Base Sets

We were looking for a way to present a fixed amount of full speed swimming for a short amount of time and distance that would drive focus up (looking for flow here), raise metabolic rates high and improve confidence about handling the race pace physical feeling of collapse. We came up with what we call “Base Set”…you could call it anything.

We have used these sets several times over the last few weeks at least twice a week. We would guess maybe 3 times a week would be max and then perhaps they lose their effectiveness. We actually have no idea – HA.

What we do know is that when we do them, the swimmers get very quiet, focused, determined and close to failure often. We have done only one of the 3 on any given day. We have done 3 rounds always and once we did 4 rounds. We think 3 are best. Each set is surrounded with some aerobic base building of swimming or kicking or pulling; the only limitation here is your imagination. We are pretty happy with the 3 sets and will stick with them, maybe adding one or two more variations…we like keeping it simple so they and we can compare while tracking improvement.

Each set equals 350 yards and takes exactly 6 minutes. All swims/kicks are full speed. Our workouts generally run with a 2000 yard warmup and total out between 6000 and 7500 yards in about 2 hours, Saturdays sometimes a little longer.

Set 1:

25/.20 then 25/.40 non free then 25kick/.30 then 25kick/.30

50/.40 non free then 25/.20 then 25kick/.30 then 25kick/.30

25/.20 non free then 50/.40 then 25kick/.30 then 25kick/.30

Set 2:

25/.20 then 25/.40 non free

50/.40 then 25/.40 non free

75/1 then 25/.40 non free

100/1:20 then 25/.40 non free

Set 3:

25/.15 then 25/.30 non free

50/.30 then 25/.30 non free

75/.45 then 25/.30 non free

100/1 then 25.30 non free

We currently have only a few on our team who can make all 3 variations full speed. Set 3 is the most challenging but 1 and 2 offer mighty fine efforts of speed and non-free quality…350 yards no nonsense in 6 minutes.

Every swimmer who races 500 yards or less fits that 6 minute parameter.

What If

What do you suppose the value is or would be of doing 15x50/1 once a week?

What if you ran a workout without using the pace clock?

Would attendance improve if late comers were not allowed to swim…Or had to sit out the first set?

If you forgot your snorkel you had to swim with a ping pong ball in your mouth…bad idea, safety and all…scratch this one.

What would the effect be if you alternated a week of pure aerobic conditioning with a week of pure speed, a true ultra-fast race pace training week?

How many times in a month do you repeat a set?

What if you went to a meet and raced only off events?

What if you went to a meet and raced the highest total yardage available?

What would happen if you had your most involved swim parent coach type run a workout while you sat and observed?

How about setting up the workout lanes such that on the odd repeats only the guys swam and the evens only the girls?

What is the most off-the-wall idea you have always had but never tried?

And you are rejecting any or all of these ideas because?

Keep It Simple

Today we are inspired by John Leonard’s recent article “Chop Wood, Haul Water.” To quote John, “Chop wood so you can stay warm and cook food. Haul water so you can drink and wash: the everyday things that make life possible. While they are not exciting always, they certainly get very exciting when we are cold, hungry, dirty and thirsty when we don’t do them.”

We are thinking about our swim team and our coaching…and the value of keeping it simple.

A swim team needs a culture to function and differentiate itself from competitors.

Question 1 – Has your team a written statement that accurately reflects your culture? If “yes”, is it posted prominently on your website; if “no”, then get together with leaders of your team and write one.

A swim team needs water to train.

Question 2 – Do you have enough time and lanes to get what you deem necessary done? If “yes”, how secure is your time/lanes; if “no” then what is your plan to remedy any shortcomings.

A swim team needs money to operate.

Question 3 – Do you have enough to pay your staff so you can attract and retain them; enough to rent the time and lanes you need; to pay for travel and the other basics your team needs to be competitive? If “yes”, how secure is your funding stream; if “no” what can be done to remedy any shortcomings. A word about money here…price is what you pay, value is what you get. When you are valuable enough to your members they will pay whatever is necessary to get what they value.

A training program needs both work and rest to have swimmers get faster.

Question 4 – Do you understand the value of each and do you plan for each? If “yes”, do you review it regularly to ensure you are allocating proper percentages for each component; if “no”, then make sure you are writing down what you do so you don’t have to remember the amount of work and rest you are giving your athletes…it is the only real way to measure the effectiveness of your programming.

Confidence is the most important muscle in the human body (might be Rick DeMont’s quote?).

