CONTENTS SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA is published six times annually.
Copy Deadline Targeted Participation Growth Program ...... 1 th THE WAY IT WAS!...... 2 January-February 15 January March-April 15th March 2002 Commonwealth Games ...... 2 th Pan Pacific Championships 2002...... 6 May-June 15 May th Telstra Australian Short Course Swimming Championships ...13 July-August 15 July th Warm-up or Race Preparation – what will it be? (Clive September-October 15 September th Ruston) ...... 18 November-December 15 November Australian Program to develop future National Team & Club Development (Bill Sweetenham) ...... 18 Advertising Rates (inc. GST) How Australian Swimmers Peak (David Pyne & Wayne 1 Issue 3 Issues 6 Issues Goldsmith)...... 21 $ $ $ Performance under Pressure (Bill Sweetenham)...... 24 Full Page 600 1,300 1,850 Recovery Based Training (Wayne Goldsmith) ...... 31 ¾ Page 500 1,100 1,500 Training Grant Hackett (Denis Cotterell)...... 38 ½ Page 300 750 1,200 Shannon’s Charges on Roll (Nicole Jeffery) ...... 42 ¼ Page 200 500 900 16 Values that Swimmers learn from the Sport (John Banner 4cm x 1col 55 Leonard)...... 46 TEAM BUILDING – from Leadership Strategies ...... 47 NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS Video Review – Complete Understanding of how Swimming Training works...... 48 All copy is subject to acceptance by the publisher. All Tapering & Muscle Fibre Types (Alun Williams & Mick advertisers must ensure that their advertisements Wilkinson) ...... 50 comply strictly with the requirements of all Federal Swimmer’s Ear (Edward Nessel) ...... 53 Legislation. The publisher reserves the right to reject Becoming a Memorable Swim Coach (John Leonard) ..... 56 copy without giving any reason or explanation. Triumph over Adversity (Caitlin Anderson & Erin Maher)58 Everything is better when it’s on a RITZ (Cami Grebel).. 61 COPYRIGHT ISSUE FROM THE PUBLISHER Learn to Swim...... 64 Learn-to-Swim Aids (Ron Coleman) ...... 64 As more and more articles with invaluable technical Swimmers with Cerebral Palsy – a Personal Perspective on and research data have and will be published through Teaching & Coaching Issues (Jenny Lambert) ...... 65 our Magazine for our Members to read and use, it is The Terrible Twos – Transition Class (Pat Taylor) ...... 68 timely to mention Copyright infringements. Swimming News Tasmania...... 69
Swimming Psychology (Craig Townsend)...... 72 The ASCTA Magazine (SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA) Swimming Pool Realities for Councils & Government Publisher strongly advises all concerned that any Everywhere (Wayne Goldsmith & Helen Morris)...... 77 attempts to reprint articles or excerpts from contents is Training Specifics in relation to Aerobic & Anaerobic prohibited without the written permission of the Conditioning of Swimmers (Leigh Nugent) ...... 79 publisher and author. Any infringements of copyright Pure Technique – a National Quest! (Shev Gul)...... 82 will be dealt with accordingly. FINA News ...... 82
WSCA Newsletter...... 88 Views expressed in articles are those of the The Secrets of SPEED (John Leonard)...... 88 Training Principles – Today & Yesterday (Forbes Carlile).....88 authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Changing for Success (Richard Quick)...... 91 Editor or the Board of ASCTA. Stroke Drills (Pete Baldrey)...... 92 Career Tips for Young Coaches (John Leonard) ...... 96 FINA Coaches Commission Report (Peter Daland)...... 96 Nutrition (Forbes Carlile)...... 97
Mailing Address ASCTA, PO Box 824, Lavington NSW 2641 Email [email protected] Web Site www.ascta.com Membership Enquiries Phone: 02 6041 6077 or Fax: 02 6041 4282 ASCTA Insurance Brokers 1300 300 511 SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – September-October 2002
WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT?
TARGETED In developing the project, we have worked closely with a number of groups including… PARTICIPATION GROWTH Sports Business Solutions John Boultbee and Chris Muldoon have helped us PROGRAM through the design of the concept and presentation to the ASC – they have also helped other sports such as
Rugby and Cricket through a similar process
Australian Sports Commission The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) has We have worked closely with ASC staff in keeping identified a number of sports that, through the them across our proposal TARGETED PARTICIPATION GROWTH PROGRAM, they will assist in increasing their Sports Marketing and Management (SMAM) membership and participation to improve the Have looked after the commercial sponsorship side numbers of people taking part in sport nationally. of the project
Under this plan, the ASC will provide assistance ASCTA and ASCTA Swim Australia to sports that meet certain criteria with their concepts Have assisted in the planning of the concept and will and business plans. This funding will allow the sport take part in the detailed design of the project to develop the concept but is contingent on the sport attracting sponsorship or private funding to ensure THE PROCESS the program can stand on its own after three years. The process so far has involved workshops and THE CONCEPT – WHAT IS IT? meetings with ASI staff and ASC representatives, followed by a workshop with the State and Territory Over the last 10 months, Australian Swimming Executive Directors and meetings with SMAM. We has consulted the State Associations, ASCTA and have also met with representatives of ASCTA and other swimming organisations, and has developed a Swim Australia and other swimming organisations. concept that has now gone to the Australian Sports Commission as our program for the Targeted The next phase is to develop the programs, Participation Growth Program funding. confirm sponsorship and lock in the venues and operators who will take part in the first phase (or The concept has two prongs… pilot program). We aim to launch the Go Swim Program first in early November 2002 and the • The Go Swim Program – This program fills RecSwim Program in 2003. Both programs go a long the gap between ‘Learn-to-Swim’ and the way to nurturing the future of Swimming in ‘Club’ and encourages children to continue Australia. swimming past the ‘Learn-to-Swim’ phase. The program will have fun-based activities but For more information, please contact… will introduce the children to some competition. The children and their parents Brendan Lynch will be actively put in touch with clubs during Manager Corporate Services the program. • The RecSwim Program targets adults who Australian Swimming Inc want to swim and train but do not necessarily Phone (02) 6256 9666 want to join a club. This program provides Email: [email protected] some structure to their training, with programs, clinics and social functions included. Some of these participants may want to move onto compete at Aussi Masters.
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Thorpe and Grant Hackett is stiff competition to beat anytime. They were joined by Ashley Callus and Todd Pearson and together they tore the waters apart in a time of 3:16.42 to set a new Commonwealth record. Thorpe commented, “I went out there and gave it my best shot. I’m going to do that with every race.” Hackett added, “That was the first time for me in that relay. I’m sure I can bring that time down quite a lot further.” 31st July 2002 30th July 2002 THREE DOWN, FOUR TO GO FOR THORPEDO SMASHES WORLD RECORD THORPEDO The Men’s 400m Freestyle event promised to be Australia’s teenage swimming sensation Ian one to watch. Ian Thorpe did not disappoint with Thorpe won his third gold medal at the first of possibly seven golds. Australia’s Ian Manchester 2002 and set another Thorpe smashed his own world record tonight to Games record. win the 400m Freestyle race in a time of 3:40.08. Thorpedo retained his Thorpe’s previous record of 3:40.17 always Commonwealth title and was less looked in danger as the Australian and his than a second away from beating his archrival Grant Hackett (AUS), who finished own world record in the Men’s 200m second in 3:43.48, set a furious pace from the Freestyle Final with a time of start. Midway down the second leg, the pair had 1:44.71. Teammate Grant Hackett followed him decimated the rest of the field who were led home by closely throughout but Thorpe raced away on the Scotland’s Graeme Smith in a time of 3:49.40. But final length to take gold. Hackett took silver with all eyes were on the two-man race and in the closing 1:46.13 and Rick Say (1.49.40) of Canada was third. stages, the Thorpedo, roared on by a capacity crowd, Unbelievable Thorpe still seemed a bit stretched for home. At the end of the seventh leg, a disappointed after the race that thrilled the full house new world record looked a formality and so it proved at the Aquatics Centre, but he added, “It’s still a as the man chasing a magnificent seven gold medals great time and I’m happy at going under 1:45, but I at the Games roared home to an ecstatic ovation. would have been a bit happier if I had gone under IT’S A GOLDEN RACE FOR NORRIS 1:45 this evening.” Following the success of his fellow teammates, Thorpe already has gold medals for 400m Australia’s Justin Norris claims new record in 200m Freestyle and the 4x100m Freestyle and he is going Butterfly Final. Australia’s Justin Norris scooped a for four more. Commonwealth record in the 200m Butterfly Final WELSH TAKES BACKSTROKE GOLD tonight at the Manchester Aquatics Centre. He Australia’s world champion completed the race in 1:56:95 to claim the gold Matt Welsh set a new Games medal. Record as he clinched the He commented, “I was pumped about that. I just inaugural Men’s Commonwealth wanted to win one. That’s another notch in the belt.” 50m Backstroke Final. Norris was not the clear winner from the start of the Welsh proved his worth by event but had proved himself a popular choice at the taking the gold medal after 150m mark. He discussed his opposition from Malaysia’s Alex Lim looked England’s James Hickman, “I thought he may have certain to take victory. Lim been a bit too hard to reach when we got to 100, but I (25.67) was leading with less than 10 metres to go, put my foot down and began to reel him in. I had it but Welsh just stole in to take the title with a time of covered in the last couple of metres when fatigue set 25.65. Welsh, who is going for three more medals at in. I did expect them to be up there, I had to use the Manchester 2002 said afterwards, “I didn’t realise it crowd’s energy.” was as close as it was, but I did it, that was all I AUSSIES SCOOP ANOTHER GOLD IN THE needed.” POOL South Africa’s Gerhard Zandberg took the bronze The Men’s 4x100m Freestyle event took place with a time of 25.89. Canada’s Riley Janes(26.05) this evening at the Manchester Aquatics Centre with faded into fourth after leading early on. Martin the Aussies shocking nobody by taking another Harris, the oldest member of England’s swim gold. Mention the words Australia and team at 33, finished seventh in what could be his swimming together and English swimming last appearance in a major final. fans quiver in their swimsuits. The 4x100m THOMAS FLIES AHEAD TO SET NEW men’s swimming team tonight proved that RECORD AT POOL there is every need for such a reaction. Australia’s Petria Thomas proved a class above Unsurprisingly the Australian squad completed the rest of the field and she stormed to gold in the the race in first place and walked away with yet Women’s 50m Butterfly Final at the Manchester another gold medal. A team consisting of Ian Aquatics Centre.
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The result was never in doubt from the second 2nd August 2002 Thomas broke the water and she powered home THOMAS MAKES GAMES HISTORY setting a new Games record of 26.66 in the process. Petria Thomas has made Commonwealth history by The Aussies made it a one-two with Nicole Irving being the first woman to touching home in second with a time of 27.13. win the 100m title three Scotland’s Alison Sheppard completed the top three times. in 27.30 with England’s Rosalind Brett finishing just The Australian always behind her. Afterwards, Thomas said, “I’m really looked in command as she happy with that performance. Commonwealth gold finished ahead of Mandy and a personal best at the same time, it’s not bad Loots in the silver medal work.” spot by over a second. The 1st August 2002 bronze was taken by Canada’s Jennifer Button with AUSSIE AUSTIN TAKES EAD 50M England’s Georgie Lee finishing a disappointing FREESTYLE TITLE In front of an excited audience, Ben Austin fourth. snatches another Aussie gold. A complex system that Thomas said later, “I didn’t want to get caught up rates elite athletes with a disability (EAD) with a with the historical thing. I just went out to swim my relative formula meant that Ben Austin lifted another best. It’ll probably take some time to sink in but it’s a Australian gold tonight – even though he was wonderful feeling.” actually the fifth swimmer to touch (27.59). FANTASTIC FIFTH FOR THORPE The S8 swimmer was awarded first place because Ian Thorpe makes it an amazing five wins to get of his time which was measured against other within two gold medals of the history books. Thorpe previous times by swimmers in his own category. had no problems getting his fifth medal as he swam a S10 Philippe Gagnon of Canada was awarded silver new Games record of 48.73 in the 100m Freestyle (25.04) for his Games record time whilst another Final. So far he has made it five out of five and looks Canadian, S10 swimmer Benoit Huot (25.07), took on course to get the seven he is competing for. It’s the bronze. S12 Darren Leach (25.91) of England been a busy Games for Thorpe and afterwards he also broke his catgory’s Games record as did barely had time to comment before preparing for his Welshman S7 swimmer David Roberts (28.71). next race: Austin celebrated afterwards, saying, “It can’t get “I’m tired. I’ve got the semi-final of the 100 any better than that. I am happy to Costas Faikas off Backstroke and medal presentation in the next 10 his throne. He has dominated Freestyle for so long.” minutes, so I just want to go and recover.” Philippe Gagnon commented, “It’s a pretty good Afterwards in a press conference Thorpe race. I’m not the best of 50m Freestyle swimmers. In continued, “Physically, my body is starting to break the 100, the second 50 will be decisive for me. My down a bit. I’m noticing a few ailments here and performances prove how far disability swimming has there. There’s nothing serious, nothing major and come. As a result of the integration in the Canadian nothing a massage from the physio can’t sort out. team, and the team spirit, is great.” Mentally I’m just as excited and just as focused. JONES CROWNED PRINCESS When you see performances from your teammates, OF THE POOL like Justin Norris gave tonight, it lifts the team, Australia’s Leisel Jones including myself. It gives you immense pride and snatches victory in the Women’s makes you want to perform at your best” 200m Breaststroke Final. If Thorpe does manage any more medals, there The 16-year-old swimming can be no doubting that he has become one of the sensation Jones held off South true legends in Commonwealth Games history. Africa’s Sarah Poewe to claim Commonwealth gold. AUSTRALIAN SWIMMERS DO IT AGAIN Jones who took the Olympic silver two years ago Justin Norris takes gold in the 400m Individual coasted home to a comfortable victory in 2:29.93. Medley winning yet another gold for the Australian Her low Breaststroke style was clearly a cut above swimmers. the rest of the field. Norris is another Jones said, “My first international gold feels swimmer who has broken a fantastic. It was good to get out of the silver bracket. Games record today, with a I was a little disappointed with the time, but I think time of 4:16.95. Behind him I’ll get there with age. I went out in the first 100 but I was Canadian, Brian Johns, couldn’t sustain it.” and England’s Adrian 19-year-old Poewe (2:27.47) was too strong for Turner came in third to the other Australian swimmers, Kellie Waite claim bronze. (2:28.58) and Hanson (2:29.55). Norris said afterwards, Bronze medallist Waite said, “I’m so stoked. I’m “I thought I was a bit dead so excited to get a medal. My main aim was to make today. I hardly slept a wink. I had to get as much rest the final and see where I could go from there.” as I could during the day. I was a bit lucky in that I was drawn in the next lane to Terence Parkin, who I
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used through the breaststroke. I had a little bit more important to me. I knew if I could stick with Liesel I’d left at the end and that’s what5 gave me it. But my be there in the medals.” body’s just about KO’d.” Sarah Poewe, third placed, said, “I’m really 3rd August 2002 happy with my bronze. I’ve medalled in all three HUEGILL “FLYS” THROUGH THE WATER events – what more can I do? It’s been tough, I had Games record holder an injury four months ago and a car crash the week Geoff Huegill of Australia before I set off.” took the gold in the Men’s WELSH FIGHTS BACK FOR GOLD 100m Butterfly. Matt Welsh of Australia Huegill one of the took the gold and set a new Australian super Games record in the Men’s swimmers who set the 100m Backstroke ahead of Games record to qualify teammate Ian Thorpe. fastest, swam a time of Welsh, the world 52.36 in front of a packed Manchester Aquatics champion at 100m, who Centre. A jubilant Huegill reflecting on his was controversially performance said, “I hit the wall on 18 [strokes], you disqualified in the 200m, know that if your stroke’s out, you can’t do anything swam a time of 54.72. He about it. So I just had to charge pretty hard to bring set off to a fast start, which it home. I was more relaxed and more together last Thorpe struggled to keep up night. I don’t know whether it’s nerves or what.” after the first 50m. Thorpe took the second with an The silver was taken by Mike Mintenko of impressive time of 55.38, and was closely followed Canada with a time of 52.80, closely followed by by Alex Lim of Malaysia who looked at one point Adam Pine of Australia who took the bronze with a like he could win, with a time of 55.44, a national time of 53.02. Mintenko said, “There were other record. good swimmers in there too, so silver was a good Pleased with his result, Thorpe said, “That’s my result for me.” best time. That’s a good result for me. I’m more than On taking the bronze Pine said, “It’s good to have happy to come second. If I hit the wall and I’ve done gained three medals in three Commonwealth Games. my best, I can be happy with the result. I’ve never I was happy to be on the dais with bronze. It was focused on just getting seven golds, I just over so quickly, I never had a chance to catch the concentrated on seven races. I’ll be able to walk other two.” away happy. There’s no disappointment. I’m very LIESEL JONES WINS HER SECOND GAMES happy with the way I’ve swum. I congratulated Matt. GOLD FOR AUSTRALIA He’s world champion, he’s an excellent Backstroker Liesel Jones led home an and a great swimmer. I will probably carry on with Australian one-two as she claims this stroke, or I might pick something up, or I might the 100m Breaststroke title. drop something.” The women’s 100m Lim said on taking bronze, “It was all right, but I Breaststroke Final gave more wasn’t happy with my time. I can go faster. I felt success to Australian swimmer weird before I raced. It’s not like I’m tired or feeling Liesel Jones. She had been the the pressure, but I just don’t feel well. It is a national favourite from the outset and record, though.” lived up to the pre-match hype CALUB TAKES GOLD BACK TO AUSTRALIA with aplomb, scooping the gold medal in a time of Dyana Calub spearheaded an Australian 1:08.74. comeback as she won the 50m Backstroke Final Fellow Australian Brooke Hanson was happy to tonight at the Manchester Aquatics Centre. accept the silver medal after she completed the swim Dyana Calub wowed spectators at the Aquatics in 1:09.10. Centre tonight, as she was the surprise South African Sarah Poewe claimed the bronze winner of the gold medal. Not only did the award after finishing just short of second place in a Australian swimmer win first place, she also time of 1:09.29. smashed the Games record in the 50m Liesel Jones considered afterwards, “I suppose it Backstroke event. Calub completed the race was a little bit slow. I was a bit sluggish. I can’t in a time of 28.98 seconds. The silver medal really complain, I think it might be all down to a bit was awarded to Canada’s Jennifer Carroll of pressure, but that’s something you have to learn to after she placed second in 29.05 seconds. live with.” England’s Sarah Price won the bronze after Brooke Hanson commented, “My roommate Elka completing the top three in 29.08 seconds. Graham asked me this morning would I be happy Afterwards Calub said, “I got there, because in with – I just wanted to get up there and win a medal 50s, you can’t make a mistake. If you make a mistake, – it didn’t really matter which one. I’m so pleased it’s all over. I watched Price in the 200, and thought with it, though. Over the last eight years, to be up she’s got to be hurting after that performance.” there winning medals and pushing PBs was really Price concurred, saying, “I was on a high after the 200 – that’s what got me through that length, to be
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honest. Bronze in the 50 is great. I went in there fifth all. But then, when I do well, I don’t worry about and came out third, with a British record, too, so I’m pain.” very happy with that.” NORRIS SNATCHES 200M MEDLEY GOLD WORLD RECORDS TUMBLE FOR EAD Justin Norris of Australia sprang back in the SWIMMERS Men’s 200m Individual Medley in the final length to Ben Austin of Australia, an S8 take the gold. swimmer, took the gold in the Olympic medallist Norris finished men’s EAD 100m Freestyle ahead to claim his third gold of the smashing the world record. Games with an outstanding Austin, who also took the gold in the 50m Freestyle, and set an performance of 2:01.32. With his third S8 world record in the Heats, gold win still sinking in, Norris said, swam a time of 1:01.21 (-1.26). “Winning the first two gold medals Scott Field of South Africa an made me want to top it off. So I am really satisfied S13 swimmer took the silver with an impressive time with myself. I’ve learned a lot this week – more than of 55.12 (-0.57). David Roberts of Wales, another S7 anything, how to manage myself. The last one is the swimmer, won the bronze with another world record Breaststroke tomorrow [200m]. I’m not expecting to time of 1:02.50 (-0.12). Benoit Hout of Canada, an S10 swimmer, broke the world record in his category do too well in that one, although it’s only the swimming a time of 53.76 (-0.08). He was first to Pommies who are doing well in that, so there might touch home but came fourth overall. be a chance.” Austin, after winning his second gold medal of the England’s Adrian Turner took the silver to add to Games, said, “I’ve changed my training, before I was the bronze he won in the 400m Individual Medley. in an able-bodied program. Now I am on a more Turner who made a remarkable recovery from a life- elite-based program. There’s been rapid threatening virus in the winter of 99-00, also sprang improvement, and the preparation has been very back in the last length, swimming a fast time of good. This is the result. It’s unbelievable.” 2:02.10. Second placed Field said, “I swam my best time 4th August 2002 this morning in the heats, a world record, and I was THOMAS TAKES FOURTH GAMES GOLD a little off that tonight, but I’m still very chuffed with Australia’s Petria Thomas clinched her fourth the silver.” gold at Manchester 2002 by taking the Women’s Wales’s third placed Dave Roberts said, “It was 200m Butterfly title. Thomas was in a class of her great. But I’m absolutely knackered. It’s worth it in own as she finished in a time of 2:08.40, but the the end, because I’ve done more than I ever imagined home crowd were given reason to cheer with Georgie I could. I had appendicitis eight weeks ago, and the Lee and Margaretha Pedder taking the silver and the doctor told me I definitely would not be swimming at bronze medals for England. the Commonwealth Games. I told him I definitely Thomas, who had only managed silver at Kuala would!” Lumpur, seemed to be relieved it was all over, “I AUSSIES WIN WOMEN’S RELAY GOLD IN wouldn’t quite call that comfortable. It was a pretty THE POOL tough race. I’m getting tired now.” Australia swam to success in the 4x100m Lee was delighted to get the silver to add to the Women’s Freestyle Final at the Manchester Aquatics bronze she picked up in Kuala Lumpur, “When you Centre earlier tonight. The Australian squad fought go to a major championships like this, a medal is off the English competition tonight to claim the what you want, so I’m really pleased.” 4x100m Freestyle gold medal. Their tactics regarding Thomas’ other gold medals came in the 50m swimming orders were a source of speculation with Butterfly, 100m Butterfly and the 4x100m Freestyle Alice Mills chosen to start and set the pace. Relay. Jodie Henry was the second swimmer selected. PIPER TAKES BREASTSTROKE GOLD The fastest swimmer on the squad, she achieved a Jim Piper grabbed the gold medal for Australia in three-metre lead for the Australians. Petria Thomas a closely contested Men’s 200m Breaststroke Final. and Sarah Ryan completed the final legs for the team The 20-year-old from Sydney finished with a time of and helped to set a new Games record of 3:40.41. 2:13.10, just .24 of a second faster than South England’s entrants claimed the silver award after Africa’s Terence Parkin, who took silver. Canadian finishing in 3:41.47. They kept track with Australia Michael Brown (2:13.82) took the bronze. for much of the race but were unable to capitalise. Afterwards Piper said, “I wasn’t very happy after The race for third place was a tough battle between the 100m Breaststroke, and the time in this wasn’t Canada and Scotland. The Canadian team won that great, but it was good enough to get a medal, through and finished in 3:45.33. and that’s good enough. It’s what I’ve been training Alice Mills, the youngest member of Australia’s for. Now I have to get ready for the 4x100m Medley swimming team, after her part in the gold medallists’ Relay – that was a good omen.” Games record said, “I’m so excited. I’ve been HACKETT CRUISES TO 1500M GOLD thinking about a gold medal all week. I wanted it so Grant Hackett grabbed another gold medal for badly. I can’t believe it. I don’t remember hurting at Australia as they dominated the pool on the final day
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at Manchester 2002. The 22-year-old was in a class The team of Matt Welsh, Jim Piper, Geoff Huegill of his own as he cruised to victory nearly thirteen and Thorpe led all the way and finished with a time seconds ahead of the silver medallist Graeme Smith of 3:36.05. of Scotland. Hackett finished with a time of 14.54.29 England’s Adam Ruckwood, Adam Whitehead, to take his first gold at Manchester 2002 and retain James Hickman and Matt Kidd fought back to steal the title that he won at Kuala Lumpur. Afterwards he the silver ahead of Canada setting a new British said, “I wanted to go 14:55 and build up my lead, I record in the process (3:38.37). just wanted to hold on to it from there.” Whitehead said afterwards, “It’s been the best Fellow Australian Craig Stevens took the bronze week of my life. Swimming with these guys is great. with a time of 15:09.24. Wales’ David Davies set a I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.” new national record finishing sixth with a time of 15:17.87. REILLY REELS IN SWIMMING GOLD The courage of 18-year-old South African Australia’s Jennifer Reilly takes gold in the Women’s Individual Medley Final. Reilly’s display swimmer Natalie du Toit was recognised with the typified the sort of magnificent swimming that inaugural David Dixon award for an outstanding Australians have brought to Manchester by holding athlete who had contributed to their team and on for gold, despite brave challenges from New embraced the values of fair play. Zealand’s Elizabeth Van Welie, and compatriot Jennifer Abbott. Du Toit lost a leg in a horrific accident last year Reilly said, “I’m stoked to finally get through and but won gold medals in the 50m and 100m get gold at the end of a difficult week. It’s been a Freestyle disability events and reached the final of fantastic highlight. I suppose the disqualification in the able-bodied 800m Freestyle contest. the 200 IM gave me something to think about. I made sure there were two hands on the turn going into the Freestyle. I knew the New Zealand girl would be up there, but I just had to go for it and push on. I can’t PAN PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIPS 2002 describe how I feel about the gold. It’s so good – my YOKOHAMA, JAPAN mum and dad are here as well.” By Kurt Hanson AUSSIE WOMEN LAND RELAY GOLD Downloaded from Australian Swimming Web Site Australia’s women cap off dominance in the pool with victory in the 4x100m Medley Relay. The World and defending Commonwealth champions had FOUR OF THE FINEST IN INSPIRATIONAL won this event six times out of 15 previous stagings, PAN PAC OPENER and weren’t prepared to compromise Australia’s August 24, 2002 reputation at Manchester either. They faced ardent The Australian swim team has begun its Pan challenges in the shape of South Africa (4:05.06), Pacific Championships in dominating fashion taking who surprised all and sundry by sustaining first four gold courtesy of Jennifer Reilly, Ian Thorpe and place, at record-breaking speed right up until the last both the Men’s and Women’s 4x100-metre Freestyle 100m. Relay Teams tonight on day one at the Yokohama The final leg came down to a battle between Aquatic Centre in Japan. Australia’s Dyana Calub and South Africa’s Charlene Western Australian, Jennifer Reilly struck Lynette Whittstock. Calub stole the lead in the dying Australia’s first gold of the championships in style in seconds, and brought Australia in a new Games the Women’s 400-metre Individual Medley event. record time (4:05.06). Reilly clocked a new Australian record time of Jodie Henry said, “It was so great to get out there 4:40.84, breaking the previous mark of 4:41.46 held with these girls – they’re a world championship- by Hayley Lewis set at the 1991 World winning team. I felt a bit out of it to be honest, but Championships in Perth to take the unexpected I’m so glad to come up with the goods.” victory. THORPE CLINCHES LAST GOLD OF THE “I was a bit surprised coming off the last turn but GAMES to finally get the Australian record and become the Ian Thorpe clinched the last gold medal at Pan Pacific champion, I am just stoked,” Reilly said. Manchester in the Men’s 4x100m Medley Final as The Commonwealth gold medallist relegated the Aussies sign off with a new Games record. It was American champion and favourite, Maggie Bowen to a fitting end to the Games as the man who has silver in 4:44.39 with Japan’s, Maiko Fujino dominated the pool and the headlines swam the last (4:45.79) rounding out the podium placing’s. leg to grab his 6th gold medal and Australia’s 82nd of Australian, Jessica Abbott finished eighth in 4:51.59. the XVI Commonwealth Games. Ian Thorpe continued Australia’s golden run in Afterwards an emotional Thorpe said, “It’s been a the next event taking victory in the 400-metre fantastic Games, not only for Australia, but for all Freestyle in a time of 3:45.28. Fellow countryman teams. I’m just pleased to have been part of it and to Grant Hackett clocked 3:45.99 to finish second with have had the opportunity to be part of it.” Klete Keller 3:48.40 taking the bronze. Thorpe was impressed with the performance of both himself and Hackett with the Australian pairing
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not on world record pace in an effort to save Hentzen (16:29.25) who won bronze. Australian, themselves for the crucial 4x100-metre Freestyle Amanda Pascoe (16:46.84) finished seventh. Relay later in the night. The successful opening night continued for the “I knew what I wanted to do and I did it to plan, Telstra Dolphins with Petria Thomas posting an but the relay is the priority later in the night,” impressive 100-metre Butterfly preliminary time of Thorpe said. 58.20 to qualify fastest for tomorrow night’s final In the Women’s 4x100 metre Freestyle Relay it ahead of Americans, Natalie Coughlin (58.44) and was again Australia that caused the upset to defeat Jenny Thompson (58.83). Australian, Rachel Coffee the more favoured Americans in one of their pet (1:00.50) has also qualified events. The underdog Aussies lifted to a new level American, Brendan Hansen took out the first from the first leg where Commonwealth champion, Men’s 100-metre Breaststroke semi final in 1:01.52, Jodie Henry clocked a personal best lead off time of but it was the Japanese superstar, Kosuke Kitajima 54.94, the equal second fastest time ever by an who swam the fourth fastest time in history of Australian to give the team a flying start. 1:00.34 who will start from lane four in tomorrow’s A three way battle between Australia, America final. Australian champion and Commonwealth and Japan dominated the middle legs with 16-year Games gold medallist in the 200-metre Breaststroke, old, Alice Mills (55.15) and Petria Thomas (55.35), Jim Piper swam a strong time of 1:01.70 to qualify 10 years her senior both putting together strong for the final. swims. In the women’s turn at the 100-metre In the final leg, Australian veteran, Sarah Ryan Breaststroke, China’s, Xuejuan Luo (1:08.14) posted (54.34) went head to head with American stalwart, the fastest qualifying time to take out her semi final. Jenny Thompson with Ryan swimming a stunning Commonwealth champion in the event, Leisel Jones final lap to seal the Australian women’s team victory is the second fastest in 1:08.39, while American, in a new Commonwealth record of 3:39.78. The Amanda Beard (1:08.42) took out the second semi United States took the silver in 3:40.23 while Japan final with Australian, Brooke Hanson also qualifying struck a well fought out bronze in 3:42.23. for tomorrow’s final. “Nothing is sweeter than beating the American HACKETT GRABS GOLD AS THE team, and in their pet 4x100 metre Freestyle event, AMERICANS STRIKE BACK it’s a great feeling,” Ryan said. August 25, 2002 The party continued minutes later when the Grant Hackett was Australia’s lone gold medallist Australian Men’s 4x100 metre Freestyle Relay team tonight as a swift reply by the United States on day took inspiration from the women’s performance to two of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships grab a nail-biting gold against the United States to witnessed the Americans take four gold in a solid maintain their ranking as the number one relay team display in the pool. in the world. The Gold Coast 21-year-old, Hackett gave In the much publicised showdown, an over Australia its only gold of the night taking victory in anxious American team, led by Anthony Ervin swam the Men’s 800-metre Freestyle in a time of 7:44.78, out too hard in the opening leg leaving Australian the sixth fastest time ever swum in the history of the lead off legend, Ashley Callus to swoop home over event. The United States pairing of Larsen Jensen the top of the Olympic champion in a new personal (7:52.05) and Chris Thompson (7:56.69) took out the best time of 49.26. minor placings in personal best times, while fellow Strong performances by Western Australian, Todd Aussie Craig Stevens finished fourth in an impressive Pearson (48.92) and distance specialist, Grant time of 7:56.86. Hackett (49.05) witnessed a marginal lead to the Hackett dominated the race, proving to the world green and gold going into the final changeover. that he is one of the most versatile swimmers ever to American champion in both the 50 and 100-metre take to the water after last night swimming as a Freestyle, Jason Lezak took the race to Australia’s member of the 4x100-metre Freestyle Relay team anchorman, Ian Thorpe with the Californian looking that took gold against America. to have the better of Thorpe at the half way mark. “I just wanted to go out there and see how I felt,” The speed of Lezak threatened an upset on the final Hackett said. “We are in a difficult situation with this lap before the familiar black suit of the ‘Thorpedo’ being my sixth event of the meet and we are still only (47.92) pulled back the Americans lead to just beat in day two,” he said. “There is plenty of rivalry Lezak on the wall for another golden touch relay against the Americans that is great for the sport, still finish going to the Australians in a time of 3:15.15. when they have a population of 300 million to choose America took the silver in 3:15.41 with Canada third from and we only have 20, it’s just great for us to be in 3:17.69. so competitive.” In other events, the United States opened their But there was no doubting that it was the gold medal account for the championships in the Americans who ruled the pool tonight, setting the Women’s 1500 metre Freestyle with 2001 World pace from the first event with American 17-year-old Championship bronze medallist, Diana Munz world record holder, Michael Phelps taking victory in cruising to victory in a time of 16:07.86. the Men’s 400-metre Individual Medley in a time of Japan celebrated a silver medal with, Sachiko 4:12.48, a new championship record and the sixth Yamada (16:16.28) ahead of American, Clarie fastest time in history.
