Any swimmers?

[JHZR2]

I’ve come to enjoy swimming for fitness. Our town has two beautiful outdoor pools, my kids swim on teams much if the year, and I try to swim when they are practicing.

I’ve known all my strokes since an early age, but I never swam competitively. Never went off the blocks until about a month ago, never knew how to flip turn until last week. I did both… fwiw….

I finally went to a masters meet. Why not? My kids have meets all the time.

12.88s 25M free
21.00s 25M breast
36.90 50M free
42.00s 50m breast

Times were competitive for the meet (relatively small local meet), took top three in two events. These events were essentially back to back, so I’d get out of the 25, and within minutes be doing the 50.

Does anyone here swim seriously for fitness and/or speeed? If so, what gear is good? My kids have fins and kick boards… ive seen a few adults with hand paddles that increase resistance. Anything else?

Any advice for training as an adult?

 

[userfriendly]

Hand paddles and flippers. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

 

[Pablo]

I’m gonna need a bigger boat

 

[Oillover]

I sink like a stone (always have), so that's a negatory on my side.
While in Hawaii I tried using flippers while snorkeling.
Never moved so fast (in water) in my life.

 

[vavavroom]

I’ve come to enjoy swimming for fitness. Our town has two beautiful outdoor pools, my kids swim on teams much if the year, and I try to swim when they are practicing.

I’ve known all my strokes since an early age, but I never swam competitively. Never went off the blocks until about a month ago, never knew how to flip turn until last week. I did both… fwiw….

I finally went to a masters meet. Why not? My kids have meets all the time.

12.88s 25M free
21.00s 25M breast
36.90 50M free
42.00s 50m breast

Times were competitive for the meet (relatively small local meet), took top three in two events. These events were essentially back to back, so I’d get out of the 25, and within minutes be doing the 50.

Does anyone here swim seriously for fitness and/or speeed? If so, what gear is good? My kids have fins and kick boards… ive seen a few adults with hand paddles that increase resistance. Anything else?

Any advice for training as an adult?

Those are good competitive times. I would expect 3-4 hours of training per day to be required to progressively advance. Good technique and form are more important than training with gear. Running, CrossFit, BJJ, and strength training complement swimming. I've always had water on the brain.

 

[userfriendly]

I’ve come to enjoy swimming for fitness. Our town has two beautiful outdoor pools, my kids swim on teams much if the year, and I try to swim when they are practicing.

I’ve known all my strokes since an early age, but I never swam competitively. Never went off the blocks until about a month ago, never knew how to flip turn until last week. I did both… fwiw….

I finally went to a masters meet. Why not? My kids have meets all the time.

12.88s 25M free
21.00s 25M breast
36.90 50M free
42.00s 50m breast

Times were competitive for the meet (relatively small local meet), took top three in two events. These events were essentially back to back, so I’d get out of the 25, and within minutes be doing the 50.

Does anyone here swim seriously for fitness and/or speeed? If so, what gear is good? My kids have fins and kick boards… ive seen a few adults with hand paddles that increase resistance. Anything else?

Any advice for training as an adult?

Not knowing your age makes the question harder to answer. Let’s assume that you are a male (whatever that is these days) between 35 and 45. Your goal is to swim a 100M s/c under a minute. You get one dive off the blocks and you have three turns where you lose at least one breath, but you get a push off to start the next length. So how does a 60 second 100m break down? Your first 50 is 25 seconds, you don’t get a dive for the second 50, so you have to be turned around and heading down the pool in 27 seconds. The third length and last turn is the most critical. You take 14 seconds to get to the end, another 2 seconds to turn and push off. You are heading home on the last lap, 22 meters to go with 17 seconds left on the clock. The world record holder has already touched the wall. In a 200m, the third 50 is the make it or break it interval (I call the inside 50) and in a 400m, the third 100.

 

[JHZR2]

Those are good competitive times. I would expect 3-4 hours of training per day to be required to progressively advance. Good technique and form are more important than training with gear. Running, CrossFit, BJJ, and strength training complement swimming. I've always had water on the brain.

3-4 hours isn’t going to happen, though it seems even some youth clubs want a super high level of commitment.

Technique and form is a great point. I need more of that. I haven’t had any training since about the fifth grade. I wouldn’t mind finding a swim coach to help with that. I’m sure I can use a lot of help, lol…

 

[JHZR2]

Not knowing your age makes the question harder to answer. Let’s assume that you are a male (whatever that is these days) between 35 and 45. Your goal is to swim a 100M s/c under a minute. You get one dive off the blocks and you have three turns where you lose at least one breath, but you get a push off to start the next length. So how does a 60 second 100m break down? Your first 50 is 25 seconds, you don’t get a dive for the second 50, so you have to be turned around and heading down the pool in 27 seconds. The third length and last turn is the most critical. You take 14 seconds to get to the end, another 2 seconds to turn and push off. You are heading home on the last lap, 22 meters to go with 17 seconds left on the clock. The world record holder has already touched the wall. In a 200m, the third 50 is the make it or break it interval (I call the inside 50) and in a 400m, the third 100.

Yes that’s my age group. Looking into such breakdowns is a good idea. I think I have a good deal more endurance and efficiency improvement to go.

