Tag: Woodruff

He has a great perspective on swimming

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

I had the privilege to listen to all-time great swimmer Aaron Peirsol speak to our Virginia Swimming athletes at our annual awards banquet yesterday.  His story is a compelling one, and I think many swimmers would benefit from hearing it.  I would highly recommend giving his podcast interview with former Stanford swimmer Rich Roll a listen.
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Backstroke Challenge Set for Underwater Kicking Habits

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
 

The purpose of this backstroke set is for athletes to challenge themselves to hold near race pace while performing an increasing number of dolphin kicks off each wall.  In this case, on the first round swimmers were aiming for a time within 3.0 seconds of their 200 race pace (as shown on their pace cards) while doing at least 6 kicks off each wall for each of the two 50s.  If they were successful at that, they tried to hit the same pace while doing 8 or more kicks.  Third round… 10 or more kicks. Continue until nobody in the group can hit that pace while doing that many kicks.  Swimmers who fail to hit the target pace with a specified number of kicks simply tried to hit that number of kicks again on the next round.  For a shorter more demanding set, lower the +3.0 time standard to something faster.
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Back and Breaststroke Set

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

Our swimmers seemed to really like this set.  One thing sets it apart from many of the sets we do — the interval.  Typically, I write a highly structured practice with everything tightly interval-controlled.  This set had every swim @ ~:20 rest.  This allowed the swimmers to feel less interval pressure and the freedom to just do a good job, pay attention to the clock, and challenge themselves rather than feeling dragged along by the set.

1st round backstroke, 2nd round breaststroke with changes to the drills so they were suitable for br.

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Backstroke, Free Pull, and Hypoxic Speed

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
 
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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.

Fly Fly Fly

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

This set is for SCY and involves a fair amount of fly.  It has been our experience that making 200 fly pace for a 50 is not super difficult.  This set pushes swimmers to go beyond that pace.  In this case, swimmers on the A interval were sub 1:53 200 yard flyers.

The Burpee Avoidance Set

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Ryan Woodruff, Lynchburg YMCA

We did this set this week when most of our swimmers were done competing for the season. A handful of swimmers still have Y Nationals ahead, and I wanted to keep everyone focused on hitting their race paces.

8 x 50 at P200 (with incentive)
#1-4 @ 1:00
#5-6 @ :50
#7-8 @ :40

For every 50 made successfully at P200, we took one rep off a planned set of 100 burpees in the dryland session that would follow.  With 13 swimmers in the pool (thus 104 total 50s), it was possible that we would have zero burpees to do.  The :50 and :40 intervals proved to be quite tough and we ended up doing 42 burpees.

 

Late Season Full Practice

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
 

This is a full practice.  Started of with some kicking and IM followed by some moderately challenging freestyle.  A small prep set leads into the main set which works around 200 race pace
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Kicking and IM Set
12 x 100
odds kick @ 2:00, 1:50, 1:40, 1:30, 1:30, 1:30
even swim IM @ 1:30, descend 1-3 and 4-6

Aerobic Freestyle Set
300 free @ 4:00 Goal: Beat 1/3 of your best 1,000 free time
5 x 100 free @ 1:20 descend to P500
600 free @ 8:00 Goal: Beat 2/3 of your best 1,000 free time
5 x 100 free @ 1:20 descend to P500
900 free @ 12:00 Goal: Beat your best 1,000 free time
5 x 100 free @ 1:20 descend to P500
300 EZ Backstroke swim

Prep Set for Pace 50s
12 x 25 @ :40
# 1 – sprint UW kicks and 1st 2 cycles
#2 – ”     ” and 1st 4 cycles
#3 –  ” ” and 1st 6 cycles
#4 – easy, minimum cycle count

Race Pace Set
30 x 50 @ 1:00
     1 at P200 +4
     1 at P200 +2
     1 at P200
     2 at P200 +4
     2 at P200 +2
     2 at P200
     3 at P200 +4
     3 at P200 +2
     3 at P200
     2 at P200 +4
     2 at P200 +2
     2 at P200
     1 at P200 +4
     1 at P200 +2
     1 at P200
     3 at P-1

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AFAP = As Fast As Possible

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
 

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BIG Broken Swims

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Ryan Woodruff

Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
We got some excellent efforts out of our kids with this one.
3 rounds:

Broken 400 IM or Broken 500 free
                +                                                 @ ~16:00
Easy 500 Free

400s were broken 25-50-75-100-75-50-25 with :10 seconds rest between swims
500s were broken 25-50-75-100-100-75-50-25 with :10 seconds rest between swims

Mile Pacers

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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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Racing and Pacing

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

We did this set recently on a day where I was looking for some fast-ish swimming without an extremely high stress value.  It seemed to do the trick.

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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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Fly Me To the Moon

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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!

SCM. This fly set seems long at first glance, but the concept is to swim fly in relatively short chunks to get a fair amount of rest and keep stroke integrity high.



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Early Taper Set

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Ryan Woodruff
 
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Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

This set is meant to help swimmers build confidence with some race pace work that is not extremely taxing coupled with good technique practice.
2 rounds of:
(Fins paddles and snorkels for 1st round, no equip for 2nd rd)
3 x 100s @ :10 rest
       25 kick on right side/25 kick on left side/50 catchup and over kick
3 x 75 @:10 rest Smooth free with 4+, 6+, 8 + dolphin kicks each 25

Main Set (2 rounds)
3 x 50 at P200 free @ 1:00, :50, :40 (timed to a foot touch, strive to be 8 or fewer cycles each 25)
200 easy @3:00
3 x 25 at P100 free @ :50,:40,:30 (timed to a foot touch, really work underwaters)
100 easy @ 2:00
1 x 50 all out from a dive, timed to hand
1 x 600 easy, take your time, do some bk and free, include some drill. No interval.

