27042011 Swim Squad timing (part 1)

Guys, attached is the timing for tonight's swim. We could see some wildly inconsistent timing and we could also see some really good pacers who did negative sets on the long 10 sets of 50s and 100s.

Mr Take and Sam are both very very good at controlling their pace and both manage strong finishes all the time. Very impressive. =)

It's worth noting that the 5th, 6th and 7th set are the demoralizing ones when we know there are half way more to go. However, these timing reflects weak mental training and not accustomed to doing large numbers of sets regardless of effort.

I promise to write up an article regarding intensity and motivation in swim and sports in general soon. Need to get the weekend tribob sprint series over and done with first.

Here you go for the timings, vincent haven't gave me yet and thus I will update his once its done up but his 2 weeks off from swim caused about a 10seconds lapse from the 6th hundred onwards I think? He did manage to will it back the last couple of sets if I didn't remember wrongly... tonight was one of the nights I was so concentrated on getting my strokes right I can't really see much flaws other than my own. I have just a few to share but I shall do that tomorrow night as its 2AM now and I hope to wake up feeling fine (today got sore throat.. =( ) and go for a run with Andy. The mistakes are all streamlining problems and some misconception about hard swims for Ebnu's side. Take has a recovery and high head problem (like last time?!).. ok i shall stop.. til tomorrow........

Note: Usually swimmers do 10x100 on best time + 10seconds. I figured us old people need some time to get accustomed to such sets first before we cut the rest time shorter gradually. See how kind and merciful I am? =ppppp

Cheers
KK

270411 Swim Squad Menu

Warmup:
100 Kick
100 Swim
100 Kick
10mins

Rest 5 mins

Main Set:
1) 10 x 50 (alternate easy and hard) on 1:30 
**Ebnu/Robert/Pauline's group on 2mins
20mins

Rest 5 mins

2) 10 x 100 Hard on 3mins 
**Ebnu/Robert/Pauline's group do 7 x 100 best stroke and effort on 4mins - when stroke deteriorates skip a set as rest. 
30mins

Cool down:
Back 100
Breast 100
**Stretching**
10mins




---------------------------------




Cheers
KK
- There's nothing to lose. We're not going on podium. Plus, this is a sprint race so we oughta be ready to give it a SPRINT effort. Are you UP for the challenge? =)

5X300m timing UPDATED with average of 50s!

The average per 50m will allow us to see the increased/decreased in effort over the hard and moderate 300m sets.. and also the consistency of effort over the sets.

Guys, it is a tough set and no doubt tougher when done by one self or even as a small group. Made me realize how much I rely on you guys to push past my limits time and time again and I'd thank you guys for that.

Yukari went a little too strong at the build set from the start. The purpose of the build set is to prepare your body AND MIND by gradually increasing the effort.. as such, do start an easy 50 by really really easy effort. Imagine splashing and swishing the water with care for technique and little bit of everything else.

Lastly, I just have to complain.. HOW COME YOU ALL (EVEN WILSON WHO DID BY HIMSELF) UNANIMOUSLY DID WITH 2MINS REST AND STILL DID NOT COMPLETE THE 5TH SET???? AIYOOOOO!!!!!

Will write up an article regarding my views on intensity, intensity maintenance and the mental aspect of hard training, i.e motivation and perseverance.

Cheers
KK

20 April 2011 Swim

Despite Coach KK's regrettable absence, these "siao-on" people still came for a tough swim workout. Kudos to them....in no particular order of "on-ness", they are:

Yasmin, Take San, Yukari, Ben Yeo and Teck Beng.

Menu for the night:

Appetizer:
4 X 100 drill (Skating, zipper skate, Breast stroke pull only, fly kick with freestyle arm)

Main course 1:
4 x 50m in easy, medium, hard, easy

Main course 2:
5 x 300m in hard, medium, hard, medium, hard....
however, we stop at the last serving, as we want to leave some room for dessert...which is:

Dessert:
100 to 200m breast or back.

The timings speaks for themselves:

Mrs Take got a double leg cramp from 'over eating' :)

18042011 Swim Squad

Sets were done as per mentioned in the previous post but due to the group dynamic the main set is changed to 5x200m instead of 300m.


