Winter. Practice of the Week: 03/07 to 03/13, 2022

WARM UP OF THE WEEK:

KICKING SET:

Race board/Arrow Board:  Swim 50’s: 25 very fast going down / 25 easy coming back E / E, free with free, Y /Y, fly with fly, T/T, breast with breast, Kuw / K, back dolphin underwater with back flutter on the surface.  Repeat 50’s on 1:40 or with 20” to 30” rest, between 50’s

Race Board Hold:  Place your elbows at the corners of the board, hands holding on the sides, face in water, head in line with the spine, breathe when you need, kick as fast as you can to the 25 yard or meter mark.  On the backstroke do not use a kick board.

Arrow Board Hold:  Place your hands under the board, cross your thumbs, keep your arms extended, carry the board on your knuckles, and practice body balance on the way back to the 50, keep your head in line with your spine until you need to breathe.  Learn to breathe without doggie paddling, steady hands, arch to lift the head in breaststroke and dolphin it’s easier for timing purposes, shoulders and heels come up together and chest and feet go down together; in freestyle you must kid a bit stronger while lifting the face to breathe, repeat no paddling with hands.

DRILL OF THE WEEK:

Leap Frog/Dolphin: Push off and touch the bottom with two hands, bring your knees to your stomach, place your feet on the floor and leap towards the surface.  Leave your arms in the back end, when you break the surface take one butterfly stroke and breathe; prepare to dive and touch the bottom again, continue repeating a leap from the bottom and a fly stroke on the surface.

Scunnel IM: Scunnel is short for sculling tunnel, in other words, place 4 fingers on the thumb, your hands are “fisted” with a hole in the middle, (like playing binoculars with your hands).  Now, feel the water travel pinky to thumb and thumb to pinky, during the “sculling” movements that you perform as you swim each of the 4 strokes.

TRI-ATHLETE NOTES:

During warm-up triathletes are encouraged to swim the 4 styles, it is warm-up for the entire musculoskeletal system; furthermore, swimming breaststroke can help in a race situation in the event of a foot or calf cramp, the breast kick requires to flex the foot, the way to get rid of said cramps; swimming backstroke will help the triathletes to ‘find core’, connecting the hands to the power source, the hip rotation, while keeping the head set, (no need to turn the head to breathe); the butterfly, will make you more aquatic.  When swimmers do Individual Medley:  Y, K, T, and E:  FLY, BACK, BREAST, FREE; Tri-athletes swim:  Nothing (no equipment), Paddles, Fins, Both: N, P, F, B

COUNTING STROKES:

1 stroke in Y and T is one extension to the front end; count the letter at the breath and the number at the “glide.”  1 stroke in E and K is counted when both arms have completed a revolution, the letter for one hand, and the number for the other hand; count when the revolution is completed at hand entry.  The recommended “Number of Strokes OB” over best is for short course pools, if you train in a long course pool double the recommended number and add a stroke.  Obviously, the lack of turn and the extra distance makes a difference.  For example if the set reads swim at 1 ½ to 2 ½ OB, it means that in the long course pool you will swim at 4 to 6 strokes over your best stroke count.  We know that when you take more strokes you swim faster, up to a point that your style may suffer or tire you too quickly.  Pay attention: count strokes.  When equipment such as paddles and/or fins are used deduct ½ stroke from the OB for each accessory that you wear.