Dear Team Sapphire!
Glad to see people improving, and also glad to always be able to surprise you with something you can't do (very well) as and when some of us think we've master it all already! haha.. am glad to have ARVIND to join the group.
He's one of the few guys who is lightning fast, but still damn damn damn humble, and after the dinner, we (those that were there) found him to be extremely knowledgable! Guys, if you got questions, SHOOT HIM! :D
Otherwise, i'm sure we're all very happy to have you on board! Lets chat more over dinner again soon (endless knowledge to share!).
Before we go to the next dinner time, here's the training focal point tonite for those who were not there to read, and for those who were there to revise!
Training:
500 (alt 50s of fist swim/normal)
500 (mod with 1,3,5,7,9 pull(s)/breathe)
3x100 (50 right only, 50 left only)
2x100 (3 pulls/breathe, alt right and left breathing)
Basically, tonight's kind of a chill night. As you can see the training is all on breathing properly on both sides. And also able to feel confident taking a few strokes without taking in breathes. Why is that impt?
1) Waves don't come in one direction only.
If you can only breathe on your right, and the wave is hitting you from the right then siao liao lor...
2) More often than not when you're doing a left-turn-based swim, it helps just SO much to be able to see the shore when you're breathing. And breathing on your right, you'd see the endless sea... Unless you like that feeling. :D
3) When swimming in choppy situations, it'll be very beneficial to have confidence that you can do a few more than 3 strokes without taking a breathe to sprint out of that choppy situation before continuing to take in breathes.
E.G: Race starts/super big waves (rain/other places than in sg).
All the above are REAL race situations that you can be facing. So it is better that you can get that left side breathing nailed sooner than later.
--------------------------------------------
Tips on breathing on left hand side.
1) Learn from your right hand side.
- Really. Do your right hand side in slow motion, then pick up every single point in time when any part moves.
- Check when did body start turning when you initiate the pull. Pull first, or rotation first?
- When did your head turn? At which point in time Specifically?
2) Breathe EARLIER in the pull. Once you get into the catch, your face should be out of water and taking in breathe (or finish your breathe liao even better).
3) Finish your inhalation, then you finish your push.
4) Do NOT lift your head. Rotate your face from face down to face side/diagonally up (towards the ceiling)
5) When you breathe on your side, there should a one beat kick that stabilize your body on the side. When you do 1 side only swim (all right/all left for 50m), it is advisable to do 3 beat kicks/pull.
Work on the above, then come back and nag at me if improvements doesn't come.
-----------------------------------
For Ernest, Calvin, TeckBeng and Ken, Thank you for your time for coming down to practice earlier. I've pointed out some of the most common mistakes that I've seen you guys done for a long time (not ken perhaps).
Calvin's hands are still way too high on the surface, thats why the sinking hips when doing one side swim.
Ernest got the momentum going on the right but the left side still very controlled. Try to let loose a little whilst remembering to glide and even more importantly, press the chest down.
Teckbeng, as spoken, do the speedwork I taught you.. feedback and we'll see.
Ken, remember to slow down your non breathing side's catch phase a little in the pull to prevent dropped elbow.
All of you, remember to keep the hands deeper and stretching. Pressing the chest down is a must, driving the hips down on each side is a very very critical phase to swimming fast.
For Sam, please try to breathe earlier.. And, its time to swim a little faster!!! Try to feel the burn in the arms and lats a little bit... i'm sure once you get out of comfort zone, you should be easily doing 1:55 for your 100s.
For Arvind and Marianne , I hope to see you guys kick a little more (3 beat kick per pull) when we're doing repetition sets of 100 or even 200s! If you don't put it into practice and get past that "weird" phase, it'll never come to you at all!
For Bryan, Brenda and Hong Jun, I see that your stamina has improved SO MUCH ALREADY! goodness gracious.. give yourself a pat on the shoulder.. Since your strokes is learnt purely from scratch, don't have to worry about it deteoriating. Plus, we still have the normal lesson for me to help you out. I'm very sure you'll do very very well for the swim leg in the mini sprint!
Also, next time dinner time, can you all sit with us please??? don't be paiseh la!!!! I only found out when we were leaving! goodness.. Swimming that time also don't swim sooo far away can? Can't even see if you're back already!
