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Practice Set for Synchronization

by | Sep 24, 2020 | Synchronization

These sets will offer an introduction to how to practice with sync combinations. You may find a whole training plan on this topic in the Master Class Sync course.

 

Practice Set 1

Swim 4 rounds of 3 cycles (2x 25m), one for each combination of points.

  • Round #1 – 2x 25 sync EC, 2x 25 sync ER, 2x 25 sync EL
  • Round #2 – 2x 25 sync CE, 2x 25 sync CR, 2x 25 sync CL
  • Round #3 – 2x 25 sync RE, 2x 25 sync RC, 2x 25 sync RL
  • Round #4 – 2x 25 sync LE, 2x 25 sync LC, 2x 25 sync LR

When you are more acquainted with how this kind of practice works, and when your attention can handle it, select a cue for one or both of those propulsive parts

 

Practice Set 2

3 rounds of 3x 150 whole stroke.

Using a Tempo Trainer at a comfortable cruising tempo is optional.

  • Round #1 – focus on EC
  • Round #2 – focus on RC
  • Round #3 – focus on ERC

Explaining Different Kinds of Tempo Sets

by | Sep 24, 2020 | Practice Design, Tempo

When working on improving or expanding the range of tempos you can use in your training, there are a few kinds of sets we may use, with different purposes and names. Let me explain each for you…

 

Tempo Pyramid

A Tempo Pyramid is a set that has you monitor your stroke count while having you swim with gradually slower tempos, up to a certain point, and then work back with gradually faster tempos until you reach your original starting point. From there, it may have you continue into faster tempos for a while.  [Note: Counting strokes with slower tempo assumes you are using a 2 Beat Kick or a minimal flutter kick, so that your torso and arm stroke itself is being challenged to affect a longer stroke rather than just kicking your way farther.] 

By gradually slowing tempo, this often allows the brain time to improve stability and streamline, adapt and lengthen the stroke in ways you could not do if you just suddenly slowed the stroke to an extreme amount.

Once the stroke is lengthened, then the tempo is gradually increased while you attempt to hold onto the changes made in your stroke that allowed it to be longer. Often, you are able to return to the starting tempo with a longer stroke (a lower stroke count) than you had when you started. This means you are swimming faster, without actually trying to swim faster. You simply focused upon improving your stability and streamline to keep momentum flowing forward in longer periods of time between strokes (slower tempos), then you aim to maintain that superior stability and streamline as the tempo speeds back up again.

Example of a Tempo Pyramid

Round 1:

  1. 2x 25 at Tempo 1.30
  2. 2x 25 at Tempo 1.40
  3. 2x 25 at Tempo 1.50
  4. 2x 25 at Tempo 1.60
  5. 2x 25 at Tempo 1.70

Round 2:

  1. 2x 25 at Tempo 1.60
  2. 2x 25 at Tempo 1.50
  3. 2x 25 at Tempo 1.40
  4. 2x 25 at Tempo 1.30

Bonus Round (if you ended up with a lower stroke count at the end, than you started with)

  1. 2x 25 at Tempo 1.25
  2. 2x 25 at Tempo 1.20

 

Asymmetrical Tempo Pyramid

This has the exact same purpose as the regular Tempo Pyramid with the only difference being that (in Round 2) you speed up the tempo in smaller increments, allowing more time to adapt and preserve that longer stroke.

The ‘asymmetry’ part comes from the fact that there are more (smaller) tempo increment steps back down the pyramid than on the way up.

Example of an Asymmetric Tempo Pyramid

Round 1:

  • 2x 25 at Tempo 1.30
  • 2x 25 at Tempo 1.40
  • 2x 25 at Tempo 1.50
  • 2x 25 at Tempo 1.60

Round 2:

  • 2x 25 at Tempo 1.55
  • 2x 25 at Tempo 1.50
  • 2x 25 at Tempo 1.45
  • 2x 25 at Tempo 1.40
  • 2x 25 at Tempo 1.35
  • 2x 25 at Tempo 1.30

Bonus Round (if you ended up with a lower stroke count at the end, than you started with)

  • 2x 25 at Tempo 1.25
  • 2x 25 at Tempo 1.20

 

Inverted Tempo Pyramid

Where a regular Tempo Pyramid is moving UP (toward slower tempos) and then back DOWN (toward faster tempos), an Inverted Tempo Pyramid is going in the exact opposite direction, first working down into faster, more challenging tempos and then slowing back down.

