This week we look at the 80:20 rule, why you should always aim to lead the lane, when to wear fins in training and we also have details about our Melbourne Workshop which is being finalised for Saturday 8th December. We also chatted to Trent Grimsey who is the English Channel world record holder so we have the details of our interview with him.
00:33 – The 80/20 Rule
01:01 – When to Wear Fins
01:43 – Lead the Lane
02:14 – Adjusting Speeds in Training
02:33 – Trent Grimsey Podcast
03:05 – Melbourne Freestyle Clinic 8th December, 2012
Ready To Lead The Lane? – This Is How We Do It
The 80:20 Rule
You might have heard about the 80:20 rule where 20% of things get you 80% of the results. In swimming I find that is usually body position. If you want to improve your swimming a lot of times the 20% of things that you can do comes down to body position. That is why in The Mastering Freestyle Program we go through a lot of body position drills and when I am working one on one with swimmers I will work on their body position because they will feel the difference when we improve their body position.
When to Wear Fins?
If you are wondering when to wear fins in training then there are three situations that I usually use them for in our squad. The first one is for drill so in The Mastering Freestyle Program and Effortless Form then I often suggest wearing fins because it will help you do the drills right. The second one is we that we use them a lot for speed work; so if you want to get your stroke rate up, your speed up and get used to racing then it can be good to put on fins. We sometimes also use paddles as well fins are very good for getting your speed up and getting you used to swimming at race pace. We also use them a lot for kick; because if you want to improve your leg strength then quite often it is good to put on fins to develop your leg strength.
Lead the Lane
If you are in a lane with swimmers about your speed then your goal should be to lead the lane, rather than hanging back and wanting other swimmers to go in front of you get out there, take charge and lead the lane. Not only does it make you work harder because you are not dragging off the other swimmers but you also get clean water so it is not quite so chopping and your are not sitting in everyone else’s wake and in their waves. Get out there, lead the lane and take charge and you will improve your swimming that way because you are training harder and you have the pressure of working hard out the front.
Adjusting Speeds in Training
If you are wondering how to move from slower aerobic swimming into sprinting in a training session then it is all in your leg speed. If you want to get your stroke rate up and start sprinting then start kicking your legs faster and that will help determine your arm speed. If you are going from slow aerobic to fast sprinting then pick up your kicking and that will help improve your arm speed and get you swimming faster.
Trent Grimsey Podcast
This week for the Effortless Swimming podcast at SwimmingPodcast.com I interviewed Trent Grimsey who has won a huge amount of open water races but the thing he has done recently is he has broken the world record for the English Channel crossing. So he is the fastest person to ever swim across the English Channel. I interviewed Trent this week to talk about his training, technique, race strategy; mind set and talk about a lot of things that you might find useful for your own swimming. Listen to the interview with Trent.
Melbourne Freestyle Clinic 8th December
The details for our Melbourne freestyle clinic have been finalised, it is coming up this Saturday the 8th of December. From 2.00pm to 3.30pm at the Carnegie Pool just outside of Melbourne. What I am going to be teaching there is; I have been fortunate enough to work with a lot of good swimmers of the past few years. They have broken world records, national records in Master Swimming. Some of the guys who I have worked with online have won their age group championship in Triathlon in New Zealand recently; some of the guys have broken world records for marathon swimming. I am going to be teaching everything that has been working well for these swimmers over the last couple of years. I am going to be teaching them in this 90minutes action packed workshop. So you won’t be stuck at the pool all day like you are with most clinics this is a 90 minute session where you are going to be in the water going through some drills, exercises, practicing different things with your swimming and it is going to be a lot of fun but you will learn a lot. It will give you something to come away with and you will improve your swimming on that day and also for the next couple of months as you lead into your events. Register For The Clinic Here
That’s it for news this week, catch you next week.
