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Swimming Set of the Week - February 24, 2009

Posted by Glenn Mills on Feb 24, 2009 08:49AM (4,676 views)

This swimming set comes from my good friend Chris Weissman. Who made him do it I'm not sure, but it's a swim set that can cover a large group, with many ability levels, and is as challenging as it is adaptable to any swimmer.

This is also a swimming set in which you're going to have to really know when it's your turn to leave... a lot of pace clock management. Usually in swim sets like this, figuring out what number to leave on gives you something to do during the swim. In a way, it takes the focus off the pain that you could potentially feel if you're really going for the longest possible swims.

The intervals are constantly dropping by 2 seconds on each swim, and the swims start at 1:30. So, the intervals are as follows:
1:30
1:28
1:26
1:24
1:22
1:20
1:18
1:16
|
|
|
|
V
:20
:18
:16
:14
:12
:10?

The goal of the set is to first, swim 100s (or, for great swimmers, 125s) for as long as you can. When you sense you're going to miss an interval, switch to 75s, then 50s, and finally 25s... until you can't fit ANY distance into the swims.

Enjoy, and let us know how far you made each. Could be a fun challenge for us all.

PS If you leave on the top (00:00), here are the numbers on which you will be leaving the wall for each swim:
00:00
30
58
24
48
10
30
48
04
18
30
40
48
54
58
00
00
58
54
48
40
30
18
59
43
25
05
43
19
53
25
55
23
49
13
35
55
13
29
43
55
05
13

descend set, training

Responses

GW	Responded Feb 24, 2009 05:36PM I like the look of this as a real, endurance, see how mentally tough you are, set but one question, what do you do if you miss a turn round, in order to get the most out of the set? Just swim straight into the reduced distance without a rest period? Has anybody tried this with Age Groupers? Maybe 10 to a lane! I might do it as a set to take individuals aside, maybe starting one at each end of the pool to challenge each other. What do you think?
Barbara Hummel	Responded Feb 24, 2009 05:48PM One suggestion would be: If they misjudge and miss a sendoff, have them go right away but go really short on the next swim (e.g., go a 50 if they were trying for 100 and missed the sendoff, then climb back up in yardage on the next swim). I'm not sure I'd try this with 10 in a lane because swimmers are trying to make independent judgments on how far they'll try to go. Best would be two swimmers splitting a lane. Might try this with fins, too. my2cents
Dave Ryland	Responded Feb 24, 2009 06:18PM You've got to be kidding! What team does this guy coach . . . Rain Man Aquatics???
Barbara Hummel	Responded Feb 24, 2009 06:25PM Definitely a brain teaser... unless you have a Coach with the sendoff numbers written down, and a big whistle.
Glenn Mills	Responded Feb 24, 2009 06:56PM Ah... come on... I agree that it's not going to work with kids... but for masters practices... this is cool stuff. Like I said, gives you something to think about while you're swimming. Not that tough actually. :)
James Stuart	Responded Feb 24, 2009 07:00PM I understand first part but dont understand second part is - sorry if for acting like dumb
Barbara Hummel	Responded Feb 24, 2009 07:05PM The second set of numbers tells you where the second hand of the pace clock will be when you push off at the start of each swim. At the start of the set, you push off "on the top" or on 00:00. For the second swim, you push off on the 30. On the third swim, you push off on the 58, etc.
Danielle	Responded Feb 24, 2009 07:42PM There is a video on FloSwimming's Workout Wednesday. It was similar , but different check it out - http://www.floswimming.org/videos/speaker/...
Chris Weissman	Responded Feb 24, 2009 08:11PM Glenn, Thanks for including my set! To clarify - If you miss an interval you actually stay on the wall until the next interval start so If you swam a 100 with a 1:02 interval but you missed and went 1:03 you would wait 1:00 (which is the next interval) and start swimming 75's that way you have an opportunity to regroup and keep going. The set is difficult for teams with more than 3-4 per lane unless the swimmers in the lane are evenly matched. Chris
Glenn Mills	Responded Feb 24, 2009 08:26PM Thanks Chris. You're my hero again. I did this backstroke and made 25's all the way down to :48. Then I was done. :)
Dave Ryland	Responded Feb 24, 2009 10:10PM I like the flo swimming set. It's similar with the send offs changing on each swim but that's abut where the similarty ends. 5 second interval changes, a coach verbally annoucing the next send off and an audible whistle indicating the time to go. The emphasis is clearly on doing what it takes to make the send off as opposed to figuring out what hash mark to leave on next. What complicates the first set (beyond the math) is that the harder you swim to make a faster send off, the less likely you'll be able to keep track of the next send off and the shorter the swims get, the less time you have to figure it out! I also like how the flo swimming set seems to be more about succeeding than not failing. The mind set of reaching for more as opposed to "hanging on" seems more positive and motivating.
Sam Murphy	Responded Feb 24, 2009 11:57PM Top set. I did something very similar probably 12 months ago with my age-group kids (11-13s) and there wasnt too much of a problem. Then again they're probably the most switched on group of kids i've ever worked with (definitely a lot more on the ball than I was at that age!). Another variation of this is a set of 50s we do which start on the minute and drop by one second each 50. Obviously this wouldnt be too bad for a group of very good swimmers, also if your doing SCY or LCY, but LCM it becomes interesting once you're down around mid to low 30s and then you find out who's got the mental toughness to get them through each one.
GW	Responded Feb 25, 2009 09:58AM Dave, Rain Man Aquatics?
Jonty Skinner	Responded Feb 25, 2009 03:38PM I’d like to caution all coaches to make sure that they create sets with a purpose or goal in mind. Having said that, this set is obviously challenging and will certainly help your athletes to find a new level of confidence, commitment and conditioning. However, my hesitation with something like this is that coaches have a tendency to do something because someone else did it. My problem with that is that in most cases they will have no real idea of how the set impacts performance or athlete adaptation. So it’s not that I’m against this kind of set, it’s that anyone doing this set or any other set they see in print, should take a few more steps and understand the impact of the set. What do you get out of it physiologically? What do you get out of it psychologically? Are there pre sets that will enhance the athlete’s ability to do this set and be successful? I could go on, but I hope you get the sense that I’m asking coaches to think about what they’re doing, and to not just do something because someone else did it. I’ll finish by saying that there are many ways to climb a mountain. What’s important is that you have an accurate map in your hand before you start your journey. So plan the ascent, attack the obstacles with knowledge and guide your athletes through a path you understand and are fully comfortable with. What hurts is when you step off that path and jump off a cliff with your group with no knowledge whether that cliff is two or twenty feet high. I’ll leave all with this simple motto that I feel is a cornerstone of coaching. “Train with the light on”
Glenn Mills	Responded Feb 25, 2009 03:58PM Thanks Jonty, It is always the danger of simply doing something because somebody else did it. And, like you said.. there are so many ways to climb a mountain. For me, this set can be done so many different ways, different strokes, alternating strokes, easy fast with the fast being the challenge of making the interval while swimming fast specialty... and the list goes on. That's probably more of what I enjoy about sets like this. For kids, they have to be involved. For me, this set is far more mental than physical. And, hopefully it also serves to teach someone how to read a clock. :)
GW	Responded Feb 25, 2009 04:49PM Glenn, You also pitch it at the ones who you know will give it a go. We have several like this, sets and children, and it tells me where they are against where I want them to be in our annual programme. They learn a lot about themselves and how to pace things along with why, at the end of a race they know they still have things in the mental tank to pull them through a tight fnish. Sets like this also give a 'bench mark' for future reference.

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Swimming Set of the Week - February 24, 2009

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