Bryan, please don't try to push past injuries/blisters... its just Not worth it.. trust me, i've been there done that.. and end up i had to rest for weeks... then all stamina drop and back to square one... not worth it at all...
Aaron, Can you please DON'T STAND UP AND WALK...?? :Ppp its not water aerobic la!!!! Your swim improved heaps since last sunday i met you! The left side is a very very common problem.. you just hve to bury your head and grind out the rotation from the hips!
Last but not least, Vincent, Great swim, great stroke rate. The only complain I have for you is when you're gliding, the arm that just finished pulling isn't relax leh.. Its like damn tensed up when its on your body side! Can you try to do more relaxation practice? Like imagine you're Jelly soft? The reason is if you're so tensed up when gliding, then it isn't a rest phase liao right? :)
That's all from the nagging old man for now.
Hope you guys enjoyed!
Cheers
KK~
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Mileage
Warmup: 300
Main set:
5 x 100
4 x 50
3 x 100
2 x 50
1 x 100
Cooldown: 200 breast
Total: 1700m.
Mine:
W/U 5x200 S,K,P,K,S
5 x 100
4 x 50
3 x 100
2 x 50
1 x 100
C/D 200 breast
2500m
If Yiyang's suggestion can occur, it'd be great. I'm waitin for sam to close that class of hers too. :p
Cheers
KK
Main set:
5 x 100
4 x 50
3 x 100
2 x 50
1 x 100
Cooldown: 200 breast
Total: 1700m.
Mine:
W/U 5x200 S,K,P,K,S
5 x 100
4 x 50
3 x 100
2 x 50
1 x 100
C/D 200 breast
2500m
If Yiyang's suggestion can occur, it'd be great. I'm waitin for sam to close that class of hers too. :p
Cheers
KK
Swim Squad 16062010
Dear all,
A list of our team members as of now.
KK
KH
Vincent
Calvin
Sam
Gen
Marianne
Ryan
KianMing
Aaron
Ken
Brenda
Bryan
HongJun
Wilson
Lawlaw
James
Teck Beng
Ernest
Andy
Robert
Pauline
Leon
Chang Jie
Jia Wei
Yi yang?
Lovely. :)
Before I start nagging... let me address Ernest, Aaron, Andy, KH, Ken, Bryan, Brenda and Hong Jun...
I understand that the training was really painful, and really really drowning at some times... Wave, splashes, pain in the shoulders, arms, feel like can't breathe anymore, feels like the pool's gonna overwhelm and engulf you completely at times... etc..
Because... I FELT THEM ALL! and I still feel them now when I race. :)
But the MAIN point is, you guys are still breathing, walking, and reading this post as per normal isn't it?
I believe to some of us, the overcoming of the pain in the training is what keeps us coming back for more.. but I know there're some of us who are reserve enough to just be a couch potato and have that "why torture yourself?" kind of mentality.. It is just different kind of mentality for different individuals...
However, despite the differences in individuality, we're All here for the training on wednesday, and we smile, laugh, complain, kao bei kao bu to me ALTOGETHER! Fun? :)
Most of all, I am very very proud of the new comers that stemmed since Andy and Ernest... It was not easy even til now because the team has started for some time already and it is definitely hard playing catch up in a technique based game when the coach couldn't give personal attention as and when he wants to. It is very very different as to cycling whereby you join a group and just wack.. when you wack hard enough, some day, you'll be in the mid pack, and then continue wacking for another few months or a yr and you might be in the front pack already...
In swimming, if your technique is not there, then you won't ever be in the front pack at all even if you can do 50kg dumbbell curls a hundred times cos of the wacking in the pool.
Brenda, Bryan and Hong Jun, everyone was all praise for you, and I am very very proud that you guys not only stood up to the challenge but endured the sets that I as an adult found difficulty doing. That, we applaud for you. Keep it coming! :)
-------------------------------
Now, check the timing... Courtesy of...
Marianne for timing us and recording the timing. Its Tough Job! :)
Sam for typing out the timing
Myself for correcting typo errs and putting it into a orange color format. :P
There are some timing that are not recorded because it was tough managing 14 ppl and still having to write them down and start us. Marianne has done a great great job. Thank her. :)
-------------------------------
From timing, we can see of course the moderate swim has turned race pace. Right side controlled by me and vincent and left side probably pushed hard by brenda who don't really know how to pace yet.
