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Main Set Wednesday - January 18, 2011

Posted by Glenn Mills on Jan 18, 2012 07:08AM (0 views)

Learning what a solid pace to hold is typically a work in progress... understanding how the water feels as you travel at that pace is a learned skill.

This simple set allows swimmers to figure out just what their pace fees like, but pre-planning needs to occur to really understand your pace and abilities.

Main Set (short course yards):
The goal of this set is to maintain the exact same pace for all the "stroke" portions of the set. Whatever you go on the 25's, needs to be held through the entire set. Example - if you start by holding :18s on the 25s, you'll need to be :36 on the 50, 1:12 on the 100, and 2:24 on the 200. Knowing where you want to end up at the end, make it a complete set from the beginning.

8 x 25 on :30 - holding your goal pace
1 x 200 easy on 3:00 - free
4 x 50 on :50 - holding your goal pace
1 x 200 easy on 3:00 - free
2 x 100 on 1:30 - holding your goal pace
1 x 200 easy on 3:00 - free
1 x 200 on 3:00 - holding your goal pace
1 x 200 easy on 3:00 - free
(repeat)

The second time through this set should prove to be a bit more on target than the first set. Swimmers will tend to overshoot the initial 25's, but with more knowledge the second time through, it should be a bit better.

Experience is key.

pace, training

Responses

jhravatic	Responded Jan 25, 2012 09:41AM Glenn, how close should a coach set these goal paces to their fastest swim meet times? Thanks, Love the site! Jon
GW	Responded Jan 25, 2012 10:46AM I would say it depends on what you are trying to get from the set. Anything from 75% to 95% dependent on distance and energy system you want to work. Indeed, at times you might need to set times faster than pb in order to improve so, you have to be able to swim say a 50 in 30 seconds you would need to be able to swim the first 25 in maybe 14 seconds, just as an example. No point in having a goal of 50m in 30 if you can't yet swim 25 in 15 if you see what I mean. A very simplistic example. The aim of the set is pace judgement so that the swimmer gets to know what a given pace feels like, in my opinion
Glenn Mills	Responded Jan 25, 2012 12:50PM Yep by GW. So many factors to deal with, it's going to have to be by feel for a while. Obviously, the faster the better, but overshooting the pace at the beginning doesn't mean the set was successful if the swimmer keeps getting slower. It's about swimming enough, and focusing enough, and learning enough, so the swimmer knows their capabilities and sets the pace early in the set.
GW	Responded Jan 25, 2012 12:59PM Speak to one of my youngsters who did (actually he didn't!) a 7 x 200 test set on freestyle and set a pb on the first one, great swim but absolutely no good for the rest of the set, he just got slower and slower to the extent he was feeling physically ill by the 5th one so I hoicked him out. Listen to what the coach asks for and then swim that to the best of your ability. Sometimes the slow swimming bit is the really hard bit to do well

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Main Set Wednesday - January 18, 2011

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