200M FREESTYLE RACE STRATEGY

from USA Swimming

12/9/2013

BY RUSSELL MARK // NATIONAL TEAM HIGH PERFORMANCE CONSULTANT

The 200 free is the true ultimate middle-distance event – it requires both good distance per cycle and speed. You start the race with controlled speed and good stroke length. As the race progresses your muscles will fatigue and the distance per cycle will not be as long as when you’re fresh. Therefore, you must increase the tempo to achieve optimal speed later in the race.
This is reflected in the top 16 men and women used in this analysis. The tempo speeds up from the 2nd 50 to the 4th 50.

When increasing tempo, consider driving it from the kick speed. It is important not to get short and choppy with the stroke, but reduce glide time (i.e. the arm extension) or shorten the back-end of the stroke (finish). An aggressive arm entry in the forward direction, into a good catch is critical for the 200m free.

Holiday Wish List–IMPORTANT!!!!

Attention swimmers:  as you know, we participate in Amazon Rewards.  When your parents (or you) click on the banner on the blog or the team web-site, a portion of your purchase price is given back to Buckeye Swim Club.  Amazon sends a report of what was purchased – we can’t see WHO, only WHAT.

With the WHAT in mind, I hate to tell you that so far you’re all getting socks and underwear – well, one of you is getting a drill.  I would suggest you point your parents in the right direction (unless, of course, you really need new socks and underwear – then you’ll be happy).

You are often asked to show your parents how to do something on the computer so maybe you should start with showing them how to shop by clicking the banner over here ----------->

Holiday Shopping Reminder

Don’t forget to visit the BKYS Team site or the Senior Blog before heading to Amazon.com.  Click the Amazon banner on either site to support the BKYS Boosters and the team.  A portion of your spending will be credited to BKYS but you must click through one of the banners first.

Sleep to be an All-Star

In 2008, Usain Bolt broke records at the Beijing Olympics by being the first person in history to hold both the 100m and 200m world records. By the 2012 Olympics, Bolt became the first man in history to win 6 Olympic gold medals in sprinting.

So what does Bolt consider to be the most important part of his daily training regime? None other than sleep.

“Sleep is extremely important to me – I need to rest and recover in order for the training I do to be absorbed by my body” - Usain Bolt.

Here at Fatigue Science we know how important sleep is to an athletes performance, reaction time and recovery time. Our fatigue measurement technology is used by professional sports teams such as the Vancouver Canucks to ensure enough sleep is incorporated into athletes training regimes.

So how much sleep do the professionals get? And how can sleep reduction effect your performance. Find out by reading the below infographic.

Key Infographic Takeaways

• By incorporating adequate sleep into their routine, tennis players get a 42% boost in hitting accuracy 
• Sleep improves split-second decision making ability by 4.3%
• After 4 days of restricted sleep, athletes maximum bench press drops 20lbs
• Roger Federer gets 11 to 12 hours sleep per night
• Lebron James gets 12 hours of sleep per night

Click on the infographic to enlarge for some interesting statistics.

The first click opens a new page.  Click again for a larger image that even old people can read.

Character First

Here’s a great article from SwimSwam regarding character and the impact it has on you and those around you.  It’s not a long article, but it’s packed full of points to ponder.

Click below to read:

Character First

COSA Scholarship Application

Applications for the 2013 COSA Scholarships are now available.  To apply, please click the link below.  Last year COSA awarded four $500 scholarships to local athletes.  BKYS member Cameron Hackett was one of the recipients!

http://bit.ly/1aG0Fc9

Illness and Swimming

Dear Parents,

Please ensure that your kids get sick and get it over with before the high school swimming season starts.

Thanks,

Lew