I got a couple of points to share.
1) Exertion when swimming in a group.
For new comers swimming in a group, it is vital that you take the first 4 to 8 sessions to know how well you can pace at what type of exertion. DO NOT blindly follow the lead of another swimmer unless you know you can pace him well and finish the whole thing at a reasonable timing at the last set.
A typical example is a track session between me and wilson. He is a 27 mins+ 5km runner and his 400m is about consistent when 1:45 for 6x400. However, on the first session, he shadowed me on my 1:27 400m and then died the rest of the 5x400.
Having 6 x 1:45 of 400 is better than having 1:30 for the first one then doing 1:50 for the rest. Reason?
Speed work is 50% muscular exertion, 50% techniques.
It is the synergy between the perfect execution of the specific(technique) muscle fibres firing at the same time (power).
When you went all out during the first set, it causes the muscles to prematurely fatigue itself and then? you're forced to practice BAD technique AT RACE PACE. How does that sound to you?
If you're confused, let me give another example of WHAT YOU SHOULD DO AND SHOULD NOT DO.
Imagine if I were to have a 10x100m swim on 2:10 with Michael Phelps.
My 10x100m is probably about 1:48?
Michael Phelps is probably doing 1:10 or way lesser?
So if I were to go after him STRONG for the first set and I did a PB of 1:20 because I was chasing him... then the rest of the 9x100 for me would then become 2:10 or more because of muscle fatigue which leads directly to technique breakdown.
So what should I do?
Take note, the swim set is 10x100 on 2:10.
Meaning no matter how fast or slow you swim, as long as you're under 2:10 then you have rest.
I will still do 1:45 pace for myself if i want to do harder but I won't even touch 1:38 on a 10x100.
As per mentioned by my shifu Mr Chan, training is different from Racing/Competition/Actual Use of the functions.
In training, you train not only muscular exertion/force but you MUST train the brain and neuromuscular conditioning too. If you don't train your brain to control the muscles and activate them in the correct sequence, then the technique wouldn't be successful then it'd be wasted exertion.
For those who has trained finesse as strenously as I did for yrs, especially musicians, you'd have notice that when you put in SOOO much drills and part by part practice, on the performance day, the execution will most of the time be near Perfect unless dulled by anxiety and/or nervousness.
-------------------------------------
Last but not least, try not to draft another person in training. Unless it is a race pace and beyond training (peaking for race), then you can try to have an "active rest" by drafting another person for a lap or two.
However, do take impt note that on actual race day, your result will greatly differ if you don't have the draft. It can also be very detrimental to mental strength in race day if you couldn't catch up for draft at all.
Same goes for biking. Which is why I am still distancing myself from huge group rides unless I'm really dead bored or need a shock in my training for my body.
For my thursday rides, I usually ride according to my own HR, maintaining a certain speed thru out... if I lead, good, else I'd just fall far back and ride on my own to prevent drafting situation.
--------------------------------------
That'd be all for now!
Cheers
KK
PS - Extra training for The following ppl on Next wednesday 7.15PM SHARP.
Teck beng (optional, i can share with you how to swim a little faster).
Lawrence (optional, i can help you out one to one with the arm pull - Sam and i both felt you're still pulling way across center).
Ernest (Body is snaking and you don't have yet a sense of body position in water)
Andy (Too stiff, you need to learn how to relax in a stroke. Its not just doing it properly, you have to do it with Minimal amount of force and maintain a really straight body and still feel jelly like soft. Head coming up too high when breathing, body sinking with each stroke. Entry should starts index and. middle fingertip first, not pinky first. When you're gliding, you're putting too much pressure on whole body.. I could see the whole body tense up and sinks when I pass you.)
Aaron (Why keep walking? You were doing ok! QUIT SMOKING~~~~ :D Your core is not strong enough to keep your legs afloat.. need to practice drills and do more planks. Read up on my previous posts for Wilson)
Ken (Body posture wrong. Swim technique isn't there yet.. Kindly read up about my previous posts for Wilson)
KH (You're doing fine, your timing shows consistency. What you lack is more training and more time spent in water. You felt weird because its been long time since you last swam... One swim per week just doesn't cut it if you want to improve heaps and bounds.)
