Swimming Set of the Week - May 20, 2011

This week's set requires the entire team to work together...to end the main set :)

One of my go-to resources for fun workout ideas is a book called Games Gimmicks & Challenges for Swimming Coaches, edited by Bob Steele.   Last night, I was searching the book for a fun set for Friday practice with the Masters group that I coach.  A set called "Unlimited 100s," submitted by Jim Wood, head coach of the Berkeley Aquatic Club and past president of USASwimming, looked interesting, but his goal time was way too ambitious for my Masters swimmers.  The solution?  Take the framework of Jim's set and modify.

Below is Jim's set...and below that is the modification that we used with our Masters team.  Depending on the ability of your swimmers, and the number of swimmers on your team, you may need to make additional modifications, and make them on the fly during the set.  Have fun...our Masters swimmers really liked the set.  I kept track of everyone's points (plus a running total) on a white board.

Jim's set:
Do 100s on 2:00 sendoff.  GIve the team a goal:  e.g., 500 seconds under 1:00.  (Each swimmer gets 1 point for every second that they swim under 1:00.)  The set is finished when the team, as a whole, reaches 500 points.  It takes from 9 to 43 100s to complete the set.

Our modification:
Do 100s on 2:00 sendoff.  Pick a goal time that will allow even the slowest swimmer on the team to earn some points.  At morning workout, our goal time was 1:30, and we had 6 swimmers.  At evening workout, our goal time was 1:40, and we had 4 swimmers.  They had to score 1000 points to end the set.  We also modified in this way:
If you did not wear fins on a 100, add 5 points to your score for that 100.
If you swam fly, back, or IM, add 5 points.
If you swam breaststroke, add 10 points.
If you kicked, add 15 points.

Also...in the middle of the set, I gave the swimmers a "let's-end-it-NOW" goal:  If you can score XX number of points on any given 100, the set is over (obviously, choose a worthy goal for XX).   At both workouts, it took 9 X 100 to end the set.

Have fun.