BEFORE I START, ALL OF YOU NEED TO WORK ON THE EVF CATCH ON YOUR NON BREATHING SIDE. IT WAS HORRENDOUS. ALL DROPPED ELBOW!

Sam was Deadly Consistent in her swim. It's always like that and we don't want to take the consistency for granted because it is achieved through hard work no doubt. However, to become faster, you need to work on streamlining the front end of your stroke like Gen's too. Please straighten your lead arm and stretch a split second after entry and arm extension.. don't just focus on the pulling back, if you don't have a streamlined front end, the power pushed back will be lost cos of resistance in the front.

Hua Yee please work on your catch.. Your body is SO streamline under the water, it is a waste the catch is a straight arm pull cos it slows you down so much every time you start a pull.
Once you correct your catch, your 200m timing will definitely go below 4:00.

Lawrence... lesser food before swim please... :P Your non breathing side lead arm also never stretch enough. And you're super right when you say when you focus on technique, you can go faster over a longer distance. THAT'S THE WAY TO SWIM!!! =)

Gen sick still can swim so fast.. Yeo's power! PLEASE straighten that damn lead arm. Farking "GAO WEI" when I see it. Look at your jie's comments for more info please.

Pauline, still turning too much on the right side... need to stop consciously turning so much. One way to counter that is to ensure you don't turn until the body weight is completely on that side. So it is like the core is always engaged to get ready to pull the hip from one side to another. Right now, the core is only engaged AFTER you took your breathe and want to start the next pull... it should always be ready to turn. :)

Robert, can see very very clearly you got good control over your head alignment and upper torso body position already. Right now, need to get that kick right. It'll take a little bit of time but since you're already working so hard on the pull, why not get the kick right eh? Work on stabilizing the upper body as you do the extension part of the kick. Google for Hip Extension and you'll see the buttock/glutes are the working muscle and you can even find video on how to do that motion properly.

Calvin, you bloody hell do all the set as hard sets right... I'm so gonna remove that "slacker" logo on your back already. Teckbeng also agree... :P WELL DONE for all the sets, your endurance is UPz ah! But need to know when to call time out if ever get chest pain okay.. no joke ar.. you know what i'm talking about!

Marianne, Getting that speed with a good stroke is the very first thing. Endurance is to be trained with more sets but at that same intensity. Keep up the good work! I hope you have a very very good swim when OSIM comes..  Remember, more rest is OK but don't compromise on the technique and intensity next time. Then slowly increase the set distance while maintaining the intensity.=)


Ben, your hard work will pay off soon but you need to focus on your stretching and left arm and shoulder more for now... And by swimming more only will not help the flexibility issue. Tight muscles have to be stretched and massaged to loosen and thats that. No short cut. Painful but it'll help. JIAYOU! =)

GUYS GOING TO SENGKANG POOL ON WEDNESDAY, I WISH YOU ALL LUCK WITH THE SETS OF 300. IT IS TOUGH.. MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE I DID IT BY MYSELF TODAY IN THE MORNING WITH NO HOT BABES PRESENT.. BUT STILL, ENJOY THE PAINFUL EXPERIENCE! =D

Teck Beng, feel free to alter the rest to be 2 mins or make the moderate sets shorter if people can't take it. Importance of Stroke Integrity and INTENSITY on Hard sets cannot be emphasized enough.
Tabulate the timings together with mine okay? Thank you so much for the help! :)

Cheers
KK

18042011 Swim squad Menu

Warmup:
4x 50 Drills + 50 Swim

1) 25m kick on right with arm extended + 25m kick on left with arm extended
FOCAL POINTS:
i) Staying effortlessly afloat Horizontally from fingertip to hips to toes.
ii) Staying effortless while turning the neck minimally to breathe (aim to glance towards the shoulder) and turning back without sinking.

Freestyle swim back, putting the effortless float and breathing into practice

2) Finger tip drag FS swim
FOCAL POINTS:
i) Normal FS swim but during recovery, drag the thumb along the body (literally touching) from hip up to the rib cage to the forehead before dropping wrist into the water and extend effortlessly underneath the surface.
ii) REALLY TOUCH THE BODY WITH YOUR THUMB. FEEL IT. DON'T CHEAT.