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“I think I would have liked to go faster but it’s imposing opponent in the final when racing fresh great to get America off to a good start,” Phelps said. tomorrow. Fellow countryman, Erik Vendt (4:13.15) took the The men’s turn in the 100-metre Backstroke silver but not before pushing the teenager, Phelps all witnessed 19-year-old, Aaron Peirsol (54.31) take out the way after a strong Breaststroke leg threatened to the first semi final with Australian world champion, cause a major upset in the event. Takahiro Mori of Matt Welsh unluckily disqualified in the first Japan took the bronze in 4:16.35 with Australian’s, preliminary for swimming further underwater than Justin Norris (4:20.19) finishing sixth and Trent the 15-metre legal limit. The action continued when Steed (4:21.45) eighth. American, Randall Bal swam the eighth fastest 100- American distance specialist, Diana Munz took metre Backstroke time in history in the second semi gold in the Women’s 400-metre Freestyle with a final to qualify fastest for the final with a time of quality time of 4:09.50. Munz, the 1500-metre gold 54.24. Australians, Leigh McBean (56.02) and Ethan medallist from last night looked a class above the Rolff (56.46) also qualified for the final. field, leading from the front to take the impressive The current United States champion in the 50- win ahead of team mate, Lindsay Benko (4:10.28) metre Freestyle, Jason Lezak will start a strong with Japan’s, Yamada Sachiko third in 4:10.79. favourite in his pet dash event after winning his Aussies, Elka Graham (4:12.42) was fourth with preliminary in a quick time of 22.18. Australian, Amanda Pascoe 4:13.33 fifth. Brett Hawke should also pose a threat after taking out The Japanese hometown favourite in the Men’s his semi final in a time of 22.43 along with 100-metre Breaststroke, Kosuke Kitajima did not fail Queenslander and already 4x100-metre relay gold to disappoint the roaring Yokohama crowd, streaking medallist, Ashley Callus who posted a time of 22.64 away for the host nation’s debut gold in a time of to qualify for the final. 1:00.36. The United States were a close second with While in the Women’s 200-metre Individual Brendan Hansen 1:00.84 taking the silver, while Medley is set to be a wide-open final tomorrow night Australian, Jim Piper did a solid swim of 1:01.68 to after world champion, Maggie Bowen was claim the bronze medal. Regan Harrison (1:02.53) disqualified in her semi final tonight. Fellow finished seventh. American, Gabrielle Rose (2:14.95) will look to take The gold rush continued for the United States advantage of the situation but should face tough courtesy of Natalie Coughlin claiming victory in the opposition from Japan’s, Tomoko Hagiwara who 100-metre Butterfly. The 20-year-old swam a well- won her preliminary in 2:14.23. Australian’s Jennifer timed race to take the win in 57.88, equalling the Pan Reilly (2:16.34) and Alice Mills (2:16.36) will also Pacific Championship record. Australian birthday contest the final. girl, Petria Thomas came home strongly, touching for THORPE GOLD AND TWO AUSSIE RECORDS silver in a time of 58.11 while veteran, Jennifer ON DAY THREE Thompson sprinted out hard but faded to take the August 26, 2002 bronze in 58.64 Australian, Rachel Coffey finished in It was another highly competitive night of seventh place in a time of 1:00.78. swimming at the Pan Pacific Championships on day America scored an unexpected victory in the three finals with Ian Thorpe striking gold in the 200- Women’s 100-metre Breaststroke with 1996 Atlanta metre Freestyle as Dyana Calub and Jodie Henry Olympic silver medallist, Amanda Beard taking her both set new Australian records. first win of the championships in 1:08.22. Fellow The host nation, Japan were on the improve taking teammate, Tara Kirk (1:08.66) scored the silver while home a swag of medals on day three along with the Chinese favourite, Xuejuan Luo took the bronze in United States who began to make a move on pool 1:08.70. Australian, Leisel Jones finished fourth in deck grabbing a total of three gold. 1:08.76 while Brooke Hanson (1:09.56) took fifth But the action began tonight with one of the most placing. anticipated races of the championships, the Men’s In other events, Grant Hackett looked to cruise his 200-metre Freestyle. Australia’s Ian Thorpe was semi final of the 200-metre Freestyle clocking a time impressive stamping his authority in the event with a of 1:48.41, touching ahead of American, Klete Keller world-class victory in a time of 1:44.75, just 0.69 off 1:48.52. In the second semi final, Australian world his world record set in Japan last year. champion and record holder in the event, Ian Thorpe “It was a good time and I was happy with the (1:47.57) look impressive and will start as the fastest result at the end of the day,” Thorpe said. “I am qualifier tomorrow with American Nate Dusing also pretty tired at the moment with this meet being more punching out a quality time of 1:48.59 to round out of a mental battle than a physical, now my focus is the contenders for the final. onto the 100-metre Freestyle,” he said. Japan’s, Noriko Inada took out the first semi final The event was an interesting one with American, of the Women’s 100-metre Backstroke in 1:02.00 Nate Dusing taking the race to the field early, with Australian, Dyana Calub qualifying as the clocking a blistering world record pace in the first surprised fastest seed for tomorrow’s final after 50-metre split before Thorpe showed his supremacy taking out the second semi in 1:01.77. American touching at the half way mark in 51.48, 0.03 under world record holder in the event Natalie Coughlin the world record. Thorpe turned on his signature after looked comfortable in 1:01.99 and should be an burner in the second 100 metres to touch ahead of a fast finishing, Grant Hackett who posted a personal
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best time of 1:45.84 to become the third fastest man Tomoko Hagiwara (2:01.37). The second preliminary ever to swim the event with Dusing having to settle witnessed World Short Course champion in the for the bronze in 1:48.11. event, Lindsay Benko (2:00.66) take the win ahead of Hackett was ecstatic with the time and Australian champion, Elka Graham (2:00.85). Fellow performance with still the 4x200-metre Freestyle teammate, Giaan Rooney was also in good form Relay and 1500-metre Freestyle still to come in the touching in a time of 2:01.37 to qualify for tomorrow program. night’s final. “It was great to go into the race tonight even The 200-metre Butterfly semi finals witnessed though they killed me on the start, I swam the race world record holder, 17-year-old Michael Phelps not perfectly so now I am really looking forward to the have the race all his own way. Although winning the relay and the 1500, then I am going on a holiday,” event in 1:56.15, Japan’s Takashi Yamamoto said Hackett. (1:56.25) pushed the American the distance to signal American world record holder, Natalie Coughlin as a dark horse for the final. American, Thomas proved why she holds that title, taking complete Malchow was dominant in the second prelim control of the women’s 100-metre Backstroke final. clocking 1:56.19 to round out the top three Coughlin smashed her opposition to clock the second contenders for tomorrow night’s showdown. fastest swim in history and break the unthinkable Australian Justin Norris (1:58.77) also qualified for one-minute mark for the second time in under a the final. fortnight touching in 59.72, just 0.14 outside her own The 200-metre Breaststroke semi finals saw world record. Australian, Dyana Calub put in a gutsy Australian, Jim Piper look in extremely strong form silver medal performance and set a new Australian setting a new Pan Pacific Championship record of record of 1:01.49 along the way. While Coughlin’s 2:11.54. The Campbelltown 20-year-old was under teammate, Hayley Cope swam a strong final lap to world record pace for the majority of the race, at one grab the bronze medal in 1:01.74. Australian, Giaan stage being 1.07 under the world time at the half way Rooney was seventh in 1:02.75. mark. Piper slowed for the latter half but still looked The United States skipped away with the gold commanding with Canadian, Mike Brown (2:13.28) medal tally in the Men’s 100-metre Backstroke with finishing second. In the second preliminary, World Aaron Peirsol proving to be a favourite in sprinting Champion in the event, Brendan Hansen came from as well as in his pet 200-metre event. The 19-year-old behind in a hard fought performance to post a time of took the victory in a time of 54.22 with fellow 2:12.90 and will race next to Piper in tomorrow’s countryman and world champion in the 50 metre final. event, Randall Bal (54.45) and Japanese outsider, The semi finals of the Women’s 50-metre Tomomi Morita (55.29) grabbing the minor Freestyle witnessed Jodie Henry set a new Australian placing’s. Australian’s Leigh McBean (55.71) record in her preliminary of 25.29, disposing of finished sixth with Ethan Rolff (56.51) taking American veteran, Jenny Thompson in the process. seventh placing. But it was the United States that hit back with In the Men’s 50-metre Freestyle it was the Tammie Stone (25.26) taking out the second semi Americans who stormed home in the final 15 metres final. Australian, Alice Mills also qualified for the to take the quinella courtesy of Jason Lezak (22.22) final clocking a time of 25.64. and Anthony Ervin (22.28). Australian Brett Hawke In the 200-metre Butterfly semi finals, American, took the bronze in a time of 22.40 with teammate, Mary Descenza (2:10.57) upset Australian favourite, Ashley Callus finishing fourth in 22.56. Petria Thomas (2:10.74) in the first qualifier and The roof of the Yokohama Aquatic Centre was although Thomas looked comfortable in her prelim lifted in the women’s 200-metre Individual Medley she will also face tough opposition from the United final with Japan’s, Tomoko Hagiwara taking out a States with the second semi final winner, Emily memorable victory in a time of 2:13.42. In the best Mason (2:10.48) to start from lane four. Felicity match race of the championships so far, American, Galvez also qualified for the final in 2:12.06. Gabrielle Rose looked in control when she took the DOUBLE GOLD TO DOLPHINS ON DAY Butterfly leg out hard to the field under world record FOUR pace. The Japanese favourite took the lead in the August 27, 2002 Backstroke leg before Rose struck back again in the The Telstra Australia Dolphins swimming team Breaststroke. In the final Freestyle lap, Hagiwara ended day four of the Pan Pacific Championships on lifted her rating to regain the lead and take the gold. a high note, taking the last two gold medals up for The United States celebrated the minor placings with grabs tonight at the Yokohama Aquatic centre with Rose taking silver in (2:13.93) while her reinstated Petria Thomas (200 Butterfly) and the Men’s 4x200- teammate, after previously being disqualified in the metre Freestyle Relay team. While Jim Piper, Jodie heats of the event, Maggie Bowen (2:14.28) won the Henry and Elka Graham all claimed silver medals in bronze. Australians, Alice Mills (2:16.51) was fifth their respective events. while Jennifer Reilly (2:18.70) took seventh. The United States still have a firm grip on the In the first semi final of the Women’s 200-metre medal tally, which they lead on 12 gold as Australia Freestyle, it was the dual gold medallist at this meet stands on eight with two days of competition already American, Diana Munz who looked strong remaining. (2:00.78) ahead of medley gold medallist, Japan’s
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The Men’s 4x200-metre Freestyle Relay was an American, Michael Phelps was chasing his own interesting race with Australia going into the event world record in the 200-metre Butterfly Final before with its latest addition, distance specialist, Craig fellow teammate; Tom Malchow took the race to the Stevens posting a personal best time in his individual 17-year-old, with the Olympic Champion and former race to grab his debut spot on the team. world record holder, Malchow coming home strongly “My speed is getting better and it’s just great to to take the upset win in a new championship record be a part of this team,” Stevens said. time of 1:55.21. But it was America who looked strong early in the Phelps took the silver medal in a time of 1:55.41, first leg of the final courtesy of Nate Dusing, still it while the discovery of the meet Takashi Yamamoto wasn’t long before Grant Hackett took the supremacy of Japan set a new national record of 1:55.57 to take to give the Australians a strong lead handing onto, the bronze. Australian, Justin Norris finished sixth in Stevens who looked strong in holding his own a time of 1:58.40. against American, Klete Keller. The Men’s 100-metre Freestyle semi finals kicked Australia’s third swimmer, Jason Cram off night four action with the field noticeably missing relinquished only a minor lead to American, Michael last night’s 50-metre champion, American, Jason Phelps before the final changeover where Ian Thorpe Lezak who failed to qualify from this morning’s looked in complete control against Chad Carvin to heats. Ian Thorpe was in control of the first take Australia to a comfortable win in a time of preliminary, clocking 49.24 to take the win ahead of 7:09.00. The United States finished with the silver in fellow country man, Todd Pearson (49.95) with Nate 7:11.81 while Canada (7:17.30) took the bronze. Dusing of the United States rounding out the top A quality field was always on the cards in the three in 50.28. The second semi final witnessed Women’s 200-metre Butterfly with Australia’s Australian sprint specialist, Brett Hawke lead the World Champion, Petria Thomas directing the race field out under world record pace at the 50 before from the front to claim a memorable victory and American, Scott Tucker controlled the race Australia’s first gold of the night and her first ever comfortably to qualify fastest for tomorrow’s final in individual Pan Pacific Championship. 49.20. The world short course champion in the event, “I am glad it’s over, it’s always a hard race Australian, Ashley Callus took second in 49.61 with especially after my program over the last month,” Canadian, Brent Hayden taking finishing third in Thomas said. “Times, if they come, are great but 49.70. winning was the important thing tonight, this is my Semi finals in the Men’s 200-metre Backstroke first ever individual gold medal so I am happy,” she witnessed Australian record holder, Matt Welsh take said. some revenge in Yokohama after being disqualified Thomas looked strong from the starter’s gun to in the 100-metre event. He swam strongly, easing off clock an impressive time of 2:08.31. The American in the last lap to clock a time of 1:59.97, marginally pairing of Mary Decenza (2:09.56) and Emily Mason behind Japan’s, Takashi Nakano (1:59.97), with Gold (2:10.59) took the minor medals while Sydney’s, Coast 19-year-old, Leigh McBean putting in a great Felicity Galvez set a new personal best time of swim to touch in 2:00.12 and qualify for tomorrow’s 2:11.27 for a great swim to finish fourth. final. The second preliminary witnessed world record The Women’s 50-metre Freestyle Final on paper holder, Aaron Peirsol in commanding form clearing looked to be one of the closest races of the out the field to prove a point to his opposition by championships with veteran, Jenny Thompson posting the fourth fastest time in history of 1:56.49 to (25.13) grabbing the gold in a new personal best time start a clear favourite for the final. to touch marginally ahead of Australian, Jodie Henry Three Australians tackled the first Women’s 200- (25.32) who won silver ahead of Thompson’s metre Breaststroke semi final. In a world-class field it American teammate, Tammie Stone. Australian, was the Commonwealth champion in Australian, Alice Mills finished fourth. Leisel Jones who swam a classy performance of “Coming second to Jenny Thompson any day is a 2:26.86 to take the win ahead of American, Kristy good swim,” said Henry. Kowal (2:27.34). Jones’ teammate, Brook Hanson American, Lindsay Benko led out the final of the (2:29.60) also qualified for the final with Kelli Waite Women’s 200-metre Freestyle and never looked back finishing fourth. The second preliminary was a race to claim the United States first gold of day four finals dominated by American, Amanda Beard, who in a time of 1:58.74. The Australian pairing of Elka clocked, 2:27.44 for the victory ahead of hometown Graham (1:59.72) and Giaan Rooney (1:59.82) took favourite Junko Isoda of Japan. out the minor placings with impressive swims. THORPE CLAIMS GOLD FIVE ON DAY FIVE In the 200-metre Breaststroke Final it was the August 28, 2002 United States world champion, Brendan Hansen Australia kicked off day five in style with Ian (2:11.80) who used his experience to overcome Thorpe taking his fifth gold medal of the Pan Pacific Campbelltown 21-year-old, Jim Piper (2:12.53). Championships in the 100-metres Freestyle with Hansen took the race out hard and held on for the fellow countryman, Ashley Callus also swimming a hard fought victory over a persistent Piper who took great race to grab the silver. the silver ahead of Japan’s, Dasuke Kimura “It was good to be under the 49 second barrier, (2:12.71). Australian Regan Harrison finished sixth and it’s pretty close to my personal best so I am in 2:15.69.
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enjoying just having the sprints left in the Meet,” silver medal ahead of American, Hayley Peirsol Thorpe said. (8:32.27). Australian Amanda Pascoe (8:39.89) The pace was on early with American; Nate finished fourth in the race but was relegated to fifth Dusing taking the race to the Australians early to lead overall after the time from the winner of the marginally at the half way mark before a storming unseeded final was slightly faster. Thorpe made his move, bolting away on the last lap In the Women’s 100-metre Freestyle Semi Finals to clock an impressive time of 48.84. Teammate, it was American, Lindsay Benko 55.36 who took out Ashley Callus was not far off the pace and looked the first preliminary marginally ahead of Australian, solid to equal his personal best time of 49.26 to claim Jodie Henry 55.47. The classy second semi final second place behind the Commonwealth champion witnessed 20-year-old Californian, Natalie Coughlin with sprint specialist, Nate Dusing touching for (54.72) show the field her impressive form, bronze in 49.47. extending away from teammate, Jennifer Thompson The United States continued its strong form when (55.05) with Australian, Sarah Ryan (55.58) also Amanda Beard took her second gold of the qualifying for tomorrow night’s final. championships in the 200-metre Breaststroke Final. The Japanese women looked in dominating form Beard (2:26.31) held on to beat the fast finishing in the 200-metre Backstroke with defending Pan Australian, Leisel Jones who took the respectable Pacific Champion, Tomoko Hagiwara (2:11.74) silver medal in a time of 2:26.42 while fellow taking out the first preliminary ahead of teammate American, Kristy Kowal (2:27.59) took the bronze. Aya Terikawa (2:12.68). Australian Melissa Morgan Australian, Brooke Hanson (2:31.32) finished was fifth in (2:14.45). It was a distressing time for the seventh. crowd favourite, Hagiwara who was carried off pool The final event of the night, the Women’s 4x200- deck on a stretcher after collapsing when exiting the metre Freestyle Relay witnessed the two super pool from her race. In the second semi final, powers, Australia and the United States go head to Canadian, Jennifer Fratesi (2:11.96) came home head in a fast and exciting encounter. strongly ahead of American, Margaret Hoelzer From the starter’s gun, Natalie Coughlin led (2:12.20), Australian Clementine Stoney place fourth America out hard with Australian, Petria Thomas in (2:14.03) to qualify for the final. swimming a strong personal best lead off leg of ‘American Wonderkid’, Michael Phelps dictated (1:59.77) to give her team every chance. In the the first semi final of the 200-metre Individual second leg, Elka Graham made a move on Mary Hill Medley, clocking an incredible 54.41 some 2.20 to touch the Australians just in front and amazingly seconds under world record pace at the half way 0.22 of a second under the relay world record. Giaan mark. His weakest Breaststroke leg saw him fall Rooney took a slight lead off Diana Munz in the third behind the world mark but still managed to clock the leg to send Australian 200-metre debutant Alice third fastest time in history of 1:59.83. Teammate, Mills against Pan Pacific Champion, Lindsay Benko. Eric Donnelly took second placing in 2:01.84. The Mills fought hard against the fastest swimmer in the second preliminary was a much more even contest competition in Benko with the American stroking with American, Tom Wilken’s swallowed in the final away to take the win in a new championship record Freestyle leg by Japanese duo, Jiro Miki (2:01.35) and third fastest performance in history of 7:56.96. and Takahiro Mori with Miki taking victory and all The Aussies touched for silver in a highly respectable three competitors qualifying for the final. time of 7:59.25 while Japan took the bronze in The first semi final of the Men’s 100-metre 8:04.01. Butterfly Semi Final witnessed a world class field led The 200-metre Backstroke witnessed American, by World Championship bronze medallist in the world champion and world record holder, Aaron event, Australian Geoff Huegill who looked Peirsol look the firm favourite on paper but it was the comfortable in winning the prelim in a new Australian, Matt Welsh who took the race out hard championship record of 52.38. Commonwealth before Peirsol took control clocking 0.15 inside the Games silver medallist, Michael Mintenko of Canada world record at the half way mark. Welsh fought clocked (52.61) for second while Japan’s, Takashi back again at Peirsol in the third 50 but it was the Yamamoto 52.64 also qualified for the final. In the American who proved too strong in the final lap to second semi final American, 19-year-old Ian Crocker clock 1:56.88 just ahead of Welsh (1:57.69), stole Huegill’s championship record to post the Canadian, Keith Beavers rounded out the podium fastest qualifying time of 52.21 to start from lane four placing’s in 1:59.35.Gold Coast 20-year-old, Leigh tomorrow night. Fellow teammate, Thomas Hannan McBean (2:00.50) finished fifth. (53.09) was second while Australian, Adam Pine “I was really happy with that, my plan was to (53.39) took third to also qualify for the final. stick with Aaron and it worked well with that being SAYONARA TO YOKOHAMA WITH TWO my best time since the Olympics,” Welsh said. GOLD ON FINAL NIGHT 20-year-old Ohio distance specialist, Diana Munz August 29, 2002 continued to impress in Japan taking out the 800- As the swimmers say ‘Sayonara to Yokohama’ metre Freestyle in a time of 8:30.45. The race was an the final night of the 2002 Pan Pacific exceptional one with Japanese swimmer, Sachiko Championships produced the finest racing and Yamada (8:31.89) flying home to the cheers of the performances of the Meet with the Australian crowd in the last 100 metres to grab an amazing Women’s 4x100-metre Medley Relay Team making
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one of the greatest comebacks in relay history to take “It’s always nice to know your swimming that fast gold from the United States. Grant Hackett swam the and I didn’t take the race out as hard as I could second fastest 1500-metre Freestyle time in history to because of the hectic program,” Hackett said. “I take gold while Jodie Henry set a new didn’t feel drained at all, so I really can’t wait until Commonwealth record in the 100-metres Freestyle to next year (World Championships) because I am take silver as Geoff Huegill also finished second in enjoying my swimming and the publicity the sport is the 100-metres Butterfly final. getting world wide at the moment.” On paper, the American Women’s Medley Relay It took the American men a world record Team looked one of the fastest ever to be assembled performance in the final of the 4x100-metre Medley with Backstroker, Natalie Coughlin, Breaststroker, Relay to defeat Australia in the final event of the Amanda Beard, Butterfly, Jennifer Thompson and competition. The United States team of, Aaron Freestyle, Lindsay Benko. What resulted was one of Peirsol (Backstroke), Brendan Hansen (Breaststroke), the most unforgettable comeback performances ever Michael Phelps (Butterfly) and Jason Lezak produced by our Australian women. (Freestyle) proved too consistently strong to set the The United States launched out in the lead off new mark in a time of 3:33.48 shaving 0.25 of a Backstroke leg courtesy of world record holder, second off the previous mark swam by the US at the Natalie Coughlin who left the field in her wake to 2000 Olympics. For the Australian team of Matt clock the third fastest time in history of 1:00.09 as Welsh, Jim Piper, Geoff Huegill and Ian Thorpe it Australian, Dyana Calub touched slightly off the pace was still a great performance setting a new of the world’s fastest ever Backstroker. Commonwealth record of 3:34.84 taking 0.43 off the The Breaststroke leg witnessed, Amanda Beard time set also at the Olympic Games to claim silver. take to the water with Australian, Leisel Jones in hot Canada (3:38.17) was third. pursuit. Jones took the race to the Pan Pacific It was the Women’s 100-metre Freestyle that Champion to close the gap going into the Butterfly began the Day 6 competition with Californian, leg with American veteran, Jenny Thompson entering Natalie Coughlin clocking 53.99 to miss the world the water a little under two seconds ahead of the ‘Iron record by just 0.22 of a second in claiming her fourth Butterfly’, Petria Thomas. gold of the championships. Australian, Jodie Henry What proceeded to happen next was a jaw continued her great Meet, setting a new Australian dropping performance from Thomas, clocking the and Commonwealth record in winning silver in a fastest 100-metre Butterfly Relay Split in history time of 54.55, breaking Susie O’Neill’s mark set at (56.94) to leave Thompson just 0.14 ahead going the Olympic Games by 0.24 of a second while into the final Freestyle leg. American veteran, Jennifer Thompson took the “I knew I was up against Jenny I just wanted to bronze in 54.75. Australian Sarah Ryan finished fifth get as close to her as possible to give Jodie the best in 55.78. possible chance,” Thomas said. Henry was surprised with the speedy personal best In the final leg, America took the slight lead with that now has her ranked as the 14th fastest time ever Lindsay Benko but it was the speedy style of recorded in the history of the event. “I am actually Queensland teenager, Jodie Henry who took her not feeling quite good, so I was shocked with the Freestyle to a new level, with the American hopes time,” Henry said. shattered in the last 25 metres as Henry swam away It was an interesting final of the men’s 100-metre for arguably the greatest Australian Women’s Relay Butterfly with American, Ian Crocker (52.45) holding upset in swimming history. on for victory ahead of Australian, Geoff Huegill. A The Aussies clocked a new Commonwealth slow first lap by the Commonwealth champion in record time of 4:00.50 taking a full second of the Huegill gave him too much ground to makeup after previous mark set at last year’s world championships. just being tipped at the wall to settle for silver in The relegated American’s took silver in 4:01.15 52.48. Canadian, Michael ‘The Tank’ Mintenko while Canada took bronze in 4:05.69. swam an aggressive race and was rewarded with the Grant Hackett never looked troubled in the Men’s bronze medal for his efforts clocking 52.69. 1500-metres Freestyle Final with the Olympic, World Australian, Adam Pine finished fifth in 52.97. and Commonwealth champion showing his American “I went out a little too slow, I knew it was going opponents, Eric Vendt and Larsen Jensen why he is to be a tough race but I am still adamant that it could the fastest distance swimmer in the history of the have been better,” Huegill said. event. It was all 17-year-old American, Michael Phelps The Gold Coast 21-year-old swam the second in the 200-metre Individual Medley Final, clocking a fastest 1500-metre Freestyle time in history, clocking time of 1:59.70 to grab the gold. Japan’s second-rate 14:41.65 to grab an impressive gold. Vendt medley swimmer, Takahiro Mori caused a major (15:02.24) took the silver while Jensen (15:05.17) upset in taking silver in a new national record of claimed the bronze. Australian Craig Stevens 2:00.61 while The United States celebrated again (15:20.76) was fourth. with the defending champion; Tom Wilken’s Hackett’s time was 0.01 faster than that of Kieren rounding out the podium placings in 2:01.17. Perkins’ former world record as he claimed Australian’s Justin Norris finished seventh in 2:03.03 Australia’s 10th gold of the championships and his with Robert van der Zant eighth in 2:04.91 fourth in Yokohama.
~~~ 12 ~~~ SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – September-October 2002
A delay interrupted the final of the Women’s 200- Meanwhile, Pan Pac and Olympic gold medallist metre Backstroke after the withdrawal of favourite, Ashley Callus set the quickest time in qualifying for Tomoko Hagiwara who collapsed last night after her tonight’s semi-finals of the 50m Freestyle, ahead of semi final performance. fellow Telstra Dolphin Brett Hawke, who won Leaving the field wide open for the championship, Commonwealth Games silver over this distance in it was, American Margaret Hoelzer, a 19-year old Manchester. Nunawading duo Richard Walls and from Alabama who sprinted away in the final lap to Andrew Dyson also swam strongly and will be clock a personal best time of 2:11.00 to take gold. hoping for good lanes in the final later tonight. Japan celebrated silver courtesy of Aya Terakawa Commonwealth Games silver medallist and (2:12.28) while the Canadian favourite, Jennifer winner of last night’s 50m Breaststroke gold medal Fratesi stormed home to finish third in a time of Brooke Hanson was quickest in the Heats of the 2:12.71. Australians, Clementine Stoney (2:24.37) Women’s 200m Breaststroke, setting a time three took sixth while Melissa Morgan (2:16.48) finished seconds clear of Pan Pac teammate Kelli Waite and eighth. four seconds ahead of Olympic silver medallist In an exciting six days of swimming action the Leisel Jones. Hanson’s fellow Victorians Lori Munz United States claimed the top spot on the medal tally (Carey Aquatic, AIS) and Sarah Kasoulis (Carey with 21 gold to Australia’s 11 but with a rematch Aquatic) have also secured places in tonight’s final. already issued for next year, the Aussies will take New kid on the blocks James Beasley (Knox- great pleasure in getting a shot at their arch rivals in Pymble) set the fastest time in this morning’s heats of their backyard in the Duel in the Pool head-to-head the Men’s 100m Breaststroke ahead of fellow-New showdown in Indianapolis and again at the World South Welshmen Luke Trickett (Willoughby) and Championships in Barcelona. Steven McBrien (The Hills). Queensland’s World On behalf of Australian Swimming it has been my Championship team member Brenton Rickard, pleasure in bringing you the 2002 Pan Pacific Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jim Piper, and Championships action via the Internet. I only hope triple Olympian and winner of last night’s 50m Phil you have enjoyed reading as much as I have enjoyed Rogers, will also be looking to secure a good lane for writing, until next time. tomorrow night’s final. Queensland’s Stephen Penfold will swim from lane four in the men’s 400m Freestyle Final tonight, alongside West Australian Travis Nederpelt and Telstra Australian Short Course Joshua Krogh of the AIS. This trio will face competition from Josh Santacatarina of New South Swimming Championships Wales and Canada’s Pan Pac team member Kurtis Downloaded from Australian Swimming Web Site Macgillivary who is currently training on the Gold MATT EYES WORLD RECORD NUMBER Coast with the Miami club. TWO IN MELBOURNE Commonwealth Games silver medallist Nicole By Kurt Hanson Irving was the fastest qualifier for the semi-finals of 3rd September 2002 the Women’s 50m Butterfly ahead of Pan Pac gold Melbourne’s “man of the moment” Matt Welsh medallist Petria Thomas, the 200m Butterfly winner will attempt to break his second world record in two from last night, and Victoria’s Jordana Webb. nights when he lines up in the 200-metres Backstroke Queensland’s Melanie Houghton and Nichola Final at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre Chellingworth and Telstra Dolphin Felicity Galvez tonight. Welsh, fresh from his Commonwealth will also contest the semi-finals for a place in what Games and Pan Pac campaigns, last night established will be a hotly contested final. a new world record in the 50m Backstroke, clocking Pan Pac gold medallist and the baby of the Telstra 23.31 in a sizzling swim to open the championships. Dolphins women’s team, Alice Mills, qualified Matt Welsh cruised through his heat in 1:56.54. fastest in the Women’s 100m IM for this evening’s Western Australia’s Adam Lucas was not far behind, semi-finals after clocking the fourth fastest time ever and Pan Pac team member Ethan Rolff also swam by an Australian in an unseeded heat. Mills, one of well to secure a good lane in tonight’s final. The the discoveries of the year for Australian Swimming, world record stands at 1:51.17, set by the USA’s clocked a time of 1:02.33, followed by 50m Aaron Piersol at this year’s World Short Course Breaststroke champion Brooke Hanson (1:03.06) and Championships in Moscow. Welsh had held the Victoria’s Shayne Reese (1:03.90). The 16-year-old previous world mark at 1:51.62, set in October 2000, pocket-rocket from Chandler’s time has only been after his triple medal haul at the Sydney Olympics. bettered by Lori Munz (1:01.31), Angela Kennedy His coach at the Melbourne Vicentre club, Olympic (1:01.51) and Hanson (1:01.52). coach, Ian Pope, said, “Matt is certainly in great Other semi-finals and finals to be decided on form, judging by the way he swam last night and he night two include the Women’s 800m Freestyle, should be right on target for a great swim tonight.” Men’s 100m IM, with Olympian Rob Van Der Zant Welsh will line up in the final at 7:10pm EST and a quickest through the Heats, and the Men’s 4x200m large crowd is expected to flock to the MSAC facility Freestyle Relay. to witness what could be the second world record in two nights.