Please inform BY EARLY MORNING if anyone of you cannot make it.
THANKS!
A list of our team members as of now.
KK
KH
Vincent
Calvin
Sam
Gen
Marianne
Ryan
KianMing
Aaron
Ken
Brenda
Bryan
HongJun
Wilson
Lawlaw
James
Teck Beng
Ernest
Andy
Robert
Pauline
Leon
Chang Jie
Jia Wei
Yi yang?
Lovely. :)
Before I start nagging... let me address Ernest, Aaron, Andy, KH, Ken, Bryan, Brenda and Hong Jun...
I understand that the training was really painful, and really really drowning at some times... Wave, splashes, pain in the shoulders, arms, feel like can't breathe anymore, feels like the pool's gonna overwhelm and engulf you completely at times... etc..
Because... I FELT THEM ALL! and I still feel them now when I race. :)
But the MAIN point is, you guys are still breathing, walking, and reading this post as per normal isn't it?
I believe to some of us, the overcoming of the pain in the training is what keeps us coming back for more.. but I know there're some of us who are reserve enough to just be a couch potato and have that "why torture yourself?" kind of mentality.. It is just different kind of mentality for different individuals...
However, despite the differences in individuality, we're All here for the training on wednesday, and we smile, laugh, complain, kao bei kao bu to me ALTOGETHER! Fun? :)
Most of all, I am very very proud of the new comers that stemmed since Andy and Ernest... It was not easy even til now because the team has started for some time already and it is definitely hard playing catch up in a technique based game when the coach couldn't give personal attention as and when he wants to. It is very very different as to cycling whereby you join a group and just wack.. when you wack hard enough, some day, you'll be in the mid pack, and then continue wacking for another few months or a yr and you might be in the front pack already...
In swimming, if your technique is not there, then you won't ever be in the front pack at all even if you can do 50kg dumbbell curls a hundred times cos of the wacking in the pool.
Brenda, Bryan and Hong Jun, everyone was all praise for you, and I am very very proud that you guys not only stood up to the challenge but endured the sets that I as an adult found difficulty doing. That, we applaud for you. Keep it coming! :)
-------------------------------
Now, check the timing... Courtesy of...
Marianne for timing us and recording the timing. Its Tough Job! :)
Sam for typing out the timing
Myself for correcting typo errs and putting it into a orange color format. :P
There are some timing that are not recorded because it was tough managing 14 ppl and still having to write them down and start us. Marianne has done a great great job. Thank her. :)
-------------------------------
From timing, we can see of course the moderate swim has turned race pace. Right side controlled by me and vincent and left side probably pushed hard by brenda who don't really know how to pace yet.
I got a couple of points to share.
1) Exertion when swimming in a group.
For new comers swimming in a group, it is vital that you take the first 4 to 8 sessions to know how well you can pace at what type of exertion. DO NOT blindly follow the lead of another swimmer unless you know you can pace him well and finish the whole thing at a reasonable timing at the last set.
A typical example is a track session between me and wilson. He is a 27 mins+ 5km runner and his 400m is about consistent when 1:45 for 6x400. However, on the first session, he shadowed me on my 1:27 400m and then died the rest of the 5x400.
Having 6 x 1:45 of 400 is better than having 1:30 for the first one then doing 1:50 for the rest. Reason?
Speed work is 50% muscular exertion, 50% techniques.
It is the synergy between the perfect execution of the specific(technique) muscle fibres firing at the same time (power).
When you went all out during the first set, it causes the muscles to prematurely fatigue itself and then? you're forced to practice BAD technique AT RACE PACE. How does that sound to you?
If you're confused, let me give another example of WHAT YOU SHOULD DO AND SHOULD NOT DO.
Imagine if I were to have a 10x100m swim on 2:10 with Michael Phelps.
My 10x100m is probably about 1:48?
Michael Phelps is probably doing 1:10 or way lesser?
So if I were to go after him STRONG for the first set and I did a PB of 1:20 because I was chasing him... then the rest of the 9x100 for me would then become 2:10 or more because of muscle fatigue which leads directly to technique breakdown.
So what should I do?
Take note, the swim set is 10x100 on 2:10.