Freestyle swim back, putting the recovery into use... This time don't touch the body, instead keep it CLOSE to the body when you recover from the hips.

3) Breast stroke pull only with pull buoy. No kick.
FOCAL POINTS:
i) Do a double arm EVF catch.. scooping/collecting AS MUCH water AS POSSIBLE into the chest area. You need to feel A LOT of resistance here.
ii) Once the hands meet at the chest, Imagine squeezing the water out to the front from your chest by tucking your elbows into your rib.
iii) Throw the arms out in a swift motion.

Freestyle swim back, aim to feel the same amount of water resistance you "collected" during the double arm EVF catch in your breast stroke pull.


4) Freestyle with fly kicks. One pull - 3 fly kicks.
FOCAL POINTS:
i) This drill is about finding rhythm in the body when you swim. It requires you to time your pull to your body undulations.
Body movement : propulsion --> The perfect sequence of control we need to have to swim relaxedly.
ii) You have to do one pull at a time, meaning the non pulling hand will have to wait at the front until the  other arm recovers to it's side.
iii) Undulation starts from the core. Not the legs. If you attempt to do the fly kick from the legs only, you won't be able to coordinate the arms and the legs because there is no centre of origin for the movements to start and synchronize from.

Freestyle swim back. Keep the buttock squeezed throughout the swim and keep the ankles close to each other using minimal kicks.

PRE-SET


4 x 50 Build (Easy, Medium, Hard, Easy) on Y + 15seconds


MAIN SET:


5 x 300m Hard-Moderate-Hard-Moderate-Hard on Y + 1 min



COOL DOWN:


100 back easy
100 breast easy
100 back easy

13042011 SWIM SQUAD UPDATE + TIMING!

Our Swim Training at SengKang Swimming Complex is once again a success despite bad bad weathers looming! Thank God!


GREAT GREAT THANKS TO SAMSAM for compiling the timing. Pardon me, but she was so lovely. =)

Tonight's menu:

W/U
3x200 as (100 kick + 100 swim)

Main set 1:
8x50m hard KICK ONLY on 2:30.

Main set 2:
100 easy FS
Rest 2mins
300 moderate FS
Rest 2mins
500 hard FS

C/D
100 Back
100 Breast
100 Back

Total:
2200m


--------------------------------------
2 issues to tackle in this entry.

1) Kick

Question raised to me after swim practice:
"Why do we do this kind of kick practice when we don't kick like that in our swim?"

Two parts to the answer:
i) You CAN swim with a kick like that in your race. You have to train hard enough so that you're fit enough to do that much amount of kicks.



Look at his insanely strong AND consistent kick. He can maintain it for 76 laps before a 180km race pace bike and 42.195km race pace marathon. =)

ii) You train yourself to do kick sets because they increases endurance in two main areas important in swimming:

ii-a) Streamlining of body position. As the body's length is made up mostly of the legs.. when you do a proper freestyle kick with straightened legs, you're consistently activating your leg muscles to pull the legs STRAIGHT up to the surface of the water after the down beat. That is the perfect thing to do when you want to keep your hips up on the surface while swimming.

By now you should notice that it takes effort to keep the hip from sinking.. and by doing the kick sets, you're training the endurance of those muscles that keeps your hips up even when you don't kick that much during your swim.

And last but not least, in order to kick properly, you also have to stabilize and streamline your torso so it will not waiver and cause drags.

All in all, by doing kick sets, you train your body to hold a good streamline position because of the need to have a good and efficient kick.

ii-b) I don't think anyone of you will say kick sets is actually very relaxing and it is not taxing on the body at all.... right?
So, the second part of the benefit of doing kick sets is it strains your cardiorespiratory system a lot and thus makes you more aerobically fit in general. Isn't that what we want? **Aerobic fitness enables you to utilize the lactic acid produced by your body to recycle into more energy!