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WELSH MISSES WORLD RECORD BY A Dolphin Kelli Waite of Yeronga Park in Queensland WHISKER in 2.27.09. 3rd September 2002 Olympic gold medallist Ashley Callus stormed Newly crowned 50m Backstroke world record through the 50m Freestyle to win the event for the holder Matt Welsh, clocked the second fastest time of first time in a quick 21.73. Back in Australia after his career to narrowly miss the world 200m campaigns in Manchester and Yokohama, Callus was Backstroke world record on night two of the Telstra very pleased with the win. “To get up and swim as Australian Short Course Championships in fast as I have here, I’m very happy.” Asked about the Melbourne tonight. Spurred on by his record- differences between short course and long course breaking performance on night one, Welsh racing, Callus replied the two had much common. dominated the field in the 200m to win gold in “Short course or long course, every time you hit the 1.51.75, just missing his Australian record of 1.51.62 wall you’re hurting,” he said. Silver went to and 0.58 outside the world record held by the USA’s Nunawading’s Andrew Dyson in 22.30, and bronze Aaron Piersol. Under world record pace with 50m to to Sydney University’s Nathan Rickard in 21.73. swim, Welsh left the field in his wake, four body- Queensland’s Stephen Penfold led from start to lengths clear of sliver medal winner and fellow finish to win gold and his first national title by two Telstra Dolphin Ethan Rolff who touched in 1.56.01. body-lengths in the Men’s 400m Freestyle in 3.43.49, “I tried to imagine I was out there racing the world a race that has belonged in recent times to Grant record holder,” said Welsh. “Coming home felt okay. Hackett and Ian Thorpe. The silver medal went to It was pretty close.” Bronze went to Andrew Burns Joshua Krogh of the AIS in 3.47.50, and bronze to of Toongabbie in New South Wales in 1.56.32. Western Australian Travis Nederpelt in 3.49.07. Commonwealth and Pan Pac champion Petria Manly’s Elka Graham swam a strong race to take Thomas won gold in a close 50m Butterfly Final, gold in the Women’s 100m Freestyle in 54.10 ahead taking out the race on the touch in 26.48 to defend of Commonwealth and Pan Pac team-mate Alice her title. It is the second win for Thomas at these Mills, who won the silver in 54.69. Graham, the championships after taking out the 200m Butterfly on national champion over 200m long course, was night one. Tomorrow she will line up in the 400m pleased with the win in a race she does not usually Freestyle. “It’s good to do different events every now contest. “It’s pretty fun to win the 100m Freestyle. I and then,” she said of the 400m. “I’m enjoying don’t really consider myself a sprinter, more of a swimming Freestyle at the moment so thought I’d middle distance swimmer, so I’m pretty happy,” she give it a go.” Thomas has now won 10 gold medals said after the race. Bronze went to Carey Aquatic’s at the Commonwealth Games, Pan Pacs and the Shayne Reese in 54.98. Australian Short Course – with the hope of more to Commonwealth and Pan Pac gold medallist come over the final two days. The silver medal went Dyana Calub held on to win the Women’s 100m to Commonwealth Games silver medallist Nicole Backstroke in 1.00.34 from fast finishing Telstra Irving in 26.73, and bronze to Carey Aquatic’s Dolphin team-mate Kelly Tucker, who took silver in Jordana Webb in 26.97 1.00.45. Calub described the last few weeks as Commonwealth and Pan Pac champion Geoff “phenomenal”, still on a high following the “Skippy” Huegill fought a close contest with fellow Australian women’s medley relay team win in Telstra Dolphin Adam Pine in the Men’s 50m Yokohama over the highly fancied team from the Butterfly, nailing the finish to take gold in 51.45. The United States. Bronze went to promising Western win caps off Huegill’s dominance over the distance Australian Nicole Seah in 1.00.90. in the last few months of racing, and speaking Amanda Pascoe, Telstra Dolphin and Australian afterwards he said he was pleased to swim well. “It’s record holder in the event, comfortably won the pretty tough to pick yourself up again, so to swim a Women’s 800m Freestyle, finishing in 8.23.48 and 51, I’m pretty happy with that.” Pine took silver in 20m ahead of silver medallist and NSWIS stable- 51.57, and Victoria’s Jason Cohen, fastest qualifier mate Belinda Wilson, who touched in 8.38.18. through the heats and semi-finals, had to settle for the Bronze went to Queensland’s Briody Murphy in bronze in 53.12. 8.41.19. Brooke Hanson backed up her victory in the 50m In the Men’s 100m Breaststroke semi-finals Breaststroke on night one with a hard fought win in Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jim Piper the 200m in 2.24.45, pipping fellow Telstra Dolphin broke the minute to secure lane four in tomorrow and Commonwealth champion Liesel Jones, who night’s final in a time of 59.99, ahead of veteran and took silver in 2.25.04. Hanson, the defending Pan Pac team-mate Phil Rogers who touched in champion, said she knew Jones would be a tough 1.00.53. Newcomer James Beasley of New South competitor, and was very pleased to take her second Wales took out his semi-final in 1.01.15, and will win in two nights before a home crowd. “I love being offer strong competition come the final on night home in Melbourne and seeing family and friends in three. the stands,” she said. The bubbly Nunawading Lori Munz of Carey Aquatic set the fastest time in swimmer will have an opportunity to take the the Women’s 100m IM semi-finals in 1.02.47 and Breaststroke treble when she competes in the 100m will swim from lane four in tomorrow night’s final, later in the week. The bronze medal went to Telstra just pipping Breaststroke champion Brooke Hanson who came second in the first semi-final in 1.02.47.
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Munz just missed the Sydney Olympic team after about the youngsters challenging her, Calub said she being injured in a car crash two months before the hoped to continue her winning ways. “It’s a bit Olympic Trials. Young Commonwealth and Pan Pac scary,” Calub said, “but I’m just going to keep gold medallist Alice Mills took out the second semi- working and hopefully keep coming through.” final in 1.03.12 ahead of Western Australia’s Louise Bronze went to Melbourne Vicentre’s Rachel Goh in Tomlinson. 28.70. Olympian Rob Van Der Zant is the fastest In the Women’s 100m IM Commonwealth Games qualifier for tomorrow night’s final of the Men’s 100 silver medallist Brooke Hanson swam a tremendous IM, winning his semi-final comfortably in a time of back half of the race to win gold in 1.01.46, the 56.09. Alongside him will be Joshua Taylor of the second fastest time ever by an Australian. Winner of AIS, South Australia’s Liam Short, and 400m IM the 50m and 200m Breaststroke already at this Meet, champion from night one Mitchell Bacon. Hanson established a half body length lead in the In the night’s other final, Queensland’s Yeronga Breaststroke leg and held on over sprint Freestyle Park won the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay in specialist and Pan Pac gold medallist Alice Mills, 7.16.39 ahead of City of Perth, who took silver in who took the silver in 1.01.66. “I’m really happy 7.19.01, and West Coast, who touched home in with that time,” Hanson said after the race. “It’s my 7.19.43 for the bronze. best time, and to win gold is just awesome.” The AUSSIES DEADLY IN WORLD RECORD bronze medal went to promising Carey Aquatic MEDLEY swimmer Shayne Reese in 1.02.01. By Maggie Ellis Michael Klim, winner of the 200m Freestyle on 4th September 2002 night one, continued his fine comeback to racing Australia’s “Deadly Medley” team of Matt Welsh, after undergoing back surgery in February by Jim Piper, Geoff Huegill and Ashley Callus tonight qualifying fastest for the Men’s 100m Freestyle final smashed the world record in the Men’s 4x100m in 48.58. Alongside Klim in tomorrow night’s final Medley Relay in an exciting climax to night three of will be Nunawading duo Andrew Dyson (49.38) and the Telstra Australian Short Course Championships Jared Clarke (49.65), and the pair of Casey Flouch at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre. In a (Commercial) and Antony Matkovich (City of Perth) special time trial, the Aussie foursome set out to who dead-heated the first semi-final in 49.38. break the world mark of 3:29.00, set by the USA at Well-travelled Michelle Engelsman, a former the World Short Course Championships in Moscow national long course champion, streaked home in the in April – and they delivered in style – stopping the Women’s 50m Freestyle to win the sprint crown in a clock in 3:28.12. time of 22.20 ahead of River City’s Marieke Guehrer, Welsh, who broke the 50m world record on night who took silver in 22.22. Engelsman just missed the one, gave the team a tremendous start, setting a new Commonwealth and Pan Pac teams, and had to watch Commonwealth 100m record of 50.95 in the opening the action from home. “I haven’t had the best year in leg, and smashing the split of American Aaron the last twelve months, and to come back here and Piersol (52.17) from the USA’s world record setting win is really great,” she said. The bronze went to the team. Welsh handed over to Commonwealth Games fastest qualifier through the semi-finals, Southern gold medallist Jim Piper, who lifted to clock a time Crawl’s Nichola Chellingworth in 22.28. of 59.44 to keep the team under world record pace at Joshua Krogh of the AIS lead from start to finish the half-way mark. Geoff “Skippy” Huegill dived in in the Men’s 200m Butterfly to win by a body length with the crowd cheering as one, and split a 50.61, from the rest of the field, touching in 1.56.77 to take under the 51.93 of American Peter Marshall before gold and his first national title. “It hurt a bit handing over to Ashley Callus still under world time. watching the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs Callus stormed home in a sizzling 47.12 to touch for knowing I had the chance to be there,” he said after a final time of 3.28.12 to demolish the USA’s world the race, reflecting on just missing the Telstra record by 0.88 of a second to a rapturous ovation Dolphins squad this year. “But hopefully I can keep from the crowd. The tired foursome were thrilled working and be there next time.” Silver went to a with the effort, Piper admitting afterwards that taking fast-finishing Shane Fielding of Waterworx in back the world record had been on their minds for 1.58.61, and the bronze to Campbelltown’s Matthew months. “We’ve been talking about this amongst Hall in 1.58.68. ourselves since the morning after we came second to Versatile world champion Petria Thomas, who the Americans at the World Short Course said Breaststroke was the only discipline she would Championships,” Piper said. “We’re all pretty tired not contest, continued her winning form at these after the last couple of months, and to finish with championships, taking out the Women’s 400m that, it’s just incredible.” Welsh said, “I’m really Freestyle in 4.07.26. An event she has not entered in glad I did it to lead off these guys, and did it when it five years, Thomas took the race out hard and led by counted.” The stunning swim capped off an exciting a body-length from fellow Telstra Dolphin and night three of racing. winner of the 800-1500m double at this meet Earlier, Dyana Calub took her second gold of the Amanda Pascoe, who touched in 4.08.74 for the meet in the Women’s 50m Backstroke, winning in silver. Bronze went to Toongabbie’s Belinda Wilson 28.29 ahead of fastest qualifier through the semi- in 4.12.31. finals Nicole Seah, who won silver in 28.47. Asked
~~~ 15 ~~~ SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – September-October 2002
Matt Welsh, who set a world record on night one much confidence from Manchester and Yokohama. in the 50m Backstroke and just missed the 200m “The two relay wins at the Pan Pacs were a highlight world mark last night, qualified fastest for the final of for me”, said Thomas, who has swum a stunning 37 the Men’s 100m Backstroke final tomorrow night, races in the last two months. “It was a great feeling, with his sights now set on his new Commonwealth beating the Americans for the first time.” Silver went record of 50.95. Welsh cruised through his semi-final to fellow Telstra Dolphin Felicity Galvez in 59.17, in 53.54, while Victoria Park’s Matthew Spicer won and bronze to Campbelltown’s Lara Davenport in the first semi-final in 53.93. Other contenders in the 1.00.00. final include CJ Aquajets Ashley Anderson (53.90) Thomas backed up later in the night, winning and Telstra Dolphin Ethan Rolff (54.04). silver in the Women’s 200m Freestyle behind In the Women’s 100m Breaststroke semi-finals Manly’s Elka Graham. Graham, Commonwealth Olympian Tarnee White won her race to qualify Games gold medallist and long course national title fastest for the final in 1.07.48, 1/100th of a second holder, led from the start to defend her title, touching ahead of club teammate and fellow Telstra Dolphin in 1.55.93. “I’m so stoked, I really wanted to go Liesel Jones, who won her semi-final in 1.07.49. The under 1.56.90,” said Graham afterwards. “Yesterday Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton duo will face tough it was exactly 24 months until the Olympics, so I’ll competition from defending champion Brooke enjoy my break and go from there, see what Hanson, winner of the 50m and 200m at this Meet, happens.” Silver went to fellow Telstra Dolphin and Sarah Kasoulis (Carey Aquatic), Jade Edmiston Petria Thomas in 1.57.00, and bronze to Sydney (Southern Crawl), and Katie Regan (Redlands). University’s Kirsten Thomson in 1.57.31. The trio Veteran Phil Rogers stormed home to win the were members of Australia’s silver medal winning Men’s 100m Breaststroke in 1.00.22, his 12th win in 4x200m Freestyle Relay team at the Sydney the event in his career, just pipping long course Olympics. national champion and Commonwealth Games gold Michael Klim completed a successful comeback medallist Jim Piper, who took the silver in 1.00.26. with gold in the Men’s 100m Freestyle in a speedy Rogers expressed some surprise at the win. “I’m not 48.22, his second gold in just his second race back really fit enough,” he admitted. “That’s really from injury. After the race Klim said he still had surprised me, but I’m really happy.” Bronze went to much work to do. “I’m very rusty with my racing so Knox Pymble’s James Beasley in 1.00. 61. it’s good to get in and have a race,” he said. “But The Women’s 100m Butterfly semi-finals saw there’s a long way to go.” world champion Petria Thomas qualify fastest for Klim has won the 100-200m Freestyle double at tomorrow night’s final, breaking the minute mark to these championships, but has not contested the win her semi-final in 59.73. Thomas will be going for Butterfly events despite holding the 100m Butterfly her third gold of the Meet after taking out the 50m world record. Asked whether he would contest the and 200m Butterfly earlier in the week. She will face Butterfly again, Klim nodded. “Definitely. Being the tough competition in the final from fellow Telstra world record holder there’s a bit of a legacy there.” Dolphins Felicity Galvez (59.91) and Rachel Coffee Silver went to City of Perth’s Antony Matkovich in (1.00.34), and Campbelltown’s Lara Davenport 49.06, and bronze to Nunawading’s Andrew Dyson (1.00.19). in 49.14. In the Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay the Commonwealth and Pan Pac gold medallist Alice Chandler A team of Jodie Henry, Cassie Hunt, Mills swam strongly to take gold in the Women’s Melanie Houghton, and Alice Mills won gold in a 200m IM, controlling the race from the start to take new club record of 3.39.71 ahead of Carey Aquatic, her first national title in 2.12.49. A breakthrough who took silver in 3.43.85. Bronze went to the performer for the Telstra Dolphins and the baby of Chandler B team in 4.48.70. the team, Mills was delighted with the win. “I’m just THOMAS SIZZLES IN NEAR WORLD so happy I’ve won that race. It’s my first individual RECORD SWIM title,” she said. Mills took a half body length lead in By Maggie Ellis the Butterfly and Breaststroke legs before being 5th September 2002 challenged by fellow Telstra Dolphin Jessica Abbot Petria Thomas set a new Commonwealth record in the Breaststroke, turning together in to the final and won her fourth gold of the Telstra National Short Freestyle leg. Mills then pulled away, leaving Abbot Course Championships with a sizzling swim in the to collect silver in 2.13.63. Bronze went to Pan Pac Women’s 100m Butterfly in 56.93 on the final night 400 IM champion Jennifer Reilly in 2.14.38. of competition at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic In the Men’s 200m Breaststroke Commonwealth Centre. Her time was 0.80 under her own champion and member of last night’s world record Commonwealth record and just 0.38/second outside breaking “Deadly medley” Australian relay team Jim Martina Moravcova’s world record of 56.55, set at Piper came away with the gold in a time of 2.09.22. this year’s World Cup in Berlin. Thomas led by half Piper fought a close race with Brothers’ Brenton a body length over the first half of the race to Rickard over the first half of the race, maintaining a eventually pull away and win by nearly two body narrow lead until pulling away over the last 50m to lengths from the rest of the field. “I’ve been win by half a body length. “That last 50m I was swimming well, and I knew if I could control it I’d thinking ‘Oh, the break’s soon, the break’s soon’,” swim a good time,” she said, adding she had gained said Piper after the race. “I’m happy with the win and
~~~ 16 ~~~ SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – September-October 2002
happy with the time. After the break I’m looking injury, so it’s just fantastic.” The silver medal went forward to getting back into hard training.” Rickard to The Hills’ Grant Cleland in 15.09.17, and the took the silver in 2.10.49, and bronze went to a fast bronze to City of Perth’s Travis Nederpelt in finishing Luke Trickett of Willoughby in 2.11.79. 15.12.19. Olympic silver medallist Leisel Jones stormed The Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay went down home in the final 25m of the Women’s 100m to the wire with Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton A Breaststroke to win gold in 1.06.64 by 3/100’s of a duelling it out with Carey Aquatic, Redcliffe Leagues second from Commonwealth Games silver medallist Lawnton A pulling away over the final metres to take Brooke Hanson, who touched in 1.06.67. Hanson, gold in 4.04.13. Carey Aquatic collected the silver in winner of the 50m and 200m Breaststroke at this 4.05.08, and Chandler took the bronze in 4.11.44. Meet, led for most of the race with Jones close on her In the Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay, Matt Welsh heels, before Jones came home on the last lap. “I just gave Melbourne Vicentre a lead of two body lengths, tried to work the last 25m, and keep my stroke long,” but the team was overtaken in the Butterfly leg by said Jones. The bronze medal went to Olympian Adam Pine of Yeronga Park, who went on to win in Tarnee White in 1.07.40. 3.36.13. Antony Matkovich of City of Perth brought Matt Welsh, twice a world record breaker at this his team home for silver in 3.41.53, the Melbourne Meet, collected his third gold in the Men’s 200m Vicentre team holding on for the bronze in 3.41.55. Backstroke in 51.27, just outside the Commonwealth record of 50.95 he set as part of last night’s world record breaking “Deadly medley” Australian relay team. The win capped off a tremendous week for Welsh, who said he was very much enjoying being back home in Melbourne after campaigns in Manchester and Yokohama. “I’m absolutely going to be at the World Cup meet here in December. I’m really looking forward to that,” he said after the race. The silver medal was won by Victoria Park’s Matthew Spicer in 53.96, and the bronze by Telstra Dolphin Ethan Rolff in 54.26. In the Women’s 200m Backstroke Telstra Dolphin Kelly Tucker went neck and neck with Norwood’s Karina Leane for the first half of the race, before pulling away to take gold in 2.08.19, a new personal best time. Fellow Telstra Dolphin Melissa Morgan of Burnside stormed home to snatch the AUSTRALIAN silver in 2.08.70, with Leane taking the bronze in 2.09.56. CHAMPIONSHIPS Olympian Robert Van Der Zant swam a strong back half of the Men’s 200 IM to win gold in 1.58.05 from West Coast’s Adam Lucas, who touched in VENUE 2.00.05. Lucas led out in the Backstroke and Butterfly legs before Van Der Zant caught up in the At its meeting on 12th July, the Board Breaststroke leg and pulled away in the Freestyle to win by half a body length. “I really tried to work the of Australian Swimming Inc., second half of the race,” said Van Der Zant. Bronze approved Sydney Aquatic Centre as went to CJ Aquajet’s Ashley Anderson in 2.01.15. Geoff Huegill took gold in the Men’s 50m the venue for the 2003 Australian Butterfly, an event in which he is the current world Championships. Dates for the event record holder, storming home to touch in 23.37 to will be 22nd-29th March. back up after last night’s effort as part of the world record breaking 4x100m IM Australian team. Fellow Telstra Dolphin Adam Pine won the silver with a This Championship will be used to time of 23.96, and bronze went to City of Perth’s Robert Sharp in 24.60. select Australia’s Team for the 2003 Miami’s Stephen Penfold won his second gold of FINA World Championships, which the meet in the 1500m Freestyle, winning in a new personal best time of 14.41.84. Penfold was well will be conducted in Barcelona, ahead and swimming on his own for most of the race, Spain. and his time makes him the fourth fastest Australian ever behind only training partner Grant Hackett, Kieren Perkins and Daniel Kowalski. “To be fourth behind names like that, it’s excellent,” Penfold said. “I haven’t done a 1500m in a year and half due to
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The total time he was in the water was 15 minutes and the total distance covered was 550 yards or about 500 metres. There were no dives, nothing timed (except by me!), the rest intervals were big but, again, not timed, nothing was maximum effort and there was no swimmer-coach communication or WHAT WILL IT BE? interaction. By Clive Ruston Standard warm-up procedures differ considerably This article was reproduced from WaterWays, June 2002 – across the world but many times I see an inverse Volume 4, Issue 3 relationship between the standard of performance the A number of years ago I attended the USA intensity and duration of warm-up. Many Age Group Nationals in Seattle, Washington and saw something swimmers are prescribed upwards of 2,000 metres in that made me consider the role of warm-up before warm-up for a 100m race and it invariably includes competition. Norbert Rozsa was the reigning World maximum effort sprints. I cannot think of one world- Champion at 100m Breaststroke but his world record class performance that I have seen which included of 1:01.29 had been beaten by his Hungarian maximum effort sprints in the warm-up. teammate Karoly Guttler with 1:00.95. Rozsa Rozsa’s ongoing monitoring of his available obviously did not approve of Guttler owning the preparation time was not made in relation to clocks record and was using the US Nationals as his major but in relation to the pace of the Meet – how fast and attempt to wrest it back. In the morning heats he had smoothly it was progressing. He gauged his swum 1:01.6 … the following timetable lists Rosza’s gathering together to coincide exactly with the time preparation for the final… of his race. 5.46 Stretch for one minute Race preparation is about much more than warm- Official warm-up period ends in 50m- 5.50 up. It is about gathering together the volitional competition pool. forces, the psycho-physiological energies of the 5.55 Stretch for one minute. whole being. Peak performance – the supreme effort 6.00 Stand on side of 25-yard warm-down pool. – can never be achieved without this focussing. • Enters 25 yard pool • 100 yard easy Freestyle • 100 yard Breaststroke drill • 2x50 yard Breaststroke drill (Coach AUSTRALIAN PROGRAM TO appears at the end of the lane but there is no communication between them) DEVELOP FUTURE NATIONAL TEAM • 3x50 yard Breaststroke full stroke & CLUB DEVELOPMENT 6.03 (building). 4½ strokes for each 25 yards By Bill Sweetenham - Saturday, September 8, 2001 • 4x25 yard Breaststroke 13.54 – 6 strokes Reproduced from American Swimming Magazine 13.64 – 6 strokes Volume 2002 Issue #1 14.10 – 5 strokes 13.85 – 5 strokes AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL YOUTH COACH On each of these 25s the final stroke appeared to be superfluous – he could easily have WORKS WITH THE BEST 18-AND-YOUNGER stretched to go 5-5-4-4- strokes. TALENT 6.18 Leaves warm-down pool. • Working to have better prepared athletes Towels off and puts on tracksuit. Sits with moving into the National Team 6.19 teammates in busy area but away from the competition pool. • Make sure the next group of athletes do not 6.49 Changes T-shirt. have the same weaknesses of the current 6.50 Rubdown in full tracksuit. seniors 6.58 Coach Szeczhy talks during rubdown. • State Camps and Event Camps… 7.04 Finish rubdown. o Resting simulator camps – get used to 7.16 March-on of 100m Breaststroke finalists. the regimen of the Olympics for the next Announcement of finalists – Rozsa performs three 7.19 ‘spring’ jumps immediately before mounting the group of Olympic hopefuls blocks. • It is the job of the National Youth Coach to The race. make the transition from age group swimming 28.77 – 23 strokes to youth swimming to national swimming as 7.20 32.47 – 25 strokes 1:01.24 – the second fastest 100m Breaststroke difficult as possible ever at that point in history. o Training Camp – three practices a day, as hard as possible
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o Preparation Camp – Swim Meet at the o The Swimming World Championships end, swim hard all week and then race received the largest viewership ever in • Visit the home programs and help them with the history of televised sports! their problems o No one thought that this could be o Talk to the swimmers possible, but it is! o Talk to the parents • Lactate Removal Set • Swimmers moving onto the National Team o 10x100 @ 1:45 should be better prepared than the previous (a) 30-40 minutes of work in a 40-50 group of swimmers was minute period o Feedback on athletes to assess their (b) First 3-4 repeats should be slower preparedness than 200 but faster than 400 pace o Younger athletes should be setting (c) For the next 30 repeats, the men higher standards than what currently should be 20-28 beats below exists on the team maximum heart rate and the o Coaches who are world leaders get the women should be 15-20 beats athletes prepared to lead below maximum heart rate • 250 days on the road, away from home (d) The last 3-4 repeats should be at o Commitment to visit the clubs race pace o Spend 2-3 days at many clubs (e) Follow the set with 800-1600 o Ask lots of questions and challenge the metres of an over-distance coaches descend set o Receive more requests to visit than can (f) You cannot gain the same benefit grant if you don’t do the fast swimming o Take a Sports Physiologist or a Strength first or the distance swimming last Trainer • Males and females should train separately o Intensive club evaluation o Single-sex workouts help kids excel o The coach is briefed on what they are o Males and females are mentally and expected to do … Bill will evaluate the physically different club and then relate the evaluation to the o Males and females should be raced parents … Bill will give constructive differently at Meets feedback to the coach (a) Meets with males and play sports o Trouble-shooting is done with the coach after the Meet • It is always a challenge to innovate coaching (b) Meets with females and go o 300 years from now, how will we shopping after the Meet remember the last 100 years? … the o Males train because they like the only true invention has been plastic camaraderie with the other males o Swim coaching is a great profession … o Females train because they like you and there is diversity in the profession … the social structure there is a great opportunity to work with • Challenge the coaches and evaluate the a lot of great coaches … gather a range programs based on… of tools to use o Top 3% of the swimmers in prelims o The job of the Australian Youth Coach o Top 2% of the swimmers in semi-finals is to fast-track knowledge and o Top 1% of the swimmers in finals experience to the younger coaches so o Top 1% of the swimmers on relays that they can avoid the trial and error • Meet participation should be based on the 3, 2, that many older coaches experienced 1 philosophy o The average age of an Olympic Coach is o Three Meets at the swimmer’s level of 55-65 years … the Australian Youth proficiency program tries to get coaches to achieve a o Two Meets below the swimmer’s greater level of success at a younger age standards • Sponsorships… (a) Pressure to do things right o World Championships on television in (b) Practice winning Australia (not in America) (c) Be very critical of the swimmer at these Meets o One Meet above the swimmer’s ability
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(a) Swim in higher age group • Developmental Process for Swimming in (b) Swim in off events Britain… (c) Do only one event o Determine success: (d) Praise the swimmer at these Facilities … fewer than 10% of the Meets facilities than in Australia … they cost o When the swimmer faces the ultimate more than in Australia (£20-£25 per challenge … praise a lot hour per lane) … Long Course for o When the swimmer competes in a Meet training and competition … Team at their level of proficiency … praise a Camps are impossible to run. little Budget … the bottom line is non-growth o When the swimmer competes in a Meet … pools are more expensive and salaries below their level of proficiency … are more expensive … 45% of the criticise budget is for facilities. • Look for 3% improvement a year Coaching o At 13 years of age, swimmer at 83% of Competition the age group record Rewards o Should be at 86% of the record at 14 o Government … we want you to win the years of age race but we won’t give you the fastest o Should be at 89% of the record at 15 car … Great Britain needs a sponsor if years of age they are going to make it … if they want • The Australian National Youth Coach works to improve, they have to make efficient with the more talented and the more remote changes clubs o Target … world’s best competitive o Take a look at the athlete and make sure schedule … world’s best coaches … that the coach has the tools to make it all Long Course training and competition the way with the athlete … accountability – they give a lot of (a) If the coach does not have the money each year, about £75,000- tools, then educate the coach £200,00 per year … major sponsor. (b) Invest in the coach to get to the o Coaching … all accredited … all athlete BSCTA Members … best in 2003 … o Australia has a small population and new accreditation and education system they do not want to lose athletes based on theory (clinics) and practice o Australia identifies 20 coaches and tries (camps) … National coach, Male coach, to make them top National level coaches Female coach and seven event coaches COACH SWEETENHAM’S PLANS FOR … Long Course performance – results GREAT BRITAIN’S SWIMMING PROGRAM from the Commonwealth Games, the • 2001 records… Olympic Games, World Championships o Long Course: and European Championships … 2 European records set coaching model practiced and perfected 8 Commonwealth records set o Great Britain has success with fewer 41 British records set resources and facilities and fewer 6 British Junior records set … Junior swimmers records should outnumber senior records o Two-month competition-free zone from … the age group system in Britain is not January through February to train working (a) Three months away from major o Short Course: competition for sprinters 4 World records set (compete in March) 5 European records set (b) Two months out from major 3 Commonwealth records set competition for distance 24 British records set swimmers (compete in January) 3 British Junior records set (c) Trials for National team are in • Britain must find more junior swimmers and April with 15 weeks preparation be better prepared for National level after Trials swimming (d) Orientation Camp to meet the • Olympic medals will be won in 2002-2003 other coaches
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o National Event Camp … best senior and speed. Both periodisation and taper leading to the junior athletes … learn from the best … peaking of performance necessary for high-level and eliminate the negative seniors international competition. o Tough athletes and tough coaches This article focuses on some of physiological o Men’s and Women’s Camps to address aspects of the periodisation and tapering of elite their individual needs Australian swimmers preparing for the 1996 Atlanta o Standard Cycle… Olympics. We aim to share some of the ways that (a) Two months competition-free swimmers are prepared for major competition. A (b) 15 weeks of training fundamental principle of preparing athletes is that (c) Major competition periodisation and tapering applies equally to all the (d) National competition different aspects of fitness such as endurance, speed, (e) International competition strength, flexibility and power. From a physiological o Coaching Staff Structure… viewpoint, there are several reasons for a periodised (Stroke Coaches are part-time club and balanced training program leading up to major coaches.) competition… (a) Head National Coach • A higher training load without excessive (b) Male Coach fatigue (c) Female Coach • Faster recovery and-regeneration (d) Freestyle Coach • Maintaining performances very close to their (e) Backstroke Coach maximum or a long period of time (f) Breaststroke Coach • Correct peaking for the major competition of (g) Butterfly Coach the year (h) IM Coach • Maintaining a basic level of fitness over a long (i) Sprint Coach period of training (or even a period of reduced o Don’t want to lose any fish training) o Long-term goals for coaches and • A greater degree of specificity to be athletes incorporated in training
• A more efficient and effective taper (and super
compensation) process. • More complete adaptation to training without two or three parts of the program interfering How with each other when trained concurrently Australian • Better planning for both major and minor competitions Swimmers • More effective integration of sports science testing with the training program A periodised training and tapering program is By Dr David Pyne PhD and Wayne Goldsmith based on the principle of overload recovery and Reproduced from Australian Masters Swimming peaking. This principle forms the basis of preparing Coaching Newsletter Vol.14 No.2 June 2002 swimming training programs with the aim of Two of the most common features of the training increasing the level of competitive performance. The programs of elite endurance athletes including training program must provide an overload (stimulus) swimmers and athletes are… to force the body to adapt to a previously 1. The periodisation of training volume and intensity unencountered level of stress. After sufficient 2. The transition from training to racing application of the stimulus (in terms of magnitude Periodisation can be defined in simple terms as and frequency), a period of recovery and regeneration the division of the annual training plan into smaller will allow residual fatigue to dissipate. If the and more manageable phases of training. This processes of overload and recovery are managed approach permits one aspect of fitness to be the focus correctly a period of super compensation will occur of training, while maintaining the others. In essence a so that performance is elevated to a higher level for periodised training program is really about being an important competitions. organised and systematic coach. The transition from TIP: The most important consideration is that training to racing is commonly referred to as the peaking for performance is an active process. Put as taper and is characterised by a reduction in the much effort into the planning and execution of the volume of training and the development of race
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tapering and peaking program as you do for regular by the careful engagement of endurance, speed and training. recovery. Most elite swimming coaches are familiar with The term micro-cycle refers to a short-term the term periodisation, and the various meso-, macro- training block within a macro-cycle Most commonly and micro-cycles that are used to design a training swimming training micro-cycles are planned around program. These terms are used to establish a a standard 7-day training week. Coaches and athletes hierarchy of training within the overall program. are creatures of the modern working week and most Meso-cycle refers to a long-term training phase swimmers have to fit their training programs around lasting several weeks to months. In swimming this work, education and family commitments. However represents the entire 12-week preparation for a major coming in to important meets such as the Olympics, national or international competition. Most the training schedule takes precedence and the day of commonly, there is a two meso-cycle year with peaks the week, weekends and public holidays become less for the national swimming championships (normally important. held in March/April) and then the major international The micro-cycles represent the specific plans and competition (e.g. Olympics, Worlds, Commonwealth strategies needed to achieve the broader objective of Games, etc.) held later in the year (July-September). the macro-cycle. The micro-cycle consists of the The length of the meso-cycle will depend on the individual (daily) workouts and again these are based specific training and/or competition objectives for the on the objectives of the macro-cycle meso-cycle, and the individual swimmers current TIP: Plan broad details for a meso-cycle, fine fitness level, It is apparent that coaches of Australian details for a micro-cycle and adjust details on a daily swimmers are incorporating more variety more basis. within the macro-cycle than a few years ago. In our experience (and many others of course) one TIP: The annual plan and the competition of the fundamental principles that underpins the calendar are essential tools. To achieve extraordinary periodisation of training is that volume of training is results you need an extraordinarily good training increased before the intensity of training. This program. Last year’s program may bring you last principle applies to meso- macro- and micro-cycles year’s results. alike. Most coaches are familiar with the concept that The term macro-cycle refers to shorter training a foundation of aerobic fitness is established early in blocks within the meso-cycle. Typically these are two the meso-cycle, or competition season. After this to four weeks in length. A number of macro-cycles initial period of increasing training volume to build form a single meso-cycle. Experience has shown that endurance, the emphasis of training switches to the after several weeks of intensive or extensive work, development of speed and anaerobic capacities. It is most athletes require some period of recovery (and often observed that this base level of fitness can be within macro-cycles as well). There are many types re-established fairly quickly (4-6 weeks) in those of macro-cycle depending on the requirements of the swimmers with an extensive training background. program, coach and athlete. Just some examples used This has implications for older more mature by swimming coaches are the introductory macro- swimmers who are returning after a break. However, cycle (general training, low volume - low intensity), it is much more efficient for swimmers to maintain a preparatory macro-cycle (transition from low volume basic fitness program during the off-season. A – low intensity to higher volume training), specific reasonable level of fitness can be maintained on macro-cycle (more specialised higher intensity about 30% of the full training volume … i.e. a training, with emphasis on -improving competitive swimmer who normally undertakes 10 training speed), and the competition macro-cycle (competitive sessions per week, should be able to maintain a base performance on a single or repeated basis). In each level of fitness for several weeks by just training case, the volume and intensity of work will vary three times per week. In this case, it is important to according to the specific requirements of the program maintain some intensity in the work (up to and and individual athlete. The better coaches (and including threshold level) as volume and duration are swimmers) are always aware of where they are up reduced. to in the training program. Getting bogged down and TIP: Although the requirement for aerobic work stale in a long and arduous meso- or macro-cycle is applies to the middle distance and distance events not a very efficient approach to training. Athletes even the shorter sprint events may benefit from this should not struggle with their training for more than a type of training. few days without some intervention. This principle of volume first, then intensity, also TIP: Make sure your athletes are able to train at applies to strength and muscular endurance. In a close to race speed when required. This is achieved fashion similar to that for endurance training,