By counting strokes and monitoring perceived effort, you can measure how much your brain has adapted as you move back up into slower tempos. If your stroke count stays lower at each step on the way up, lower than it did on the way down, and the effort feels a bit easier, then you know you have adapted.   

The purpose here is to help you make your starting tempo feel even easier than it did when you started. By challenging your neuromuscular system to execute the movements of the stroke at incrementally faster tempos, its sense of time is stretched. You start with a tempo that is just at the fast edge of what you can handle, then work down into faster tempos that push you to adjust, correct, and adapt. You will experience some failure in precision. But then when you back off to slightly slower tempos, your brain will perceive an abundance of time at a tempo that felt rushed to you just a minute ago. This is a way to trick the brain into figuring out how to adapt your current stroke precision to slightly faster tempos as a matter of skill rather than a matter of power. 

When working with faster-than-comfortable tempos you should usually use smaller incremental changes, giving your brain smaller steps to adapt to as the tempos get more and more challenging. Use change increments (D=delta, or ‘change amount’) of -0.03, -0.02 and -0.01 seconds – smaller deltas for more extremely challenging tempos. And, you should provide more distance (more number of repeats) at each tempo step to give the brain proper time to adapt – you may need 100-300 yards/meters at each step.

Example of an Inverted Tempo Pyramid

Round 1:

  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.10 (at the fast edge of what you can handle)
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.08
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.06
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.04
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.02
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.00

Round 2:

  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.02
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.04
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.06
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.08
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.10

 

Tempo Ladder

A Tempo Ladder is a series repeats at gradually faster (or slower, but more typically at faster) tempos.

You start at a fast-but-comfortable tempo and work down then, using small increments, work into faster and faster tempos, giving your brain and muscles time to adapt to each tempo step. You keep going down until you can no longer adapt and maintain precision in your stroke movements. When you reach failure at a certain fast tempo and can no longer correct it, even with some additional rest, then you know you are done with that set for the day.

You need to monitor stroke count as well because this is the primary way you tell when you reach your failure point. Your stroke count will go up as you go into faster tempos, but you must resist that count going up too quickly. As a rule of thumb, you are allowed to add one stroke for every -0.06 seconds you increase the tempo – and by this you are assured that you will gradually increase pace as the tempo gets faster. If you give up a stroke earlier than that, then you may actually be slowing down although your arms are spinning faster, and that is not what faster tempos are suppose to do for you.

Example of a Tempo Ladder

Round 1:

  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.10 (at the fast edge of what you can handle)
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.08
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.06
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.04

Let’s say you did 3x 50 at Tempo 1.04 and you did not feel adapted yet. So stay at this step one for another cycle to see if your brain and body can adapt with more time. If so, you may move on to the next tempo step, and so on.

  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.02
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.00

 

Tempo Step Ladder

A Tempo Step Ladder is essentially the same thing, and same purpose as a regular Tempo Ladder, with occasional steps back to slower tempos, before resuming the gradual progress into faster tempos. This occasional step-back in the series can provide an active rest while continuing with the series. When you step back and work at a tempo slightly slower than the one you were just challenged with, you may feel a great more ease that you did, thus increasing your sense of confidence that you can handle the next faster tempo.

Example of a Tempo Step Ladder

Round 1:

  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.08 (at the fast edge of what you can handle)
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.06
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.04

Round 2:

  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.06
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.04
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.02

Round 3:

  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.04
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.02
  • 3x 50 at Tempo 1.00

Practice Set for Training with Tempo

by | Sep 24, 2020 | Advanced Skills

In this lesson series we are going to get acquainted with the three basic ways of using tempo constraint in your first stages of advanced skills training.

 

Practice Set for Attention

You will use the BEEP to draw your attention to a particular part of the body at a particular moment in the stroke cycle.

For example, you can choose to coordinate the BEEP with the entry, or the catch, or the rotation, or the press of the leg.

Set the Tempo Trainer Pro to your current comfortable tempo TC.

Swim 4x 25 (one length) for each of parts of the stroke mentioned above.

 

Practice Set for Slow Control

You will practice swimming at a slightly uncomfortably slow tempo. This will create a good challenge for your ability to maintain balance, stability and streamline. Read a bit more in Why Practice at Really Slow Tempos?

Start at your current comfortable tempo TC and swim 2x 25. Then slow down the tempo by +0.05 seconds and swim another 2x 25. Count strokes while you do this and for a while, as you slow tempo down, you should find that you take fewer strokes to get across the pool. When you slow down the tempo farther but your stroke count no longer goes down in response to it, then that is a sign that you’ve reached the limits of your ability to squeeze more travel out of extra time between strokes.