**Aerobic system = use more fats, lesser glycolysis means lesser pyruvate is produced meaning lesser lactate and hydrogen will be produced. Also, improved aerobic system can also mean an increased number of capillaries thus aids in better O2 utilization which means pyruvate can be cleared more easily before lactate is formed and lactate can be recycled with O2 too. All in layman terms, a good aerobic base = good foundation for doing higher intensity with lesser lactic acid and hydrogen ion caused pain~ :D

2) Second issue to tackle is *Breathing*.

First, let me reintroduce you to this side skating drill using this youtube video:



Now, let me encourage you to go and do the drill on your own. Try to pay CONSCIOUS attention to 2 things:
i) Do you sink when you turn your head up to breathe?


ii) Do you sink when you turn your head back into the water to bubble and kick?

If you answer yes to any one (or both) of the above question, then you're too tensed up when you breathe.

This is what I see when you guys swim... when it is hard effort, the breathing part is not well controlled and you tend to turn very hard upward to breathe.. this jerking movement caused the hip to drop.

Please try out the drill, and once you get the turning to breathe and then turning back down without letting your hip sink at all, you'll have to try to replicate that breathing in your normal swim in every effort possible.

Note:
The video teaches you to shift the arm downwards to balance, my view is in actual world, you have to use your back, glutes and hamstring and other core muscles to keep the hip floating... plunging the arms down deeper only creates more drag at the arms area while resolving the sinking hips issue.

What I suggest is you try to do the drill with the arm deeper if your hip sinks but once you get it right, you have to reach forward and let the arm come closer to the surface instead of using the arm to balance, train yourself to utilize your back muscle to pull that hip up and then your leg muscles and glutes to pull the legs up.

Good luck trying and feed back to me what you found out pleasE! =)

Here's the timing for the swim:

Special thanks to Yasmin who helped me break my kick PB in the 3rd last set and then AGAIN in the last set. =)

KH, different people takes different amount of time to recover from hard run. It was a PB run for you and it took me 2 days to recovery.. i am not surprised it took longer for you that you did not so well for this swim cos all the core muscle still very much weakened. Don't be discouraged but technique is an asset that will stick no matter how weak you become and when you become, you'll be slicing and dicing once again in the water. =)

The rest of you, do look at the mins/50m timing of Sam, Lawrence, Teck Beng, Calvin, Marianne and myself... In Triathlon racing, you have to know the key to pacing is to realize the progression that a 100m easy pace when you're FRESH will become a moderate pace if you maintain it for a distance and to maintain the same pace over an even longer distance may cause it to become a hard effort depending on how good your fitness is. 


For example, for Lawrence and myself, the 500m was a sub-maximal pace and I did not do a hard at all because this is my first 500m "TT" after so long and I want to see how well I can pace myself. Still, maintaining an effort will almost definitely cause an initially easy effort to raise in perceived exertion due to the need to endure (thus the term endurance training) a longer period of exertion (duh). Hope this clarify some questions on pacing.

Cheers
KK and Sam (psst: you're good. Congrats on 500m PB. ^_^v )

A dry land EVF Catch - Insweep - Upsweep AV demo (II)

Hope these various angles shows exactly what you need to know what I'm doing in the water and what I'm expecting you to do.. =)

Take the wrist flexion with a pinch of salt, without water I tend to flex it a little more but with water, the resistance will prevent the wrist from flexing that much. What I'm actually showing is that the catch starts from the hand, Not the body roll. =)

Cheers

KK

A dry land EVF Catch - Insweep - Upsweep AV demo.

Some more other angles to come soon...

Cheers

KK

06042011 Swim Squad

Dear Team,

It was a very very painful swim for some of us, I don't know about you seriously, but it definitely was for me. I was feeling like superman last night during my ball training and I felt invincible then I found myself low on engine fuel because of a lousy recovery. Seriously, if I were to do this workout by my own, I probably would have packed up and gone home after I finished my warm up.

