Swimming Set of the Week - March 9, 2012

 This week's set is for beginning swimmers (and for advanced swimmers who need to hit REFRESH on their technique page).   If you are a goswimtv.com subscriber, you can link to video of great swimmers demonstrating the techniques.

MAIN SET #1:  1000
Swim 20 X 50 freestyle using the following focus points.  (Do 2 X 50 of each focus point.)  It's OK to wear fins for some or all of this.  There are no sendoffs.  If you're lucky enough to have a coach on deck, have him/her critique you on ONE focus point at a time.  E.g., if you're focusing on keeping one goggle in the water during the breath, they should critique you on just the goggle...and not on your kick.  

#1:  Keep your head low (look more at the bottom than at the wall, and lean in on your sternum).
#2:  Keep one goggle in the water as you breathe (look to the rear as you breathe).
#3:  Keep the lead arm extended and near the surface even when you take a breath.
#4:  Extend front to back with your arms on every stroke.
#5:  Swim as quietly as you can (listen to yourself, and minimize the splash/noise from your kick, hand entry, hand exit, and breathing).
#6:  Take a break and swim 2 X 50 backstroke.
#7:  Swim straight down the black line and try to breathe every 6 strokes.   Minimize excess head movement and excess up-and-down motion. 
#8:  Keep your head low (it's so important, it's worth another 2 X 50 :)
#9:  Maintain a nice, steady kick.  If you can make it a 6-beat kick, that's the best.
#10:  Swim straight down the black line.  Count your strokes per length.

MAIN SET #2: 500 
Take your average stroke count from #10 in the last set and call it "N."  
Now do the following set:

Four times through the following (12 X 25 total):
1 X 25 @ N minus 2 strokes
1 X 25 @ N minus 1 stroke
1 X 25 @ N

Then...
4 X 50, taking N minus 2 on the first length and N minus 1 on the second length.