Spend some time working at that slowest tempo where you can just barely hold your lowest stroke count and maintain control over your balance, stability and streamline. You may find that your brain starts to adapt and it gets a little easier (before you get too tired).

Note: swimming with tempos slower than 1.80 seconds per stroke is an extremely slow tempo. It would be remarkable if one can swim much slower than this and continue to lower their stroke count, but it might be possible…

 

Practice Set for Fast Control

You will practice swimming at a slightly uncomfortably fast tempo. This will create a good challenge for your ability to maintain precision and timing of your movements. Read a bit more in Why Practice at Really Fast Tempos?

Start at your current comfortable tempo TC and swim 2x 25. Then slow down the tempo by -0.03 seconds and swim another 2x 25. At this stage in your training we won’t require you to count strokes – that will come in later stages – but as you speed up the tempo, at some point you will notice that you feel too rushed in your movements, and you are losing control over your body position, your shape, or the precision or coordination of moving parts. This is a sign that you’ve reached the limits of your ability at this time.

Spend some time working at that fastest tempo where you can just barely hold precision, timing and coordination of moving parts. You may find that your brain starts to adapt and it gets a little easier (before you get too tired). 

Practice Set for Stroke Counting

by | Sep 24, 2020 | Advanced Skills

As you are getting acquainted with stroke counting, you may try these practice ideas to gradually increase how often you count or how much you can pay attention to when counting, while the counting is helping to build your strength and skill. 

 

Practice Accurate Counting

The more attentive, accurate and honest you are in your counting, the more useful it will be for helping you monitor your progress. 

As you approach the end of the lane, you may find that you might not need a full stroke to reach the wall or that you might need to glide a bit farther to reach the wall (rather than take one more stroke). If you’d like to be more accurate in your counting, then add this ‘half’ stroke unit into your counting – some lengths you may find that you don’t end on a whole number but need ½ half more or less of a stroke to reach the wall. 

Maintain the exact same push off intensity and glide distance to your first stroke. 

Swim 4x 25

  • First length count strokes
  • Second and third length do not count, and focus on your cue
  • Fourth length count stroke

Swim a chosen distance and count strokes on only every 4th length. 

Swim a chosen distance and count strokes on every other length. 

 

Practice Consistent Count

The first strength that stroke counting can help you build is to learn to swim with the same exact stroke count on every length, even as you get farther into the swim or practice and start to feel some fatigue – this will push you to increase strength and skill. 

Most often swimmers will find they naturally use 1 less stroke on their first length of a swim. So, the challenge here is to practice maintaining that same level of skillfulness and strength on the second length, or practice restraining any over-effort on the first length so that it matches what you are capable of on the following lengths.

Swim 8x 25 and aim to hold the exact same stroke count on every 25. 

Swim 4x 50 and aim to hold the exact same stroke count on first and second lengths. 

Swim 4x 75 and aim to hold the exact same stroke count on all three lengths. 

 

Practice Shifting Stroke Count “Gears”

The more you count strokes and get a feel for what your current ‘normal’ (N) stroke count is (which reflects your current strength and skillfulness) the more you can memorize what it feels like in your stroke to be on the way toward a precise stroke count result. You may possibly come to know, by feel, when you are swimming, for example, an ‘18-count length’ or a 19-count length’ before you even get to the wall and finish counting! When you are doing long swims and don’t want to count all the time or swimming in open water, you may be able to estimate your own stroke count just by how it feels, because you have done it so much attentively. 

The next step is to learn how to adjust your stroke count with precision, like shifting gears on a bicycle. You can practice ‘shifting up’ one number or ‘shifting down’ one number. This will help you develop more familiarity and control over the features of the stroke that directly affect your stroke length (count). 

Choose your normal stroke count ‘N’. Swim 4x 25 and aim to shift the stroke count ‘gear’ a certain amount on each length:

  • First length: N
  • Second length: N+1
  • Third length: N
  • Fourth length: N-1

 

Practice Stretching Your Stroke Count

As your strength and skills improve your stroke length should naturally increase (you slide farther on each stroke). This means your stroke count should go down, approaching what would be an optimal count for your body and event (or purpose for swimming). While it might be tempting to try to reach for a really long stroke (a really low stroke count) right at the start, this is not recommended for many reasons, the foremost being the safety of your body. Instead, you may engage in a small, gradual challenge to your strength and skill which will give your body more time to adapt to this. 

