides might be the exact thing that your absent-minded age groupers need to help them remember to do swimming’s most basic skill. My guess is that a few weeks of using this thing on a daily basis and a new lifelong habit of excellent streamlines will be in place.

Our club is going to buy a handful for our worst streamliners. Once we have new habits established, we will pass them along to the next ones who like to “Superman” off the walls. Thank you SwimSmart!