Meaning no matter how fast or slow you swim, as long as you're under 2:10 then you have rest.
I will still do 1:45 pace for myself if i want to do harder but I won't even touch 1:38 on a 10x100.
As per mentioned by my shifu Mr Chan, training is different from Racing/Competition/Actual Use of the functions.
In training, you train not only muscular exertion/force but you MUST train the brain and neuromuscular conditioning too. If you don't train your brain to control the muscles and activate them in the correct sequence, then the technique wouldn't be successful then it'd be wasted exertion.
For those who has trained finesse as strenously as I did for yrs, especially musicians, you'd have notice that when you put in SOOO much drills and part by part practice, on the performance day, the execution will most of the time be near Perfect unless dulled by anxiety and/or nervousness.
-------------------------------------
Last but not least, try not to draft another person in training. Unless it is a race pace and beyond training (peaking for race), then you can try to have an "active rest" by drafting another person for a lap or two.
However, do take impt note that on actual race day, your result will greatly differ if you don't have the draft. It can also be very detrimental to mental strength in race day if you couldn't catch up for draft at all.
Same goes for biking. Which is why I am still distancing myself from huge group rides unless I'm really dead bored or need a shock in my training for my body.
For my thursday rides, I usually ride according to my own HR, maintaining a certain speed thru out... if I lead, good, else I'd just fall far back and ride on my own to prevent drafting situation.
--------------------------------------
That'd be all for now!
Cheers
KK
PS - Extra training for The following ppl on Next wednesday 7.15PM SHARP.
Teck beng (optional, i can share with you how to swim a little faster).
Lawrence (optional, i can help you out one to one with the arm pull - Sam and i both felt you're still pulling way across center).
Ernest (Body is snaking and you don't have yet a sense of body position in water)
Andy (Too stiff, you need to learn how to relax in a stroke. Its not just doing it properly, you have to do it with Minimal amount of force and maintain a really straight body and still feel jelly like soft. Head coming up too high when breathing, body sinking with each stroke. Entry should starts index and. middle fingertip first, not pinky first. When you're gliding, you're putting too much pressure on whole body.. I could see the whole body tense up and sinks when I pass you.)
Aaron (Why keep walking? You were doing ok! QUIT SMOKING~~~~ :D Your core is not strong enough to keep your legs afloat.. need to practice drills and do more planks. Read up on my previous posts for Wilson)
Ken (Body posture wrong. Swim technique isn't there yet.. Kindly read up about my previous posts for Wilson)
KH (You're doing fine, your timing shows consistency. What you lack is more training and more time spent in water. You felt weird because its been long time since you last swam... One swim per week just doesn't cut it if you want to improve heaps and bounds.)
Please inform BY EARLY MORNING if anyone of you cannot make it.
THANKS!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
SWIM SQUAD 100610
Dear all,
Before I carry on with the blog. Can you please comment now on this entry before reading any further, the following:
- Your upcoming race you're training for.
- The distance.
- Your goal of the race.
I am serious in implementing a bike session on Monday evening at 9pm, starting from sam's place. So can you also mention if you're keen. I am looking for a committed biking session. Not once in a while kind of thing. Don't worry about speed, you survived swimming with me, so you'd survive the biking too.
For the uber bikers in our team, I'm gonna keep this for the ppl averaging below 33kph for 20km TT. So kindly excuse yourself. :)
Thanks!
------------------------------------------------------------------
So for tonight's training, we had Bryan, Hongjun and Brenda. First timers in the training and I thought they followed REALLY well. Compared to some of us like wilson and andy (NO OFFENCE! JUST NEED SOME EXAMPLES, COFFEE ON ME NEXT TIME. :p) who almost died in the first session when they came... I think they deserve a round of applause. :)
*APPLAUSEEE*****
Okay, so we got some focal points in the training to talk about.
1) A small change in the pull.
2) Mimicing/stroke for stroke training
3) Base Mileage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A small change in the pull
This results in a slightly faster turnover and a very minute stroke rate increment. In return, you receive vast drop in timing.
Previous:
Pulling stop when arm is fully straightened and thumb pass mid thigh, and the palm facing back.
Now:
Pull ends once forearm and palm is facing back, around slightly pass hips.
What happens after the change?
