Do you need all the stuff in your swim bag?

Do you need all the stuff in your swim bag?

by Emma Carney (AUS) -
Number of replies: 0

Dear Athletes,

Way back, in the dawn of the sport of triathlon when I was racing, I know that each day I headed to the pool I carried a bag with all sorts of swim training equipment. Do we need to carry all this stuff around, and what does everything do?

Today we are going to have a look at this.

As explained in email 18 ‘Swim Smarter’, every triathlete, regardless of their swim ability must swim the first 200-300m as fast as they can, keeping in mind they need to also be able to complete the swim course at threshold pace. This initial required effort is usually the distance to the first swim marker/buoy. The importance of the start in the swim is illustrated by the fact that it is in this stage of the swim where the majority of lead positions are set. The lead swimmer will aim to drop as many swimmers as she/he can. If you are a weaker swimmer, this is the section of the race you are most vulnerable.

The field will show signs of splitting at this point, forming the lead pack, chase pack 1 and chase pack 2 will be forming behind.

The key to training is therefore speed development, with excessive km’s and endurance work minimised as much as possible. Sure, you need to do some longer swim days, but it is important to remember you will naturally build endurance as you develop as an athlete through the volume of total training required for triathlon. For speed we need to have a solid foundation of skill and technique (refer to last week’s email).

Therefore, if you are going to use various items of swim equipment you need to know what they are designed to do.

Paddles

Traditionally a triathlete’s favourite swim buddy, the paddle is used by most triathletes in parts of most sessions. The aim of the paddle is to work on the catch and also strength. Some triathlon coaches got a little obsessed with the ‘strength’ part when I was racing and paddles became the size of kickboards. Don’t copy this – paddles which are very large will more often than not cause shoulder problems and destroy your stroke by slowing your cadence too much, shortening the exit point and cause you to pull too wide leading to a lack of body rotation. These problems also tend to emerge when you use paddles too often. When using paddles to develop your catch, you can remove all the straps except for the finger loop, so your paddles will fall off if your catch is slipping. The best size paddle for triathlon is the size of your hand, small finger paddles tend to make less experienced swimmers drop their wrist and this is a bad habit to form.

 

Fins

Fins are useful to use when performing drills because they take away the effort of the kick and allow you to focus fully on what your drill is working on. You can also incorporate fins into some speed sets to really feel the feel for moving fast. Fins are also very useful for developing ankle flexibility and creating a good kick technique. The kick is important to develop if you are not a natural swimmer, because it will improve your swim speed and efficiency. There is no point in swimming to ‘save your legs’ – when all it does is slow you down. When you learn to kick well your stroke will become more efficient. Another useful use of fins for triathletes is to loosen your legs after a tough bike and run.

Snorkel

Often when correcting stroke problems, and working on specific drills, if you use a snorkel you remove the need to breathe, so can focus on your drills. I believe you have to be a very good swimmer to fully benefit from its use. When using a snorkel you are able to focus less on breathing and watch your stroke.

Band only swimming

Many triathlon coaches are big fans of the band only swimming. They believe it forces the swimmer to increase stroke rate, which results in faster swimming. The obvious problem to this is the damage it can do to a swim stroke. Simply rushing your stroke may initially have some benefit, but without technique or strength to support this your stroke will fall apart. A band is useful for short 25m efforts and is sometimes useful in teaching a triathlete how to dolphin to lift their hips. Excessive use of the band can cause problems similar to excessive use of paddles. Try to avoid overusing them.

 

Pull Buoy

The pull buoy is another triathlon favourite. Generally, it is used with paddles for the typical ‘pull set’ at the end of most workouts. The pull buoy is a useful training tool to remove the legs by enabling them to float, but excessive use will lead to a lazy kick. A valid reason for the pull buoy is to enable more volume in a training session, because generally a triathlete will be able to complete more distance in a session. Excessive use of the pull buoy will tend to ‘flatten’ a swimmer out, or reduce their body rotation in the water. This should be avoided, because body rotation is important to swimming fast.

Kick board

Use a kick board to learn to kick well. Lie over the board and hold with both hands at the top of the board. You can then breathe and your body position is correct for kicking. Don’t use a pull buoy for kicking, it is the wrong size and shape to get the best out of your kick set.

While there are a lot of tools and equipment you can use to develop your swim stroke, there are some key things you must work on to ensure your swim training is focussing on continued improvement. Always, always work on your streamlining, tumble turns and your basic pool swimming skills like not breathing into and out of turns. By working on these key skill areas, you will be ensuring you are maximising your ability to work off faster swim set times, allowing you to then develop your speed.

On top of these skills, work on your dives and first strokes out of a dive. Your exit from the pool should also be from the lane end, not the stairs so you are using your upper body strength to exit the water. The little things count.

The most important ingredient to your swim training is to have your coach plan your workouts and ensure you have a balanced program working on both your strengths and weaknesses. The key sessions must work on your critical speed and some sessions must push you to improve your lactate tolerance threshold.

Your coach must also be providing you with drills that work on areas of the stroke you require, and as always stretching is paramount. Develop a good stretch routine and incorporate it into your weekly training schedule.

I hope that helps, yes the stuff in your swim bag is useful, but as always good coaching and hard work are the real key ingredients to your swim improvement..

See you next week!

Emma