Typhoons Coach

I am going to dedicate this thread to my senior's daily practices. You will be able to see exactly what we are doing in our workouts, ask questions, post comments, or simply just enjoy the daily reading material.

As a side note, please keep in mind that we don't practice every day so if I haven't updated the content on this thread in a while just give me some time and check back tomorrow!

Typhoons Coach

I am starting this section a little after the start of the season (almost 3 months to be exact) so we are in the En2, En3 phase of the workouts. I know this is the first workout that I have posted so please feel free to ask as many questions as you want on the terminology or why the set is developed the way it is, etc.

Along with that, yesterday was a HUGE drill day for fly so we are pushing that today as well:

Warm Up
500 SKIPS (Swim, Kick, IM, Pull, Swim) w/paddles

Hypoxic Work
10 x 25 UW sprint fly kick @ 3 breath rest

Set 1 (all fly)
(2 rounds w/ 30 seconds between rounds)
20 fast, 30 roller coaster @ 2 breath rest
40 fast, 60 roller coaster @ 2 breath rest
60 fast, 40 roller coaster @ 3 breath rest
80 fast, 20 roller coaster @ 3 breath rest
75 FAST!!!
25 active recovery choice stroke

(4 rounds)
50 @ 1:00
50 @ :50

(4 rounds)
50 @ :55
50 @ :45

(2 rounds)
50 @ :50
50 @ :40

50 FAST!!!

Set 2
4 x 75 Kick, Drill, Sprint @ 1:10
4 x 100 fast @ 2:00
1) broken @ 25 by :05, perfect technique @ 90% for 75
2) broken @ 50 by :05, perfect technique @ 90% for 50
3) broken @ 75 by :05, perfect technique @ 90% for 25
4) All Out Effort

200 IM with pulley
300 IM with pulley
400 IM with pulley

Recovery
300 Choice Stroke (stretch it out)

texasaggies

3 breaths rest...Never heard that before. Is it really just "3 breaths", or does this mean something else?

And what is roller coaster, I assume it's a drill of some sort? Really an awesome set, it accomplishes everything you could possibly want out of a big butterfly practice. I wish I coached more senior swimmers so that I could use it. Maybe I'll try and pare it down a little for the younger guys.

Typhoons Coach

Great questions! And yes, it really is a 3 breath rest. Giving the breath rest instead of an interval allows the swimmer to focus on heart rate instead of their interval for the set. The breath is counted at the exhale so it's truly 3 exhales.

With regard to roller coaster, I picked this up from a couple of Auburn's coaches. These are also known as laybacks. It's where the swimmer is on there back kicking with their arms spread apart and relaxed (like you would while riding a roller coaster). The goal is to keep the belly button and hips dry (a good way to engage the core).

This kind of set is somewhat a staple with what we do here. Keep it interesting and fun; especially with the Seniors.

Typhoons Coach

Here is today's workout for my Senior Group. There are some things in here that people probably haven't seen before so please let me know if you want further explanation.

Warm Up
500 SKIPS w/fins or paddles

Drill Set
*Set up as drill, swim, drill, swim
100 Paddle @ 2:00
SOA (Streamline One Arm) w/paddles @ 2:00
OA (One Arm) w/paddles @ 2:00
3-3-3 @ 2:00

Set 1 (Pace Work/mid-distance @ 90%)
*Cookie Cutter Set - 100 time should be duplicated in each swim
100 @ :15 rest
200 @ :20 rest
400 @ :30 rest
500

Set 2 (Sprint Work)
2 rounds - 1st round kick, 2nd round pull
2 x 50 Fast @ 1:15
2 x 25 Sling Shot @ :45
2 x 50 Fast @ 1:15
2 x 50 Sling Shot @ 1:30
50 FAST Full Swim @ 1:00 rest

4 x 75 FAST broken @ 50 by :05 @ :30 rest
4 x 100 FAST broken @ 100 by :10 @ :45 rest

1 x 100 FAST @ 6 breath rest
1 x 75 FAST @ 5 breath rest
1 x 200 Cruise w/paddles @ 5 breath rest
1 x 50 FAST @ 4 breath rest
1 x 25 All Out Effort

Recovery
200 Choice Stretch It Out

Hopefully I didn't forget anything...

Happy swimming!!

texasaggies

Ok so-

Sling Shot?

Why one armed streamlines? Is this similar to just kicking on your side with one arm up and one arm down?

I'd love if you'd make little notes on the sets about what each part of the set was supposed to work on.

Typhoons Coach

Sling shot...I love this one! We have a pulley setup at our pool (sort of like a make-shift power tower). However, we are able to lock it in a stationary position at any point. So, we get a good push off the wall and into a full on sprint for :20 as a stationary swim. During the last :05 they are towed back (like a sling shot) and fully released without weight in the bucket attached to the pulley (the sling-shot effect).