So, THANK YOU, Team Sapphire! Sincerely! =)

First up: LAWRENCE
Sorry for hitting your watch~~~ SO SORRY.... =(...
http://sapphireswimmers.blogspot.com/2010/02/lawrence-and-teckbeng-stroke-analysis.html
Please go through the above link again.. your stroke when tired almost same same like last time liao except you're more streamlined after the push this time round!! See the first 2 pictures, all straight arm and passing centerline when you are tired now~~ Don't lazy ahh... work on the technique also hor....

Soon, Ebnu, Musaib, Yasmin, Meher, Jaslynn, Yasmin, Meher... Please read up:
http://sapphireswimmers.blogspot.com/2011/03/swim-squad-30032011-with-timing.html
Perhaps you guys didn't get what I was putting through in the blog the first time, I urge ALL of you to go through the blog again and read up once more on the swim issues I listed out.

For Eliza, Ben, Jaslynn, KH, Soon, Ebnu, Musaib, Teck Beng, Wilson... Please read up:
http://sapphireswimmers.blogspot.com/2011/03/description-of-catch.html
You guys tend to have a dropped elbow when you perform your catch except KH (look below). Ben, Teck Beng and Wilson on non breathing side, Eliza, Soon, Ebnu and Musaib don't quite get the catch yet.

Also, BEN, did you share with Jaslynn what I told you to tell her about her left arm pull is straight and both recovery are not done with high elbow and also her left arm tend to drop when she breathe?

KH has a straight arm pull on the right arm. You're too tensed in the straightened arm position after your entry thus you can't flex properly.. Please approach me tomorrow night to show you how to correct.

Jaslynn and Eliza, You tend to forget to keep your lead arm in front when you're breathing, as a result you're pulling whenever you're breathing. Not good because when you're breathing, your head is out of water and the moment you drop the lead arm into the water, you're actually pressing your head and chest up. Causing the hip to drop. This isn't significant in short distances, that's why you 50m still OK but when it goes longer then the sinking hips kills you completely.
Other than that, you tend to kick with a very wide leg also. Keep the toes pointed inwards when you kick, it'll help keep the knees closer.

To EVERYBODY:
Be patient on the catch and make sure you create loads of resistance at the front end of the stroke.. then bring the resistance close to your shoulder and chest area then push back hard (the last 30-50cm of arm movement) SIMULTANEOUSLY with the body rotation for lateral streamlining and glide.

Sam, Calvin, Vincent, Take and Yukari.. Very well done for your catch! Yukari has a very very good push + body rotation timing. If you have a chance, look at her swim pass, you'll notice a very sharp and coordinated body rotation causing her body to move to the side the moment she did her push and that lateral streamlining allowed her to really glide through the water with little resistance! Much like Saori's!

Take's arm recovery is still very wide.. if you go long distance you can save quite a lot of time from the recoverIES that you take.. all you need to do is travel a shorter distance by keeping the hand close to your body when you recover your arm forward and enter at the forehead! Remember, extend under the water not above!

Yukari's recovery entered too late and thus it is a straight arm entry. It felt like it was correct to you because you flexed your wrist and thus the fingers are entering first but then the whole arm was straight when it enters... You should enter at front of forehead like Take! Remember, extend under the water not above!=)

Sam, it was a fantastic swim even though you haven't recover fully yet like me~ haha.. Plus a hard ride last night really warrants you a star for tonight's performance. *hugx* =)

Vince, everyone and anyone can have an off night or off day anytime here and there. It can be the work, it can be your sleep and it can be your family stress or anything in life. Working out is a stress in itself that's why we have to take note of how much we do and I'm so particular about the intensity you're doing ever since getting to know you... we're trying our best to prevent days or nights like this.. particularly on a hard workout or even race day.  You get what I mean...
Anyway, don't get disheartened, besides, the timing are very good but its just that you feel like the exertion has to be that much harder to achieve the same result. I understand how you feel because I'm having an off night tonight too and I just don't feel like I can push as much as I think I wanted to. Give yourself a pat on the shoulder as it is a job well done nonetheless and that's why we have the team to spur us on! =)

--------------------------------------------

Without further ado, here's the timing. I've sorted it out for you from fastest to the slowest.

I've chose the 150m as the sorting bench mark for the first set, the 200m as the sorting bench mark for the second set and second 100m as the bench mark for the third set. The sorting benchmark is in red font.