Question 5 – Do you do something every day to build confidence? If “yes”, make certain you keep doing it; if “no”, then get with the program – a steady stream of negativity will make your swimmers/parents move to your competitors.

Chop wood, haul water…not glamorous yet so necessary for success…in the pool, in school, at home, with your friends and mates…everywhere.

Thanks John for reminding us of this basic powerful truism.

Observations from Orlando

We are on our way home following a weeklong of racing at the 2016 NCSA Junior National Championships in Orlando. This meet annually brings together many of the fastest 18 and unders in the country. This year was no exception. We saw several new stars, some from last year still in the mix and witnessed several top notch exciting races with 2016 Olympic Trial qualifying cuts.

This meet is like a full blown coaching clinic in many ways; watch and listen and you can learn. Sometimes things you already knew are validated while now and then you catch a new skill or mindset at work. In no particular order this is what we saw in action…

Underwater dolphin kicking isn’t all that important…underwater really fast dolphin kicking is a top of the line, must have skill…

Racers rule at the end of the day. When the swim is on the line you want a racer on your team, not merely a well-conditioned athlete with great skills

Relays are just about the best form of team bonding imaginable

There are some teams, large and small alike, that have figured out how to have a mindset that fosters total commitment to excellence and process with zero tolerance for lack of same

There are teams with a culture of high intensity and integrity blended which yields a consistent “brand” of excellence…no matter if that team’s swimmer is in the first heat or the A final

We watched hundreds of swimmers each night go absolutely all in for other fellow swimmers who attempted to make Olympic Trials  cuts…the bonding across teams demonstrated a passionate portrait of common bonds…too cool  for words

A five day meet means several of things:

1 -Your team needs no nonsense yet compassionate parental support

2 -Your coaching staff needs to be in shape

3-Your swimmers need to be in shape

4 -You must have your food delivery systems in order

5- Your transportation system must be well thought-out and executed

The team rises or falls on the shoulders of the entire team, not just the super-star(s)

Your team’s strength is built months before the first race begins…physical, mental and emotional…if you saw any weaknesses this week then begin now, as in today, so that the end of summer meet finds you and your team better prepared

Culture is defined when you have a down race or a down day…it is easy to be giddy when the races go great…it is better to be rock steady in your purpose when things don’t go as planned…there are a lot more of those moments than the “perfect” ones

We have a group of guys and gals who have found a common ground in terms of their racing speed…our goal is to get them together and challenge them to challenge each other to push out of the current “status quo”…for instance we have 7 girls who swim a 52+ 100 free…one or more of those girls need to breakout and push into the 50+ to lift themselves and the team to a higher level of performance

If you want to improve say 4 seconds in your race in the next year, all you need to do is improve .01 second per day…but you must make  the commitment for that to happen

We had several swimmers express frustration about their swims – silently we applauded this because a couple of years ago instead of being frustrated they would have cried – we’ve come a long way baby! …our message to them is to take the frustration and use it for motivation…the next time a challenging set comes their way,  lean into it…the next time they feel like giving up on a skill because it’s too difficult – NO  -hang in there working on your game…get that precious .01 each day…

There are going to be 52 swimmers on the USA Olympic Team this summer. They will come from 35 or more programs, each with its nuances. Several things will be common to each of those programs: no cutting corners in the pool; no negativity; excellent nutrition and sleep; lots of stretching so no training sessions get missed due to negligence.

All of those are daily, conscious choices. Make them and dreams become reality.

Quite a week in Orlando;  many thanks to all the coaches who organize this meet and the numerous officials who make this the best meet for the swimmers in the entire country.

One final  thought…we had several swimmers in our group of 20 who never got sick from December through this meet…each of those had a great week…figure out how to stay healthy for large chunks of time…it will do wonders for your swimming…in many cases health – or lack thereof – is a state of mind

See you poolside…very soon!

Intention and Levers

Give me a lever long enough and

a fulcrum on which to place it and I shall move the world.

Archimedes

Laura, an actual swimmer on our team, swam a 50 free in Santa Cruz February 14^th this year. Her time was a 24.96 which tied her best time from 2015. This was a nice swim and put a small smile on her face…well maybe not that small after all! In finals that day she swam her 50 in 24.66 and that produce a big smile for sure.

Swimmers love to record best times and since as they get older it doesn’t happen all that frequently, when Laura, a 16 year old junior, cranked a 24.66 it was a nice breakthrough.