Mentally, in my opinion, it is tough for the swimmer to work through the feeling to be pulled back as they are generating the most power. They have to fight through that feeling mentally and physically which forces them to be more explosive during the sling shot effect.

With regard to streamline one arm, these are with paddles so we are focusing on the timing of the entire stroke. So, one arm is out in streamline while the other is pulling with perfect technique.

We progress from that to one arm where the one arm is pulling and the other arm is down to the side, and you breath to the side that your arm is down. The point of this drill is to get the timing of the catch during a breath. In my years of coaching I have noticed that the catch is slightly altered when the swimmer takes a breath. I want to redirect that behavior to a more effective catch and pull.

From the OA drill we progress to the 3-3-3. We do this a bit differently for freestyle. We go 3 strokes right then 3 strokes left in SOA, then 3 strokes regular. The next 3 strokes right, 3 strokes left are in OA, then 3 strokes regular. Rinse and repeat. This drill progression truly pulls all of our work together throughout the week and allows us to go hard on intensity and perfect race technique on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (if there is no meet).

Typhoons Coach

Today, my goal was to push the kids a little more mentally, and truly have them take responsibility for what they can control (their stroke count, their turns, their breathing, etc). With that said, we had a "cookie cutter" day. I structure cookie cutters a bit different from most clubs where I want to tax the body before the cookie cutter so they are a bit more fatigued and they have to push a little harder for that perfect technique and pace.

The cookie cutter explanation: You are trimming the fat off of your swims which makes each 25 the exact same. So, if you go a 13.0 for your first 25 you have to maintain the 13.0 (+ or - .3) for each 25. That also means that you have to finish the 50 at 26.0 (+ or - .6), and your 75 at 39.0 (+ or - .9). We good with that?

Warm Up
1000 SKIPS w/equipment

Cookie Cutter Set
*the following set is the "repeat set"
200 cruise on 85% with paddles @ 3:00
2 x 25 stroke choice with perfect technique @ :35
2 x 25 free with perfect push-off @ :35

Repeat Set
4 x 25 @ 95% (all 25's within .3 of each other) @ :40
Repeat Set
3 x 50 @ 95% within .6
Repeat Set
2 x 75 @ 95% within .9
Repeat Set
1 x 100 @ 95% within 1.2

Set 2
10 x 25 off start walk around @ 1:15
10 x 50 off start @ 2:00
5 x 50 broken @ 25 by :05 @ 2:00 (replicate first 25 time)
4 x 100 @ 2:00
1) 25 easy, :05 rest, 75 FAST
2) 50 easy, :10 rest, 50 FAST
3) 75 easy, :15 rest, 25 FAST
4) FAST (last 25 time x4 should be target time)
4 x 75 @ 1:45
1) 25 easy, :05 rest, 50 FAST
2) 50 easy, :05 rest, 25 FAST
3 + 4) FAST (last 25 time x3 should be target time)
4 x 50 @ 1:30
1) 25 easy, :05 rest, 25 FAST
2, 3, 4) FAST (last 25 time x2 should be target time)
4 x 25 @ 1:15 FAST (target time :01 under average 25 times)

Recovery
200 Long Stretch (exaggerated free)

Typhoons Coach

Since we are coming up to the holidays, we have been working a bit more speed endurance (or En3, SP1). Today, I wanted to vary a couple of things up so I am working more of the SP1 and SP2 sets which will work hand in hand with our January focus.

Warm Up
500 SKIPS

Hypoxic Work
4 x 25 UW sprint fly kick w/fins @ 3 breath rest
100 cruise w/paddles working on high catch
4 x 25 UW sprint fly kick w/fins @ 3 breath rest
100 cruise w/fins and perfect arm technique
4 x 25 UW sprint fly kick w/fins @ 2 breath rest
100 cruise no equipment perfect race technique

Set 1
(2 rounds; first freestyle, second choice stroke)
4 x 25 scull 12.5, sprint 12.5
4 x 50 scull 12.5 explode to wall, 12.5 scull, 12.5 sprint
4 x 50 scull 12.5 explode into and out of wall, scull last 12.5
4 x 50 scull 12.5 explode and maintain for rest of 50

Set 2
(2 rounds set up same as above)
5 x 50 off block @ 1:30 w/perfect race technique
5 x 50 off block @ 2:00 all out effort broken at 25 by :05
5 x 75 off block @ 2:30 all out effort within 1.0 of first 75 time

Recovery
150 stretch out

SwimmerMan

Very interested sets, I'm curious - how old on average is your senior group?