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strength programs are often based on an initial period TIP: When peaking, the development of race of volume training (lighter weight – many speed should take priority over conditioning work on repetitions) before intensity training (heavier weight the track, road or in the gym. – fewer repetitions) is undertaken. On this basis, a Periodising to Build Endurance & Speed typical 4-week strength program (e.g. free weights, A typical 12-week swimming preparation between machine weights, circuits) for endurance athletes national championships and the major international could take the form of a 2-week macro-cycle of meet may encompass some or all of the following volume training and then a 2-week cycle of intensity features… training. While some coaches and swimmers place a Macro-cycle 1. Aerobic: (Weeks 1-4) heavy emphasis on strength training, it is clear that As in most training programs the initial phase strength alone is not highly correlated with involves the development or reestablishment of swimming performance. Other factors like muscular endurance fitness. This serves as a basis for the power, muscular endurance and muscle elasticity, subsequent development of aerobic and anaerobic and of course, swimming technique, should not be capacities and, importantly, the functional utilisation overlooked. of these capacities. By functional utilisation we mean TIP: A more effective approach is to have a increased running speed at a given metabolic load. broad-based conditioning program. Too much Apart from the underlying physiological adaptations, concentration in one area … e.g. weight training and improved endurance will lead to an increased ability neglect of others … e.g. flexibility or cross training, to cope with fatigue and more rapid recovery from may be a limiting factor. the stresses of speed training and competition. In In terms of designing micro-cycles the volume particular, the aim is to develop the capacity and first, intensity second - principle is also valuable. One efficiency of the cardio-respiratory system. This approach that we have found to be successful is the process is largely achieved by high volume -low use of 3-day micro-cycles The first variant involves intensity training. Other adaptations include two training sessions a day for the first two days, increased utilisation of fat as a fuel source, stronger followed by a single session on the third day. In some ligaments, tendons and connective tissue, adaptations circumstances in swimming, where three training within slow-twitch muscle fibres, and improved sessions a day are used, the second variation takes the neuro-muscular control. The length of this phase will form of three sessions a day for two days and then depend on several factors (e.g. fitness level of two sessions on the third and final day. In both athletes, time available, objectives of meso-cycle) but versions, the first day is largely aerobic in nature, is normally between 3-4 weeks. with a gradual decrease in volume and increase in TIP: Control the intensity of training by speed intensity as the micro-cycle proceeds. The emphasis (pacing), heart rate and perception of effort (by the is on increasing speed from day to day, and athletes athlete and coach) … don’t neglect any one factor. generally find this easier if the training volume is Macro-cycle 2. Aerobic/Anaerobic: (Weeks 5-8) decreasing. Many swimmers (and coaches) like to In this macro-cycle, the other primary components finish each micro-cycle with a quality or speed of aerobic training are developed. Assuming that low session. to moderate intensity endurance work is developed in TIP: Be proactive: make and dictate the move the first micro-cycle, this cycle is characterised by an from volume to intensity, endurance to speed and emphasis on anaerobic threshold training. For training to racing. example, the AIS swimmers undertake up to 30% of Another feature of planning is the relationships work in this cycle at the level of anaerobic threshold, between duration and-intensity. Generally speaking, and up to 15% of maximal oxygen uptake and lactate the lower the intensity of cycles, the longer the tolerance work. Some coaches may think these levels duration, perhaps up to seven days. For higher are too low for middle-distance and sprint athletes – Intensity work, shorter 2-4 day training cycles are the levels will vary for different sports and events. used. Variation of training distance and intensity The total training volume is increased over Macro- within cycles is important. Early in the program, cycle 1 and there is a progressive introduction of micro-cycles may involve higher intensity training shorter and faster intervals. The duration of the for athletes already fatigued: the thinking is that this macro-cycle is normally 2-3 weeks. will provide a greater stimulus for adaptation. Later Macro-cycle 3. Transition: (Weeks 9-12) on, when the emphasis is on competition specific In many ways this is the key training phase. The speed, it is usually better to undertake high intensity aim is to develop the functional utilisation of the training in a fresh condition in order to facilitate energy systems and capacities that were developed in higher speeds. the Aerobic Endurance and Aeroble/Anaerobic
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macro-cycles. It is well documented that the factor that correlates most highly with endurance PERFORMANCE UNDER performance is the speed at anaerobic threshold or VO2 max. This is an important point that is often PRESSURE overlooked. To illustrate this point consider the By Bill Sweetenham following example. Runner A is likely to perform The best one sentence description I can think of to better if their speed (e.g. 19.5 km/hr) is faster than describe what it takes to confront the issue of athlete Runner B (e.g. 18.5 km/hr) at the same relative performance under pressure would be… anaerobic threshold (e.g. 68 ml/kg/min). Improving ‘The mental capacity and strength, to produce the the functional utilisation (speed at a given metabolic best physical effort under the most challenging load) is achieved through training drills of higher conditions, in the toughest and previously intensity but shorter duration, at speeds close to and unknown arena’ faster than competitive speeds. The high, degree of Performance under pressure exists in every walk aerobic fitness developed earlier will be maintained of life, when one aspires to high endeavour or even though the emphasis of training is on higher achievement. Anywhere the word commitment has quality intervals. This macro-cycle is fairly short with meaning, the act of performance under pressure will an average length of 3-4 weeks. be evident in determining success or failure either as TIP: Use speed-assisted drills group work or pace an individual or as a team. work with similar or faster athletes, very slight It is the challenge of every advanced competitive downhill running or running with a tailwind. swimming country to convert involvement into Macro-cycle 4. TM and Competition: Weeks 12-14 commitment, just as this is the same objective of The final macro-cycle within the season (meso- every club swimming coach. In every club, as in cycle) involves the taper period and the competition every country, there is a group of athletes and parents phase. Again the logic follows the preceding macro- who wish to be involved in swimming as a sport on a cycle and training is characterised by a further social, feel-good, health and fitness improving level. reduction in training volume, and the development of These people wittingly an unwittingly promote speed and power. In swimming, it is common to mediocrity and a negative influence on standards and reduce the training volume by approximately a half the coaching/competitive direction of the program. (50%) to two-thirds (66%) of the peak weekly There can be no question of the feel-good health volume for that preparation. The key is to reduce the benefits and social benefits of having young people volume and sharpen the speed. For many sports, this involved in swimming, both individually and as a process involves shorter intervals at faster than race team. As a social form of exercise at maturation for pace … e.g. for 100m swimmers, there would be an 8-10 hours per week of practice or less, the benefits emphasis on 25m and 50m intervals at faster than are easily identified and due to the growth of the 100m race pace. It is important to maintain some athlete, improvement will come frequently and aerobic training in this macro-cycle and a common consistently in small doses in this stress-free mistake is to reduce training mileage too rapidly. environment. Competition would be additional to Aerobic work is needed to support the taper and these 8-10 hours of involvement and the training forms an essential part of the recovery and specialisation of energy systems, etc., is not that regeneration process prior to competition. important, as improvement and success at club, TIP: The key of peaking is … reduce the volume district and a personal/individual level will eventuate and sharpen speed. Peaking is an active process of due to individual growth and quality practice. This training and achieved by a well-planned and executed will be enhanced if the athlete has completed a solid training and recovery program. technical skill base (known as an aerobic base) in their earlier years of participation. About the Authors A technical skill base is consistently practised, Dr David Pyne is a Sports Physiologist, low intensity based training, volume at high technical Department of Physiology Australian Institute of and skill level, in terms of quality control on stroke Sport. Physiologist to Australian Swimming Team length; biomechanical balanced technique, quality 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games. with controlled and perfected turns, starts, etc., on all Wayne Goldsmith is Sports Science Co-ordinator four strokes. These skill protocols practised at low Australian Swimming Inc., Level 2 Coach. intensity and at high quality controlled skill level can be transferred to short distance, fast swimming repeats, provided high technical skills level is maintained. These fast, highly skilled, short distance
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repeats intermingled with highly skilled low intensity have the athlete perform above their individual talent swimming, practised frequently and consistently in levels due to a superior coaching development and all four strokes lay the foundation for all future training program. success and successful longevity in competition However, the greatest challenge for competitive swimming. This is particularly so if the individual swimming is to convert athletes and parents – from medley is targeted as a priority event at ages below this involvement – feel-good social area of 8-10 and at maturation. hours weekly practice to the commitment Poor technical skills should never be practiced or performance under pressure area of 16-24 hours of repeated, and they alone, in these all important early practice per week. For countries wishing to challenge years should determine the volume of short distance the world stage, the objective must be to target this speed repeats, that can be achieved in this high to twilight area of between 10 hours practice per week moderate volume, low intensity, high technical to 18 hours of practice per week. training at and below maturation age. This The transition from involvement to commitment philosophy should never be compromised in any must be made rewarding to the athlete, but not easy. way. The coach’s job during this phase of an athlete’s The rewards are of a feel-good nature, if these 8- career is to make the transition as difficult as 10 hours of weekly practice are continued past possible, but have empathy for the athlete to ensure maturation into senior swimming. However, it would they do make it all the way through. The greater the be unwise to expect national or further levels of base of involvement, the greater the rewards of the competition expectations to continue into senior level performance under pressure area, then the greater the competitions past district or club level with this level chance of having a small group of athletes in the of involvement, even if practised 40 or more weeks twilight zone. It is in this twilight zone where the per year. This applies regardless of the athlete’s athletes tend to expect the rewards of the talent level or event. performance under pressure – committed zone, but Between the ages of 14/15 years and 19/20 years are not doing enough practice to achieve or attain are the twilight years when most clubs and countries these goals and are doing more training and practice suffer loss of athletes/swimmers to other activities over and above the involvement zone so they have and plateauing of performance occurs due to a lack of neither the feel-good factor of involvement (social) stimulus, inappropriate competition, poor technical or the benefits and rewards of commitment. The skills, and a lack of exposure to the quality controlled smaller this twilight zone in any country or club’s practice that is required for improved performance, or structure, the greater the chance of success can be the lack of an adequate quality controlled expected in the performance under pressure zone. aerobic/technical base. It is usually a combination of Should the target of the involvement area be all of the above that is the cause for concern. geared towards achieving breakpoint volume Certainly, academic pressure is a major contributor to protocols or similar, then the better the chance of fast plateaued performance from 14-19 years. tracking 14-15 year old athletes through the twilight Performance zone into a committed performance under pressure Involvement Twilight Zone Under zone. Pressure The smaller the base of both the team and Too much Feel good, health training for feel individual the more unstable it is under competition Commitment and benefits good and not performance pressure and the more likely and competitive Technical based enough for High skill level quicker it is to fall and fail under sustained and 12-15 years and competitive 15-25 years higher pressure. on success Swimming Swimming 15-20 years So what is performance under pressure? training Training Swimming In the sport of swimming, the ultimate goal is to 16-24 hours per 8-10 hours per Training week go into the Olympic Games year ranked Top 6 in the week 10-18 hours per world, 2-per-nation or higher, and have the ability to week or less swim within 2% of your best time in the Heat, 1% of The benefits for the involvement area are obvious. your best time in the Semi Final and then produce a Benefits associated with the performance under personal best in the Final under the most challenging pressure area are the realisation of the fulfilment of conditions. Of course, to attain a personal best in the each athlete’s maximum potential and the challenges Final, the Heat (2% of PB) and Semi Final (1% of associated with this are Olympic gold, world PB) must be achieved with the least amount of championship gold and the individual’s absolute best physical effort and with great control from the mental result possible. The challenge for each coach is to side of the preparation.
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All swimmers and athletes attending the Olympic the two events below, the athletes competence should Games can perform physically and most to optimum be encouraged to negative split, even split, go out too values or they would not be there. So why do so hard, practice and experiment with different skills many athletes and swimmers not achieve their and receive criticisms of their mental preparation personal best at the Olympics when Governments, skills, goal performance profiling, etc. National sporting bodies and individuals have It is in this environment where negative attitudes prepared with unlimited funds and effort? never succeed or win but where positive attitudes and It comes down to the mental preparation of the athletes always win. Successful or winning athletes performance under pressure equation. So how do you learn from a young age not to accept less than 100% prepare an athlete for the mental preparation of as an end result. Athletes and coaches convert having to do their best in the most challenging negatives into positives without rationalisation and conditions with the least amount of physical effort? have the ability to make any and every environment The athletes’ preparation must be invincible and work for them and for them not to become a victim superior in every area where nothing is left to chance. of the environment. This education and development An example of performance under pressure in a process must commence early in their sporting life. It National team environment is that every staff must be continually re-enforced. member is accountable and responsible for every All of this will result in an athlete who is turn, start, etc., of every performance of every athlete continually stimulated and who possesses confidence in every event. The responsibility does not just lie and skills that are superior and invincible and where with the individual athlete and home coach. nothing is left to chance. It will also allow the coach Surely, if the goal is the Olympics and/or World to identify the individual’s strengths and weaknesses Championships at Heat 2% of PB, Semi Final 1% of and address both. It must be remembered that an PB and a minus PB in the Final, then the more often athlete wins and succeeds due to their strengths and a 3% Heat, 2% Semi Final and 1% Final in minor falls short of their ultimate performance goals under Meets is practised, there is a greater chance of pressure due to their weaknesses. success for the final goal. Physical weaknesses tend to show themselves in The athlete and coach must be capable of the training pool with mental strengths and swimming and competing faster with each round of weaknesses exposing themselves in competitions. the Heat – Semi Final – Final. Knowing that with Competition is therefore the best form of training if each round the pressure will be significantly greater mistakes or weaknesses are addressed and not along with the requirement to swim faster and allowed to reappear in future training and recover better in order to be better prepared for the competition opportunities. All competitions with the next. All of this must be achieved with great exception of the Olympics are a form of training and efficiency in a situation where there are unknown and not an end in itself, and should be viewed as constant obstacles and distractions along with a preparation for the next higher level of competition. moving target. For the high performing coach and swimmer high The athlete and coach should be prepared to enter quality and standard of competition in unknown competitions through their swimming career on a surrounds and unfamiliar territory is far and away basis of three events at their level of competence (i.e. more important than frequency of soft competition. expectation of being between 1st and 4th in the final), However, frequency of competition is important but then two events below their level of competence (i.e. only where quality and demanding performance is expected to win and win convincingly and to challenged with positive and negative resolve. experiment with tactics, etc.), and finally one event Another way of building the competitively above their ability or competence. The coach should invincible athlete is to have the athlete perform cold praise and applaud the athlete’s skill and courage performances. In swimming the athlete at announced wherever possible in this latter event. and unannounced opportunities, conduct an extensive It may mean competing against males if you are a land warm-up at a training session and do a one-off female or a non-best event in which the athlete is race within 3% of their personal best time or with expected to struggle, both mentally and physically, minimum rest but broken at halfway to achieve a 2% but still expected to produce the 3% Heat, 2% Semi of their goal time, in their targeted event. This, Final and 1% Final or similar. without a proper warm up and no crowd, no Where the athlete competes in three events at their atmosphere, takes an enormous mental effort on level of competence, then their skills should be behalf of the athlete especially if it’s in an unknown continually refined and re-directed. The athletes facility or camp. should be praised for winning in these situations. In
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Another positive policy is that as a team or The effectiveness of the athlete achieving the individual, when any given workout is not achieved objective of the workout depends entirely on how the at the predetermined standard and with a athlete is focused and prepared on arrival at training predetermined objective, it be repeated at the same and how consistently the athlete arrives in a state of time the following week and achieved. preparedness for the challenges of any (or better still) These tools of the coach can be combined with every workout. having the athlete perform several meets or Quite often, the coach must fabricate an competitions in a short period with travelling in atmosphere at competitions and training that matches between and the athlete having to be consistently the intensity and challenge of an Olympic arena. The good at each competition. athlete must be put in a situation where chaos An example would be to compete Friday, surrounds him or her and the athlete remains totally Saturday and Sunday in France, travel and train on objective, calm and focused on the task at hand. The Monday, compete in Italy on Tuesday and pressure and distractions must be greater than those, Wednesday, travel and train on Thursday and which exist in the Olympic arena or the expected and compete in Sweden on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. targeted major competition of the specific athlete. (With all of the above competition short course and Whilst this need not be a weekly experience, it must travel back to Great Britain (home country) on happen often enough where the athlete can feel Monday and have long course time trials on Tuesday confident that they can handle any challenge that is with performance expectation of equal to or better thrown at them. No avenue of escape/avoidance is than any/all of the circuit short course time available. The athlete must have the confidence and achievements). self-belief that anything and everything is possible. This tests both the coach and athlete, especially if ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING in the light of goals, times and objectives are stated pre-tour and major pressure where any inefficiency of the coach, committed to by all parties concerned (not the program or athlete the athlete must maintain the media). highest level of confidence by remaining calm, Taking high stake but controlled risks must be controlled and calculating. part of a young athlete’s training behaviour. This With performance under pressure – WINNING should be encouraged over time by the coach. Where IS THE ONLY OPTION appropriate, it is important that the athlete’s Try the following training week… performance is criticised and not the athlete, but the • Tuesday morning there is a cold swim at 3% of athlete and performance is praised on positive results. PB, this would be a straight swim … or … there Positive athletes must be rewarded with additional is a broken swim of 2% goal time with ultra short attention and training in preference to negative rest athletes being punished with additional training. This • Thursday morning would see a straight swim at must commence early in the athlete’s and coach’s 6% of PB maintaining race profile protocols philosophy to understanding training motivation. The • Thursday afternoon a swim at 4% of PB race athlete and coach must arrive at every workout profile protocol prepared to complete the workout with the highest • Friday morning will see a swim of 2% of PB or level of challenge and efficiency, and a goal time maintaining race profile protocols predetermined physical and mental improvement and broken at the half way mark with ultra short rest objective. This progression through the week would be In swimming, it is quite an effective tool to write followed by a 3 at, 2 below, 1 above competition one workout on the training board then call the formula where the 1 is at 3% of PB heat, 2% of PB athlete to do something completely different or semi final and 1% of PB final and 1% of PB relay change the workout half way through and observe and you will have prepared an athlete who can how the athlete performs when distracted like this. It perform under pressure in all situations (best or 2nd is also a positive activity to not have lane lines or to best event). This should be in the athlete’s best or change lane line markers or pool dressing to second best event. When and if an athlete performs something different to also observe the change in below expectation, the coach should be there concentration of the athlete, especially if this immediately in order as to evaluate, correct and coincides with a coaching mood swing. However, redirect. There should be no room for rationalisation these activities must be evaluated and athletes of performance due to time lapse between finishing redirected according to their reactions. These must be the event and evaluation. planned and timed to have a controlled but maximum Compromise being the cancer of all achievement, effect. it is important that clubs establish strong consistent
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policies that encourage and promote positive performing under pressure. Alternatively, reverse the attitudes. Athletes must be continually encouraged to Meet format so that Heats are conducted in the rise to the highest common denominator in afternoon and Finals in the morning. preference to the lowest common factor. Race Attitude and confidence are the key factors in someone faster than yourself in every practice athletes being able to perform under pressure. session. A coach has a responsibility to teach athletes Confidence can only be developed by an athlete to win. Successful athletes always pair off with the having the attitude that winning is the only option strongest and fastest athlete for training partners available. An athlete going into training and where the opportunity presents for training partners competition must have the attitude that the other in the gym or in the pool. competitors are there to beat him or her, not the Negative split or back end training is essential in reverse. This is key to all winning performances. All producing athletes who can perform under pressure. athletes can possess this ability to perform under A coach who spends 10 minutes per day or workout pressure and I strongly believe that whilst some on a one-to-one basis with a different athlete will individuals have this ability naturally, it can be develop great communication skills and will be able developed and trained in those with a desire to win. to sell success to athletes and develop individual Winning is an obsession and whilst it must be the confidence within the athlete. only option in any athlete’s mind, talent does play a Race workouts frequently. Every workout must significant role. All athletes can perform under be a competition! The observant coach who is skilled pressure with training, guidance and a positive but in reading individual athletes will know when to push well structured and disciplined coach-led and the athlete by placing them in an impossible situation directed program. in training so they are mentally stimulated … i.e., Success under pressure occurs where coaches are fastest/slowest relays. Conversely, the coach must focused in result dependant programs where the know when to pull away and have the ability to read majority of their effort is dedicated without the athlete and the situation. Attending Meets where distractions of peripheral issues to the time at task of the athletes must produce maximum efforts in Heats maximising individual and team talent of the most or with no option to compete in the Final are all dedicated, committed and enthusiastic swimmers in methods that can produce athletes capable of their care.
MID SEASON MEETS
Monday – test set or test workout
Path A
Combination of Volume and Intensity
Path B
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun Mon
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Tuesday am Mock Trials Thursday only three categories of training and energy systems. 3% cold swim am – 6% at race profile They are… 2% broken SIT cold swim pm – 4% at race profile Saturday/Sunday 1. Speed sets with repetitions of 15m or less faster Competition than race pace 3 below 2. Race speed sets – these are exact race speed Friday am 2 at 2% of goal time at race profile determined of around 35m repeats to 15m repeats 1 above (3% heat (with race profile protocols, stroke rates, etc.) 2% semi-final 1% final) 3. Significant volume of low intensity high skill Maintain race profile integrity through mock aerobic work and 40 beats below max heart rate. trials. Race profile is the protocols of splits, stroke All athletes must clearly understand the difference rates, start times, turn times, finish times, breathing between effort and speed. Effort can be delivered by patterns, etc., specific to the requirements to attain the athlete any time but true speed is when the athlete the athlete’s goal time at the major Meet. has 100% speed with less than 100% effort. Too Path (A) on the weekly cycle as shown above many times 100% effort delivers much less than rewards the athlete who has low to medium work 100% speed. It is during these 5-6 weeks where this ethic. Where the rest into the Meet approach offers can be reversed. little change in total stress and the small rest offers For the 400m athlete there will be a greater great opportunity for this low to medium work ethic percentage of No.3 and less of No.1, and vice versa athlete, it offers the high work ethic athlete major for 100m athletes. An individual balance is required changes in stress which can cause a less than based on the individual needs of the athlete and their expected or desired result at the end of week individual recovery skill (individual recovery index). competition along with a better training effect, but I believe this assists greatly in ensuring that sometimes a negative mental effect due to the athletes and coaches are very knowledgeable in competition result and differing work ethic involved. tapering evaluations and in enhancing the Path (B) as shown above is a better plan for the opportunities for performance under pressure at the high work ethic athlete as the athlete has early rest in next major meet. I consider this to be an absolute the week with a lighter workload building into the essential for most swimmers at the high performance meet allowing for the same training volume as level for 100m and 200m race specific athletes. Path (A) but with a much higher standard of quality An athlete wishing to be successful at their for the high work ethic athlete whilst being no individual level of skill or above must possess an different for the low to medium work ethic athlete. obsession for success and desperation to win. A 1% This (Path B) is also the effective way to focus a drop in motivation will result in a 10% drop in actual one week National Training Camp with the pressure performance. This remains whether the athlete and/or building towards the end of the week similar to what program is process focused or result-focused. In occurs at major international Meets. This is in winning, an athlete must be in a cocooned state of preference to the camp focus on the back end of the confidence so they can and will be the best. week where swimmers and staff can start thinking Confidence is developed by talent, skill and a mental about going home instead of an increasing focus on attitude that is in advance of the physical state of the the weekend competition. body. This is done by an athlete with an attitude that Ideally, for Olympic preparation an athlete should has in fact overcome any and all obstacles placed in be top 12 (two per nation) in the world (or preferably front of them. higher) in their prime individual event three years out Outstanding talent will quite often fast track some of their targeted Olympics and improve on their of these learnt steps, but will crumble or face severe personal best time about 1% per year over each year problems when and if defeat is encountered. Superior leading into the Olympics. In accommodating this athletes with superior and invincible preparation will 1% improvement per year, I would recommend that always win but so will the less than superior athlete after the major competition each year that a follow up who also experiences a career of superior and competition(s) are continued for approximately one invincible preparation. Nothing is left to chance or month after the major competition. This allows the opportunity. swimmer to have five or six weeks a year exposure to I have very often witnessed athletes who are part race speed and provides the coach and athlete with of a badly planned training program but are invaluable knowledge of how the athlete can successful despite the program because the athlete maintain race performance with minimal training had total faith and unconditional confidence that it volume. This is usually achieved for 100m, was the best. In contrast, I have witnessed well- swimmers and some 200m swimmers by focusing on designed programs fail in producing athletes who
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were superior in every possible way due to a lack of It can be made more or less challenging by having faith and confidence in the program. fewer or more swimmers in each team … i.e. instead Developing the total athlete who is superior in of two teams of eight swimmers have four teams of every possible way, where nothing is left to chance is three, with one swimmer (200m person) swimming the responsibility of every club and every coach who twice front and back. walks onto a pool deck. To do less is to encourage It can also be made more challenging by having athletes to fall short of individual optimum potential. the relay format in (dive 25 – push 75 – push or dive Once mediocrity is accepted, it is applauded. 25) with any combination of 25+75 adding up to a Coaches must have the courage of their conviction. swim faster than the PB time, for 100 of each athlete The perfection of an individual and team participating. This can be made even more performance cannot be achieved without a complete challenging and difficult by having the swimmers do athlete who has been developed over an extended a format of, dive 75 – push 25 – dive or push 75, with period of time in understanding that the any combination of 75 + 25, adding up to better than psychological aspect of their perfect performance PB 100 time, at better than race protocols (breathing, requires, in the vast majority of teachers, coaches and turning, stroke length and rate, etc.). athletes, an equal or better preparation to their It can be made even more difficult if the 25 push physical state of fitness. is done band only or resistance pull (no pull buoy). Athletes must be exposed to training and These should be recorded and can be very exciting competition situations where it is not so much a coach challenges that are race/performance specific recognition of talent and training but more a and are exciting and motivational from the athlete’s celebration of courage that will be the deciding factor point of view. in determining success or failure. Race profiles should be maintained throughout It is accepted that fitness can be added to high- this training drill for each individual. level technique and skill in an athlete. It is very doubtful and questionable that high-level technique Performance under pressure MUST be applied as and skill can be added to fitness after three or four a total program package years of training. This, I believe also applies to This applies to National Bodies, Clubs and attitude in that you as a coach can add fitness to Coaches. attitude but after three or four years of training, it is In any environment where competitiveness over- questionable whether attitude can be added to fitness. rides mediocrity and complacency success under In this regard, the development of mental fitness and pressure is assured. I have only ever witnessed two attitude must be taught and prepared young at very National Bodies where this occurred and less than a early club level sport. This type of attitude training handful of clubs where it occurred. The greatest can be developed in other activities and sports and majority follow the next scenario. Where mediocrity transferred into competitive swimming by the skilled and involvement over-ride fierce competitiveness, coach or parent. failure is guaranteed. Providing support and funding to high performance programs has no guarantees as it An ideal training set to develop both team and takes much much more including en masse individuals who can perform under pressure commitment and coaching, etc. However, if funding At the start of workouts when the athletes are and opportunity (facilities and recognition) is not reasonably fresh, conduct a relay of six or eight forthcoming failure (no results) is absolute. swimmers where the swimmers would do in relay Everybody can and should perform under pressure order … a dive 75 max speed at race stroke rate and if the preparation has been thorough. speed. All swimmers go through once followed by a push 25 relay with each swimmer’s (dive 75 plus push 25) added time being faster at fewer strokes and enhanced stroke rate, than their PB 100 time. Management Memo At the conclusion of the other workouts when the Reproduced from “Just About Everything a Manager swimmer is tired, the relay could be repeated in Needs to Know” (available from ASCTA). reverse format (i.e. dive 25 and push 75 in relay Ridding yourself of guilt, worry, fear of failure, and order) with the same objective as above. The purpose excessive anger can make you a new person. and objective is to do race speed relay changeovers, Suddenly you will find that you have time, energy, quality turns/finishes, build team work and work on and abilities you never dreamed you had. 100m skills.