- The last part of the previous pull, meaning the straightening of the forearm past the hips is really pushing the water upwards and thus driving you downwards. Erase that and you erase drag.
What to take note?
i) You still glide and reach forward. THIS IS CRITICAL. If you do it correctly, the stroke rate should increase at MAX 5 to 10%. If you don't stretch and reach forward with the forearm as you shorten the pull as per told, you'd be doing really high turn over with no emphasis on forward movement of the body through the body.
ii) As the stroke rate increases, you'd feel the need to re-coordinate your breathing again. Make sure you still stay in the water as much as you can and exhaling once you are in. The increase in stroke rate means you need a slightly quicker turn of head and inhalation. That's all.
To learn to do the breathing properly, do the shortened arm stroke but Slow Mo like how I demonstrated and you'd be able to figure out exactly where you need to turn and breathe.
iii) Effort should still remain the same as the previous pull, the increase in stroke count is only very minor, curb the feeling to pull faster and faster, make sure YOU ARE PHYSICALLY MOVING THROUGH THE WATER ALL THE TIME as you move your arm!
iv) There's alot more point but I'm gonna put this as the last one.
Instead of gliding as far as you can, you need to change this to just extending the forearm, then starting the next pull as soon as your body starts to slow down. How to know? look at the floor lor....
Mimicing/stroke for stroke training
So far, I've never read in any book this drill exist but I personally find this to be extremely helpful especially in a race situation.
Revision:
This training requires 2 or more swimmers of about the same speed and stroke integrity.
Choose one swimmer to be "leader".
All swimmers start together and once the leader starts pulling, the rest will follow.
ALL swimmers will try to follow Stroke for Stroke and try to reach the wall at the same time or faster.
Key point is the stroke count can only be Equal OR Lesser, the time taken by the follower can only be Equal OR Faster.
What does this training achieve?
When done at a moderate intensity, one is able to think about the stroke quality of his own and increase effort in the pulling while CONSCIOUSLY maintaining the stroke count to be the same as his opponent/team mate.
I personally find that when you're able to do this at race pace, you will find it easier to accomplish one important thing:
1) Pacing yourself off your opponent and having that mental edge once the competitor slows down.
I had this feelings not once but many times when I swam with someone of about the same standard. All I did is match his stroke rate at the start of the swim and go as fast as he is doing but at a very controlled manner. As all racers know, leading is more stressful than following. At some point, he'd want to increase his stroke rate to go faster than you even if just a little bit. At that moment, I'd purposely Maintain my stroke count, and glide further & faster to match his velocity. At end of one lap, I'd have done lesser work quantitatively and when I turn around, I'd be able to sprint pass him easily.
This is because usually when you increase the stroke rate to get faster just by a bit, the water returns your favour by giving you cubic times more resistant and thus you fatigue MUCH more.
Taking the last 100m for me and vincent for example, clearly anaerobically he was stronger than me and thus he was able to withstand increasing the stroke rate by about 20% once pass 1st 25m. I kept my stroke rate low and matched his speed until the 50m, when we turn around, I matched his speed for another half a lap but at a maintained stroke count, and he sped off about 3 meters in front of me with an even higher stroke rate whilst I retained my stroke rate to finish 4 seconds behind him.
1 minute after I reached, his heart rate was still sky high and mine returned to normal within the next minute. Aerobic and anaerobic fitness wise, he's definitely way above me (his 10km run is 46m, mine was 52m.) and thus the ability to sustain the high stroke rate for 75m. If that was the end of the race, it'd be really good for him, but if it was the start of the race, going into the bike leg, then I'd think having the lower heart rate but losing by 4 seconds is well worth letting the swim leg go..
This is a classic example of crazy increase in effort but small time gain in swim.
Base Mileage/Basic and General Endurance
For new comers and those who never had a strong swimming background...
Just as for running and cycling, in order to swim fast you will need a base of swimming mileage to build on.
There is a reason why the earlier a sportsmen starts, the better.
Compare a 20 years old who starts 4 yrs ago, and another 20 years old swimmer who starts at 4 yrs old.
Everyday, they swim 50 laps (swimmers log more than this, but for easy counting..). 6 days a week.
One year we swam 364.25 x 6 x 50 = 109275 laps.
so for the one who starts 4 yrs back, he'd have logged: 109275 x 4 = 437100 laps
The one who started at 4 yrs old, he'd have logged: 109275 x 16 = 1748400 laps
1.3million more laps.
