9 x 25m As fast as you possibly can with a minimum of 2½ minutes
rest in between each. During the rests, get your breath back, swim a
length gently, compose yourself and think about what you’re going to do
differently on the next sprint to go faster.
Here’s some suggestions as to what to concentrate on:
Reps 1-3. Think about your head only. For most strokes it should be
perfectly still – is it? How high should you hold it – does looking at the
very bottom of the pool suit you or should you hold your head quite high.
You have to move your head to breath and this takes time – did you breath
at all? If so how many times and did you return it to the same position?
Can you reduce the number of breaths? – does it make you go faster or slower?
Reps 4-6. The speed of the arm recovery is critical in sprint swimming.
While the arm is recovering it’s not propelling you forwards so you need to
get it back into a pull asap and keep the arm turnover rate (or cadence)
high. Concentrate on driving the arms back in front of you. Don’t just let
them wonder back passively.
Reps 7-9. Try altering the tempo ratios of the arms and legs. About
half way down the length, when you are at full throttle, try reducing the
effort in your leg kick fractionally (from 100 % effort to 95% effort). In
doing so your arms may well become more effective if you concentrate all
your effort on them. This is quite difficult and does take some practice.
