We did:
100Kick
200Pull
300Swim
10X50 Kicks on 2:30
10X50 Pull with Strap on ankles on 1:45
4x50 Swim on 1:15
100 Breast
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Total: 1.9K.
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I'd review this swim short and sweet. I thought I saw many faces who are feeling pretty distressed about kick sets and still felt the fear for doing such practice.
To put things into perspectives... I'd like to remind everyone about 3 points:
1) All of us were once only half as efficient as what we are in the water right now. Just a year back.
2) All of us manage to cope with the sets and finish it.
3) All of us were tired.. And those of you who felt like you're the only one, NO, you're NOT.
For those of you who have been merely following through whatever I prescribed in the menus, I'd like to ask you to step back and look at what we've done over the past weeks and this week and look at the true meaning and fruits of the training.
I've always said that in each and every training, I hope you go back with a mind full of ideas to improve and full of confidence that you will do better on the next session!
However, in these last two sessions, I thought I saw little of the latter.
The longer and tougher sets are always demoralizing especially if you focus only on the perceived exertion side. Meaning, how bad you felt in the sets. Seriously, I thought we ought to all know that training shouldn't be about staying in the comfort zone and if you do stay, then so will your plateaus.
In order for consistent motivation, we need the motivation to come from our heart and to do that, we need to first accept what our weakness is and what our strengths are and to have the curious heart of a beginner to improve.
We need to shift our focus from how we feel in the already-known-to-be-difficult sets to quantifying what we've accomplished and what we are trying to accomplish. Having that clear mind set of "how to become better" is Key in not losing focus and motivation.
Anyway, tonight's sets are very educational just like last week. Having your timing to compare from set to set allows you to see if your kicks are actually dragging you or are they really working to help you move faster.
The strapped leg pull sets are meant to be a superb test on your streamlining ability and core muscle to keep your hips afloat. I see most of us have difficulties in these two areas.. to further elaborate, they are about...
1) Keeping the body straight and not crunching the body from side to side with each pull and body rotation.
2) Keeping the hips afloat.
Problem with Point 1...
If you have problem with point 1, it shows that during your normal swim, your pulls and body rotation have not been executed correctly. You're either rotating too much from side to side that causes the body weight to be "thrown" from one side to another that causes drag or water resistance on the side or you're pulling too hard in the wrong direction (side wards at the catch instead of down maybe?) or both.
Remember that your catch is to be done relaxedly.. if you don't, the outward scull and downward push at the start may cause your body to move sideways.
Secondly, If you are pulling the water across the centerline of the body like what Lawrence(we miss u.. so have to mention about you here.. :P ) always did, your body will definitely rock from side to side too and cause difficulty in accomplishing Point 1..
Problem with Point 2...
If you have problem with point 2, it simply shows that your back and your buttock and hamstring muscles are not strong enough to keep your lower body hugging the water surface.
And the matter of fact is if you can't do Point 1 properly, the wave drag you create in your body rotation will be "slapping" you from side to side and make you slower and thus the buoyancy will drop.. the hips will sink even worst.
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All in all, we have to go back to the value of "Stop stopping yourself." -- reminds me of Love Guru the movie -- as per mentioned last week. And exercise more control over our body exertion to ensure we only propel ourselves forward and not exert any amount of force laterally(to the side) that is not necessary and causing our body to be "slapped" from side to side.
As for combining your kick and your pull to make it into a proper integration and moving as a whole body.. I'd not nag about it here anymore as I already explained how your body will tangle up if you don't kick the rhythm properly with your arm pulls during the debrief ya..
Contact me if you need help.. I hope to see more SMILEY FACES EXCITED FOR TRAINING NEXT WEEK PLEASE!!!!
CHEERS
KK
well, last night's session is not so siong lah. I don't have any aches after the swim.
ReplyDeleteI think at the moment it may be taxing, but there is ample rest in between. And the final 4 X 50 freestyle i still can manage a 50, 51, 50, 52 sec goes to show that the session is still managable.
I am particlarly impress with the strap ankle swim. I thought it should be no difference from our usual pull bouy swim as i know for a fact that i did not kick at all. But i was surprise to experience how the body sway side to side and the legs just sink sink sink with the bonding.
Will try more of this on my own....its really a challenge.
Thanks TB for the feedback! Good to know it didn't kill anyone~
ReplyDeleteWell, it has a difference because no matter how much you control your feet not to kick, its going to press gently on the water with the dorsal (top of your feet) to keep you balanced. We're so called "skilled" swimmers now that little bit of the pressing will keep us afloat and "streamlined" much you see..
and Yeah.. it used to have been my favorite set too but I had since then used it lesser because
1)Now I know how to activate the core much better.. i onli use it to check once in a while.
2)If you just keep doing it without a conscious effort of keeping the core activated, you'd be practicing the swaying of the body in your swim!
Make sure you have ample amount of rest and all should be fine I guess! :)