Lets not talk about speed work but just moderate swim.. Can you imagine how much stronger that swimmer who starts at 4yrs old will be compared to the one who started 4 yrs back? Now, that is a very very solid base mileage to build speed on because he can probably go on and on and on forever in the pool by age 20 if he trains consistently even if its just at 50laps a day and moderate speed work. It is of course a very very exaggerated piece of demo but it displays very clearly the point i'm putting through.
It is the same theory as when you first started running 2.4km, you felt like it was a really shitty run... Then as you stick to it, you could run further... and as you run further and more frequently, you'd feel stronger in your run naturally!
I believe I've touched defining endurance somewhere in the blog but I forgot which post alrdy.
National Strength and Conditioning Association defines Endurance as ability of muscles to repeat submaximal contractions without fatigue.
In order to build muscular endurance, swim/bike/running til vomit kind of speed work is not needed, but repeated submaximal (I.E easy to moderate effort) effort work is needed.
Once again thank you guys for your time and also great job done in the training. Send me your timing and I'll gladly post them up. :)
I hope all of you are seeing improvements steadily!!!
Before ending, my WARMEST WELCOME Bryan, Brenda, Hongjun, Yiyang, Aaron to the team!!!! :)
Cheers
KK
Before I carry on with the blog. Can you please comment now on this entry before reading any further, the following:
- Your upcoming race you're training for.
- The distance.
- Your goal of the race.
I am serious in implementing a bike session on Monday evening at 9pm, starting from sam's place. So can you also mention if you're keen. I am looking for a committed biking session. Not once in a while kind of thing. Don't worry about speed, you survived swimming with me, so you'd survive the biking too.
For the uber bikers in our team, I'm gonna keep this for the ppl averaging below 33kph for 20km TT. So kindly excuse yourself. :)
Thanks!
------------------------------------------------------------------
So for tonight's training, we had Bryan, Hongjun and Brenda. First timers in the training and I thought they followed REALLY well. Compared to some of us like wilson and andy (NO OFFENCE! JUST NEED SOME EXAMPLES, COFFEE ON ME NEXT TIME. :p) who almost died in the first session when they came... I think they deserve a round of applause. :)
*APPLAUSEEE*****
Okay, so we got some focal points in the training to talk about.
1) A small change in the pull.
2) Mimicing/stroke for stroke training
3) Base Mileage
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A small change in the pull
This results in a slightly faster turnover and a very minute stroke rate increment. In return, you receive vast drop in timing.
Previous:
Pulling stop when arm is fully straightened and thumb pass mid thigh, and the palm facing back.
Now:
Pull ends once forearm and palm is facing back, around slightly pass hips.
What happens after the change?
- The last part of the previous pull, meaning the straightening of the forearm past the hips is really pushing the water upwards and thus driving you downwards. Erase that and you erase drag.
What to take note?
i) You still glide and reach forward. THIS IS CRITICAL. If you do it correctly, the stroke rate should increase at MAX 5 to 10%. If you don't stretch and reach forward with the forearm as you shorten the pull as per told, you'd be doing really high turn over with no emphasis on forward movement of the body through the body.
ii) As the stroke rate increases, you'd feel the need to re-coordinate your breathing again. Make sure you still stay in the water as much as you can and exhaling once you are in. The increase in stroke rate means you need a slightly quicker turn of head and inhalation. That's all.
To learn to do the breathing properly, do the shortened arm stroke but Slow Mo like how I demonstrated and you'd be able to figure out exactly where you need to turn and breathe.
iii) Effort should still remain the same as the previous pull, the increase in stroke count is only very minor, curb the feeling to pull faster and faster, make sure YOU ARE PHYSICALLY MOVING THROUGH THE WATER ALL THE TIME as you move your arm!
iv) There's alot more point but I'm gonna put this as the last one.
Instead of gliding as far as you can, you need to change this to just extending the forearm, then starting the next pull as soon as your body starts to slow down. How to know? look at the floor lor....
Mimicing/stroke for stroke training
So far, I've never read in any book this drill exist but I personally find this to be extremely helpful especially in a race situation.