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A NEW WAY OF THINKING RECOVERY BASED TRAINING RECOVERY BASED TRAINING (R.B.T.) An Alternate Method of Athlete Preparation The traditional methods of training, planning, By Wayne Goldsmith periodisation and programming are based on WORK. The capacity to do work … be it training or There are no short cuts to the top. The attributes competition has been and still is the focus of most of success are now, as they always have been, training programs. determination, innovation, commitment, a positive The basic premise for WORK BASED attitude, the desire to achieve and old-fashioned hard TRAINING is… work. • Train (work) – Usually the most work that However, traditional ways of looking at training can be done in a given training session. have revolved around WORK BASED TRAINING • Rest (recover) – Allowing the athlete’s body … how much work an athlete can do and the and mind time to recover and adapt to the intensity level of that work. training stress (overcompensation or super Recovery has become an increasingly important compensation). aspect of athlete preparation. The demands of • Do more training. training schedules, competition programs and other • Rest again. Allow their body time to recover related activities has necessitated athletes and and adapt to the training stress. coaches becoming more aware of the use of recovery • Continue the process until target or goal is techniques in planning and programming. achieved. The process of recovery is still very much that of But the work-based approach had several holes in catch up – i.e. the recovery techniques are generally it: utilised after the fact (after the athlete is fatigued) and • Swimmers with other commitments in sport, are a peripheral aspect of training and competition. school and other areas of life may attend In some ways, this is an ineffective use of training sessions fatigued. recovery principles as the athlete could be exposed to significant stress before a recovery activity may be • Residual fatigue from previous swimming utilised. workouts may restrict an athlete’s ability to In addition, there is a significant amount of perform at high speeds or to sustain hard research that has identified the link between training efforts. and stress on the body’s immune system leading to • Not all swimmers are able to recover at the illness and disease. Ideally, the athlete and coach same rate. would take a preventative approach to illness and be • With the focus on competitive swimming proactive with recovery and restoration practices to being technical excellence at times of fatigue avoid or reduce the incidence of these problems. and pressure, constantly fatigued swimmers The challenge is to find ways to train athletes to are unable to develop and fine tune technique achieve their maximum potential without pushing and skills. them over the edge into an overtrained or over • Sprinter body types versus distance body reached situation with the subsequent health issues. types. This paper proposes an alternate model to the • Not all swimmers are at the same level of contemporary training methodologies, which are fitness. WORK based by suggesting that programs can be The biggest flaw however, in the work based RECOVERY BASED – i.e. based on the individual approach to training is that ALL SWIMMERS ARE athlete’s recovery abilities rather than on the volume INDIVIDUALS. and intensity workloads that an athlete can endure in The basic training principle of individualisation a specific time. suggests that to make a maximum impact, training This model proposes that RECOVERY be programs need to be tailored to each individual considered as one of the central aspects of athlete athlete in the program. development. This is particularly true when working with large The key to this approach is the philosophy … numbers of swimmers in a squad-training THE INTELLIGENT COACH BASES THEIR environment. Whilst swimmers of the same age with similar personal best times may appear to have TRAINING AND COMPETITION PROGRAM similar abilities, their individual capacity to recover AROUND THEIR ATHLETE’S ABILITY TO largely determines the quality and quantity of RECOVER training they are able to maintain.
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THE WORK BASED TRAINING SPIRAL conditions where the additional element of One of the pitfalls with the traditional training competition pressure is added. approach where work is the central factor of training If coaches embrace the concept that swimming is that coaches and athletes can be misguided into fast is largely determined by the swimmer’s ability to believing that work alone is the secret to success. maintain great technique in a competitive This is characterised by the classic work based environment, then a more balanced approach to training spiral: performance improvement other than just do more • Train – improve. training needs to be developed. • Train harder – improve more. Even though regular, consistent, technique • Train even harder – improve even more. focussed training is vital to achieving swimming • Train even harder again – improve further. success, more work should not be the first answer to • And so it goes on. every performance question. But performance is a multi disciplinary, multi People are different. They adapt to change faceted thing. It is made up of many factors differently. Some adapt quickly while others take including… longer to adapt to new stimuli. • Speed Why plan programs based on how much work an athlete can do? • Endurance Why not turn it around and base training on the • Technique recovery ability of the athlete? • Tactics KEY CONCEPTS IN RECOVERY BASED • Skills TRAINING • Flexibility There are several intelligent alternatives to work • Control based training that coaches and athletes should • The Ability to relax consider. It is built on these three concepts that… • Pacing ability • The program is designed around the athlete’s • Rhythm ability to recover. • Motor Learning ability • That an athlete with an effective recovery • General health and well being program in place can actually train harder and • Intelligence train more often as the natural process of • Experience recovery is enhanced. • Skills learning ability • That by basing training on recovery rather than • Core stability work, training variables such as technique and • Genetic characteristics speed development can be incorporated into • Strength the program at times, which allow the • Power maximum possible opportunity for them to • The ability to deal with pressure and stress make an impact. To try and solve performance challenges by WORK BASED TRAINING … AND WHY IT simply doing more training is not logical. It does not DOES NOT WORK FOR THE MAJORITY make sense. OF ATHLETES Working hard is crucial to achieving success, but Every coach has a story about an athlete who so is the ability to maintain technical skill and made it to the top by training harder, more often and swimming technique under the effects of fatigue and with more intensity than anyone else. pressure in competition. There is no doubt that to achieve success in However, the traditional approach of making swimming, athletes need to commit to hard work, to time or making the cycle is questionable. From a be consistent with their efforts in training and work skill development perspective, one must ask what to the limit of their talent and potential. There are no benefit is a workout where an athlete makes time but short cuts. to do so has sacrificed stroke mechanics, breathing But for every story about the no guts – no glory control, good skills in turns and finishes just to make approach to training, there are hundreds of stories the predetermined work intensity. about swimmers not making it because of illness and It may be a matter of simply reinforcing bad injury due to inappropriate training loads. technique, which if it is trained to fall apart in The most popular coaching theory texts available training, will inevitably fall apart under competition lead to programming and planning using traditional methods of work based periodisation.
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However, this approach assumes that athletes can RBT allows training to be modified to meet their adapt to training loads and recover at similar rates. situation on a session-by-session basis. In reality, long term planning and periodisation In other words, Recovery Based Training should be a sensible and logical approach to maximises the impact of training activities as it coaching effectively. By planning how much work individualises training loads. can be done well in advance of the actual session, the RBT REQUIRES THREE BASIC STEPS individual’s ability to complete the session as Step 1 Measure the recovery profile of the athlete Base training programs on the athlete’s prescribed is often compromised, as it does not take Step 2 into account their daily fluctuations in recovery level. individual recovery profile Revise and review the program in light of the Step 3 Heart rate training is a good example. athlete’s ability to recover There are literally thousands of articles and For example: numerous books on using heart rate as the The coach has determined that a training set of determinant of exercise intensity and training load. 30x100 on 2:00 minutes at a speed of personal best What we know about heart rate… time plus 20 seconds is the main session goal. It is extremely volatile and changeable. How does the coach know that the athlete is It is sensitive to hydration levels. capable of completing the set to the required It is sensitive to nutritional variables. standard? (i.e. note required standard is making the It is sensitive to psychological variables. time throughout the set with technical excellence It is sensitive to chemical variables like caffeine. maintained in every stroke, every turn and finish). Recent studies have revealed that an athlete’s Step 1 – Measure the recovery level of each capacity to achieve their own personal maximum individual athlete. This can be done using traditional heart rate varies day to day and session to session. passive methods (self-monitoring using heart rate, Therefore to prescribe training sessions well in quality of sleep, etc.) and active methods including advance, based on a predetermined heart rate INDIVIDUAL CHECKING SPEED. maximum or base rate, without somehow measuring Step 2 – An athlete whose recovery level has been and monitoring the individuals recovery level on a measured as low may still be able to complete the daily basis (and with it their ability to work in that workout, but at a much lower intensity level than session), athletes may be working too hard or too prescribed. Alternately, an athlete who has recovered easy at any given session. well from the previous workout may complete the In addition using a single discipline sports science workout at an intensity level equal to or even harder approach, i.e. heart rate physiology is not effective than that prescribed. when one considers that swimming fast is a Step 3 – Review the progress of the athlete during combination of issues and perspectives including and after the workout and if necessary modify the physiology, biomechanics, psychology, nutrition, session and program to match the athlete’s recovery skills and motor learning and so on. capacity. RECOVERY BASED TRAINING Why recovery? A GENTLE INTRODUCTION An athlete has three basic priorities… RBT allows training programs to be 1. Do the training session to the best of their ability. individualised based on each person’s ability to adapt 2. Immediately the training session ceases, help their to the stresses and strains of training. body recover from the training session. RBT takes into consideration the genetic variation 3. Help their body prepare for the next session. (such as muscle fibre type distribution – fast … or … twitch/slow twitch) of the athlete by allowing an TRAIN FAIR then REPAIR and PREPARE athlete’s recovery ability to determine training loads. The aim of every swimmer and every coach RBT allows for each individual athlete to be set should be to maximise the impact and effectiveness training loads that are appropriate to their ability to of every training session: to maximise the adapt to them. opportunities presented at every training session to RBT is situation sensitive. When an athlete is help the athlete achieve his or her goals. unable to recover between sessions due to work With performance being such a multi disciplinary commitments, study commitments, personal life activity, where physiological, psychological and issues and their ability to work in the pool is biomechanical variables all need to be considered compromised, RBT allows the coach to prescribe when developing an effective training program, it is training loads appropriate to the athlete at each point essential that the coach focus on the individual’s in time. ability to achieve the training objectives every workout.
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The traditional no guts – no glory approach – of 20 beats below the swimmer’s maximum heart rate which focuses on the athlete’s ability to deal with needs to be achieved. The GO HEART RATE is pain and the onset of fatigue any way they can does 60 beats below maximum. not take into consideration technique, skills, stroke The swimmer completes a repetition with the aim length and other crucial factors. of achieving their GOAL HEART RATE … i.e. an THE APPLICATION OF RECOVERY BASED intensity level of 20 beats below maximum. TRAINING TO SWIMMING… The rest interval is based on the swimmer’s ability HOW IT WORKS to recover. Swimming coaches have traditionally based In this example, when the individual swimmer’s training programs on one or a combination of the heart rate drops to 60 beats below maximum … i.e. it following factors… has recovered by 40 beats per minute … the Faster swimmers in one lane – Swimming Speed swimmer pushes off for another repetition. slower swimmers in another 100-metre swimmers in one lane THE ADVANTAGES OF USING GOAL AND Event Distance – distance swimmers in another GO HEART RATE IN RECOVERY BASED Younger swimmers together in TRAINING Age one lane – older swimmers in • Swimmers do as much training (volume) as they another are able to recover from on that particular day Males in one lane – females in Gender • Tired, unfit or injured swimmers do as much another training as they can recover from Freestyle swimmers in one lane – Stroke Specialisation Breaststroke swimmers in another • Sprint swimmers who arguably will have a lower RECOVERY BASED TRAINING MODEL recovery ability because of the nature of their In the RBT model, swimmers are divided into skeletal muscle fibres and other factors and will do as much training as they can effectively recover training groups based on their individual recovery from ability. • Fitter swimmers can do more volume of training if Determine the swimmer’s individual recovery the situation dictates ability by completing an INDIVIDUAL • Aerobic based, distance orientated swimmers can CHECKING SPEED swim in warm up. This do more training volume in the same time concept developed by Australian Coaches Bill For example… Sweetenham and John Atkinson attempts to identify Distance Freestylers and the athlete’s individual recovery level and hence their other well-conditioned aerobic swimmers. In the ability and capacity to work in the particular session. Lane 1 45-minute main set time, FAST RECOVERY LANE Swimmers are then divided into lanes based on they complete 12-14 x 200 their individual ability to recover. at the GOAL pace with GO Practical Example rest. Lane 1 – Fast recovering athletes Medley swimmers, form Lane 2 – Medium recovering athletes strokers and some Lane 2 Lane 3 – Slow recovering athletes. sprinters. In the 45-minute MEDIUM RECOVERY main set time, they ESTABLISH THE TRAINING INTENSITY LANE USING GOAL AND GO HEART RATE complete 10-12 x 200 at the Identify two target heart rates for each GOAL pace with GO rest. Most Sprinters, injured or individual… fatigued swimmers and HEART RATE 1 Called GOAL HEART RATE those swimmers getting into Lane 3 HEART RATE 2 Called GO HEART RATE shape. In the 45-minute SLOW RECOVERY LANE For example… main set time, they MAIN TRAINING GOAL… Technical excellence complete 8-10 x 200 at the in a training set of 200 metre efforts done close to GOAL pace with GO rest. CHANGING THE SET threshold pace (note that technique is the key focus in Over the set, it may be necessary to change or ALL sets). modify the original training loads. TRAINING WORKOUT DISTANCE… 200- The key determinant of making changes is based metre intervals on the individual’s technique and skills with the onset TRAINING SET DURATION… 45 minutes of of fatigue over the set. The coach and athlete will work within the GO AND GOAL training zone. measure technical changes throughout the set through TRAINING PACE regular monitoring of stroke count and stroke rate It is determined that the GOAL HEART RATE and through the coach’s skills in observation and for the training session is 20 beats below maximum. feedback. That is, for each 200-metre swim a target heart rate
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As the set progresses, coaches can adjust the focus of how well their body is recovering from hard of the workout by: training and a tough competition schedule. Changing the range of GOAL and GO … e.g. if Basal Heart Rate is a concept that has been around the athlete’s technique is faltering, the coach may for a long time. Athletes take their heart rate every maintain the GOAL but decrease the GO to give the morning just after they wake up. athlete more rest. If the athlete cannot maintain While lying in a relaxed and comfortable position technical excellence with more rest, then the coach in bed, the athlete places two fingers lightly on the might consider a reduced GOAL target. outside of their wrist near the base of their thumb. Reducing the rest time by changing the recovery The athlete will feel a little pulse rhythmically range, eg from a recovery range of 40 beats per beating away. This is called their BHR – Basal Heart minute to 20 or 30 beats per minute if the athlete is Rate. performing the set well and is maintaining quality Teach the athletes to count the number of beats technique and skills. they feel for 30 seconds then double that number to As the set progresses, the coach can also monitor get BPM – Beats per minute. the time the athlete takes to recover from the GOAL As athletes get fitter and stronger from training, to GO targets. For example… their BHR should get lower and slower. This • Repeat number 1 basically means their heart is getting more efficient at GOAL = 20 beats below maximum GO = 60 beats doing what it has to do. Fit swimmers will have a below maximum … time taken to drop from GOAL consistent BHR every morning that will not vary to GO = 30 seconds more than a beat or two. • Repeat number 7 However, if athletes are training too hard and not GOAL = 2- beats below maximum GO = 60 beats getting enough rest, their resting heart rate will below maximum … time taken to drop from GOAL to GO = 48 seconds actually increase. It is not uncommon for a swimmer The coach can then use the time taken to recover training too hard to experience increases in their to change and modify the workout based on the resting heart rate of 5-15 beats per minute. specific goals of the set. It is important that coaches and athletes do not put The result is a flexible method of controlling all their eggs in one basket and make variations to training loads based on specific needs of the training based on BHR alone. There are many other individual. issues that need to be taken into consideration. Swimmers with the capacity to do more work do 1. Mood it: those with a compromised capacity to work on this Being moody is also a good indicator of how an particular day do less. Training is individualised athlete’s body and mind are adapting to training and within the squad-training environment. competition. TESTING FOR RECOVERY Use the mood scale – a rating scale of 1-5 where 1 For RBT to be effective, it is important that is feeling really low and in a bad mood and 5 is simple effective methods of measuring recovery are feeling great and fully charged – ready to take on the utilised in every training session. world. PASSIVE TESTS OF RECOVERY Athletes who are in a bad mood, feeling flat, Traditional methods of recovery have been… negative and angry are often just showing the signs 1. Smiley Faces of over training and over straining in the pursuit of Athletes recording basic self-monitoring excellence. information in a training diary or on a training chart. 2. Sleep Tired athletes for some reason often sleep poorly. Draw this face if you feel great The short answer might be that the bodies of tired ☺ athletes are still working even when they are resting, i.e. their bodies are using rest time to repair, rebuild Draw this face if you feel OK – just average and regenerate and constantly stay in an active state. Rate the QUALITY of their sleep out of 5. 1 is a terrible sleep – one of those terrible nights where Draw this face if you feel really low, slow, athletes tossed and turned and struggled to get any tired and fatigued sleep. A 5 sleep means athletes fell asleep quickly and slept soundly most of the night. 2. Taking Basal Heart Rate (BHR) Rating the quality of their sleep rather than the Just as the heart is an excellent indicator of how quantity makes sense as it is virtually impossible to hard their body is working, it is also a good indicator remember exactly WHEN athletes fell asleep.
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3. Weight However, two or three of the warning signs Athletes should get in the habit of weighing happening at the same time, may mean athletes have themselves – usually in the morning after going to a problem on the way. the toilet but before eating or drinking anything. The These passive tests provide the coach and athlete main reason for doing this is to make sure athletes are with an overall general perspective of the athlete’s not LOSING weight. Fit, healthy, growing recovery level. swimmers generally keep a fairly even, constant However, the key focus for competitive athletes is weight. However, sudden weight loss over a 24-hour to find ways of measuring their ability and capacity period can mean one of three things… to perform training activities in each training session. • Athletes are dehydrated ACTIVE TESTS FOR RECOVERY • Athletes are fatigued and their body is struggling to INDIVIDUAL CHECKING SPEED AND maintain normal functions SIMILAR ACTIVE RECOVERY TESTS • Both of the above Individual checking speed (ICS) is a concept Get in the habit of aiming to weigh the same just which attempts to evaluate how recovered an athlete before going to bed as athletes did just after waking is and how prepared they are to complete a set that same morning. Weight loss over the time athletes training activity by measuring their responses to a are awake is generally just water loss – water loss sub maximal swim. that needs to be replaced. The key variable in the ICS process is swimming It is crucial that the coach sell this concept PACE. From a set pace, the athlete and coach then positively to all athletes as a practice, which is ascertain HEART RATE, STROKE COUNT AND designed to assist in the measurement of recovery, STROKE RATE at that pace. and not as a daily obsession with body fat and body The coach is attempting to assess what is the image. athlete’s physiological capacity to complete the 4. Muscle Soreness session or how hard is the athlete working to When muscles work hard, sometimes they feel maintain the target pace (Individual Checking tight and sore. Sometimes this soreness will not Speed). become obvious until a day or two after a tough The additional element is that of stroke training session or following hard racing. This mechanics. By considering stroke rate and stroke soreness is called D.O.M.S. (Delayed Onset of count (and thereby stroke length) in the assessment of Muscle Soreness) and can literally be a pain in the an athlete’s recovery ability, the coach can in some neck (or butt or arms or legs or somewhere else). way make a practical determination of the athlete’s In their diary, athletes should record muscle level of efficiency. soreness. A rating of 5 means their muscles are Protocol feeling strong, loose and relaxed and a 1 means their Towards the end of the warm up, the athlete muscles feel like athletes have gone ten rounds with performs a swim at a pre determined pace and heart the world heavy weight boxing champion (and rate, stroke count and stroke rate are measured as a lost!!!). result of swimming at that pace. For example… Passive test data can be summarised in a table or Establishing ICS chart to give an overall perspective of the athlete’s March 15th. recovery status: ICS Baseline Swim Self Monitoring Recording Sheet Example 400 metres at 15 seconds per 100 over PB pace … Basal Smiley Weight Muscle Heart Mood Sleep e.g. if PB swim is 1:00 for 100 Freestyle, target pace Face kg Soreness Rate is 5:00 minutes for the 400 being 4 x 1:15. Mon ☺ 54 3 4 54 2 The ICS is performed with an even pace (e.g. Tue ☺ 55 2 4 54 3 1:15, 2:30, 3:45, 5:00) and with a push start. Wed 53 3 2 54 3 The coach measures heart rate, stroke count and Thu 62 2 3 53 3 Fri 64 2 1 52 4 stroke rate at 5:00 pace … i.e. heart rate at the end of Sat 69 2 2 53 4 the swim, stroke count and stroke rate over the final Sun 58 4 3 54 3 50 metres. Avg 59.3 2.6 2.7 53.4 3.1 One variation in the protocol is to measure stroke It is important to note that one of these signs may variables twice of the swim, for example between not mean anything at all. For example, their morning 100 and 150 metres and 300 and 350 metres to assess heart rate can be higher than usual if athletes have changes in stroke mechanics with fatigue over the drunk a little too much caffeine the night before, even paced swim. gone to bed dehydrated or had a scary dream.
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In addition, the coach measures heart rate every 1. Ask the athlete to swim the same volume but at 30 seconds for two minutes and measures how much lower intensity. the athlete’s heart rate decreases over that period. 2. Talk to the athlete about other aspects of their The ICS baseline swim is completed regularly recovery … e.g. results of the passive tests. ideally after a day or two of relatively easy work so 3. Ask the athlete to complete a lower volume of the workout at the target intensity. that the athlete is performing the test relatively 4. Break the workout up and allow more rest between unfatigued. This speed is then used as the baseline efforts for the fatigued swimmer. figure from which to establish training loads – 5. Have the athlete rest from the workout. This would volume and intensity: speed or pace is the be particularly relevant if the athlete showed other key/constant from which the other variables are signs of fatigue from the passive tests. measured. For example… The Post swim recovery also indicates the relative RECOVERED ATHLETE recovery status of the athlete. In the recovered ICS athlete, recovery was relatively fast with a reduction Swim Heart Stroke Stroke Time of 79 beats over the two-minute monitoring period. Rate Count Rate BASELINE Alternately, in the fatigued scenario the athlete’s post SWIM 5:00 172 45 47 swim recovery is only 40 beats per minute after a March 15th two-minute rest. CHECKING When combined with the PASSIVE indicators of SWIM 5:00 169 45 46 fatigue, the ICS protocol is a useful monitoring tool March 20th Post Swim Recovery for coaches and athletes using recovery based 0 30secs 60secs 90secs 2mins training techniques. 15th 172 158 132 114 93 It has been said that the intelligent coach bases March their training program around the individual athlete’s 20th 169 156 129 114 91 March recovery ability. FATIGUED ATHLETE Whilst there are no short cuts and no easy ways to ICS achieve swimming excellence, there is also no point Heart Stroke Stroke Swim Time in flogging a dead horse. The old philosophies of Rate Count Rate driving a fatigued athlete to achieve a target training BASELINE SWIM 5:00 172 45 47 pace regardless of sacrifices in technique, skills and March 15th other key performance characteristics need to be CHECKING reassessed in terms of the multi disciplinary SWIM 5:00 194 56 55 th performance model. March 24 Coaches should be wary of using only Post Swim Recovery 0 30secs 60secs 90secs 2mins measurement in the training of athletes. Heart rate is 15th a good measurement tool but only when used in 172 158 132 114 93 March combination with other passive and active indicators. 20th 194 188 180 167 154 March Similarly, stroke mechanics are important but need to In this example, the athlete has performed an ICS be considered with other measurements like speed, on March 15th. Prior to the commencement of two heart rate and recovery to provide the coach with the subsequent sessions, the coach asked the athlete to full picture. swim the same distance (400 metres) at the same The advantage of developing a training program speed (5:00 minutes even paced). based on the athlete’s ability to recover rather than On March 20th, the athlete’s ICS indicated he was how much work they can do in a specific time is that relatively unfatigued having matched or bettered the every training session becomes an opportunity to measurements of the baseline swim. maximise performance through an individualised The athlete in this case could proceed with the training prescription. training session at the intensity level prescribed by References • Calder A. (1990). ‘Sports Massage’, State of the Art the coach. Review, National Sports Research Centre, Australian th On March 24 however, the athlete’s ICS showed Sports Commission, Canberra. signs of fatigue … i.e. heart rate 22 beats higher at • Calder A. (1996). ‘Recovery – Revive, Survive and the same speed with a stroke count and stroke rate Prosper’, Chapter 7 in Smart Sport, RWM Publishing, indicating a less efficient stroke at the same speed. Canberra. • Gleeson M., Pyne D.B., (2000), Special feature for the In this instance, the coach may take several Olympics: effects of Exercise on the immune system: actions. These include… Exercise effects on mucosal immunity. Immunology Cell Biology. 2000 Oct; 78(5):536-44. Review.
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• Gleeson M., McDonald W.A., Pyne D.B., Clancy R.L., Cripps A.W., Francis J.L., Fricker P.A. (2000), Immune status and respiratory illness for elite swimmers during a 12-week training cycle. International Journal Sports Medicine. 2000 May; 21(4):302-7. • Gleeson M., McDonald W.A., Pyne D.B., Cripps A.W., Francis J.L., Fricker P.A., Clancy R.L. (1999) Salivary IgA levels and infection risk in elite swimmers. Medicine Science Sports Exercise. 1999 Jan; 31(1):67-73. • Gleeson M., McDonald W.A., Cripps A.W., Pyne D.B., Clancy R.L., Fricker P.A. (1995). The effect on immunity TRAINING GRANT HACKETT of long-term intensive training in elite swimmers. Clinical Exp Immunology. 1995 Oct; 102(1):210-6. • Gleeson M., McDonald W.A., Cripps A.W., Pyne D.B., Clancy R.L., Fricker P.A., Wlodarczyk J.H. (1995), Exercise, stress and mucosal immunity in elite swimmers. Adv Exp Medicine Biology. 1995; 371A:571-4. • Goldsmith W. (2001), Multi disciplinary approach to performance Swimming in Australia (Lavington, NSW) 17 (1), Jan/Feb 2001, 6-8. • Goldsmith W. (2000), The TUF principle: technique under fatigue, Swimnews (Toronto) 27(7), Aug 2000, 10- By Denis Cotterell 11. • Goldsmith W. (2000), A multi disciplinary approach to Before detailing Grant’s Olympic preparation, I performance: the Integration of the sports Sciences in think it is very relevant to review his development smart coaching, Sports-coach-(Belconnen) 23(3), 2000, 14-15. and progress from the previous (1996) Olympic • Goldsmith W. (1999) Six steps to greatness, American- Trials, where he came to notice as a 15-year-old swimming-(Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) (3), 1999, 4-6. when he placed 5th in the 1500 Freestyle, breaking • Goldsmith W. (1998), Science on the deck: Integrating Kieren Perkins’ National Age Group record in the the sports Sciences to test for training effects and process, with a 15.30.6. This was Grant’s first season improve performance, National Coaching and Officiating Conference (1998: Melbourne, Vic.), In, Sports Coach focussing on swimming – training eight sessions per 1998: 1998 National Coaching and Officiating. week. Prior to this, he was much involved in the Surf • Hamer P.W. (1999). ‘Does Massage have the potential to Club as a nipper. From the time he joined the alleviate Exercise-induced muscle damage caused by program as a 6-year-old, he moved into the top squad lengthening-contraction muscle actions?’ Paper in the (seniors) at 12 years and was fortunate to have Daniel Proceedings of The Muscle Symposium, Australian Institute of Sport, April 1999, pp39-42. Kowalski as his distance partner (and inspiration). • Pope R., Herbert R., Kirwan J., and Graham, B. (1999). His result in the Trials of 1996 lit the fire for his ‘Does pre-Exercise muscle stretching prevent injury?’ future ambitions … he was now fully committed. The Paper in the Proceedings of The Muscle Symposium, preparation in the subsequent years (of this Australian Institute of Sport, April 1999, pp3-4. Olympiad) was really instrumental in enabling him to • Pyne D.B., Gleeson M. (1998), Effects of intensive Exercise training on immunity in athletes, International contend with his first Olympics. Journal Sports Medicine. 1998 Jul; 19 Suppl 3:S183-91; The summary of his logbook through this period discussion S191-4. Review. commences from the start of May each year (usually • Pyne D.B., Gleeson M., McDonald W.A., Clancy R.L., the first week after the National Championships – Perry C. Jr., Fricker P.A.(2000), Training strategies to which are always our selections trials) to the next maintain immuno-competence in athletes, International Journal Sports Medicine. May;21 Suppl 1:S51-60. year’s Nationals. The sum of the work done each Review. year (in kilometres) is indicated, as is the mean • Pyne D., Maw G., Goldsmith W. (2000), Protocols for weekly average (over 52 weeks). the physiological assessment of swimmers, In, Gore, C. Basically, each year contains two National Meets (ed.), Physiological tests for elite athletes, Champaign, IL, Human Kinetics, 2000, p.372-382. (Summer Long Course and Winter Short Course) and • Pyne D.B., McDonald W.A., Gleeson M., Flanagan A., two International Meets (as indicated in the Clancy R.L., Fricker P.A. (2001) Mucosal immunity, competition Summary 1996-2000). The week respiratory illness, and competitive performance in elite following each of these Meets is a designated “lay- Swimmers, Medicine Science Sports off” (recovery) week – with 3-6 sessions of 3-4 Exercise.Mar;33(3):348-53. • Viitasalo J.T., Niemela K., Kaappola R., Korjus T., kilometres recommended toward the end of that Levola M., Mononen H.V., Rusko H.K. and Takala week. T.E.S. (1995). ‘Warm underwater water-jet massage The biggest week each year is logged at the improves recovery from Intense physical Exercise’, National Distance Camp *80km+), with usually only European Journal of Applied Physiology, 71: 431-428.
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another 4-6 weeks year over 70km. The Training better adaptation to the anaerobic components of the Plan is detailed later. weekly program, a major aim was to rebuild the OVERVIEW Overall Volume. First time, went under 14.50. Sick at 1996-1997 (May-April) the start of the Pan Pacific Games, but able to rest Grant’s first time at 9-10 sessions per week, three days after World Record, breaking 4x200 building Basic Endurance and commencing Specific Freestyle Relay, then posted his best ever 1500 time Endurance base. An uninterrupted period of seven – 14.45.67. Grant’s best preparation even months (May to December) was the platform for this. commenced after the Games with continued Strength Dryland work consisted of two circuits per week (of Gain and improvements in all the Energy Systems 30 stations). Made first Australian team (to World parameters. General training patterns fairly unaltered Short Course). – just increased. Finished the year with US Opens 1997-1998 and a Training Camp in Hawaii. First International racing experience (won 1500 2000 – The Olympic Year Freestyle at World Short Course in Sweden in April Grant’s best training period ever – continued and 3rd in 400 Freestyle, followed by three Gold in through February, March and April. Dryland now 400, 800 and 1500 Freestyle at the Pan Pacific included two (2) training sessions of RUN – Championships in Japan in August). This year was WEIGHT – SWIM, as well as 2xCIRCUITS and aimed at consolidated VOLUME with more specific 1xSWISS BALL/STRETCHING session. Then, three endurance work and attention to Basic Speed weeks before trials … glands up (sick) … backed off development … after his win expanded to include last half of week. Next week apparently (?) better … light weights in the circuits and included another Grant applied himself in his usual way. A regular session per week with the Swiss Balls (Core Strength Test Set was “spectacular” – but that was “the straw and Stability). that broke the camel’s back”. Never recovered health 1998-1999 in the remaining 1½ weeks to the Olympic Trials. A busy year (World Championships and Blood tests determined he had Epstein-Barre Virus. Commonwealth Games) saw a total volume drop. The Trials were successful only by the fact he Sponsorship commitments also impacted negatively qualified for individual swims at the Games in the for the first time. Broke 15:00 (minute) barrier for the 200m, 400m and 1500m Freestyle. first time. Three (3) sub 15-minute swims this year, At this point, I would like to detail our Regular and first World Record (Short Course 1500 Freestyle Training Plan implemented over the past years. Due – 14.19.54, nine seconds off Kieren Perkins’ old to the programming of National and International World Record). Added two weight sessions to the events, Macrocycles range from 12-18 weeks, with Dryland Program (for the first time – at 18 years of usually three per year. Each macrocycle in our age) from September on H2O program balanced to program consists of an aerobic build-up of 2-3 include development of all energy systems in weeks, then a rolling series of Mesocycles (of three preparation for events 200-1500 Freestyle. week duration – outlined as follows) and a 2-3 week 1999-2000 peaking (taper) period. The difference between Increased strength resulted in first Long Course MICROCYCLE 1 and MICROCYCLE 2 is one World Record (200 Freestyle – 1.46,67 – leading off HEART RATE Set (greater intensity in the second the Club Relay at the Pan Pacific Trials in March, week of the Mesocycle) … Volume remains the after swimming the 200 Freestyle in 1.46.99). With same.