The reason is that the 150m is the time when you're digging deep into your aerobic fuel. Having done so many 50 and 100m last couple of weeks, you guys would have been very proficient in doing those distance efficiently without the need to dig too deep. Once you're pass that anaerobic stage, the 150m and 200m is where it separates those who have good stroke techniques and endurance (streamline holding and ability to execute good stroke movements).

As for the second set, 200m is the toughest set to go through and again, this is the velocity that you're most likely able to use for your triathlon to get your best swim time and thus I used that.

As for the third set, once again, I'm using the last 100m as the bench mark because it is towards the end of a set and it shows how much fight and fuel you have in you. How much endurance and again, technique integrity you can hold before giving it all up and just plow through the water.

Click to enlarge

For those of you who ask how come the Ang Mors swim so fast and you can't understand? The reason is they're training THIS HARD. Yes, sessions in and sessions out, they have been doing their sub-maximal effort swim. I.E Just below max and with lots of rest and just keep pushing at that same effort for sets after sets after sets of crazy mileage. Over time, endurance will develop and you'll be able to hold for longer distances that speed that you used to be able to sustain over shorter distances.

Look at my timing albeit it's a little off tonight... My 50 is 42seconds, 100 is 1:31 (45.5seconds/50m) and my 150 is 2:30 (50seconds/50m) and 200 is 3:30 (52.5seconds/50m).
You can see that the 150m and 200m I'm actually getting pretty close. I won't say I'll be able to maintain that for another few hundreds tonight but I believe that with training, those percentage of marginal differences will be minimized because of increased endurance.

We proved two things through these 3 weeks of training.
1) Technique is KING (especially your catch, pull, push and lateral streamlining).
2) You need to swim fast to get faster.

Just look at Teck Beng's timing for the past 2 sessions and tonight. He has gotten PBs for all three sessions throughout. He has gotten a 1:38 PB for 100m in his belt already.. Any doubters for his diligence in working on his stroke, you can put that doubt away and start betting your money on him to swim pass all of us with his lengthy limbs soon.

"So we have to always swim so hard????", you ask..
That's why you have a coach. I will moderate the amount of intensity in your swim to allow you to have enough rest and also off weeks to enjoy the relaxation of swim... =)

TEAM SAPPHIRE
I know that some of you know me well enough to trust me with your life and some of you are new around us and then there are some who just feel like I'm probably helping some others more than you. But from Now on, I hope that all of you know that _Every_Single_Thing I shared with you is Everything I know about swimming. Everything I share on the blog, you can read even if they aren't under your Name and what's gonna hurt if it's just a reminder?

Now, I hope you entrust your swim to working on your technique 150% from now on if you haven't been doing. Start working on everything I've told you because I AIN'T BULLSHITTING ANYONE OF YOU with my perspiring debriefing every single night after our tough workouts.

I'm seeing myself improving with flying colors and I hope for the same for everyone of you too. I never hold anything back to myself and I hope with all sincerity that one day all of you swim faster than I do because then I truly succeed as a coach, a teacher and a friend.**

**Note: Competitive me won't let you pass me so easily. Bring it on with all you've got.. but you're gonna need more to win me in my swim. A LOT more than you think. *grinz*

Cheers
KK

PS: Sam, isn't it funny how you are "chasing" Yukari's current timing and I'm chasing Yukari's 1982 timing? hahahaa...

Swim Squad Training

Dear Team,

Training tomorrow:

Warm Up: 100m Kick, 100m Swim x 5sets (For those interested to try, for your 100m swim, do 25m Right Breathing, 25m Left Breathing, 50m Bilateral breathing) 

***NOTE: DO NOT ESCALATE EFFORT HERE TO MAX EFFORT. Main set is T*O*U*G*H.

Main Set:

50m race pace.

Rest

100m race pace.

Rest

150m race pace.

Rest

200m race pace.

Rest

Repeat 2 more times.

Rest

5x100m Dash Focus on Catch + Hard Push

Cool down:

100Breast Easy, 100 Back Easy, 100Breast Easy

Cheers
KK