Revision:
This training requires 2 or more swimmers of about the same speed and stroke integrity.
Choose one swimmer to be "leader".
All swimmers start together and once the leader starts pulling, the rest will follow.
ALL swimmers will try to follow Stroke for Stroke and try to reach the wall at the same time or faster.
Key point is the stroke count can only be Equal OR Lesser, the time taken by the follower can only be Equal OR Faster.
What does this training achieve?
When done at a moderate intensity, one is able to think about the stroke quality of his own and increase effort in the pulling while CONSCIOUSLY maintaining the stroke count to be the same as his opponent/team mate.
I personally find that when you're able to do this at race pace, you will find it easier to accomplish one important thing:
1) Pacing yourself off your opponent and having that mental edge once the competitor slows down.
I had this feelings not once but many times when I swam with someone of about the same standard. All I did is match his stroke rate at the start of the swim and go as fast as he is doing but at a very controlled manner. As all racers know, leading is more stressful than following. At some point, he'd want to increase his stroke rate to go faster than you even if just a little bit. At that moment, I'd purposely Maintain my stroke count, and glide further & faster to match his velocity. At end of one lap, I'd have done lesser work quantitatively and when I turn around, I'd be able to sprint pass him easily.
This is because usually when you increase the stroke rate to get faster just by a bit, the water returns your favour by giving you cubic times more resistant and thus you fatigue MUCH more.
Taking the last 100m for me and vincent for example, clearly anaerobically he was stronger than me and thus he was able to withstand increasing the stroke rate by about 20% once pass 1st 25m. I kept my stroke rate low and matched his speed until the 50m, when we turn around, I matched his speed for another half a lap but at a maintained stroke count, and he sped off about 3 meters in front of me with an even higher stroke rate whilst I retained my stroke rate to finish 4 seconds behind him.
1 minute after I reached, his heart rate was still sky high and mine returned to normal within the next minute. Aerobic and anaerobic fitness wise, he's definitely way above me (his 10km run is 46m, mine was 52m.) and thus the ability to sustain the high stroke rate for 75m. If that was the end of the race, it'd be really good for him, but if it was the start of the race, going into the bike leg, then I'd think having the lower heart rate but losing by 4 seconds is well worth letting the swim leg go..
This is a classic example of crazy increase in effort but small time gain in swim.
Base Mileage/Basic and General Endurance
For new comers and those who never had a strong swimming background...
Just as for running and cycling, in order to swim fast you will need a base of swimming mileage to build on.
There is a reason why the earlier a sportsmen starts, the better.
Compare a 20 years old who starts 4 yrs ago, and another 20 years old swimmer who starts at 4 yrs old.
Everyday, they swim 50 laps (swimmers log more than this, but for easy counting..). 6 days a week.
One year we swam 364.25 x 6 x 50 = 109275 laps.
so for the one who starts 4 yrs back, he'd have logged: 109275 x 4 = 437100 laps
The one who started at 4 yrs old, he'd have logged: 109275 x 16 = 1748400 laps
1.3million more laps.
Lets not talk about speed work but just moderate swim.. Can you imagine how much stronger that swimmer who starts at 4yrs old will be compared to the one who started 4 yrs back? Now, that is a very very solid base mileage to build speed on because he can probably go on and on and on forever in the pool by age 20 if he trains consistently even if its just at 50laps a day and moderate speed work. It is of course a very very exaggerated piece of demo but it displays very clearly the point i'm putting through.
It is the same theory as when you first started running 2.4km, you felt like it was a really shitty run... Then as you stick to it, you could run further... and as you run further and more frequently, you'd feel stronger in your run naturally!
I believe I've touched defining endurance somewhere in the blog but I forgot which post alrdy.
National Strength and Conditioning Association defines Endurance as ability of muscles to repeat submaximal contractions without fatigue.
In order to build muscular endurance, swim/bike/running til vomit kind of speed work is not needed, but repeated submaximal (I.E easy to moderate effort) effort work is needed.
Once again thank you guys for your time and also great job done in the training. Send me your timing and I'll gladly post them up. :)
I hope all of you are seeing improvements steadily!!!
Before ending, my WARMEST WELCOME Bryan, Brenda, Hongjun, Yiyang, Aaron to the team!!!! :)
Cheers
KK
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