Swimming

How do you finish strong on the final 50 m of the 100 m freestyle and butterfly?

Master the art of strong finishes with this swimmer's training secret

Yeah, that obviously doesn't happen by accident. The strong finishes are definitely something we all train to do. One of my favorite sets is-- you usually do it long course, but you can do it short course. It's a dive 25 of your 100 take out pace, or rhythm, or tempo, or something like that. And then 25 easy-- and that's on about 110-ish, 110, 120 into a 50 back end, trying to really hit that second 54/100 pace. And then 100 easy and you go through that X amount of rounds. I find it gets pretty tough around five or six. So depending on what time of the season it's in. Yeah, it depends on how many rounds you're going to do.

A favorite training set for strong finishes is to do a dive 25 of your 100 take out pace, or rhythm, followed by 25 easy, and then a 50 back end trying to hit a second 54/100 pace. The number of rounds depends on the time of season.

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Finishing strong in the final 50 meters of the 100m freestyle and butterfly requires intentional training and preparation. One effective set that I personally enjoy is typically done in a long course pool, but can be adapted for a short course pool as well.

The set involves diving into the water and swimming the first 25 meters at your take-out pace, focusing on maintaining a consistent rhythm or tempo. This is followed by an easy 25 meters, allowing for a brief recovery. The goal is to then transition into the back end of the race, aiming to hit a strong second 54/100 pace for the remaining 50 meters.

To complete the set, a 100-meter easy swim is included before repeating the sequence for multiple rounds. The number of rounds can vary depending on the time of the season and individual training goals.

By incorporating this type of set into training, swimmers can develop the necessary endurance and speed to finish strong in the final 50 meters of the 100m freestyle and butterfly events.

What workouts would you suggest to improve under water after turns?

Unleash Your Speed: Master Underwaters with Three Kicks

This is something that I got a lot better at a little bit later in my career was underwaters. And the thing I did mostly is just commit to doing three kicks off every wall in practice. Every single time I did a turn I was doing three kicks off the wall and it definitely saw the improvement in my underwaters. You can also, obviously, work in specifically underwater work just like 25s underwater and descending or something like that. But I think the biggest thing is just committing to be able to do it every practice and then create that habit and then I think it'll fall in place after that.

To improve underwaters, commit to doing three kicks off each wall during practice and work on specific underwater drills.

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To improve underwater after turns, I suggest committing to doing three kicks off every wall during practice. This simple habit made a significant difference in my own performance. Additionally, you can incorporate specific underwater work, such as swimming 25s underwater and descending. However, the key is to consistently practice and develop the habit of executing three kicks off each wall. With dedication and repetition, improvement in underwater performance will naturally follow.

Unfair Advantage: My Biggest Swimming Pet Peeve

By far, my biggest swimming pet peeve is when people leave early. Obviously, we're all in the water, and we all like to compete. And that person leaving a half second early, or whatever, on a hard effort gives them an advantage. And that's something that I don't really love, especially because I'm sure they want to beat me, and I want to beat them just as much. And so I hate it when people leave a half second to a second early. It just gives them that slight edge, and it's something that bothers me a lot.

My biggest swimming pet peeve is when people leave a half second to a second early, as it gives them an advantage over the rest of the swimmers.

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My biggest swimming pet peeve is when people leave early. It's frustrating because we're all in the water to compete, and someone leaving even just half a second early on a hard effort gives them an unfair advantage. I have the same desire to beat them as they have to beat me, so it bothers me when they gain that slight edge by leaving early.

What test set do you use to predict performance in 100m events? 

Race-specific speed training: Dive 35, sprint 100, repeat for ultimate performance!

One set that I love that I've been doing for a while now is dive. It's usually a long course, and you dive 35 meters at the take out of 100 meter free was what I use it for. You do 100 meters of whatever event. So dive 35. 15 easy to the wall. That's on about a 110 or 120 interval. And then hit a 50 at the second 5,400 speed in tempo, and then try and really hit that goal back and speed. And then take a 100 or 200 easy in between rounds, and you can repeat that as many times as you want. It gets pretty tough around six. So depending on what time of the season you're in, if you're coming up to a big meet, and you're kind of deep into that taper cycle, you could do this on a speed day, two or three rounds and get some really high quality effort out of it and really high quality spot on race-specific speed training as you approach the meet.

Dive is a long course set that involves diving 35 meters at the take out of 100 meter free. Do 15 easy to the wall, then hit a 50 at a second 5,400 speed in tempo. Take a 100 or 200 easy in between rounds and repeat as many times as desired. This is great for race-specific speed training as you approach a meet.

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One test set that I find effective for predicting performance in 100m events is the dive set. It is typically done in a long course pool, where you dive 35 meters at the start of a 100m freestyle. Here's how the set works:

1. Dive 35 meters.
2. Swim an easy 15 meters to the wall on a 110 or 120 interval.
3. Swim a 50-meter segment at your target race pace and tempo.
4. Finish strong with the remaining 50 meters, focusing on maintaining speed.
5. Take a 100 or 200-meter easy swim in between rounds.
6. Repeat the set as desired, keeping in mind that it becomes more challenging after around six rounds.

Depending on the phase of the season and your training goals, you can adjust the number of rounds. If you're approaching a big meet and in the taper cycle, you can incorporate this set into a speed day, completing two or three rounds to get high-quality race-specific speed training.

What is the best equipment or exercise in the gym for increasing freestyle pull/catch strength?

Maximize Your Pull Strength: The Power of Pull Ups

I think this one is pretty standard. But I think the best way to increase your pool is just through pull ups. Super simple, and I think it has a really good correlation to what you're doing in the water. So yeah, just get better at pull ups. It's the thing is the best way you can add weight to them if you feel like you're really good at them already. And you can do them at reps. You can add a weight belt and try and make them a little bit more challenging that way. But yeah, pretty basic there.

Increase your pool by getting better at pull ups. Try doing them with reps, or add a weight belt for more challenge.

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The best exercise in the gym for increasing freestyle pull/catch strength is pull-ups. It's a simple yet effective exercise that correlates well with the movements in the water. Focus on improving your pull-up technique and strength. If you find pull-ups too easy, you can add weight by using a weight belt or increase the challenge by doing higher reps. Keep it basic and prioritize pull-ups for enhancing your freestyle pull/catch strength.

How do you swim the 100 free? Should you strategise or just sprint?

The key to swimming the 100 free: strategize, sprint, and have guts!

You definitely should not just all out sprint from the beginning. Unless you have a huge distance background, you probably aren't going to be able to hold on through the whole race. But my go to is that first 50 is kind of a build. Obviously, you're not starting off easy. But building through that first 50, really getting the legs into it right as you approach the wall, and then the second 50 is pretty much an all out sprint. And then the last 15 is really about just having guts and putting your head down and getting to the walls as hard as you can.

Start off with a build in the first 50, then an all out sprint in the second 50 and finish with guts and determination in the last 15.

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When swimming the 100 free, it's important not to sprint all out from the beginning. Unless you have a strong background in longer distances, it's unlikely that you'll be able to maintain that pace throughout the entire race. 

My strategy is to build up during the first 50. While you're not starting off easy, focus on gradually increasing your effort as you approach the wall. 

The second 50 is where you can go all out and sprint. Give it your maximum effort during this portion of the race. 

In the last 15 meters, it's all about having guts and pushing yourself. Put your head down and give it your all to reach the wall as hard as you can.

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