PURE PERFORMANCE | SWIM
BY MATT DYMOND
It is common to see athletes break for too long over the winter or even stop training , but this is your chance to make some major and minor changes to your swimming and not lose fitness . This is the time to grab this opportunity and leap frog your competitors ready for the start of the season . Here are six tips to get you focused for this crucial period :
1 ) Squad Swimming Search your area for a swim squad and get signed up . There are so many advantages of swimming in a squad such as :
• Getting faster
• Meet new athletes ( triathletes often train alone )
• Improve your swim technique
• Competitive racing
• Coaching and accountability ( not wanting to let your coach down )
2 ) Set Goals At the start of the winter log your PBs for 100m , 200m , 400m and 1km then retest on an eight-week cycle ( note that you should not do all time trials on the same session ). You can also log your initial stroke by video and refilm on a four-week cycle , especially at the end of a drill set .
3 ) Consistency Plan your weekly sessions and stick to it . Any pro and coach will tell you that the most important pathway to improving is consistency . Massive tip : find an indoor 50m pool that ’ s heated – no blaming the cold water !
4 ) Swim Distance With all the summer training and racing , often the big sets get missed . Plot these on your schedule and gradually build up the distance . You will find that some of the top athletes are swimming 4-5km in a session . This can be structured with different strokes , and drill and technique sets within the session .
top of the other out the front of their stroke and doesn ’ t move the other hand until it touches , repeat . This teaches and reinforces long stroke and entry into the water at the body ’ s midline and bilateral breathing .
• Finger trails : as you pull under the water and begin to bring your arm back up drag your fingers along the top of the water as you return your hand to the start of the stroke position . This helps improve awareness of your arm position , feel for the water and achieving a longer stroke .
• Chicken wings : at the completion of your freestyle stroke push your thumb into the side of your body and drag it all the way up to your armpit before completing your reach . You ’ ll notice that your elbow will be higher allowing you to get a longer reach and a cleaner entry .
• Water polo : swim head up with chin on the surface at 90 degrees , head still breathing normally . The key here is to keep your head still and breath consistently .
6 ) Swim Aids Invest in some swim aids as this will give your stroke the edge to improve strength and technique .
• Ankle bands : these bands stop your legs kicking , helping you improve on your stroke , your catch , your pull and strength . Tip , this takes time to master so persevere . First timers should use a pull buoy too .
• Pull buoy and paddles : this improves arm strength with increased resistance in the water . Lower your stroke speed to improve the smoothness . This is similar to rowing , if the oar is in the wrong spot it pulls back quickly – same principal .
• Fins : these are great for increasing your stroke rate and body position . You ’ ll notice that it takes the pressure off your shoulders allowing you to focus more on your stroke .
I hope these tips have helped you and you have a great winter of swimming , which will mean a fast start to the 2017-18 triathlon season .
5 ) Drills Here ’ s a few drills that you can add in :
• Catch up : freestyle drill where the swimmer places one hand on
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