TOTAL TRIALS TO OLYMPICS = 841km 17 WEEKS 1996-1997 1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2000 OLYMPICS Week Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 18 0 50 35 48 32 19 20 55 30 64 41 20 20 63 18 60 24 21 24 59 59 73 35 OLYMPIC TRIALS 22 52 67 55 65 15 23 50 68 67 65 45 24 59 32 68 23 60 ORIENTATION CAMP 25 62 69 62 71 33 26 20 71 62 58 27 27 40 70 83 71 76.5 DISTANCE CAMP 28 60 50 63 66.5 77 29 63 50 71 54 75 30 70 50 68 84 64 31 69 50 28 28 55 32 68 38 35 40 61 33 55 32 29 55 58
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TOTAL TRIALS TO OLYMPICS = 841km 17 WEEKS 1996-1997 1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2000 OLYMPICS Week Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 34 64 0 55 35 48 35 30 57 55 33 48 36 43 59 48 0 45 37 58 64 34 30 39 38 55 58 29 68 25 39 55 66 31 80 OLYMPICS START 40 69 40 0 84 41 55 45 35 70 42 62 50 3 67 43 40 60 15 45 44 40 45 49 69 45 43 65 55 70 46 53 57 57 55 47 52 53 43 56 48 56 30 51 41 49 61 70 54 35 50 47 70 30 63 51 36 65 49 18 52 50 51 40 72 1 55 49 35 65 2 42 35 47 56 3 59 30 46 45 4 59 0 55 35 5 71 30 63 37 6 55 52 65 25 7 62 64 52 58 8 50 23 53 60 9 56 10 64 69 10 50 58 47 68 11 16 62 50 68 12 33 63 31 40 13 54 56 37 48 14 55 58 31 64 15 53 62 20 65 16 50 45 30 63.5 17 10 39 63 60.5 TOTAL 2531 2615 2337 2717 T/52 2531 2615 2337 2717 M 48.7 50.3 45.28 52.25
COMPETITION SUMMARY 1996-2000 Year Event 200 F/S 400 F/S 1500 F/S Olympic Trials (21st-27th April) 1.53.20 3.57.44 15.30.60 (5th) 1996 Australian Short Course 1.50.20 3.50.63 14.58.06 (1st) Pan-Pac Trials (13th-16th March) 1.51.73 (3rd) 3.51.69 (1st) 15.03.67 (1st) World Short Course (2 weeks later) 3.43.83 (3rd) 14.39.54 (1st) 1997 Pan-Pacific Games (August) 1.49.53 3.47.27 (1st) 15.13.25 (1st) Also won 800 F/S – 7.50.29 World Championship Trials (5th-11th October 1.50.40 3.46.85 (1st) 15.01.43 (1st) World Championships (8th-18th January) 3.46.44 (2nd) 14.51.71 (1st) Commonwealth Games Trials (May) 3.47.15 (2nd) 14.56.23 (1st) 1998 Commonwealth Games (12th-17th September) 1.50.05 3.44.88 (2nd) 14.50.92 (1st) Short Course Trials (24th-27th September) 3.40.04 (2nd) 14.19.54 (1st) World Record Pan-Pac Trials (20th-27th March 1.46.99 (1st) 3.45.59 (2nd) 14.48.65 (1st) World Record (Relay) 1.46.67 1999 World Short Course (1st-4th April) 3.35.01 (1st) 14.32.87 (1st) World Record Pan-Pacific Games (22nd-29th August) 1.48.20 3.46.02 (2nd) 14.45.67 (1st) Olympic Trials (13th-20th May) 1.47.48 (3rd) 3.51.05 (2nd) 14.56.35 (1st) 2000 Olympic Games (September) 1.48.76 3.48.22 (2nd) 14.48.33 (1st) Pan-Pac Trials (24th-31st March) 1.47.22 3.45.46 (2nd) 14.49.33 2001 2nd – 800m F/S – 7.44.57
MESOCYCLE Comprised of… 1. Micro 1 ³ ⎤ 2. Micro 2 ⏐ 3 Weeks 3. Micro 3 ³ ⎦
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MICRO 1 MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT Pace Set or A.T. (10x300 OR AI-II-TECH KICK 2KM AI-II-TECH KICK Total Recovery AI- AM OFF Alternative Heart 6x500) (AII) Alac. Sp. 1.5KM (Qual) II (Skills) Alac. Sp. Rate Mixed Pace Set (K Short Interval Rest Quality (50’s- Heart Rate Set (2.4- Short Interval Rest 50, P25-50, S 25- PM (A.T. ´ MVO2 150’s) AI (2- OFF 3.0km) (50-150’s) 50) OR O’Dist (400-200) 3km) (800-2000) MICRO 2 AI-II-TECH KICK A.T. (10x300 OR AI-II-TECH KICK 2KM Recovery – Skills PACE (200-400) AM OFF 1.5KM (A.T.) Alac. 6x500) (AII) Alac. Sp. Alac. Sp. by 100’s or 50’s Sp. Quality (50’s- Short Interval Rest Heart Rate Set Heart Rate Set Short Interval Rest PM 150’s) alternate (50-200’s OR O’Dist (2.4-3.0km) (50’s- OFF (2.4-3.0km) 100’s (200-400’s) by weeks (800-2000) 200’s) MICRO 3 Consists of ½ Wk (3 days) work + ½ Wk (3 days) Adaptation Can be interchangeable The work being the first half of Micro 1 or Micro 2 depending on Adaptation SAMPLE SETS PACE SETS ANAEROBIC THRESHOLD (A.T.) Predominantly designed for a 200 pace Provides a check for adaptation from previous week and weekend 1. Early season 1. 10x300 on 4:00 @ 50-30bmm or (a) [16 on 45secs – every 4th @ 200 PACE (1) 6x500 (2) 3x500 + 5x300 40x50 [12 on 50secs – every 3rd @ 200 PACE 2. Early in MACROCYCLE more AII A.T. [8 on 55secs – every 2nd @ 200 PACE e.g. A) 800 + 4x200 Dec. 1-4 to own level (Multiple Pace) [4 on 60secs – all @ 200 PACE 600 + 4x150 Dec. 1-4 800, 600, 200 on 1:20 cycle [100 on 1:15 on 1:20 (Moderate Interval Rest (M.I.R.) 400 + 4x100 Dec. 1-4 (b) Single Pace – 12 x [50 @ 200 R-P on 50secs 200 + 4x50 Dec. 1-4 the broken swims on 1:30 2. Mid Season B) 2 x [3x400 on 5:00 @ 40bbm (a) [1xpace+1xoff pace – on 50secs [3x200 on 2:20 @ 30bbm 40x50 + 2 x [2xpace+2xoff off – on 60secs/1:10 (Late Season) SHORT INTERVAL REST (S.I.R.) [3xpace+3xoff 1. 3-5 x [4x200 w/- 15-5 rest e.g. on 2:20 or 2:30 [4xpace+4xoff [30-60 sec. R.I. Or Recovery 4x50 on 45, 50, 55, 60 3. Late Season 2. 12-20 x 400 on 2:30 develop to 4 x (a) 4-6 x [3x100 on 1:30 @ 50-30bbm [2 on 2:30 [4x50 @ R-P on 40-50secs (10secs R.I.) [3 on 2:20 ALACTIC SPEED SETS [Rest Interval – 30secs (if required) (a) Mostly sets of 3 – 6x20!!! Or 10-20 x 200 on 5:00 CONTINUOUS PATTERN Working Power Drills, Assisted/& Resist Harness, Fins, Drag Suits 3. Develop to Real Challenge Aim to improve BASE speed endurance 12 x 400 = 3 x (b) 12x100 [Spike last 25m [1 on 5:00 [2 on 4:30 On 2:00 [Spike 3rd 25m (with fast turn) [1 on 4:50 3 x [1st 25m explb (timed from a dive) * 20m Sprint Late Season [1 on 4:40 [2 on 4:20 Aim to improve Base Speed [1 on 4:30 QUALITY 4. 3x100 on 1:20 + 1x100 on 1:20 + 2x100 on 1:20 Concerned with the development of the Anaerobic Systems. Two main 2 x 2x100 on 1:15 + 3x100 on 1:15 + 1x100 on 1:15 considerations… 1x100 on 1:10 + 2x100 on 1:10 + 3x100 on 1:10 (a) Lactate Tolerance [1 on 1:20 Early Season – 20 x [50 Steady on 1:10 approx. 200 pace Can develop to 36x100 = 6 x [2 on 1:15 [50 Quality on 50sec to 2nd 50/100 pace [3 on 1:10 [6 on 60secs Or 2 x Mid Season – 24x50 [6 on 70secs [1 on 1:15 [2 on 1:15 [3 on 1:15 [6 on 80secs [1 on 1:10 + [2 on 1:10 + [3 on 1:10 [6 on 90secs [1 on 1:05 [2 on 1:05 [3 on 1:05 Late Season – 24-30 x 50 on 1:30 @ 2nd 50/100 pace KICK SET (b) Lactate Production Essentially AEROBIC (Tuesday AM) Two areas to be developed [3 on 3:45 1 x QUALITY 1. Lactate Peak – e.g. sets of timed 100’s e.g. 5x400 on 7:30 or 10x200 (6 on 8:00 with 3x100 Recovery; or 4x150’s on 10:00) [3 on 3:40 + (Extra 60secs 2. Production Rate – utilising Maximum Effort 50m [3 on 3:30 Rest) e.g. (Thursday AM) – Some quality 10 x [150 @ 50bbm on 2:30 or 10 x [3x50 on 50secs e.g. 4 x [50 max on 60secs [30secs R.I. [300 on 5:30 or [16x50 Steady on 1¼ [1x50 – MAX [100 – Quality on 2:00 [50 fast on 1:00 on 60secs HEART RATE SET (H.R.) – STANDARD 2.4-3.0km SETS 1. Early Season on progress from… 3 x [3x50 on 1:20 – max 3 x [8x100 @ 30-20bbm Set No.1 on 1:30 [450 swim off [2x100 @ “TEMPO” Set No.2 on 1:35 RECOVERY SESSION Set No.3 on 1:40 Active recovery with a technique emphasis. Usually swum at overdistances Late Season – to 30x100 on 1:40 (Freestylers) – 600m to 1000m (Add 10secs for Form Stroke) e.g. 6 x 800 (1) FS/BK 2. Basic varieties (VARIABLE DISTANCES) (2) FS – Pull (Pads – Optional) 3 x [4x50 = 10 x [50 (3) Drill/Stk Count [3x100 = [15 on 50-second cycle (4) Fins [2x150 = [100 (5) Pull or Fo/Form [1x200 (6) Drills 100 Stk Count 100 3. Late Season – can increase REST INTERVAL (R.I.) = 30% on 45sec; 40% on 50; 30% on 55; @ 30, 20, 10bbm = The “SHOTGUN PRINCIPLE”
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Cassie Hunt, 18, finished sixth in the Final (56.18 Shannon’s seconds). Rollason has another four young women who can swim 57 seconds or better but all have been struck Charges on Roll down by a virus in the past week, affecting their By Nicole Jeffery performances. Australian women’s sprinting had been in the Reproduced from ASCA Newsletter, Volume #2002-4 doldrums for more than 20 years before this week, via “The Australian” offering neither individual stars, nor any depth. Tucked away in suburban Brisbane, Shannon At last year’s World Championships, the Rollason is nurturing a new breed of sprinter. Women’s 4x100m Freestyle team was Australia’s The 30-year-old coach has put together a program only relay that was not a gold medal contender. The of his own design and attracted a core of young sprint relay finished sixth, as it had at the 2000 speedsters who are threatening to revolutionise Olympics. female sprinting in this country. It has been a glaring weakness in the national The National Championships at their home pool, team’s armoury as it strives to establish itself as the the Chandler Aquatic Centre, have proved to be the world’s No.1 team. But Ryan, who has radically youngsters’ coming-out party. altered her training program under Mark Regan to In the Women’s 100m Freestyle Final on include more land work, has stepped into the top Wednesday night, three of the top six were from ranks and Rollason’s group is following in a pack. Rollason’s squad and were all under 19. Rollason said the secret is the competitive Jodie Henry became the fastest 18-year-old environment he has established in the squad. woman in Australian history, setting a personal best time of 55.33 seconds in finishing second to 25-year- “I really think in sprint training that it’s a old Sarah Ryan. At last year’s championships, Henry necessity to have that competitiveness in training”, finished sixth in a time 1.30 seconds slower. he said. She is now ranked second in the Commonwealth “Sprinters have to be on the boil without going behind Ryan and is one of the only three women over the edge, so I have really worked on the mental under the age of 20 ranked in the world’s top 20. approach. I never tell any of them they are swimming Neither Ryan nor national record-holder Susie fast because the moment you think you are fast you O’Neill swam so fast before they reached their mid- start going backwards. We need to set higher 20s. standards”. Even more remarkable was the performance of 15-year-old Alice Mills, who might be the fastest girl Rollason said he had learned much from the of her age in the world. She finished fourth in a place approach of the leading US Track Sprinters, Carl in the 4x100m Freestyle Relay at the Commonwealth Lewis and Maurice Greene – 100m world record Games. holders – emerged from groups of top-class sprinters. “She would definitely be the best girl under 50kg”, Rollason said. “I have got a lot of ideas from athletics”, he said. The tiny Mills weighs a mere 47kg in an event “I take bits and pieces that I like and adapt them to that is all about strength and power. swimming”. “We also do a lot of strength work and a lot of Australian Women’s sprinting”.
Sprinting had been in Rollason has been something of a coaching prodigy. He was handed the reins of the Chandler the doldrums for more Club, once the domain of Laurie Lawrence, when he was just 22 and was first selected on the National than 20 years before Coaching Team at 25. this week, offering Five years later, he is reaching coaching maturity neither individual and Australia’s long-neglected female sprint ranks are seeing the benefit. stars, nor any depth.
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SportingPulse’s Swim School Software – Leisure – lets you management your enrolments and track your clients’ activities. Leisure enables the sale of ‘Class’ to your clients, with easy enrolments. At your fingertips are the tools to communicate by email and mail with your clients. You can offer billing via Direct Debit and Credit Card, as well as full Point-of-Sale functionality. You have easy access to management reports, MYOB interface and inventory control. The suite of software products will increase your efficiency and reduce your costs and, most of all, will keep you in touch with your clients and guests. SportingPulse provides smart solutions for your spa business. Features include… One screen for family class enquiries $$11444400 Easy term rollover wizard (inc. GST) Occupancy reports, + $11 P&H teacher and class lists Attendance Records Point-of-Sale with scanner, cash drawer and camera interfaces Make-up lessons Student history Class transfers, Waiting list processing Network ready Plus many more features
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~~~ 43 ~~~ SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – September-October 2002
SportingPulse are proud to announce the release • View student history files of their swim school software – Leisure. This • Enter parent inquiry information and generate software has been developed within the Sportzware mailing labels • View class occupancy report suite of products developed for major swim schools Leisure FINANCIAL PROCESSING and leisure centres in Australia. The software has • Automatically apply discounts such as been operation for several terms with major leisure membership credits centres such as the YMCA. The software comes in • Automatically prorate class fees modular form to enable the software to help you • Collect credit cards information for batch assist the management of the swim school, point of transactions sale, direct debits, appointment bookings and • Create payment, credit, discount and other membership. transaction records from one screen • Enter and track product & membership sales WHAT MAKES Leisure SO POWERFUL? • Create regular direct debit and credit card files in Quite simply, Leisure was designed with swim Australian bank formats school directors and owners direct input. Its • Interface with MYOB accounting packages integrated approach for enrolment enquiries, point of • Schedule prices rises and special promotion sale process, class transfers, term rollovers makes the pricing previous labour intensive tasks very simple. • Strong cash till balance controls and inventory control processes. A SYSTEM THAT WORKS • Proven successful operation and tens of thousands Leisure MARKETING & REPORTING of hours of use, • Record how every customer heard about your • Windows-based with a familiar graphical school interface • Discover the demographics of your customers • Fast and simple installation • Determine your most popular and least popular • Easy to learn and use classes • Network-ready • Analyse enrolments to determine when to • Point of Sales and Direct debit facility combine, delete or add more classes • Data integrity checks to ensure accuracy and • Print a list of student birthdays and mailing labels proper operation • Perform a mail merge with Microsoft word • Periodic upgrades and improvements • Record each contact made with each parent • Email communication with your customers • Create a card file about suppliers and business associates REGISTRATION AND CLASS • Compare enrolment levels and trends between COORDINATION time periods • Create hundreds of empty classes with a click of • Create customer contact/retention tasks for sales the mouse staff • Copy entire blocks of classes, including Leisure SECURITY enrolments and fees • Enrol students in classes with a click of the mouse Leisure gives you the ability to control who • Easy drag and drop to re-arrange your class accesses information, including a log-on feature to schedule. validate all users are denied access while authorised • Assign make ups lessons, mark attendance and users can be restricted to the Leisure program areas evaluations easily that you allow through four security levels. Adding, • Print daily lesson schedules deleting and changing security is simple and • Control large groups controlled. These same security features help protect • Track vacancies, waiting lists, not yet confirmed in each class your Leisure data files from being copied by • View class openings by term, course level, days individuals who wish to steal your customer lists and • Automatic calculate and update student ages files. Access to financial information can be • Transfer students from one class to another restricted by these controls. effortless
~~~ 44 ~~~ SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – September-October 2002
10th Telstra Australasian-Oceania Swimming Professionals Convention & Expo
3rd – 7th May 2003
Grand Mercure Hotel Gold Coast, Australia
Treat yourself at the end of a long, hard season and be entertained, educated & inspired!
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amount of time, they are forced to use it well to 16 Values that Swimmers study. When they are not in practice, they have plenty of time and things don’t get done. A senior learn from the Sport swimmer trains five-plus hours a day. With school, By John Leonard sleep, eating, studying, there is not much left over. It Reproduced from ASCA Newsletter, Volume #2002-4 is forced learning to be effective and efficient. 9. DEDICATION – swimmers learn – as they We all want our children to learn values from the grow older – that one cannot be all things all the activities they participate in. Here are 16 values time and that some sacrifices have to be made to that they gain from swimming … and how they achieve in other areas. This is also called focus and gain them. concentration … invaluable life skills.
10. SKILL IMPROVEMENT – because of the 1. FITNESS – every study ever done by medium of water that we operate in, successful scientists says that swimming is the best overall sport swimmers pay extreme attention to technique and to achieve total fitness and health. Inculcating this skills, and more and more so as they improve and value at an early age makes it a value for all the life swim faster. It is all in the details … another major of the individual. life lesson. 2. SELF-CONFIDENCE – each child learns 11. FRIENDSHIP AND RESPECT – you may that they can learn … that they can achieve … and not “love” your teammates all time, but you know that they can struggle and overcome adversity daily how hard they work and you learn to respect that in good swimming practice. work. You also form friendships based on the solid 3. DISCIPLINE – no good stroke technique values on this list. The best kind of friends … ones exists without discipline. No good practice session you share values with … not dope, secrets and exists without structure and discipline to do what is aggressions. required when it is required – on a consistent basis. A 12. GOAL SETTING – swimmers learn at an daily result of good training sessions by the athlete. early age to measure success objectively and how to Best of all … it’s self-discipline! set new goals to motivate themselves as they climb 4. TEAMWORK – swimming is impossible to the ladder of swimming success. do as an individual sport … it is way, way too hard! 13. GENDER EQUITY – any boy swimming Teammates encourage, lead, follow – and both with any girl in practice will tell you that females can contribute and receive daily in practice sessions with practice better (practice tougher) than males. Any their friends. female competing with any male, will tell you that 5. SPORTSMANSHIP – one of the key lessons males can get up and race when they need to. learned is that everyone has their moment in the sun 14. APPRECIATION OF YOUR SUPPORT to shine … in practice and in Meets. Good coaches TEAM – Mum and Dad keep you swimming … teach the lesson that we compete with people – not Coach teaches and inspires you … swimmers learn against people. they stand on other people’s shoulders to achieve. 6. WORK ETHIC – no sport requires more Great life lessons. physical effort than swimming. Lesser “talents” can 15. COURAGE – each swimmer gets to be a hero outwork (over the long haul) the more talented in their lane – in their world every day. Every day athlete. Over time, athletes learn that their own they get a chance to test their courage and succeed efforts produce their own results. and fail in that regard) in practice. Courage is a 7. DELAYED GRATIFICATION – very hard developed trait … swimming develops it well. in today’s youth society! … but critical! Swimmers 16. COMPASSION – each swimmer succeeds. learn that the season (the year, the career) is long, and Each swimmer fails from time to time. Swimmers no one short-term result can be called success or know how it feels. They can learn to support those failure. What you do in practice today will show up who are struggling, applaud those who are in a week, a month, six months, a year, in a Swim succeeding, and be inspired by the work of others. Meet. Swimmers learn to accept that things take Who has some more? time to develop. Send them along via email … 8. TIME MANAGEMENT – swimmers get [email protected] better grades in season. Why? Because, with a small
~~~ 46 ~~~ SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – September-October 2002
Shackleton then picked a small group to voyage 800 miles over treacherous seas in a rickety lifeboat T E A M to a whaling station. He found another ship, packed it with provisions and returned to rescue the rest of his B U I L D I N G crew. Because he succeeded in keeping every man alive From Leadership Strategies for 634 harrowing days, Shackleton has inspired Reproduced from ASCA Newsletter, Volume #2002-3 many to study his leadership. His lessons… • Communicate… Immediately after the ship MERGING VALUES WITH MISSION sank, Shackleton addressed his crew, candidly President, Don Peterson, instigated a major part of assessing their situation but also detailing a Ford Co.’s renewal when his dissatisfaction with the plan of action. He thereafter communicated company’s cars prompted him to ask the design constantly with his men, keeping careful tabs engineers pointed questions. on their thoughts and morale. Do you really like this stuff you’re building? • Maintain your Leadership… Shackleton Is this what you like to drive? understood that as the crisis deepened, some Would you want to see it parked in your driveway? would lose heart, questioning his decisions and Chief Designer, Jack Telnack, had to admit that authority. So while asking for everyone’s he did not like what he was designing – did not want support and help, he left no one in doubt about to drive it or even see it parked in his driveway. one thing … He was in charge. When Peterson pressed further to ask, “What would • Remain Clear-Eyed and Optimistic… you like to drive?” Telnack asked him to come back Shackleton remained open to alternative plans in a couple of weeks. “We’ll have something to show and solutions. His upbeat attitude instilled you”, he said. confidence in his men. And he did. It’s fair to say that Ford’s turnaround • Involve Everyone… To keep the diverse – symbolised by the Taurus/Sable cars – started the group united, loyal and focused, Shackleton day the company’s engineers began working on made sure each person had tasks that designs that they were proud to create. contributed to the group’s welfare. Keep this story in mind as you confront what • Demand Teamwork… Shackleton minimised any leader will tell you is his most difficult status differences, insisting on mutual status challenge. Thinking of ways to develop a sense of differences, and reinforced the team message values and mission in the organisation. Here are … “We are one – we live or die together”. four questions to help develop and hone this Adapted from Dennis T. Perkins, Leading at the Edge sense… (AMACOM: NY) and Margot Morrell & Stephanie Capparell, 1. Looking back on the history of our Shackleton’s Way: Leadership Lessons From the Great organisation, what have we done that gives us Antarctic Explorer (Viking: NY). the most pride? UNCONVENTIONAL LEADERSHIP 2. Looking back on our history, what ought we be APPROACHES ashamed of? Here are two approaches to leadership that have 3. What could we do now that would make us all served one senior manager very well. feel proud? 1. Think and act as if you work for your 4. 10 years from now, looking back, what will we employees – not the other way around. have done that will have made us most proud? Words like “boss” and “direct report” or Adapted from Robert H. Waterman, Jr., The Renewal “subordinate” reinforce the idea that your Factor (Bantam: NY). employees work and support you. A more LIFE-AND-DEATH LEADERSHIP LESSONS fruitful way to think about the relational is that Sir Ernest Shackleton’s most spectacular you should carry the support role. exploration attempt – crossing Antarctica by foot in Your support takes many forms. You have to 1914 – ended when his ship was crushed in the ice of ensure that employees have everything they need to the Weddell Sea. do their jobs well – tools, resources and information. Caught adrift on a melting ice floe for five months In addition, you should serve as a sounding board for before reaching a small island, Shackleton and his 27 new ideas, a facilitator to help get things done and a men faced the unrelenting cold with skimpy mentor skilled and willing to give advice and provisions and flimsy tents. feedback.
~~~ 47 ~~~ SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – September-October 2002
To offer this kind of support and do it well, you To tap into superior insights you must have to work on yourself. It’s not easy. You must be recognise that you do not have all the answers. approachable, open-minded, empathetic and a skilled As you become skilled at defining the limits of listener. your own knowledge, your learning will increase 2. Don’t try to motivate people – focus on substantially. removing de-motivating conditions. People 1. Adapted from David A. Garvin, Learning in Action want to work and do their best. Let them! (Harvard Business School Press: Boston). One way to do this is to spend time thinking about conditions that might de-motivate employees and remove them. You will gain much more by eliminating de-motivating conditions, than by creating new incentives, bonuses and perks. 1. Adapted from Jim O’Shea, NEPA Hotline, (703)527- 2333, Fax (703)842-0629, www.newsletters.org GOOD LEADERS BELIEVE IN LIFELONG VIDEO LEARNING The first step in building an organisation committed to learning is a personal one … YOU REVIEW must be open to learning. When an organisation’s By Jeff Grace leaders are committed to personal improvement and University of Calgary growth, its employees are likely to feel the same way. Assistant Coach Here are four critical requirements to developing learning skills… 1. Remain open to new perspectives. You must be willing to accept the provisional nature of knowledge. Keep questioning long-established This article was sent to us truths to make sure they still hold. courtesy of Greg A good indicator of your openness toward Sanderson of Calgary learning is your attitude toward challenging questions. Do you encourage dissenting views? Team Aquatic Supplies Accept suggestions? Consider opposing positions? 2. Recognise personal biases. We all filter For the past two decades, Dr David Pyne, the head information through our own distinctive, physiologist at the AIS, has worked with top coaches cognitive styles. You may need information in and athletes. He has been on the cutting edge of written form, while another senior executive research in the areas of physiology and biomechanics likes getting it by talking. You may be detail- in swimming. This experience enables him to speak oriented and require specifics while a big practically and comprehensively on the subject of picture person prefers broad narratives. training for swimming. Every learning bias has its advantages and The video overviews all aspects of training disadvantages. Recognise yours so that you can physiology from the basics to the specifics. It first calibrate your judgements. covers the biochemical basis of all three E systems 3. Rely on unfiltered data. The larger, more then defines power, endurance, speed and strength. complex your organisation, the greater your Dr Pyne reviews how these energy systems relate to reliance on processed data. With information training and racing by introducing a systems analysis screened, condensed, compiled, coded and in the 50m and 1500m events in particular. crystallised into recommendations, you end up The final part of the video covers practical with a filtered view of what is happening. applications of the energy systems in training as well Confront and experience what is really going on as an example of a common Step Test and many in your organisation ... tour factories ... drop in on examples of Set Designs and a bonus 12 ways to service centres … meet with disgruntled employees improve swimming. … talk to customers … track an order to see what This video is a great educational tool for all really happens to it and how the work gets done. coaches who wish to refine the subtleties of specific 4. Stay humble. The willingness to seek better training. ideas is part attitude and part developed skill.
~~~ 48 ~~~ SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – September-October 2002
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~~~ 49 ~~~ SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – September-October 2002
like sprinting. It is therefore not surprising to find TAPERING & MUSCLE that successful sprint athletes possess more of these IIB fibres than the average person. But is this part of FIBRE TYPES the sprinter’s make-up pre-determined by genetics? By Alun Williams & Mick Wilkinson Or can the proportion of Type IIB fibres in muscle be Reproduced from ASCA Newsletter, Vol. #2002-01 increased through training?
hat makes a winning sprinter? The answer to TRAINING EFFECTS ON FIBRE TYPE Wthis apparently simple question is a complex one including such elements as mental approach, diet Virtually all the available evidence suggests that and even clothing. But since sprinting performance is the answer to the last question is “no”. In fact, it has heavily dependent upon speed of limb movement, been suggested that Type IIB MHC and therefore IIB one of the biggest single factors contributing to fibres constitute a default fibre type setting in success is physiology. The muscle fibres in the humans when activity is absent, and evidence of high winning sprinter’s legs are able to contract faster over proportions of this fibre type in paralysed muscle the short period of the sprint than those of his or her support this theory. It has also been known for some less successful counterparts. Recent research findings time that increases in activities like strength or power have improved our knowledge of how human muscle training can lead to conversion of muscle fibres. But, adapts to training, and the extent to which muscle can unfortunately, this conversion operates in one alter its ability to meet the fast movement velocities direction only … changing fast type IIB fibres into demanded by sprinting performance. slower type IIA fibres. Moreover, if heavy loading of muscles continues for a month or more, virtually all A muscle consists of a bundle of cells known as Type IIB fibres will transform to Type IIA, with fibres, bound together by envelopes of a connective obvious consequences for sprinting potential. tissue called collagen. A single fibre comprises a membrane, many nuclei containing genetic What happens when heavy strength training information, and thousands of inner strands running stops? Do the newly formed Type IIA fibres revert the length of the fibre, called back to Type IIB? The answer is myofibrils. Muscle force production “yes”, but recent research has is accomplished through the Why tapering after revealed some extraordinary results interaction of two protein filaments to which a simple “yes” does not do that make up the myofibril … actin intense training justice. Scientists from the and myosin. Copenhagen Muscle Research Centre boosts sprinting examined training and detraining One component of the myosin speed Peak effects on muscle fibre type filament, known as the myosin distribution. heavy chain (MHC), determines the Performance functional abilities of the entire Biopsies (muscle samples) were muscle fibre. This heavy chain taken from the vastus lateralis muscle exists in three forms … I, IIA and IIB. Type I fibres of nine young sedentary males. All the subjects then contain a predominance of type I MHC and are undertook three months of heavy resistance training, commonly called slow twitch, while fibre types IIA aimed predominantly at the quadriceps muscle group, and IIB contain a predominance of type IIA and IIB which ended with a second muscle biopsy. The MHC respectively, and are so-called because the subjects then abruptly ceased training and returned to maximum contraction velocity of a single fibre is their normal sedentary lifestyles before providing a approximately 1/10th that of a type IIB fibre. Type I third biopsy three months later. fibres also produce less maximum force than type IIB fibres. Type IIA fibres lie somewhere between type I Biopsies from the vastus lateralis were analysed and Type IIB in their maximum contraction velocity for muscle fibre type distribution and number. As and maximum force production. was expected, there was a decrease in the proportion of fast twitch IIB fibres (from around 9% to 2%) Because of the high velocity of contraction and during the resistance training period. The researchers the large forces they produce, type IIB fibres are expected that the proportion of IIB fibres would probably one of the key elements required for simply be restored to pre-training values during the successful performances in speed-dependent pursuits detraining period. However, they found to their
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surprise that the proportion actually doubled to around 18% after three months of sedentary living! Making Masters FFUUNN By Bob Bruce So it seems that a pattern of heavy resistance Reproduced from Swim Magazine, May/June 02 training, followed by decreased activity, causes first a decrease then an overshoot in the proportion of the OPEN WATER SWIMMING IN YOUR POOL fastest fibre type in the trained/detrained muscle group. An explanation for this overshoot currently Let’s face facts. Swimmers who always train in eludes researchers, but the findings accord with the pools have become a bit pampered. The water is theory that muscle fibres default to Type IIB with a generally clear, occasionally crystalline. Mysterious (relatively) decreased level of activity. flora and fauna are absent, other than a wayward leaf or that hairball scudding along the bottom. Your lane Further research using trained athletes as subjects is isolated by lane lines, marked by the black line, would add weight to these findings. But until then, and calm due to the lines and overflow system. End sprinters may draw the following conclusions … a walls are marked for turns, and Backstroke pennants large increase in training volume for wave overhead as required. Butterflyers and approximately three months will decrease the Breaststrokers wouldn’t have it any other way. proportion of IIB fibres in the trained muscles. A subsequent reduction (not cessation) in training Real swimming – done by real swimmers – is volume relative to the heavy resistance training phase done in bodies of water in the great out-of-doors. At should not only reverse this decrease but lead to a some point, you may hear the sirens call you to significant overshoot in the proportion of IIB fibres. participate in a primordial rite called open water In consequence, the potential of rapid and forceful swimming. Events like these must be approached muscle contractions – so crucial to sprint with careful preparation – not merely physical, but performance – should be enhanced. mental, emotional and spiritual as well.
This conclusion is in line with the current training But the metaphysical questions – such as your real practices of many sprint athletes … a heavy place in the aquatic food chain – are best left to the resistance training phase followed by a taper in realm of philosophy. Let’s focus here on the basic training volume and intensity in the lead-up to the physical skills needed for successful open water competitive season. And on the evidence of swimming and how you can practice them in your Copenhagen research, others would be advised to pool. Break away from your daily humdrum follow their example, with three months of heavy existence, turn your pool into a pond and join the resistance training followed by three months of fun! relative detraining, with relatively reduced training volume in the run up to key targeted events. FIVE ESSENTIAL SKILLS
However, as is usually the case, new research Beyond basic survival – processing oxygen – findings will probably refine these recommendations there are five essential skills required in open water over the coming years. swimming … swimming with others, drafting, handling rough water, navigating and rounding References: buoys. Without detailing the intricacies of these 1. New Studies in Athletics, 10(1), 29-49. skills, here’s how to practice them. 2. Journal of Physiology, 472, 595-614. 3. Journal of Physiology, 495, 573-586. Swimming with others. You may think that you 4. Journal of Applied Physiology, 59, 1716. have shared your practice lane, but not really. Put 5. Pflugers Archiv. European Journal of your whole team in one lane (double-wide with a big Physiology 431, 513-518. team) and swim lengths without staggered starts. 6. Journal of Applied Physiology, 74, 911-915. Start slowly so that everyone can accommodate to the 7. Acta Physiologica Scandanavica, 151, 135- stray elbows, hands, knees and feet. Gradually 142. increase speed to simulate a wild mass start – or 8. Muscle and Nerve, 23, 1095-1104. handicap the start to produce a chaotic mass finish. 9. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Remember roller derby? Pool racing was never like 27(8), 1203-1209. this! Remember to be aware of others around you at all times. Keep it safe and fun.
