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TRAINING

Life at ADSC really centres around the training sessions irrespective of what squad you are in.

It is the time:

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  • To learn new skills

  • To develop and improve your technique so that you can complete all four strokes correctly

  • To work your muscles and make them stronger and more efficient

  • To improve your fitness and endurance so that you can swim longer distances in less time

  • To have fun with your teammates and share swimming experiences

Put simply, it is your opportunity to become a better swimmer.

Do the right things right….

​Unfortunately though, simply turning up doesn’t mean that you will automatically get faster. To get the best out of the session and therefore increase your chances of improving you also have to listen to what your coach/teacher is saying.

 

Listening is not the same as hearing. Good listening requires:

  • Ears (not under-water or covered by a hat!)

  • Eyes (watching the coach explaining what to do)

  • Mind (thinking about how to put the words into practice)

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We have yet to find anyone who can listen and chat to their mates at the same time!

Do...

  • Arrive 5-10 minutes before the session start to warm-up on the pool side and get in the water on time.

  • Bring all your kit (costume, goggles, hat, kickboard, pull-buoy, drink and for some… paddles, snorkel, ankle band).

  • Take a toilet break at a designated point in the session and not when it gets hard or when it is your least favourite stroke!

  • Have your goggles adjusted so they do not need to be re-adjusted again (particularly when things get hard!)

  • Drink little and often throughout the session and so avoid de-hydration and cramp (especially the type of you get in your toes when things get hard)!

Dont...

  • Pull on the lane rope to improve your speed through the water (you cannot do this in a race)!

  • Use your arms during a kick set (this doesn’t give you better leg muscles to help your kick)

  • Do front crawl during a breaststroke set because you hate breaststroke!

  • Do single arm fly instead of full stroke fly because it is hard

  • Eat a big meal just before training or train on an empty stomach.

Monitor your own training performance. Keep asking yourself these questions:

  • Is the training getting easier?

  • Is my training speed getting quicker

  • What time did I take for the last swim

  • How far did I go off the turn?

  • How many strokes did I take on that length?

  • Did I make a legal turn and finish?

  • Was I streamlined off the start and turn?

  • How far did I swim in that training session?

 

Better still keep a log of your training – you can buy yourself a notebook. You will be amazed at just how many meters you swim in a year.

 

If you don’t know the answers…ask your coach to help you.

Be part of a successful team

Although swimming is an individual sport, training is very much about developing a great team. This is really important as the best individuals are often part of the best teams. For example Bradley Wiggins won the Tour de France but it was Team Sky who got him there! To build a great team swimmers in each lane need to work together and help each other. This starts with some basic ground rules that everyone needs to follow:

 

  • Go in the correct direction in the lane. Normally odd lanes go clockwise and even lanes go anti-clockwise. This prevents collisions and therefore injuries.

  • The lane should be ordered with the fastest swimmers going first, but remember swimmers are not always the fastest at all strokes.

  • The swimmer who goes first does the most work as it is easier to swim behind someone. Share the lead off position whenever possible.

  • Leave a 5 second gap before you go. This is about when the swimmer in front gets their feet to the flags.

  • If you do catch up with the swimmer in front swim behind them until you get near the turn and then tap their toes gently. If you are the swimmer in front and feel this then stop at the end and let the swimmer pass and then continue (with a gap). Remember it is harder at the front so just because you swim fast just behind someone it doesn’t mean you can stay ahead of them when you have overtaken – you will need to work harder!

  • If your coach asks you to move lanes it is often to improve the organisation of the session based on who is there. It doesn’t mean you are being moved up or down. Often lanes can be organised into boys and girls or so that there is a faster swimmer in each lane to pull the lane along.

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