Two weeks later we raced in Clovis and what follows is her numerical progression along with a few short comments:

Day 1 Time Trials – 24.8 – fast but the meet is just getting underway

Day 2 Prelims     - 24.67 -  making progress

Day 2 Time Trials – 24.45 -  (Orlando NCSA cut is 24.39) more progress for sure

Day 2 Finals   -           24.29 – Orlando and Futures cuts

From day 1 through day 2 she said “well, I’ve been 24.8, 24.6 24.4 so I might as well go 24.2”…keep the synched times rolling, that type of thing.

After the 24.29 the smile was ever widening. Later in the week I asked her what happened physically over those 2 plus days from the 24.8 to the 24.2 and she correctly replied “nothing.”

What had been replaced by up front desire was a pure intention level necessary to induce flow. And of course when flow is injected into the body actual physical changes do occur…as a result of the neural chemicals the brain dumps into your system, you are allowed all sorts of access to previous work, belief patterns and neural muscular connections.

Laura had her confidence go up as a result of increasing evidence that she “could” keep the needle moving forward. This allowed her to race “lighthearted” which in turn allowed the 24.2 which has been in her for several months, to come to the surface.

Intention, when stated, especially out loud, acts as the proverbial lever Archimedes referenced above. Coaches see this phenomenon rather regularly. So do teams, when they state a goal then all sorts of resources become available to the team in its quest for success.

The key ingredient is the statement of intention. That acts as the lever. Give it a try…and then get out of your own way and watch your progress.

Interestingly, at Clovis last summer at Western Zones, Laura swam her 50 meter free in 28.00 down from 29.33 the previous summer. I mentioned to her that she might as well swim a second faster for each of the next 4 summers. She smiled at the thought. When she and I revisited that conversation a few days ago she remembered it. I said, “When you do that in 4 years you will own the AR, which currently stands at 24.01 by Dara Torres from 2009, in the era of rubber suits.” She said to me, “Really?” of course you know I said, “Really” back to her…smiles all around.

And so it goes…

Write It Down

In the never ending quest to figure out what works and what doesn’t, what has value in our preparation and what doesn’t, what leads us forward or holds us back from making the progress we long for, it is worth noting that we humans are not very capable of remembering all the small stuff…and the small stuff makes a huge difference, especially over the long haul.

That’s why it is vital for us to write things down. Get a log book…any notebook will do. Put it in your back pack and take it to meets. Write down your warmup, your races, what was going through your mind, what emotions were working for or against you. Write down your splits or your tempo or your stroke counts. All the information that is provided to you by your coaches and meet mobile etc. is valuable feedback.

No feedback; no progress. You can work your tail off and go pretty much nowhere unless you understand what and how you are doing.

Coaches…if you don’t write down your workouts – and then evaluate them – you simply will not remember them. There is no way to evaluate and alter the course of future sessions if you do not have feedback written down based upon your observations of today’s session.

Bob Bowman – and countless others – records every workout. Some have the luxury of being able to record the main sets and the times achieved. At the very least you can record your observations, things you want to alter or tweak for the next time around.

For instance, today we did a set of 6x175/4…number 1 = 80%, #2 = 85%, number #3 was to be 4% faster. We have the chart poolside… (If you want one just email us). Observing the athletes in action we could tell who was fresh enough to succeed and who could use some more rest, maybe take tomorrow morning off. Then we can adjust the coming week’s stress sessions accordingly.

I know on our team we have at least one swimmer who records meet swims. It is no surprise that this swimmer is one of the highest level performers on our team.

The little stuff matters and if you don’t write down your observations they will be “lost” in the daily clutter of life…guaranteed.

Whatever the goal, the opponent never changes: It’s you vs. you

Performance Grid

1                                                                      2

Consistent Workout Attendance               Inconsistent Workout Attendance

Consistently Train to My Capability          Consistently Train to My Capability

                        3                                                                      4

Consistent Workout Attendance               Inconsistent Workout Attendance

Don’t Consistently Train to                                    Don’t Consistently Train to

            My Capacity                                                   My Capacity

You have already figured this out, correct? Every swimmer and coach is in one of these grid spots every day. And while we certainly move around from time to time the question is in which spot do we reside, say 95% of the time?

Our success or lack thereof, is in our hands…every day. We choose our course of action. So, be accountable and you will move forward. Look for excuses or why you might be the “victim of circumstances beyond your control” and you will not move forward.

The beauty of our sport is twofold – thanks to Pete at UC Davis – the stop watch never lies and the water is always right.

Who Is Your Training Partner?