20 x 50 @ 1:00 swimming golf
Descend golf score 1-4 and then change strokes

6x 50s warm down set ( first one is sprint by 1/3s on :30 rest. Last 5 easy).

Have you read these books that can help make you a better 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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12 Books Every Swim Coach Should Read

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Ryan Woodruff

Reading books and articles from outside my areas of expertise have helped make me a better coach. Here are some of my favorite non-swimming books that I recommend you check out, in no particular order.

Note: All links in this article are Amazon affiliate links, meaning that clicking on the link for the book titles and purchasing the book will kick some loose change to the Swimming Wizard without costing you a penny extra.  Thank you for your support!

  1. Bowerman and the Men of Oregon by Kenny Moore. Bill Bowerman is to American distance running what Doc Counsilman is to American swimming; an innovator, a standard-setter, and a legend.  This book is written by a former runner of his and will inspire you to be a better coach.
  2. Make It Stick; The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown, Henry L Roediger III, Mark A. McDaniel. Ultimately, as coaches we are teachers. This book will improve your understanding of how to make the material you are teaching “stick” so that your athletes can effectively put it into practice.
  3. The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle. This book examines how to become a master coach by maximizing the development of the innate abilities of those under your instruction.  It really made me think about how I coach
  4. Inside-Out Coaching: How Sports Can Transform Lives by Joe Ehrmann. If you have ever doubted your purpose as a coach or questioned why do this in the first place, Ehrmann will transform your coaching by explaining how you can transform the lives of your athletes.  I have read this book at least 4 times and plan to read it again.  Should be required reading for anyone going into youth coaching.
  5. When Pride Still Mattered by David Maraniss. There is perhaps no bigger legend in American coaching than Vince Lombardi.  This tome peels back the layers to examine the complex man behind that legend.
  6. Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable by Tim Grover. An inspiring read from the personal trainer to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade. I am currently reading this book to my team, chapter by chapter. It will make you uncomfortable by challenging your notion of your capabilities . Read it to find out if you are a Cooler, a Closer or a Cleaner.
  7. Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman. For all who coach young women, this book will open your eyes to what it is like to be young and female.  Especially recommended if you have a daughter of your own.
  8. The Hard Hat; 21 Ways to Be a Great Teammate by Jon Gordon. Great teammates don’t just impact you today; they impact you for the rest of your life. Also recommended by Jon Gordon:
  9. You Win in the Locker Room First – 7 C’s to Building a Winning Team and
  10. The Energy Bus – 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy
  11. Wooden by John Wooden.  Who better for the Swimming Wizard to recommend than the Wizard of Westwood?
  12. Sacred Hoops by Phil Jackson.  I admired Jackson’s calmness on the sidelines through all of his success in the NBA. Great read for any coach who wants to be a better teacher, mentor, and person.

 

Butterfly Bonanza

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Ryan Woodruff

Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

I love our weekly Friday Fly Day sets.  Every week, the swimmers know to expect something that is going to make them better at everyone’s “favorite” stroke.

On the 200s, swimmers perform a set number of high-quality butterfly cycles and then swim freestyle to the next turn. The # of cycles progresses each 25 – i.e. our best flyers would do 5,6,7,8,5,6,7,8 cycles of fly on the successive 25s of the 200.

On the 25s, the focus is squarely on “finishing habits,” especially not breathing in the final 10m and hitting the wall on a full stroke.

The 100 serves as kicking practice with body awareness and giving the shoulders a rest from swimming fly.

Swimming Fast with Tired Legs

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Ryan Woodruff
 
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA

We don’t do a lot of kick sets in isolation as I don’t think it relates well to racing.  This is one example of a set where we combined some intense kicking with race-pace swimming.  We did this is a 25m pool. The 50 at 200 pace is significantly harder with fatigued legs, but this is an absolutely essential skill to swim a good 200 race. FPA = Fastest Possible Average
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Race Pace 50s the Hard Way

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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.

Wetland Challenge Set

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Ryan Woodruff
 
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We did this set last week to include a little dryland in a swimming set (wetland as we call it).  We got excellent efforts and all reported it to be a challenging set. SCM. Interval ended up being 8:00.  Swimmers could choose what order they wanted to do the dryland exercises.  For instance, they could do the 20 x squats w/ high kick after the 1st 100, the 5 burpees after the 2nd 100, the 15 frog jumps after the 3rd 100, etc.  They just had to complete all 4 dryland sets each time.  This led to some interesting strategy among our best swimmers, selecting their exercises to best compete with their teammates.

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Try This Set to Crush the Middle of Your IMs

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Ryan Woodruff
Head Coach
Lynchburg YMCA
  

The purpose of this set is to improve the middle of our IM races

First, a set to test backstroke speed/endurance

8 x 100 Backstroke –Fastest Possible Average (essentially a broken 800 with active recovery)
After #1 and #2: 75 ez free @ 1:30
After #3 and #4: 50 ez free @ 1:00
After #5 and #6: 25 ez free @ :30
After #7 :10 rest

Record average 100 time

300 easy recovery

Repeat the 8 x 100s breaststroke, record times, go 300 easy.

Follow-up Challenge:
Timed 200 (100 back/100 breast) with the goal being to match the total of the backstroke pace and the breaststroke pace times. We got some excellent efforts and some really outstanding performances.

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