Choose your normal stroke count ‘N’. Swim 3x 100 (4x 25) and aim to shift the stroke count from N to N-1 for greater % of the swim. 

First 100

  • 75 at N count
  • 25 at N-1 

Second 100

  • 50 at N count
  • 50 at N-1 

Third 100

  • 25 at N count
  • 75 at N-1 

You can follow the same pattern for a swim of any distance…

  • First swim aim for 75% N count and 25% N-1.
  • Second swim aim for 50% N count and 50% N-1.
  • Third swim aim for 25% N count and 75% N-1.

Practice Set for 2 Beat Leg Press

by | Sep 24, 2020 | Advanced Skills

At this stage, if incorporating the 2-beat press rhythm is difficult for you to do in whole stroke, we recommend that you work on this separately from your other stroke skills for a while. You may spend part of many practices doing drills (without whole stroke) to give your body time to recognize and easily slip into the basic pattern and rhythm, then switch over to working on other aspects of your stroke without trying to make the 2BLP happen. Once you are consistent with finding and holding CBP in drills and you feel ready to challenge yourself, then you can try pulling that skill into your whole stroke swimming.

 

Establish The Skills In Order

We recommend that you spend several practice sessions on each step, as many as it takes to feel like you’ve established that skill in your nervous system.

First, establish the ability to lock your legs into the CBP on every stroke, without trying to ‘press’ deliberately on each switch. Just learn to find that position immediately on each switch and to lock that position while the body remains in streamline. Just keeping the legs in CBP on every stroke will greatly improve your streamline and ease.

Once that ability is established with consistency, then work on applying more of a press on each switch to add some emphasis to the torso rotation.

Then, work on refining the timing of the press. Try slightly earlier and slightly later and feel the difference it makes in how well it helps enhance the torso rotation.

Then, work on refining the way you press on the water to form that press in a more compact space.

 

Breaking It Down Further

To make it easier to get control over this in your initial practices, first work on positioning or moving just one leg at time, in and out of position. The other leg may or may not know where it needs to be; practice not paying attention to that second leg for a while and then try holding it in attention as well in order to pull it into its counter-balanced position under the streamline side leg. Notice if one side is easier to control than the other, and use that stronger side as a template for the other. You may spend some minutes focused on just one side, then switch focus to the other side.

Then practice alternating from one side to the other. Try single movements, starting on one side and finishing on the other, with just one switch. Try starting on the left side and switching to the right. Try starting on the right side and switching to the left. Be patient and work with single switches like this until you are able to make a smooth switch and immediately find the CBP each time.

Then try two switches in a row, and then three switches. These switches are not ‘swimming’ but more of a transition from one streamline side to the other. They are about maintaining balance and finding your best position, not about moving forward. So you will be pausing and holding streamline for a few seconds on each side in order to check your position and test stability.

When you can do three clean, smooth, precise switches in a row, consistently, then you can move to doing actual strokes, but do those in slower motion so you have time to notice and control what your legs are doing. Do these in short segments that do not involve breathing (yet) because the breathing action can easily throw off the stroke timing and the legs.

Once you can switch smoothly and find CBP on every switch in these short, non-breathing whole stroke segments, then you can try inserting a breath into the pattern.

Choose three or four of the drills to work with and do them in the order of increasing challenge. Spend a few minutes on each drill. Choose one or two cues to work with and alternate which one you use from time to time.

Practice Set for Catch and Hold

by | Sep 24, 2020 | Advanced Skills

Instructions

Choose 2 or 3 of the cues above to work with today.

For each cue, work through these activities, as far as you can go successfully. Take one cue and work through the list. Then take the next cue and work through the list again, and so on.

Do one set of repeats for the left side and then one set for the right side.

 

Practice Set

Practice Set for Interrupted Breathing

by | Sep 22, 2020 | Fundamental Skills

Interrupted breathing is a technique you can use while working on other aspects of your stroke with drills or whole stroke. If you would like to focus on this breathing technique directly you may select 2 or 3 cues from the lessons and select a few of the activities listed below. We recommend that you work on turning into Interrupted Breathing on both sides, giving special attention to the side that feels weaker.

Activities

For all of the following activities practice an equal number of times to the LEFT and to the RIGHT. 

Push off into Balance Position, then switch to Streamline, then roll to Interrupted Breathing.

Push off into Balance Position, then into Streamline, then roll to Interrupted Breathing, take 3 breaths, then roll back to Streamline.

Take three stroke, then roll to Interrupted Breathing.

