The Swimming Triangle
by Nick Baker
Head Coach Peak Performance Swim Camp
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
The Physical
“If technique is the vehicle by which swimmers travel through water, physical fitness is the engine that powers it.”
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
• Goal of practice is to develop swimmers who are lean mean swimming machines. • Swimmers must feel fit enough to compete and have confidence in their conditioning.
• The majority of swimmers are either overtrained or under-trained.
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
• A simple approach to training is the best plan for non-elite swimmers. UNITED STATES SWIMMING (www.usswimming.org)
Aerobic: BPM: 160 or less - % of Max: 80 or less – Rest Interval: 10 to 30 seconds – Recommended Distance: 400 to 4,000 y/m.
Aerobic/Anaerobic: BPM: 160 to Max - % of Max: 80 to 100 – Rest Interval: 15 to 60 seconds – Recommended Distance: 400 to 2,000 y/m.
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
UNITED STATES SWIMMING (continued) Anaerobic: BPM: Max - % of Max: 100 – Rest Interval: 2:1 to 1:4 – Recommended Distance: 200 to 600 y/m Sprint: BPM: Max - % of Max: 100 – Rest Interval: 1:3 to 1:4 – Recommended Distance: 25 to 100 y/m.
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
• Repackage practice every three weeks.
• Increase the distance first and the speed of distance second.
• Training with high quality technique results in higher quality training.
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
• All strokes, all distances until age 15. The ultimate swimmer is the one who swims the 400 IM. • Year-round, dry-land training is essential. Include plyometrics, medicine balls, Pilates, body weight exercises, swim-specific exercises and some form of deep stretching, like yoga.
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
• Swimming, in the absence of technique, is totally unacceptable. • Swimming is a whole-body activity; therefore, the whole body must be constantly engaged.
• If swimming fast is the goal, swimming fast, at some point in practice, should be a daily occurrence.
• Training effect not only occurs physically, but technically and mentally as well.
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
• As a coach you must constantly stir the pot; in other words, alternate the challenge from day to day. If you don’t, swimmers will get comfortable and bored. • The broader the base, the higher the peak.
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
• There are three kinds of swimmers: swimmers who are stronger than their size, swimmers weaker than their size, and swimmers somewhere in between. • Injury prevention exercises (balanced muscle development) should be a daily part of a swimmers’ routine. Swimmers have a 75% chance of being injured during their career.
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
• Increase fitness through the legs as they use four times the energy. Observe how swimmers try and kick when they race and then work backwards into training sets. • Ideally, swimmers should have one stroke which they swim at different speeds. All too often practice strokes are light years away from racing strokes.
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
• Turning fitness is not the same as swimming fitness. • Promote a nothing ventured, nothing gained mentality in practice. Praise, don’t penalize, if a swimmer risks and fails. • Bait swimmers by offering challenges that seem impossible to achieve. Practice should be a place where the impossible becomes possible.
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
• Think long term, not short. If a swimmer begins swimming at 8 and plans to swim through college (age 21), you have 13 years to maximize potential.
• Emphasis posture first, propulsion second. Think inside out.
• All too often teaching drills are used as conditioning drills.
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
• Use the continual transfer of momentum concepts an indicator in practice; when swimmers can no longer transfer momentum, adjust the set. • Breaststroke legs need to be rested in order to swim fast. Timing should remain sharp at all times. Avoid swimming too slow, too often. Breaststroke training should a higher percentage of drills.
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
• If you increase physical fitness and decrease technical fitness, are you any further ahead? • The speed at which a swimmer swims each 25 is just as important as the number of 25’s they swim.
• Save something for later - don’t train age group swimmers like senior swimmers.
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
• The greatest motivator in all swimming is success. Planning for small improvements throughout the year will create a great team attitude and training environment. • No one-arm fly in fly sets, no floating into turns, no throwing legs into flip turns, no popping-up before the flags, no floating into finishes, no kick-less freestyle . . .
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
• A Simple Hard Core Dry-Land Training Program: pull ups, dips, rope climbing and the core. • The 85–15 Rule: Don’t stress over the 85%, give a little, gain a lot. • The Missing Link (NTC).
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker
Thoughts To Consider
• Identify racing objectives first, and then develop training sets to address them: Stroke Decay Sets (stop when your stroke begins to fall apart) Streamline Sets (stop when you can no longer hold ideal streamline off the walls) Flow Sets (stop when you no longer flow) Flutter vs. Sputter Sets (stop when you lose your kick)
Posture Sets (stop when you lose your posture)
Turn Sets (stop when you miss a wall).
Copyright © 2008 Peak Performance Swim Camp
Speaker: Nick Baker