You pretty much always swim faster in a race than by yourself in a time trial at the practice pool. Why do you suppose that is the case? We are assuming that you answered with something along the lines of, “Because it’s a race, because there is another person(s), to work with” etc.

Our question today is, “Who is you training partner?” That person fulfills the same function in daily training sessions as your competitor does in the race situation.

Your training partner:

1 - Keeps you honest in your effort

2 – Keeps encouraging you when the going gets tough

3 – Gives you feedback about your stroke technique, turns, dives and finishes

4 – Has “your back” at all times

5 – Wants you to “win” more than s/he does

6 – Smiles for you no matter what

7 – Gives you some “shot blocks or goo” when you forget or run out

8 - Loans you a pair of goggles no matter what – even her own – yep!

9 – Drives you to the meet or workout when your ride isn’t available

10 – Holds you to your words and actions and goals…keeps you accountable

11 – The list is endless…just like your training partner’s willingness – it is endless

You:

Provide all the same things for her/him…unselfishly because you value your teammate as much, maybe more, dare we say, than you. We can all move forward faster with a bigger smile on our faces and stay “in front” with a personal training partner.

Hey, you can even have a couple of partners. The main thing to do is make sure everyone on the team has one. When you do that, the team becomes stronger, more unified. And there is nothing quite as strong, dynamic and powerful as a group of people unified around a common goal.

Pursuit of excellence is positively empowering…to each individual and the entire team.

Two Training Sessions

We admit we aren’t perfect at this but we really want to call every pool and weight room session “training” rather than “practice”. To us “training” means specific preparation while “practice” is, well, just practice…not the real deal. We have 36 in our Senior 1 training group and probably 25 +/- are really training for their advancement to the next level of competition. They fire us up daily…ours is actually the best profession in the world. The 30^th below is from Ken and the 31^st from Don (we train on Saturday and Sunday, taking Friday off)…the swimmers (again not all but most) responded superbly. Got a great one? Share with us and we will share with the world…

As Dave Krotiak says, “Have an awesome day!”

1/30 youth

Wmp 4 x 50/.50

600 mix and match – any gear but kick boards

4 x 150 kick...last 50 no board on 2:45

4 x 100 pull 1st scull on 1:40

200 IM

(40)

9 x 50 on the: 50

1st 3 start bursts

Next 3 turn bursts

Last 3 finish bursts

(52)

4 rounds...200 pacing

50 on the: 40 this will be timed

100 on the 1:20 this will be timed

50 on the 1:00 this will be hypoxic...2 breaths per lap (breaststrokers 2 pull throughs)

The goal will be to be within 4 seconds on your 100 of your doubled 1st 50 time

If you go a 25 on first 50... You break 54 on the 100

26 on first 50... You break 56 on the 100

27 on first 50... You break 58 on the 100

28 on first 50... You break 60 on the 100 Etc

How fast can you go on the first 50 and still do this correctly?

After we do one

4 x 50 on the 1:00 easy then take a minutes before next round

(90)

600 pull every 4th lap hypoxic...2 breaths

300 pull every 3rd lap Breast Pull

(110)

4 x 25/.30 alternate Buildup & burst

12 x 50 ... Actual number TBD

Odds on the: 40.... These are fast

Evens on the 1:20... These are easy

1st fast doing your 200 breathing pattern

2nd fast doing your 100 breathing pattern

3rd fast 50 breathing pattern

Etc

Loosen

1-31-16 - Goals: keep 500 gang’s focus narrow on the 500 working both aerobic and anaerobic capacities. Main group same idea – focus on 200 and 100 needs while building the same aerobic and anaerobic capacities…Ken will have sprint group do specialized work after the wmp and 20x25 set

Wmp – 45 minutes of skills and drills…then 20x25/.40 doing the sequencing as follows:

1 under then 1 surface, then 2 under then 1 surface, then 3 under etc all the way to 5 under and 1 surface…all under laps are 15 mtrs fast, all surface laps are flawless, evenly balanced swimming zero breath…..60 minutes

500 Gang: 1x500NS/6 then 5x100/1:30 fast as possible

                        500NS/5:45…5x100/1:40 fast As Above

                        500NS/5:30…5x100/1:50 AA

                        500NS/5:15…5x100/2 AA                                      4000/70 mins

Main Group: you can do stroke anywhere it suits you and seems appropriate, but make sure you do the same stroke for all 3x100  or 4x50  or 4x25…you may change strokes but not on the distance…only exception would be the IM’ers

3 rounds as follows:

Round 1                                Round 2                    Round 3

300/NS 4                               300/NS 3:45             300/NS 3:30

3x100/1:30 Fast                   3x100/1:45 FAST     3x100/2 FAST

200/NS/2:40                         200/NS 2:30             200/NS 2:20

4x50/.45 Fast                        4x50/.50 Fast            4x50/1:10 Fast

1x100/NS 1:20                     1x100/NS1:15                      1x100/NS 1:10

4x25/.30 Fast                        4x25/.40 Fast            4x25/1 Fast

1-3 foot touch                       same                         same

4 = touchpad                                    same                         same

1x200 smooth                      200 smooth              200 smooth=            4200 (1800 effort) 75 mins

Man on the Moon

In 1962 President JFK (John Kennedy) declared in a speech at Rice University that the United States would put a man on the moon. People were utterly flabbergasted. The brashness of the statement made no sense. JFK had not one single shred of evidence that it could happen. The science wasn’t there nor was the equipment necessary to pull it off even developed.

But the goal was laid out for all to see and hear. Six years later the US had put a man on the moon. It is one of mankind’s most impressive achievements; especially in contrast to where we stood before the statement was uttered.

What JFK and the team of scientists who pulled this off knew was that even though they had no idea how they would be able to achieve this, they trusted that the way would be revealed so long as they continued unfailingly to march in that particular direction. Indeed, it is not so very important to know “how” but rather to know “yes” it will happen…just cannot say exactly how at this point.

When a swimmer or a coach or a team thinks about what it wants to accomplish we wonder if there is a lesson to be learned.

Once you can identify your BHAG – big, hairy, audacious goal – you can then set out to figure out how to pull it off.

This summer in Omaha, there will be at least one (and if history is any predictor, there will be more than one) swimmer who makes the US Olympic team that is not on anybody’s list today as a contender.

This is possible because there is always someone who is dreaming incredibly big…and backing up those dreams with action. In all cases of success those two ingredients are always present: the dream + the action; the goal + the work.

Again, pretty simple while perhaps “impossible” to those looking in from the outside.

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”  Mohammed Ali

Rust Never Sleeps

Rust Never Sleeps is an album released July 2, 1979 by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young and American band Crazy Horse. Young used the title "rust never sleeps" as a concept for his tour with Crazy Horse to avoid artistic complacency and try more progressive, theatrical approaches to performing live.

On our team we use this phrase at this time of year when we go to our first meet to acknowledge our own rustiness at the game of racing. It has been 6 or 7 weeks since we have been on the blocks in early December.

Most of our swims on Saturday reflected that reality. We were somewhat better on Sunday since recollection was working. Our swimmers often wondered “how my swim was” and wondered about their time. We of course didn’t really know their times since we weren’t looking at the scoreboard all that much. We took no splits and recorded no tempos or stroke counts.

What we did do is ask them to “be competitive, no matter what” and we gave them feedback based upon those criteria. Some were able to gather themselves and get a decent grip on the race, especially as the weekend went along. There were several who made bonehead moves on breakouts and some of the technical issues we have been working on…and of course those are the issues they have daily in training sessions….

So we will go back to work reinforcing what we saw over the weekend and correcting where possible all the while underscoring the truth about our sport…it is on each swimmer to decide to improve. If they don’t decide to improve, they won’t.

When they do decide to improve then they must, because that is how the universe works…since the beginning of time.

Rust isn’t a bad thing; it is merely something we all deal with from time to time. As Bart Simpson would say, “Don’t have a cow, man!”

Just in Case You Wondered if Mindset is Important

The quote below came from a story Rusty Simmons wrote on 12/26/15 from the SanFrancisco Chronicle. We here in Northern California are currently spoiled when it comes to NBA hoops. We have an ultra-dynamic team with a super organizational structure promoting excellence at every turn…and we have Stephen Curry on the floor nearly every night doing magic tricks. If you ever wondered how important mindset is in high level performance then take a moment and read this from Rusty Simmons…thanks Rusty!

He recently told Time magazine that he believes he is the best player in the NBA.

“Yes, in my mind, I do, because that’s the confidence I need to have when I step on the floor every single night,” Curry told the local media Thursday. “I need that level of expectation to try to get better, to be as consistent as I can and to have that killer instinct that I can do pretty much anything I want on the court. I need to have that mentality. When I’m out there taking shots and making plays, in my mind, I have the utmost confidence in myself. I think anybody should have that.

 

“I don’t ever rank anybody. There are so many great players in this league, and if you ask any of them, if their answer is any different, I would be surprised. If you don’t have that mentality, you’re going to get exposed.”