 

[John105]

I’ve come to enjoy swimming for fitness. Our town has two beautiful outdoor pools, my kids swim on teams much if the year, and I try to swim when they are practicing.

I’ve known all my strokes since an early age, but I never swam competitively. Never went off the blocks until about a month ago, never knew how to flip turn until last week. I did both… fwiw….

I finally went to a masters meet. Why not? My kids have meets all the time.

12.88s 25M free
21.00s 25M breast
36.90 50M free
42.00s 50m breast

Times were competitive for the meet (relatively small local meet), took top three in two events. These events were essentially back to back, so I’d get out of the 25, and within minutes be doing the 50.

Does anyone here swim seriously for fitness and/or speeed? If so, what gear is good? My kids have fins and kick boards… ive seen a few adults with hand paddles that increase resistance. Anything else?

Any advice for training as an adult?

My son is 9, and we swim daily at the YMCA. Until he got his green band, we were not able to use the lap pool. But we’ve since been using the lap pool every day for 6 weeks. It’s amazing to see how quickly kids advance their skills.

I don’t remember when I swam last before this year, nor do I remember learning to swim.

Btw, do you have any tips on how to begin the flip turn? I would like to try it.

There was a group of kids 8-14 who were really good. The gentleman who was teaching them saw my son attempting to dive, so he showed him how to do it. My son’s been doing a standing dive ever since (2 weeks). Seriously, I tried to copy and I feel my chest hit and my face also isn’t right when entering the water. Remarkable to me kids can literally learn in a few attempts.

I would love to continue this conversation as swimming is “our thing.” (Son and myself)

 

[JHZR2]

My son is 9, and we swim daily at the YMCA. Until he got his green band, we were not able to use the lap pool. But we’ve since been using the lap pool every day for 6 weeks. It’s amazing to see how quickly kids advance their skills.

I don’t remember when I swam last before this year, nor do I remember learning to swim.

Btw, do you have any tips on how to begin the flip turn? I would like to try it.

There was a group of kids 8-14 who were really good. The gentleman who was teaching them saw my son attempting to dive, so he showed him how to do it. My son’s been doing a standing dive ever since (2 weeks). Seriously, I tried to copy and I feel my chest hit and my face also isn’t right when entering the water. Remarkable to me kids can literally learn in a few attempts.

I would love to continue this conversation as swimming is “our thing.” (Son and myself)

I was flip turning crooked. Don’t know why. Almost couldn’t do a somersault in mid-water and return totally square to the lane.

There are a lot of good YouTube videos. I did this drill and then could flip properly square to the lane.



From there doing it and watching more technique videos was my key.

I’m probably doing it inefficiently, it may not even speed me up compared to a wall touch. But at least I’m doing it

 

[John105]

I was flip turning crooked. Don’t know why. Almost couldn’t do a somersault in mid-water and return totally square to the lane.

There are a lot of good YouTube videos. I did this drill and then could flip properly square to the lane.



From there doing it and watching more technique videos was my key.

I’m probably doing it inefficiently, it may not even speed me up compared to a wall touch. But at least I’m doing it

I will attempt at some point. I have actually remained underwater to watch people in the next lane do it, and it hardly seems like rocket surgery. However, as I get close to the end wall, I seem to be gun shy

Those kids I mentioned where the gentleman was drilling them were really something. He told me they are from his church and he teaches them swimming, mountain biking, roller blading. But it was like a drill sergeant and the kids respond to it and obviously have great skill from what I saw...

 

[JHZR2]

I will attempt at some point. I have actually remained underwater to watch people in the next lane do it, and it hardly seems like rocket surgery. However, as I get close to the end wall, I seem to be gun shy

Those kids I mentioned where the gentleman was drilling them were really something. He told me they are from his church and he teaches them swimming, mountain biking, roller blading. But it was like a drill sergeant and the kids respond to it and obviously have great skill from what I saw...

Hitting the wall is t a concern for me. Hitting bottom in a shallower (3ft) pool was, but it’s more an issue of streamlining too deep. I don’t do any of it “well” mind you. This skill is a week old. But I did use it competitively

A good option if your pool has a deep end is to try to do it on that end. Or just do the flip in open water so you get a feel for it. You’ll then get a feel for how far from the wall you need to start the flip.

 

[John105]

Hitting the wall is t a concern for me. Hitting bottom in a shallower (3ft) pool was, but it’s more an issue of streamlining too deep. I don’t do any of it “well” mind you. This skill is a week old. But I did use it competitively

A good option if your pool has a deep end is to try to do it on that end. Or just do the flip in open water so you get a feel for it. You’ll then get a feel for how far from the wall you need to start the flip.

Our deep end is 9'6" and that's where my son dives from, off the edge. Because it does have the block, he only wants to do it when we have lane 6 (lane 1 is reserved for water walking) which has the ladder to get out. The other Y doesn't have the blocks, so he is ok to pull himself out regardless of lane. So maybe I'll try it at that end.

btw I've seen some advanced lessons given in that lane when we're in lane 5, and interestingly, those kids are very good swimmers, but when they dive, they are apprehensive and only doing a cannonball. I guess my son is a bit out of order in what he's learned. He's not consistent with his strokes and I actually noticed he'll do 2 with each arm, almost a doggie paddle and then go back to the 2 strokes. Trying to get him to not do that...in the beginning, his head was never in the water...