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Drafting. Your coach and lane-mates have been on your case for years for following too closely, but you have secretly been preparing for your open water debut! Within your practice lanes, swim Freestyle using 2-second departures, taking care at the turns. Feel yourself sliding along easily just behind the soul doing all the work! Now switch places, taking turns JJUUSSTT AABBOOUUTT everything leading. Drafting really works.
Handling rough water. Make a break for AA MMAANNAAGGEERR freedom! Take out the lane lines! Be aggressive, and lower the water level way below the gutters. If your NNEEEEDDSS TTOO KKNNOOWW pool has a wave machine, you are in heaven. It’s a By Neil Flanagan & Jarvis Finger pale shadow of heavy chop, but still much different NOW LEATHER BOUND from flat water.
Navigating. In pools, you swim straight by referring to the black line. Since open water race $54.95 (inc. directors invariably fail to mark the bottoms of their venues, you must resort to lifting your head and GST) + $11 sighting your course. Having removed the lane lines, set traffic cones around the pool edge, preferably P&H staggered to prevent steering using the black lines; my favourite pattern is an irregular triangle. Swim Foreword by Jim Kennedy, AO CBE cone-to-cone, practicing straight-line swimming, by I have been involved in management in one form or lifting your head regularly, sighting the cones. After another almost all of my life – and this is the best management book of its kind that I have read. mastering that skill, try closing your eyes underwater and opening them only when you lift and sight. Its no-nonsense style means that it belongs on every manager’s desk – accessible, ready to use. The book Rounding buoys. Get and set a buoy (our first is in three clear-cut sections – how to manage buoys were 18-inch red playground balls fastened to yourself, how to manager others, and how to manage a line with duct tape – still another use of a great the organisation. It covers a comprehensive range of product! – and anchored by two diving bricks). subjects, each one attractively presented as a Allow each swimmer to practice rounding buoys double-page spread, tightly alone, then in small groups, and finally in dealing with essential, large groups. need-to-know information, and indexed and cross-referenced in TURN ‘EM LOOSE such a way as to provide immediate access to that Having practiced these skills separately, now information. It is a practical, well-written guide for all combine them progressively day-by-day. Start with levels of management, admirably suited as a ‘how-to- rough water swimming in groups. Then add drafting, manage’ reference manual for everyday use. then cone-to-cone navigation, then buoys. Finally, integrate all skills by swimming a multiple-loop course, rounding buoys rather than using walls. You can even do intervals, focusing on a specific skill each swim.
Each Spring, I spend several Saturday practices – PO Box 824, Lavington NSW 2641 typically the zaniest practices of the year – teaching Phone: (02) 6041 6077 and reviewing open water skills with my team. Then Fax: (02) 6041 4282 I turn them loose in the summer to enjoy swimming E-mail: [email protected] as it should be. Web Site: www.ascta.com
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case. It may also be noticed that the ear feels clogged SSWWIIMMMMEERR’’SS EEAARR or full or has a popping sound, or that the hearing By Edward H. Nessel, Pharm. D, RPh., M.S., MPH has become somewhat impaired. Reproduced from American Swimming Magazine, Itching and/or pain are usually experienced. If Volume 2002 Issue #2 pain is present, it usually is made worse by pulling on the ear lobe or putting pressure around the ear ANATOMY OF THE EAR CANAL opening. At times, a malodorous discharge can come from the ear canal. Your ear has several sections. The eardrum separates the outer ear (slightly S-shaped canal in TREATMENT most people) from the inner ear. The outer ear canal contains hair follicles and glands that produce earwax To prevent further damage, resist any inclination for normal protection, but it is this area that is most to search the ear canal. Alcohol/acetic acid drops can susceptible to the condition called Swimmer’s Ear. aid a mild condition in that the drops produce three This outer ear is normally relatively free of favourable conditions that would diminish the organisms. However, there are times you can develop favourable environment for Swimmer’s Ear … a bacterial infection of the outer ear. Swimmer’s Ear dehydration (removal of water) – disinfection – and is one such infection. It occurs the production of acidic environment when your ear is exposed to that inhibits bacterial growth. If the moisture for a prolonged drops do not afford relief, a physician period. Activities such as will have to prescribe an scuba diving, underwater antibiotic/anti-inflammatory eardrop. swimming, synchronised Sometimes the prescription eardrop swimming, or the daily grind has a painkiller added. For serious of competitive swim training infections, an oral antibiotic might can lead to Swimmer’s Ear. also have to be taken. For those who have had ear tubes PREVENTION OF inserted to equalise pressure between SWIMMER’S EAR the outside and the middle ear, a constant opening is produced in the Prevention is always easier ear drum, which precludes water than treatment. With this in sports unless the water can be mind, one should never physically barred from the canal as attempt to remove earwax by methods that utilise with silicon ear plugs. rigid or semi-rigid apparatus. To remove wax to excess will only serve to sensitise the ear canal and References: make it vulnerable to infection. Wax has a natural 1. Strauss M.B., Dierker R.I., Otitis externa lubricant function that protects the lining of the canal. associated with aquatic activities (Swimmer’s When you bathe or shower, you should only Ear); Clin Dermatology; 5 (3); pp.103-111. cleanse the outer ear by using a washcloth. You 2. Editorial, Swimmer’s Ears, Brit Med Journ, should not insert cotton swabs in the ear canal. They 1974; 3 (925); p.213. only seem to work by taking out a small portion of 3. Garrity J.D., Halliday T.C., Prevention of wax, whereas they actually push wax further in swimmer’s ear by simple prophylactic toward the eardrum where it can cause a plug known regimens. Curr Ther Res, 1974; 16 (5); pp.437- as an impaction. 441. Water should only be removed gently from the ear 4. House John W., MD, Editorial Newsletter, either by head movement to dislodge the moisture, 1995, Ear Institute, Los Angeles, Cal. blow drying the ear canal or the use of an alcohol or 5. Bell D.N., Otitis Externa. Postgrad Med: 78 alcohol/acetic acid eardrop. (3); pp.101-104, 106. 6. Roydhouse N., Swimmer’s ear. Can J Appl SYMPTOMS OF SWIMMER’S EAR Sports Sci, 1980; 5 (3); pp.188-191. 7. Wright D.N., Alexander J.M., Effect of water One can recognise Swimmer’s Ear by the extreme on the bacterial flora of swimmers’ ears. discomfort it causes – even the movement of the jaw side-to-side can elicit intense pain in a full-blown
~~~ 53 ~~~ SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – September-October 2002
Performance news…
In their first Olympics, in Sydney 2000, Aquapacer™ have achieved impressive results with swimmers who trained with the Aquapacer™.
Aquapacer™ Medallists… Gold – 35% of winners Silver – 28% Bronze – 22%
In total, 28% of medal winners benefited from training with Aquapacer™.
90% of all Aquapacer™ Olympic swimmers have set personal best times after using Aquapacer™.
Improving stroke rate and length are achievable with Aquapacer™ … so don’t be without one in your preparations for Athens 2004.
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Aquapacer™ is a patented sonic metronome designed for use in the pool. Aquapacer™ enables swimmers and coaches to hear the stroke rate every stroke or simply just the lap pace. Aquapacer™ is a proven and versatile coaching tool that is designed for developing technique, improving stroke length and rate, plus instilling confidence in swimmers of all levels. Aquapacer™ can be the ‘virtual trainer’ for all categories of swimmers from the international level to the age group swimmer just starting out.
SETTING THE PACE IN SPORT
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The Aquapacer™ is a durable hand held programmer that has a cordless RF link to a Pacer, which is worn by the swimmer. The coach or swimmer can program it for up to 120 laps per swimmer, including rest periods, plus there is the facility for memorising 16 different swimmer Aquapacer™ programs. The programs are then downloaded, at poolside, to the Pacers, which the swimmers then take with them into the water. The Pacer provides the swimmer with a ‘beep’ for stroke rate and can also provide different sounds for pace per lap and rest periods. The combination of Aquapacer™ enables coaches and teachers to give individual training programs for up to 16 different swimmers for a 1-2 hour training session, or more. While some swimmers are on the Aquapacer™ training sessions they can… • Improve stroke rate – consistency as well as achieve a higher rate on sprint sets • Develop stroke technique while closely tracking competitive stroke rates – every stroke • Increase stroke length using ‘Stepping Training Technique – STT’ • Improve turns – maintain stroke rate into and out of turns • Practice starts using random start program • Practice race simulation • Control aerobic and anaerobic training, plus heart rate sets • Introduce fun and realism – create random programs to keep swimmer sharp! • Use in conjunction with heart rate training protocols for more accurate control By having some swimmers on Aquapacer™, training coaches/teachers have found they can give more time to individual training and/or studying specific swimmers. Aquapacer™ swimmers have found the Pacer to be a great motivational and performance feedback tool in the water, which has helped to make their training more focused and rewarding. To quote Ian Thorpe, Olympic Gold Medallist … ”Aquapacer™ somehow makes the sets seem easier.”
SOLO incorporates the features and benefits of the Olympian but in a compact self- contained Pacer where the programmability is integral within the device. Set your individual programs for training, race simulation or just company as your ‘Training Partner in the water’. Aquapacer™ SOLO keeps you challenged and on the pace every stroke, whether it is the precision repeats for race pace or those tedious long distance sessions. SOLO is totally portable and can be used by active sportsmen, not just in swimming, SOLO but any sport where there is a rhythmic cyclical rate. SOLO features include… $199.00 • Program up to 63 laps with 99 repeats (Includes GST) • Stroke rates in Seconds per Stroke (SPS) or Strokes per Minute (SPM) • Lap pace and elapsed time + $11 P&H Some of the benefits of SOLO… • Complete control for any swim set • Training to improve stroke rate and stroke length • Even pace swimming over long distance • Stroke rate that can be varied to simulate race tactics or aerobic/anaerobic training • As a teaching tool, which is fun for Age Group swimmers • A source of motivation for any swimmer whether able bodied or disabled • Training partner for pacing ‘dry training’ – e.g. VASA or rowing machines Other sports applications where Aquapacer™ SOLO is providing performance enhancement for competitors – Triathlons, Track & Field Athletics, Rowing, Kayaking, Cycling, Rehabilitation from sports and other injuries.
For more information, contact… ASCTA, PO Box 824, Lavington NSW 2641 Phone: (02) 6041 6077 Fax: (02) 6041 4282
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8. BE VERSATILE BECOMING A Critical Thoughts MEMORABLE Things change. for new Coaches People change. SWIM COACH By John Leonard Your flexibility in dealing with things will make your (Adapted from Dale Carnegie’s work) athletes equally facile at adapting to things that are Reproduced from American Swimming Magazine, less than perfect at a Meet, practice, or social Volume 2002 Issue #1 situation. 9. SPEAK CONCISELY 1. ACT LIKE THE HOST It is a sound-bit world today. No matter where you are, make people feel welcome Make yours count. and make them know you are glad to see them there. Know what you want to say. You are the Host at practice and swim Meets; even if Say it short, sweet and memorable. it is not your Home Meet, for your own swimmers ... you invited them there. 10. GET ON THEIR WAVELENGTH 2. REMEMBER NAMES AND USE THEM Learn to adapt your speaking style, manner, pace and language to theirs. Dale Carnegie said, “The sweetest sound in the world to a person is their own name.” Make them comfortable with communicating with you. You know it is true ... act on it. You come to them. 3. MAKE EYE CONTACT AND SMILE Do not make your athletes come to you. Basic interpersonal skills. 11. ASK OTHERS FOR THEIR OPINIONS Use them every day in practice ... even if you have a hard message to deliver that day. You will be amazed how brilliant a conversationalist you will be remembered as, if you will do this. 4. FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION ON THE OTHER PERSON 12. DON’T INTERRUPT People swim fast when they feel important. Hear people out. They feel important when they are listened to. Sometimes they just have to get things off their chest. Become a great listener. Let them. Make them feel like they are the only person in your It is hard to breathe with stuff on your chest. universe for the moments you speak to them. You cannot be comfortable if you cannot breathe. Thanks to Jack Nelson for being the prototype of this 13. COMPLIMENT THEM for many coaches. Studies have shown that young people today (ages 7- 5. SEND THE RIGHT SIGNALS 15) hear compliments only if they come in a 1:1 ratio Make sure your body language, your facial (or better) to corrections. expressions and your words all match, or the mixed So if you spend a lot of time correcting and only 10% signals that result will cancel out any message you complimenting, your coaching will be rather unheard. want to deliver. Conversely, if you compliment a lot and correct a 6. BE ENTHUSIASTIC little, you are likely to be heard by your athletes. Nothing happens without it. Read that again please. Your athletes reflect you and your energy. It is scary ...you have to compliment as much or more 7. SHOW YOUR SENSE OF HUMOUR than you criticise if you want today’s athletes to hear you. People repeat experiences that are pleasant. Follow those 13 pieces of advice, and your coaching Your humour can make any experience good for your and your relationships with athletes will blossom, athletes. regardless of the age of athlete you coach.
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~~~ 57 ~~~ SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – September-October 2002
ERIN’S STORY Erin swam for the University of Texas (1995-99), where she earned 17 All-American honours. She still holds the team’s 100-yard Backstroke record. Erin graduated with a over degree in public relations and currently works in Dallas for Edelman Worldwide, a top-5 global agency. By Caitlin Anderson and Erin Maher When I was born, my parents were already Reproduced from Swimming World and Junior familiar with P.E. I inherited the condition from my Swimmer, June 2002 grandmother, who did not encounter any serious health problems directly related to it in her lifetime. Pectus Excavatum (P.E.) is a hereditary The depression in my chest deepened throughout chest deformity found in nearly one out of 5,000 my childhood, but my parents decided against newborns, predominantly males. P.E. causes corrective surgery. The specialist I visited at age 8 the sternum to curve backward toward the spine, did not believe my condition was serious enough to creating a depression in the chest that looks like merit correction. In his opinion, my P.E. was a soup bowl. It is often referred to as a “sunken cosmetic and he felt that swimming would help build chest”. chest and back muscles, creating the illusion of better Despite its health implications, P.E. is posture. Future health implications without corrective commonly diagnosed as a cosmetic problem. surgery were not presented, so I never gave it a However, as the sternum presses into the chest, second thought. it often compresses the lungs and the heart, Early in my swimming career, I was usually the causing decreased heart and lung function. last to make my “A” times and the TAGS (Texas Age People with P.E. often experience chronic Group Swimming) Meet. I couldn’t keep up with my respiratory infections and are commonly friends in practice and, consequently, developed a diagnosed with asthma. reputation as a slacker. I thought I was working hard While some people with the deformity never but I could not figure out why everyone else was able experience problems, the symptoms are often to swim so much faster than me. Still, I enjoyed not apparent until participation in high-stress practice, being with my friends and in the water. activities, such as elite-level swimming. In fact, During practice, I focused on technique and just tried many children with P.E. are self-conscious about to keep up. their appearance and choose not to participate That focus on technique in practice paid off, as I in athletics. got a little older. My times dropped at all of the However, as they get older and become more important Meets – I was ecstatic when I made my active, they tend to tire quickly, have low first Senior Nationals cut in the 100 Backstroke when endurance and a high heart rate with any I was 14. I thrived on competing because practice aerobic activity. Because their bodies are not was still so hard and I couldn’t shake that “slacker” acclimated to the restrictions in their chest, image. activities such as swimming and running are I had problems with long aerobic sets but even more difficult than if the child had grown up managed to get through them because of my fantastic active. coaches. For example, 20x200 Backstroke on the There is a good chance that you or someone 2:30, evens easy, odds hard … my coach would run you know has P.E. We hope that after reading up and down the pool the whole way and it was an this article, you will be aware of P.E. and its very awesome set. But give me 10x100 Freestyle on the real health implications. Most importantly, we 1:10, and I’d drown! hope to show you that it is entirely possible to Last summer, I started researching P.E. on the win a stare down with adversity. Internet. I wanted to know more about that “hole in my chest”. The more I read, the less guilty I felt about my inability to keep up aerobically with my teammates for 17 years.
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I found a doctor in Dallas who specialises in P.E. My doctor continued to insist that asthma was the correction and learned more about my condition. My root of my health problems and she prescribed a sternum was pressing on the right side of my heart, steroid medication … but my family was not restricting blood flow and forcing the left side to convinced. My mum called specialists across the compensate during aerobic activity. My doctor country and eventually learned that my chest recommended a corrective procedure, as heart failure deformity was not merely a cosmetic problem. Two in my 30s or 40s was a possibility. weeks after my initial visit with a paediatric specialist On March 25 of this year, I had corrective surgery in Virginia, I underwent corrective surgery. for P.E. A metal bar will hold my sternum in place The procedure took about seven hours and I for about a year while new cartilage grows, stayed in the hospital for a full week. For the first six connecting my ribs to the breastbone. I am anxious to days after surgery, I had to lie flat on my back in the get back into the pool and can’t wait to see what the hospital bed. At first, I didn’t mind sitting still future holds. because I was in a lot of pain and I was connected to various tubes and machines. But when I started to CAITLIN’S feel better, it was really hard to sit still – especially for someone who was used to exercising for five STORY hours a day! Caitlin graduated summa cum laude from the University of Because my chest and abdominal muscles were so Virginia in May 2002. She is a weak, I couldn’t sit up by myself. After I came home, four-year varsity letter winner, I had to be careful not to lie down when no one was a senior national qualifier and around me, or I would get stuck! a U.S. Open top eight finalist. My doctor told me that when I felt ready, I could She currently holds the Virginia state record in the 17- slowly begin aerobic activity. I started walking on the 18 girls 100-yard Breaststroke. treadmill, using a heart monitor to make sure my I was born with P.E. My paediatrician assured my heart rate stayed aerobic and holding onto the parents that the condition was cosmetic and there was machine to keep my arms still. After two weeks, my nothing wrong with me. doctor covered my stitches with waterproof I was an athletic child and really excelled in sports bandages. I was anxious to get back in the water but I that were sprint-oriented. At 13, I retired from all had to be careful not to move my arms because it other sports in order to pursue swimming. would cause swelling around my bar. As swimming training intensified, so did my Six weeks after surgery, I worked my way up to breathing problems. I found that I couldn’t keep up about an hour of swimming each day. Our with the other kids in practice and I got tired quickly. Conference Meet was two weeks away and I knew I became frustrated with my inability to train like that I couldn’t miss it. When I informed my coach most kids my age. My doctor treated me for asthma that I would swim in the Meet, he looked at me like I but when the medication didn’t seem to help, I was crazy! He agreed, but said, “no diving”. stopped using it and assumed that I wasn’t trying My “first dive” was just the day before the ACC hard enough. Meet. I couldn’t have imagined a better environment Throughout high school, my coaches classified for my official comeback. I swam three events at the me as a “drop dead sprinter”. I could take on anyone Meet – the 50 and 100 Freestyle plus the 100 in a 25 or a 50, but I could barely complete a 200 in Breaststroke. I came in last in every event except the practice. 100 Freestyle (because one girl swam Butterfly), but During my second year in college, I began I was proud of my accomplishments and happy to experiencing severe health problems. In just over one share everything with my teammates. year, I was medicated 11 times for upper and lower Training resumed after the Conference Meet and, respiratory infections and, at one point, I was nearly unlike the previous summer when I couldn’t make a hospitalised. single interval in a set of 400s or keep my heart rate Additionally, my training performance decreased below 170 in warm-up, I was holding fast times and at a rapid pace. My heart rate was so high that my making intervals consistently in practice. That coaches joked that I could get my heart rate over 200 summer, I swam best times at in-season Meets in the just by laughing. But it was no joke when, during 200 Breaststroke, 200 Freestyle and 200 IM. Most practice, my fingers and toes would go numb and I importantly, I haven’t had a single asthma attack or felt “pins and needles” in my arms. At one point, I respiratory illness since my surgery! even blacked out after a test-set.
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~~~ 60 ~~~ SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – September-October 2002
Versatility with a Capital “V” Indeed, versatility is one of Correia’s strong Everything points, as Coach Jack Bauerle of the University of Georgia is quick to point out. “Ritz is a real is Better perfectionist in the classroom and in the pool and her ability to work has led her to success from the 50 on when it’s up to the mile”. That’s putting it mildly. Correia is the only on a swimmer – man or woman – even to win Southeastern Conference titles in every Freestyle event – 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1650 yards. How’s that RITZ for versatility? But there is more to Maritza than swimming. Correia’s college roommate and teammate Becky Wilson offers, “One of the neatest things about Ritz The University of Georgia’s MARITZA CORREIA, is that she leads a really balanced life. She does what who recently became the first African-American she needs to do in the pool and then she has a life woman ever to set an American record in swimming, outside of swimming”. is definitely living up to her nickname – THIS And just what is that life outside of swimming? RECORD CRACKER IS A RITZ. “I love watching movies – whatever’s out”, says By Cami Grebel Correia. Among Correia’s other passions are playing Reproduced from Swimming World and Junior with her puppies, characteristically named Freestyle Swimmer, June 2002 and Champ, and listening to personalised mixes of R&B, rap and hip-hop music. Correia also boasts a aritza Correia broke Amy Van Dyken’s 3.2 GPA as an exercise and sports science major. MAmerican record in the 50-yard Freestyle at this In addition to her recent American records and year’s Women’s NCAA Division I Championships NCAA titles in the 50 and 100-yard Freestyle events, with a blazing 21.69. In doing so, the University of Correia was a key member of Georgia’s 2000 and Georgia junior became the first African-American 2001 National Championship Teams. This year, the woman ever to set an American record in swimming. Bulldogs finished second behind Auburn. But Ritz, as she is known to all her friends, wasn’t Last summer, she made her first U.S. National through. She followed it up with a second American Team and competed at the FINA World mark, going 47.56 to crack Jenny Thompson’s 10- Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. She swam on the year-old mark for the 100-yard Freestyle and win the 4x200m Freestyle Relay that was eventually awarded event. (Later in the Meet, that time was lowered by duplicate gold medals (along with Great Britain) – Natalie Coughlin to 47.47, leading off Cal’s Freestyle although team members have not yet actually Relay.) received the medals. She also won silver medals as a Although Correia recognises the significance of member of the 4x100 Freestyle and 4x100 Medley her historical feat, she is not one to dwell on it. “I Relay Teams. The experience, says Coach Banks, did don’t pay attention to colour. I just swim”, she says. wonders for her self-confidence. Now, he says, she is And swim is what she does best. However, poised to become one of the world’s best Freestylers Correia will be the first person to ell you that it has Long Course. not always been that way. “I wasn’t very good when I started”, she admits. Team Player Correia, who began swimming in Puerto Rico as a There is another reason why Correia has earned 7-year-old, was introduced to the sport when her the nickname of Ritz. Everyone who knows her is doctor recommended swimming as therapy for her quick to point out her role as the consummate team severe scoliosis. player. Indeed, college swimming has seemingly As an 8-year-old, the Correias moved to Florida, given Correia the ability to swim faster than she is and she signed up to swim for Coach Peter Banks’ capable of swimming when the team needs her. Brandon Bluewaves. “It took a little more with In her three years as an NCAA swimmer, she has Maritza”, remembers Banks, “but she eventually transformed the anchor relay position into a came into her own and became a very versatile trademark. Swimming World has dubbed her “Relay swimmer”. Woman”. Bauerle calls her a “Quiet Assassin”. Says Bauerle, “Swimmers of opposing relays do not like to
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see her standing there on the blocks at the end of a Correia notes that reporters often ask her if she is race”. going to be the next Amy Van Dyken or Jenny And with good reason … Correia has the fastest Thompson. Her reply to that is characteristic. 50 and 100 Freestyle Relay splits in history! “I’m not gonna be the next Amy Van Dyken. I’m Although she is humble about her successes thus gonna be the first Maritza Correia. I want people to far, Correia does admit that she enjoys being the know me for me. And being the first African- relay anchor. “As soon as I dive in, my goal is to American woman to hold an American record catch as many people as I can. And if we’re ahead definitely sets that tone”. when I go in, I try to make that lead as large as I As one of the best sprinters and relay anchors in can”. the country, Maritza Correia has already lived up to Although many swimmers avoid the pressure her nickname. After all, Everything is better when associated with being the anchor swimmer, Correia it’s on a Ritz. thrives on being the “go-to” gal. “Relays are no pressure – that and the fact that they are solely for Cami Grebel is the Team Manager of the your team makes them fun. You really want to just get University of Georgia Men’s and Women’s points for your team”. Swimming and Diving Teams. She will graduate from That is typical of Maritza. In fact, Correia claims Georgia this August with a major in public relations that her American record swims were simply the and minors in communications and political science. result of her doing her “job as a team member”. “I was just going out there to win and get some Just the Facts team points. I had no idea what my times were”, she says. Indeed, for Ritz, the times and the records were Name: Maritza Correia secondary to the success of the team. Nickname: “Ritz” Age: 20 Birth Date: December 23, 1981 Be All That You Can Be Height: 5-8 Bauerle is impressed with her confidence and Weight: 130 pounds dedication, which serve as a beacon for her Parents: Anne and Vincent teammates. The Georgia coach notes, “She has Siblings: Jeremy 29 and Justin 26 acquired a quiet confidence that comes from hard Boyfriend: Mike Fung-a-Wing (1996 and 2000 work – and a certain amount of success – which Olympian from Suriname) transfers over to great leadership for our team, Hometown: Tampa, Florida particularly when things are important”. College: University of Georgia ‘03 Club Coach Peter Banks agrees, “Her college High School: Tampa Bay Tech ‘99 successes allow her to focus on why she does what Pets: Two puppies (Freestyle and Champ) and two birds (Twisty and Twirly) she does. She’s gained a sense of purpose, a sense of Favourite Event: 100 Freestyle confidence, that she can go and be as good as she Favourite Colour: Purple can be”. Favourite Music: “Whatever’s playing is good And that is exactly what Correia plans to do – be enough for me” as good as she can be. Favourite Movie: “Notting Hill” (“I’m a huge movie Her immediate plans for achieving this goal buff”) include rooming with Olympian Brooke Bennett and Something you don’t know about me: “I need training under Banks in Fort Lauderdale this summer. someone to make me laugh before my races, so my Bennett, who is currently recovering from surgery, team calls out my nickname or something” looks forward to living with her childhood teammate. Honours and Accomplishments: Florida Swimmer of the Year (Girls 11-12, 13- “It’s going to make this summer a lot easier to be 14, 15-16) training with someone like Maritza. She motivates me Florida High School Swimmer of the Year to get back in the water and return to 100 percent. I (1998) look forward to the day we make a (U.S. National) First Florida swimmer to win six consecutive team and international trip together”. state titles in five events Despite Correia’s achievements, she remains NCAA Champion (200 Freestyle in 2000; 50 humble about her successes. Both Bauerle and Banks and 100 Freestyle in 2002) note that she is ready to build upon these successes. Member of USA 2001 World Championships Correia’s plans include attending summer Team (gold in 800 Freestyle Relay, silver in nationals and – with Bennett – qualifying for the U.S. 400 Freestyle Relay and 400 Medley Relay) National Team.
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what the teacher was trying to achieve ... how the aid might help … was it effective or was it detrimental? THE SHEPHERD’S CROOK (AND THE LIKE) I haven’t seen this used in years but the principle was that a child was in deep water – perhaps a metre out from the wall – and the instructor walked along the side. He or she would use the instrument primarily to give assistance if the child got into LEARN-TO-SWIM AIDS difficulty, but could be used to give the kid a prod By Ron Coleman here and there – or to get attention. While this equipment can’t be dismissed as having no value, Ask someone if they use learn to swim aids and there has to be better ways to teach … especially in a you may well get an answer the equivalent of… professional swim school. “Wash your mouth out” FLOTATION VESTS At seminars and demonstrations I have heard These are touted by manufacturers as teaching people stating with emotion their opposition to the aids. Many come with removable floats to reduce use of aids. The main objection stated seems to be the support, as the child becomes more competent. I belief that children can become reliant upon the aids, don’t know of any swim schools that use these but and even put at risk by having a false sense of that is not to say they won’t get a result. security. A child introduced to deep water with a good Having stuck my neck out before, I felt it might quality vest will get a degree of independence and be a worthwhile exercise to examine the use of aids will have the opportunity to explore such things as and try to ascertain whether they are useful … or are general mobility, kicking, balance, changing they something that should be avoided? direction, etc., and may even experiment with putting The first thing I had to do was to identify … what face in the water. is a swimming aid? The dictionary says … “the act As child becomes more confident, reducing of helping, something (as a device) by which buoyancy by removing flotation segments shifts assistance is given, an assisting person”. responsibility progressively over to the child. The use of the term in our industry is generally Children can and do become aquatically competent considered to mean an artificial aid. While many using these devices, but the problem I see with them have a restricted view of what they consider a learn- is that they are usually used without an experienced to-swim aid, I felt that the term, within the tutor which leaves a lot to chance. definition, could and should apply to quite a range of Does the device give the child enough freedom to items that teachers use to assist with learn to swim. experiment naturally? When does the parent take out Following is a list of items that have been, or are a segment? And how many segments? While the being used, and qualify as aids within the principle is OK, monitoring and guiding the process dictionary’s definition. to get good results needs experience and skill. Leave 1. Shepherd’s crook or pole (with or without a rope the floats in too long would encourage total loop) dependence. Dropping them out too quickly can 2. Flotation vests create insecurity and may even put the child at risk. 3. Arm Bands While there are better systems for the 4. Shallow pools professional, they are better than nothing for the 5. Hand rails at side of pool parent who cannot or will not put their child into 6. Shallow ledge or steps lessons. 7. Kick boards BLOW UP ARMBANDS 8. Bar bells The principle behind these is similar to vests, 9. Flippers except more suited to 1 to 2 year olds (maybe a little 10. Back floats either side). I have seen them used professionally It would appear that very few people do not use and, in most, they seem to be used as a parking spot. an aid of some type. So, it is not a case of whether They allowed a young child to scoot around with the use of aids is acceptable, but that operators find some independence, while teacher was working with some acceptable and some not. It would be easy to another child, and were taken off when the instructor dismiss some of the items listed as commonly used was ready to work with them. pieces of equipment that need not be discussed. While I prefer to use a parent, it is a good way to However, I have been known to challenge the give them free-play that is not only enjoyable but accepted norm before, and I feel this need now. I allows them to explore and experiment … one of the don’t believe that some of the most commonly used most natural ways the child learns. Having them on aids are as good as some people believe and some of too long, however, tends to restrict development – the more maligned are not devices of evil they are particularly the coordination between arms and legs. made out to be. In many cases, we are going to find I have also seen them used in conjunction with that the value of the aid will depend on how it is little flippers and back floats but felt this was used. When looking at each aid, I have tried to find unnecessary and a restriction to natural development.
