Distance racing: 500yrds and 1500m

What do you see when you watch a fast swimmer swim?

Katie Ledecky is a 16 year old Olympian (born in 1997).  She holds world records in the 800m (8:13.86) and 1500m (15:36.53) freestyles, American record in the 400m (3.59.82).  Maybe the easiest one for our swimmers to relate to is her National High School Record in the 500yd (4:31.38).  This video below is her swimming this time in March 2013.  Her first 100 yard split is 51 seconds!

What do you notice about her kick? Head position and breathing?  Stroke count per length? Turns and walls? Stroke rhythm and tempo?  Intensity?


 

 Now watch her 1500m swim at the 2012 Olympics where she sets a new world record by 6 seconds. What does she do differently? What does she do the same? How does your own racing stroke compare?  How can you find more speed in your races?    

Mindset

Fixed or Growth... what is your Mindset?

Do you believe that we are born with our talents and abilities and IQs and we really can't do much about that?  Do you avoid taking risks and  challenges and hard tasks because they might expose your weaknesses?  Do you tend to feel defensive and make excuses when someone gives you feedback?  This is the Fixed mindset perspective.

Do you believe that you can achieve anything if you want to and work hard?  Do you see mistakes and failures as ways to learn and get better?  Is your attitude "bring it on!"  and "let me try that!" when faced with something you've never tried before?  This the Growth mindset.

We all respond to things on a spectrum, from the fixed mindset to the grown mindset.  Neither is "wrong" or "right" but research has shown that people with a Growth Mindset will likely be more successful in life.  Watch this video made by Trevor Ragan, coach and creator of Championship Basketball School, to understand more about this critical concept.

http://championshipbasketballschool.com/2013/09/23/carol-dweck-mindset-new-psychology-success/

Core strength in the dolphin kick

Sharks, fish, dolphins have no arms or legs, they just swim with their core body.  We have arms and legs and so we think we can swim fast if we use them.... ah, yes, if we use them in coordination with our whole body.  We often talk about using the biggest muscles in our body nearest our core, our shoulders and back muscles instead of our biceps, our hips instead of our feet.

Here's Lenny Krayzelburg talking about the Underwater dolphin kick.... notice how still he keeps his upper body, generating power from his core and flowing through his legs.


And here's a video showing Hill Taylor, who is just kicking underwater, kicking 50 meters in 23.10 seconds, compared to backstroke swimmers on top of the water.



This video below is from the 2011 European Paralympian Championships.  It is the mens S4 50m butterfly event. S4 is the disability classification (the lower the numbers, the more severe the disabilities).  Athletes won't have the same disabilities but those of "equivalent" physical disabilities race against each other in classifications ranging from 1-10.  Blind and visually impaired swimmers compete in categories 11,12 and 13.  Swimmers with mental disabilities compete in 14.