Take three strokes, roll to Interrupted Breathing, take 2 breaths, then roll back to Streamline.

Take three strokes, roll to Interrupted Breathing, roll back to Streamline, then take 3 more strokes.

Swim a half length of the pool, and along the way, roll to Interrupted Breathing on the same side, twice.

Swim a half length of the pool, and along the way, roll to Interrupted Breathing, once on each side.

Swim a full length of the pool, and along the way, roll to Interrupted Breathing as needed, on the same side.

Swim a full length of the pool, and along the way, roll to Interrupted Breathing as needed, alternating sides.

Practice Set for Build The Frame

by | Sep 21, 2020 | Fundamental Skills

Practice Set for Build The Frame

Skills To Develop

  • To maintain a neutral head position
  • Hold long, straight, firm frame
  • Keep arms connected to torso through the scapula

You want to feel your head and upper body fully resting on the support of the water. You want to feel your spine in neutral (good posture), from head to tail, including the legs streaming straight behind. You want to feel as if your body, from head to ankles, is one long, firm fuselage. You want to maintain this sensation as you take strokes.

 

Practice Set

Choose 2 or 3 of the cues from the lesson to work on today.

Then, for each cue, work through these activities, as far as you can go successfully. Take one cue and work through the list. Then take the next cue and work through the list again, and so on.

  • 4x Balance Position (time of comfortable breath hold) examining one section of the body at a time.
  • 4 rounds of starting in Balance Position for 3 second, then take 4 strokes
  • 4 rounds of ‘6 whole strokes’ holding the same focal point (no breathing)
  • 4 rounds of ‘4x whole strokes, Interrupted Breathing, 4x whole strokes’

Practice Set for Generate Forward Momentum

by | Aug 6, 2020 | Fundamental Skills

Skills To Build

  • Hold stretched, straight, stable Streamline Position
  • Wide recovery arm swing
  • Elbow leads, moves forward continuously
  • Momentum builds parallel to surface
  • High Elbow at Entry
  • Continuous, fluid motion, from Exit to Entry to Streamline
  • Recovery Arm ‘lifts’ off the torso for a moment, almost weightless
  • Have the entry arm be pulled in by gravity
  • Have the entry arm slide in without a splash, no waves
  • Have Lead Arm hold extended position until Entry
  • Slide into your best Streamline Position

You want to feel your Streamline side of the body stretched, straight and stable, while your swing the recovery arm fluidly, without a sense of being rushed to do it because of instability. The more that you use the muscles in your torso to stabilize, the less you need your legs to move around to stabilize.

Choose 2 or 3 of the cues from the lesson to work on today.

Then, for each cue, work through these activities, as far as you can go successfully. Take one cue and work through the list. Then take the next cue and work through the list again, and so on.

Practice Set for Exit and Swing

  • 4 rounds for each side, Swing Streamline for 6 seconds (time of comfortable breath hold)
  • 4 rounds of ‘4x Swing Switch with pauses’
  • 4 rounds of ‘4x Swing Switch without pauses’
  • 4 rounds of gradually faster swing, gradually bring forearm out of the water
  • 4 rounds of ‘6x whole strokes’ holding the same cue (no breathing)
  • 2 rounds of ‘4x whole strokes, Interrupted Breathing, 4x whole strokes’

 

Practice Set for Entry and Extension

  • 4 rounds for each side, Slot To Streamline
  • 4 rounds for each side, Swing Streamline to Superman for 6 seconds (time of comfortable breath hold)
  • 4 rounds of ‘4 to 6x Swing Switch with pauses’
  • 4 rounds of ‘4 to 6x Swing Switch without pauses’
  • 4 rounds of gradually faster swing, gradually bring forearm out of the water
  • 4 rounds of ‘6 to 8x whole strokes’ holding the same cue (no breathing)
  • 2 rounds of ‘4x whole strokes, Interrupted Breathing, 4x whole strokes

 

Progression From Drill To Whole Stroke

You may follow this progression in Streamline Switch Without Pauses to gradually raise the arm up above the surface (while fingers keep contact) while maintaining the qualities with cues:

  • Full (relaxed) forearm is submerged
  • Half of forearm is submerged
  • Watchband is submerged
  • (soft) Fingers are submerged, dragging through the water
  • Fingernails are just brushing the surface

As a useful permanent standard, you may keep your fingernails every so lightly brushing the surface during your recovery swing, all the way to entry. I like to call this ‘dragonfly fingertips’, like a dragonfly skimming the surface of a pond.