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If one wants to use armbands, they are more than swim and it is important for teachers and coaches to adequate on their own. be aware of the complexity of cerebral palsy and the While I don’t use this equipment as a general rule, movement issues that arise when trying to teach I always have a pair in my box of tricks, as there are them. It is important to think laterally, analyse occasions when I find them useful. A kid who refuses movement, and come up with solutions to help the to be held – the type who thinks he can jump out of a child overcome his/her difficulties in the water … plane without a parachute – can be given freedom there is no recipe book method. The aim of this without mum holding him. Just put them on and turn article is to provide an outline of cerebral palsy … to the little maniac loose. I just take them off when I describe some techniques I have found useful in want to work with him. teaching … and to bring up coaching and sports Also, they can be useful on a handicapped child. physiotherapy issues relating to the competitive My experience has been that a whole range of swimmer with cerebral palsy. possibilities opens up. Way before a child can be WHAT IS CEREBRAL PALSY? independently competent, they can be given the Cerebral palsy is a disorder of movement resulting opportunity to experience a sense of independence from non-progressive damage to the brain occurring they possibly have never felt before. The value of before, during or after the time of birth. Causes may being able to give a handicapped child the be abnormal development of the brain, lack of opportunity to be independent, albeit with an aid, oxygen to the brain, brain haemorrhage, trauma, or should not be under-estimated. infection. Often there may be no explanation. Babies One should never have a closed mind. I believe who have survived extreme premature or high-risk you do what does the job the best, and if it means pregnancies may have cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy being a bit radical … so be it. results in delays in the development of motor An example of the value of this was how I was abilities; abnormal muscle tone; exaggerated reflex faced with a situation where a 60-year-old lady and activity and abnormal patterns of movement resulting her 80+-year-old mother from the Lake District in in functional difficulties. There may be associated northern England, wanted to learn to swim. We only problems such as visual impairment; hearing loss; had about three weeks. difficulty controlling the muscles of the mouth and Now, to enjoy the water one needs a range of throat affecting speech, swallowing and breath basic aquatic skills and must be reasonably control in water; intellectual disability (common but competent and confident in deep water. (If you can’t not universal); epilepsy; problems involving planning swim in deep water … you can’t swim.) As most and organising movement (praxis); perceptual and adults think they will be sucked down the plughole if learning disorders. These must all be taken into they go into deep water, it is not an easy task to get account when planning a swimming program – what them relaxed enough in the deep to develop the basic works for one person will not necessarily work for skills of competence. the next and techniques will need to be continuously I introduced adult size armbands in standing depth adapted to meet the needs of the individual. water and experimented with getting the feet off the When taking on a child with cerebral palsy, the bottom. They moved confidently to deep water in a swimming teacher and coach will need to find out very short period of time. Given the opportunity to from the parent/caregiver the appropriate history and enjoy the deep water with a feeling of safety, they problems the swimmer may have and the soon developed basic skills without any real thought implications these may have to their teaching and for what they were doing. coaching. The swimmer’s treating physiotherapist Reducing the support was relatively easy as they will also have helpful advice on their management took over more of the responsibility. I could not have and it is advisable to find out which movements they achieved this in the time I had without the assistance are attempting to encourage and help on land and of the humble armband. which pattern of movement they wish to discourage. SWIMMERS WITH CEREBRAL The swimming teacher and coach, by encouraging good movement skills in water, can augment the PALSY – A Personal Perspective physiotherapy program and become a valuable on Teaching & Coaching Issues member of the team involved in the child’s care. TYPES OF CEREBRAL PALSY By Jenny Lambert Cerebral palsy can be described according to… Working with swimmers with cerebral palsy can 1. The area of the body that is affected – e.g. be an area of great challenge for the teacher and (a) Hemiplegia – one side of the body is coach. I have been working with children with affected cerebral palsy as a physiotherapist for 17 years and I (b) Diplegia – mostly lower limbs affected … am continually refining my skills and updating my mild incoordination of upper limbs and ideas on how to help them reach their optimum trunk muscles physical potential in water. The incidence of cerebral (c) Quadriplegia – all four limbs and trunk palsy in our community is increasing, owing to better affected technology in neonatal intensive care and the fact that 2. The type of movement disorder – e.g. more babies are surviving serious illness and extreme prematurity. In the coming years we are going to see more children with cerebral palsy wanting to learn to
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(a) Hypertonus – high muscle tone (spasticity) effort of trying will result in extension of the jaw … rigidity, tightness, stiffness, felt in the and an open mouth. Bubble blowing can be useful muscles if the child will not get his face low into the water (b) Hypotonus – low muscle tone … muscles and can assist with breath control and speech on feel soft or floppy land. (c) Athetosis – involuntary movements, often Precautions: Some children with severe palsy may twisting or writing, interrupt the flow and have a diminished or absent swallowing reflex. sequence of movement They may have a gastrostomy button where they (d) Ataxia – loss of coordination of limbs with are fed via a tube into their stomachs. These poor balance children are in danger of inhaling water into their (e) Mixed – many people with cerebral palsy lungs and need to keep their faces out of the water. have a combination of the above. In Learning to back float is most practical in these particular, hypertonus or stiffness may be cases. seen in the limbs with hypotonia or low 2. Work on good body alignment. Prone gliding muscle tone in the trunk – i.e. these people with outstretched arms (face immersed) to a wall have poor postural control or lack a stable This is an excellent activity as it ensures that tight base on which to move. The result is shoulder joints are gently stretched through range. stiffening of the extremities as a Start with swimmer’s hands on your shoulders and compensation. support them under their thighs so that they are 3. The severity of the disability in terms of function… given manual guidance as to the correct body (a) Mild alignment. Face immersion and breath control can (b) Moderate be worked on in this position. Glide swimmer back (c) Severe to the poolside again, supporting upper arms and POSTURAL REFLEX ACTIVITY thighs to ensure streamline position. Encourage As mentioned previously, most children with holding onto the wall – this is a hard skill for some cerebral palsy have a mixture of different symptoms, to master due to poor hand function, but continual distribution and types of muscle tone and movement practise can assist the acquisition of this skill. Work dysfunction. Decreased range of movement may also holding a kickboard, with arms stretched, is also a result from muscle contracture. Teachers need to be useful activity. aware of two postural reflexes where the position of 3. Practise kicking the head influences the muscle tone in the rest of the Children with leg stiffness will have difficulty body. These reflexes are mainly evident in those moving one leg at a time – they will often move children with severe cerebral palsy but can often be both together. Practising kicking will assist with hip elicited in mildly affected children. extension and reciprocal leg movements needed for 1. Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR) – when walking. The same applies to children with low the child is on his tummy, he may experience an muscle tone (floppy) who also lack hip and knee increase in flexor tone which will make his arms extension and are inclined to kick as if they are bend and face go down into the water. pedalling a bicycle. 2. Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) – 4. Big Arm Patterning when the head is turned, there is an accompanying Encourages exercise for the shoulders not normally increase in extensor tone of the arm and leg on the moved through range as well as providing a means face side and flexor tone of the arm and leg of the of propulsion. Child may not be capable of moving opposite side. This has implications when turning his arms through full range (particularly above 90 the head to breathe in freestyle in a child with degrees of shoulder elevation) – this depends on the moderate to severe cerebral palsy. severity of their cerebral palsy. IMPLICATIONS FOR SWIMMING Precautions: Do not force rigid/stiff muscles – TEACHING often an overstretch may cause them to fire off EARLY WATER CONFIDENCE STAGE – ALL more intensely and the child may actually tighten DEGREES OF DISABILITY further. Gentle range of movement with gentle 1. Breath control and immersion of the face stretching of arms can help release spasm. It is essential that children get used to having their 5. Back Floating faces in the water as soon as possible – but it is also Independent back floating is often the first skill important to go slowly in some cases to ensure the achievable. Ensure good head position with good child is relaxed and not fearful. A child with chin tuck. Child may roll if one side is tighter than cerebral palsy, who is fighting against you to keep the other. his face out of the water, will extend his head. This 6. Safe entry into the Pool chin and neck extension will result in increased Working on sitting dives initially; encourage nose tightness around the shoulders and arms, stiffening over toes movement to ensure good bending at the of the legs, and will prevent him from learning any hips. Extension (pushing back) is the stronger motor skill. If a child has poor speech and poor component of movement in children with cerebral motor control of the muscles around his mouth, he palsy and this increases the tightness in their trunks is likely to inhale the water. Encourage good lip and legs. If they push back, there is a danger of closure when the water is near his face. Often the hitting their heads on the side of the pool. Give
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plenty of reassurance and instruction – the arm movements but can achieve backstroke. swimmer may need to put their hands on your Encourage use of hemiplegic arm for propulsion hands or shoulders initially to get the feel of the and encourage as much range of movement as movement. Recovery to the side is encouraged if possible. The teacher will need to give a lot of the child can hold onto the pool edge reliably or manual guidance initially to enable the swimmer to onto their backs, if they have poor hand function. feel the correct movement. OTHER ISSUES IN EARLY STAGES OF ACHIEVING MOBILITY IN PRONE TEACHING 1. Moderate to severe diplegia and quadriplegia 1. When introducing a child with cerebral palsy to the In my experience, once gliding and streamlining water, you are introducing them to a new medium have been well established, the swimmer with where they may feel out of control. They are often cerebral palsy starts with a survival stroke, trying to cope with adjusting to moving and initially lifting their heads to take a breath. Arm balancing on land. It can be a frightening movements may take the form of a breaststroke experience to suddenly feel out of control in the action or a reach and pull action under the water. It water. This particularly applies to children with is essential that the swimmer maintain as ataxia, athetosis, and very low muscle tone streamlined a position as possible to keep up (hypotonia). The children with hypertonic (stiff) momentum. Once the swimmer can successfully muscles will generally love the water and enjoy the take a breath, swimming distance is increased. It is freedom that it gives them. important to note here that, owing to limited 2. Water temperature – warm water is necessary for mobility on land, these swimmers have very low teaching particularly little children as it enhances levels of fitness and swimming is one of the few muscle relaxation. Older swimmers also complain opportunities they have to exercise aerobically. of muscle spasm in cold water. Once confident swimming 25 metres independently PROGRESSING FROM WATER in all depths of water using their own survival CONFIDENCE TO INDEPENDENT MOBILITY stroke – i.e. whatever works for them – I will then The time it takes to achieve water confidence and work on better technique in order to improve independence depends on the severity of the efficiency. The swimmer with moderate to severe disability and the age of the child. I have had more cerebral palsy lacks stability of the trunk and trunk success with children who are over four years of age. rotation on land and it is therefore extremely Water confidence can be gained at an early age but difficult for them to achieve in water. This is the the child with cerebral palsy must understand what challenge they face when trying to learn to breathe we are trying to achieve and want to achieve it. Older to the side and to use overarm movements for children, on the whole, have the maturity to persevere freestyle. Presently, I am working with two girls, when progress is slow and can control their one with severe diplegia and one with quadriplegia movement better. Some children known to me, with who walk short distances using walking frames. moderate to severe cerebral palsy, have taken one to Both swim independently using their own survival two years to achieve independence and the teacher stroke for 25 metres and have taken three years to must be prepared to work consistently with the child achieve lap swimming. In order to improve their over this time frame. efficiency, I am now working on developing ACHIEVING MOBILITY ON THE BACK breathing to the side and overarm as they lose speed 1. Moderate to severe diplegia and quadriplegia and their streamline position each time they lift Once balance in back floating has been established, their heads to breathe. Owing to the fact that they independent progression can be achieved by never use trunk rotation on land – i.e. observe a initially encouraging bilateral arm movements from child using a walking frame to walk – no trunk shoulder level to hip level. Swimming in a straight rotation occurs. Rotation in the water will have to line is often a source of frustration for the swimmer be practised at the most basic level – e.g. rolling at this stage, particularly if one arm is more from tummy to back and back to tummy. Hands-on affected than the other. Once the swimmer can patterning and guidance is also required. The balance and move using two arms simultaneously, influence of the ATNR (discussed earlier) and lack they can then go on to move their arms of kick has made breathing to the side more reciprocally. This can be difficult as they often lack difficult for the girl with spastic quadriplegia and the coordination to keep up a good rhythm and they she has elected to remain using her survival stroke may need manual guidance until they have to swim laps for exercise, rather than persevering developed a smooth flowing movement. The with learning conventional Freestyle. My other swimmer may initially also have difficulties doing pupil is persisting with Freestyle is now achieving a two actions at the same time – e.g. kicking and better overarm action, although coordinating her moving arms. The amount of arm movement arms and breathing is still difficult for her at this achievable depends on the degree of tightness in the early stage. One other swimmer taught by me, with shoulders and the ability to control trunk movement moderate diplegia, had more trunk control than the when the arms are out of the water – i.e. their heads two girls described above and could walk using two may sink. sticks. After 18 months, she was able to achieve a 2. Mild diplegia and hemiplegia Freestyle action and is now integrated into a Children may lack efficient kick and coordinated mainstream squad close to her home. She is
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involved in competitive swimming and continues to sense of achievement … but will improve their improve her times. From these examples it can be quality of life. concluded that trunk control is an important factor in determining whether a child can achieve References: Freestyle using rotation and overarm action. Blanch, Peter – “The Swimming Machine”, Independent lap swimming however, using a Australian Swimming Inc. 1997. survival stroke, (on tummy or back), is a realistic Burns, Y. & MacDonald, J. – “Physiotherapy and the goal for many children with moderately severe Growing Child”, W.B. Saunders, 1996. cerebral palsy. 2. Mild diplegia and hemiplegia Freestyle swimming with good trunk rotation THE TERRIBLE TWOS – should be worked on. If breath control allows, four- TRANSITION CLASS stroke breathing ensures better body alignment and By Pat Taylor streamlining. Breathing to the hemiplegic side encourages better range of motion of the arm. This is a difficult time in all facets of a baby’s Breaststroke can be taught but coordination life. The most definite NO! is expressed with great problems may lead to difficulty learning the kick. authority. Practising Butterfly kick is good for abdominal This is a time when, if the child has had previous control and control around the pelvis but water babies experience, they can advance with no coordinating the stroke also may be a problem for difficulty to the new Transition Class with the carer the swimmer. It should be noted that swimmers or they may simply not want to go into the water at with very low muscle tone in the shoulder girdle all because of the change in routine, or they insist will have shoulder stability problems and there is a that the carer goes in with them. risk of dislocation when performing Butterfly. We are aiming for the parent/carer to sit at the THE COMPETITIVE SWIMMER WITH side of the pool (in swimmers) and then eventually CEREBRAL PALSY not be required in the water at all. Competition can encourage your swimmers to All of the above – and perhaps more – can be keep participating in an exercise that is excellent for expected at this time! Each child is an individual – them. If they are training seriously, however, the some perform better without the carer in sight … coach must be aware of the movement difficulties of some will not. their swimmers. Of particular concern to me is the Know the child and it’s own little needs. What lack of postural control or core stability that these will work one day may not work the next. It is a very swimmers all have, to varying degrees. This will difficult time – both for the new child to the affect their stroke technique. To attempt to correct swimming school – or the experienced water baby. It their stroke when they do not have the stability on is time for change, be they 2 or 62, no one really likes which to move is fraught with difficulty. Similarly, change. The first timer at this age is usually totally muscle imbalances can result in the risk of lost in the new environment and can become very impingement and tendonitis if these issues are not clingy. addressed. Sometimes it can take a few lessons before the With this in mind, I would like to refer you to child settles down and accepts the new situation and “The Swimming Machine” by Peter Blanch. Many this new person directing procedures. Development swimmers see the fact that they are training as an of trust and a safe, happy atmosphere is essential. excuse to ease off on their land based exercise and However, they will progress at their own pace. stretching programs. Unfortunately, this is A new class, routine and teacher is often a fear of inadvisable and it is essential, if they wish to correct the unknown. It is a very rare child that does not their stroke, improve their times and avoid injury that settle down eventually – it simply takes they continue to work on their land exercises. It is understanding, patience and perseverance by both the beyond the scope of this article to outline appropriate teacher and the parent. exercises for swimmers with disabilities but I intend Always adopt the attitude that the pool is a fun to formulate a program with advice from colleagues place to learn and play. If a child is playing, either involved in neurology and sports physiotherapy that aided or unaided, it is learning and accepting the will address issues of core stability, muscle environment and if the child is happy, swimming will imbalances and injury prevention. also be a fun/happy thing to do … therefore, the child CONCLUSION will learn every day and will experiment and become Swimmers with cerebral palsy have extremely more adventurous. complex movement difficulties. Teachers and Always be agreeable and try to direct the child coaches need to be aware of the specific difficulties towards activities they enjoy. Allow the child to in order to ensure their Learn-To-Swim and choose the next activity, if appropriate, or to choose Coaching Programs are appropriate to their what they would like to do during the free time. swimmers’ needs. The Transition Class should retain some songs Swimming can be an important part of the child’s and games from the previous baby class but should overall exercise program. Gaining independence in be more structured towards the basic learn to swim the water will not only improve their self-esteem and program. Carers should be advised that they may
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need their swimmers at any time, even if their particular child is really doing well. At any time, the 2-3 year old can have a bad day and refuse to go in. SWIMMING NEWS As the child develops mentally and physically, the body becomes more efficient … the limbs grow TASMANIA stronger and longer and the child starts to talk … so make good use of newly acquired motor skills and Newsletter of ASCTA Tasmania August 2002 use simple verbal directions. Combine these abilities in songs and activities. MEMBER PROTECTION FOR OUR Allow the child to assert itself. Use familiar games, SWIMMERS etc., but also vary activities/songs each lesson so the Several national sporting organisations, such as lessons are not too predictable or boring. Surf Life Saving Australia, have comprehensive Use lots of coloured toys and aids – e.g. mats and Member Protection Policies. Australian Swimming noodles – to keep the child busy. Allow the child independence and admire its competence. Always Incorporated (ASI) has been the next NSO to release clap and say “well done”. This makes for a happy its Member Protection Policy (MPP) after adopting a situation and an enjoyable class. Children in this age model process that was developed by the Australian group are usually very verbal (even if not apparent in Sports Commission (ASC). the class situation), so allow them to express ASI is one of four sports that have received themselves in shallow water with toys, etc. support from the ASC to implement a MPP. The Adopt an attitude that the pool is a fun place to learn. Keep the child busy and having fun and always policy has taken two years to develop. The ASI Board endorsed it on 4th May and it came into effect lavish the child with praise. Keep the child’s interest st and avoid confrontations. on 1 June 2002. The MPP enables state associations Children at around 20 months become assertive. to drive the member protection process and the Know your children and their traits. If you have a methods will vary in each state. difficult child, it may be better not to have toys for Swimming wants a safe environment for all its that lesson, or perhaps give each child a toy for both members, particularly its children – an environment hands, or postpone the toys until the end of the lesson. free of all forms of harassment, bullying and child Also explain that if a child does not like a abuse. National and state board members and staff particular activity – e.g. back floating – do not force have been involved in HFS Information Sessions to the child, just move away from the main class and let promote greater understanding and awareness of the the child do its own thing … in particular an activity policy. Education has also occurred at club level that it most enjoys. where seminars, meetings and regional assemblies Or, if a child is upset on a particular day, advise have been used to inform people about the policy. It that some children like to play with dolls/toys by themselves, perhaps because they can assert their is proposed that the final ASI MPP will be launched wishes and the object is not negative and does not in late July. Posters and brochures will be available to resist their intensions. all clubs after the launch to further promote the IF this is the case, allow some free time for the importance of the policy. youngster to play alone in shallow water. Explain to Through the implementation of the MPP, ASI the parent/carer that the little one is still learning and intends to provide the best possible service to protect developing an independent affinity with the water and, as development progresses, so too will the water its members. The MPP encompasses two realms… skills. • Protection of members through screening of all At approximately 30 months, the ability to people associated with children in clubs intentionally pull through the water becomes stronger • Implementation of procedures that are fair and and also the fine motor coordination has improved so safe should a harassment claim be made at this time the dog paddle and back sculling can be Preventative actions and complaint resolution lengthened and directed towards a more recognisable big arms or Freestyle and Backstroke. They will procedures outlined in the ASI MPP support those begin to balance on the noodle in a horse like ride. outlined in the ASC’s Member Protection Policy The key I find in handling two-year-olds is to care template (www.activeaustralia.org.au/hfs). and nurture trust. Be versatile and inventive. Keep it Another important aspect of the ASI MPP fun and they will teach themselves the water skills so includes the mandatory screening AND signing of a desperately required in this society and country. Prohibited Persons Declaration. These are required for… • Coaches working with children under 18 years • Volunteers who are likely to travel with a team of competitors under 18 years
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• Any person likely to have individual and done better if she’d just taken a few Total Immersion unsupervised contact with competitors under courses”. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot! 18 years In between, Mr. Helliker finds the always- If a police check reveals a criminal offence then… amusing Mr. Ed Reese at the University of Texas, • If that offence is a serious sex offence… who tells us (tongue in cheek) that since his team o The candidate cannot be appointed to a won the NCAA’s, he just must be the smartest new position coach at this second in time. o If in a current position, the candidate As usual, Ed is right on. If you believe in secrets should be transferred or removed from to success, and shortcuts, you are pretty easy prey to that position those with a momentary angle to pursue. Thankfully, • If the offence is NOT a serious sex offence Mr. Reese, along with most of our other top coaches, there is no compulsion to take any action never fall for this sort of false self-admiration. They As with other issues relating to harassment and not only question everyone else’s ideas, they question discrimination, confidentiality of information is of their own, just as Doc Counsilman recommended paramount importance. Police checks may reveal decades ago. other offences and therefore swimming officials are Now what has happened? Two coaches are in the advised to be discreet in handling this information. Wall Street Journal looking like they are mercenary The State Executive Directors accept charlatans who will sell any idea as long as it’s theirs responsibility for handling harassment complaints. and as long as it earns a buck. The complainant will be put in contact with a trained And the public (represented by the writer) is left Member Protection Officer (MPO) and appropriate to turn to independent experts who are … procedures for dealing with the complaint will be Swimmers!!!! enacted. It’s hard to see this as anything but totally For further information about the ASI Member damaging to the profession. Protection Policy contact John Armstrong (02) 6256 And sadly those two gentlemen wound up with a 9613. very uncomplimentary portrait in the Wall Street GROW THE PIE Journal, and they are not the only ones involved in (Reproduced from Learn-to-Swim Teachers News, this sort of behaviour. Vol. 2002 Issue 2) We hear almost daily of coaches in a locale who There is a very interesting, and, for the coaching speak poorly about their local competitors and fellow profession, sad, article in today’s Wall Street Journal, professional coaches ... who run down their written by Kevin Helliker “On Sports”, titled “Taking achievements, their knowledge, and their Like a Fish to Water”. experiences. It begins with an introduction to Terry Laughlin’s What is the result of all this? The person listening Total Immersion Clinics. It proceeds to the turns away, and looks for the nearest soccer field or questioning writer asking himself “am I learning the gym. No one wants to be involved in a youth or adult right way to swim in this weekend clinic?” sport where the professionals are at each other’s This question leads the writer to another coach by throats. the name of Doug Stern. Mr. Stern proceeds to rip What should we say as professional coaches? the Total Immersion Clinic. Flip back to Mr. Let’s start with a simple question. Have you ever Laughlin, who returns fire by ripping Mr. Stern. been deliberately lied to, or misled, by one of your The intelligent author decides he would be well fellow coaches when you asked them a question? I served by asking the opinion of an independent daresay that very few of you have. We have the best expert without a Clinic to sell. He selects a well- group of professionals in the world when it comes to known swimmer by the name of Janet Evans. Janet sharing our ideas, knowledge and experiences. Any proceeds to say “Baloney” – it’s all about different coach I know will help any other coach who asks for strokes for different folks. The author proceeds to it. another expert, Tom Jager. Tom says that swimming If their ideas do not match with yours, what does isn’t that complicated, it’s simple and you don’t need that mean? It means that the experiences they have to think much about it – “It’s a simple thing that you learned from are different from yours. So they have can make complicated”. different ideas. Are they less valid than your own? I In between, a Total Immersion Instructor would say not. They are just different ….another tool (unnamed) is quoted by Mr. Helliker as saying that to put in our toolbox that we can use on those oh-so- Janet Evans is an “aerobic freak who would have rare occasions when our own brilliance is insufficient to solve a problem in from of us.
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So what can you, should you, say about your local Want to read an electronic version of Coaching competitors and fellow coaches? I would venture that Australia? you should say that they offer something different Coaching Australia newsletter is now available than you do, and perhaps run a program differently. electronically as a PDF file or print friendly file on Explain your program in detail, and cordially invite www.coachingaus.org. If you would prefer to read an the person to take from you, the phone number of electronic version of Coaching Australia rather than other area programs, so they can compare, listen and the printed hardcopy, email the ASC at judge for themselves where they would be happiest [email protected], quote your NCAS ID and best served. I am sure that both Mr. Laughlin and number, your full name and mailing address, and title Mr. Stern have a great deal to offer swimmers, and the email as “electronic version of Coaching most likely they have different strengths to offer. Australia newsletter”. You will then receive by email With better cooperation, the author might have a notification whenever an issue of Coaching chose\n to take BOTH clinics, enriched both coaches, Australia is delivered on the web. and left with two sets of good ideas and a good POOL DOCTOR feeling he could share with others, maybe even in his Is swimming OK for children with grommets? Wall Street Journal column, and brought both The issue of ear infections and swimming lessons coaches and maybe even some others, more business. has long been a parental concern. Though it’s Instead, he left with cynicism and scepticism of all generally accepted that swimming doesn’t cause ear coaching in our sport. infections, myths prevail. People often assume that When we knock each other, we drive people to water causes ear infections. While this could play a other sports ... and the pie shrinks. When we praise role in outer ear canal conditions, such as “swimmers and support each other, we bring people to swimming ear”, pathogens travelling through the Eustachian ... and the pie grows. tubes into the middle and inner ear are the primary Concentrate on growing the sport! Make the pie cause of children’s ear infections. bigger! – John Leonard, July 9, 2002. Another question that arises is whether children “Swim in Your Own Current, even if you swim with grommets should be allowed to swim. Children against the Tide.” with chronic ear infections sometimes have a CHECK YOUR COACHING procedure called myringotomy or tympanotomy ACCREDITATION STATUS ON THE WEB performed. This involves an incision in the eardrum When does your coaching accreditation expire? to drain fluid and allow an exchange of air between How many sports have you accredited with the the middle and outer ear. Grommets (tympanotomy National Coaching Accreditation Scheme? tubes) are inserted to maintain the opening. It’s often Want to update your personal contact details for your assumed that children with grommets should not be coaching accreditation? allowed to swim. No phone call and no delay: find out the answers In the NSSA’s Infant/Toddler Swimming Course, to the above by clicking your mouse to the newly there is reference to a study that states, “children with launched NCAS locker on the Australian Sports grommets should be allowed to swim”. That study Commission’s coaching Web Site … showed no increased risk of ear infections to children www.coachingaus.org with grommets. There is even evidence suggesting More benefits … in the NCAS locker you can children who swim have a lower incidence of ear access free templates for the Australian Sports infections. The 10-year-old study does caution about Commission’s “Coach’s Record Book.” The bathtub water where soaps and bacterial loading templates include attendance sheet, session planner, could be high. More recent information supports the athlete analysis, squad selection and competition advice that swimming with grommets is permissible. analysis. Dr. Carla Giannoni states, “I believe that children Security … Entry to the NCAS locker is secured. should be allowed to swim with grommets. The NCAS coaches needs to enter their personal details to dangers of water exposure are more theoretical than gain entry to the NCAS locker. observed. Ear protection and water avoidance are Other useful information you can find at unnecessary burdens to place on our patients”. www.coachingaus.org includes… (Swimming with Tympanotomy Tubes, ARCH What’s new?, Coaches’ Profiles, Coaching Otolaryngeal Head Neck Surg / Vol 126, Dec. 2000, Topics, NCAS General, Course Directory, Coaching pp 1508 – 1509). Contacts, Events and Conferences, Magazine and However, Dr. Giannoni says, “soapy water can Newsletter, Thanks Coach Campaign. carry microbial pathogens into the middle ear through the grommets. Head submersion in soapy,
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dirty bathwater may increase the risk of otorrhea and infection when grommets are in place”. She also Swimming Psychology cautions against diving when grommets are in place, By Craig Townsend particularly in lakes and ponds due to increased Craig Townsend is Director of “It’s Mind pressure and microbial presence. over Matter” in Sydney, Australia, and has While swimming professionals should not worked in the in the area of mental training for swimming, sport and personal diagnose medical conditions or contradict doctor’s development for over a decade. He advice, they should educate clients about the latest believes in empowering people and medical information. This information shows ear teaching cutting-edge skills to extract the infections and/or grommets shouldn’t prevent utmost from their talent. children from experiencing the benefits of swimming. Surface and shallow water swimming Tip No.71 … SURVIVING ALL THE MEET should be encouraged in all children as a normal & TEAM PRESSURES – AND STILL developmental activity. WINNING Do you have a question for the Pool Doctor? Email … [email protected] Being a winner often requires having some time Contacts alone to psych yourself mentally into shape, which ASCTA (Tas. Branch) President; Justin Helmich means NOT always being the ‘life of the party’ with Mobile: 0419109407 your team - and unfortunately this is not always Email: [email protected] popular with all squad members or teammates. Mail: 337 St. Leonards Road, St. Leonards 7250. Here are some guidelines designed to help you continue winning - whilst keeping everyone happy ASCTA (Tas. Branch) Secretary/Treasurer; Peter and the pressure from your team to a minimum. Churchill Meets and team expectations can occasionally force Mobile: 0438 136 857 swimmers into situations where they find themselves Email: [email protected] racing without any mental preparation, and this Mail: PO Box 197, New Town 7008 does not bring success. If you wish to have anything published in this For instance, if your team travels to a Meet and newsletter please send it in a word format document you are to room with a teammate, it’s generally better or Email it to the Secretary, Peter Churchill, as to room with someone who takes their swimming as above. seriously as you do – otherwise, the situation may arise where they are out of their events early and Coach of the Year and the NEW!! Talented Coach wanting to party whilst you are trying to mentally Education Award prepare for finals races. At the last ASCTA AGM, the structure of the Even at the Olympics, this can be a big problem. awards given by ASCTA (Tas. Branch) to the Coach If the rest of your team are unimpressed with your of the Year and Country Coach of the year was room choice, make sure they know that you are changed to meet the following guidelines. happy to see them anytime during the day – but at Coach of the Year – Nominated by members of least you can get some sleep at night when you need the ASCTA (Tas. Branch). The Branch will pay it. registration fees for the successful coach to attend the If you use a visualisation tape (or your own national ASCTA Conference in the following year. music) for mentally programming yourself for a Talented Coach Education Award – Letters of successful race, make sure you get some time alone application from interested parties should be sent to (away from the noise) to do this – with your eyes the Secretary of ASCTA (Tas. Branch). Letters closed, even just for a few minutes. should include the following… During Meets, this is not always easy however. In Your activities for the past 12 months, order to get the quiet time you need, this could mean Professional Development in swimming during the visualising whilst in bed (in the morning or before past 12 months, details of swimmers coached and bedtime), going outside the pool to the car park, in achievements, level of coaching achieved, goals for the car, or even in a restroom cubicle if required! further coaching, and your plans for using the $450 All you need is a short period of quiet time to educational reimbursement from ASCTA (Tas. program yourself for success. If you use a disc man Branch). or walkman with earpieces, nobody needs to know that you are visualising at all, they will just assume
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you are just vibing out to some music (which, in a good results. When you immerse your subconscious way, you are – but just for other reasons!) mind into a pool of new thoughts – filled with power, In the 30 minutes before a race you need to strength, excellence, courage, etc., it will begin to quieten your mind and begin to focus on the job automatically steer you in the direction of success. ahead – using combinations of visualisation, positive Probably the easiest way to do this is to hang thoughts and powerful affirmations. around successful people! For instance, if you are Unfortunately, this can be a very difficult time to an excellent swimmer, it is reasonable to say that if break away from the team in order to get this quiet you constantly hung around with people like Ian time. Inform only your absolute closest friends and Thorpe, Pieter van den Hoogenband or Inge De confidantes that you use this quiet time to do some Bruijn for long enough, you would begin taking on mental exercises (or better still, don’t tell anyone at their habits of success, and eventually your results all), as others may make this task very difficult for would escalate dramatically. you if they find out (sad but true!). Remember, this is Of course, you don’t have to be in their company the practice of elite athletes – most everyday to do this; you can find out what the successful swimmers do not understand (or use) mental training swimmers do and begin to make some of their at all, and will not make it easy for you if they find successful habits your own. They call this out. MODELLING SUCCESS – which (in swimming) Yes, even the world’s best swimmers and athletes means to copy successful swimmers of your choice have to do this at some time in their careers. Some and begin to take on some of their successful habits prefer to be loners, being alone in the solitude of which you like, or can identify with. their own thoughts for longer periods, whilst most Another simple way to do this is to ask yourself combine this approach with a healthy, outgoing team regularly “how would Ian (or Pieter/ Gary/ Inge/ attitude – which I think is preferable if you can find Lenny, etc.) handle this?” The chances are that if you the correct balance. take the option you consider they would take, then it A team can be a mighty boost to you in the pool will probably be the right one. Begin taking the and should not be discounted too lightly – but it’s powerful option, by thinking big and expecting the just important to ensure that they do not hinder your best. mental preparation. Find the balance – that’s the key. Begin also knowing from now on that YOU are So apart from these crucial times of quiet mental in control of your own thoughts. You and only you training and psyching-up, enjoy your time with the ... ALWAYS. You never need ever get angry or team and be a part of it. It only requires short breaks frustrated again – it is all up to you what you choose of quiet time to program yourself for success and to think. No one can ever bother you again, or make regain your mental clarity, and so in between these you intimidated, anxious, fearful, etc. – unless you let times, be a member of the team and enjoy yourself. them. Yes, it IS possible to be liked and be a winner, all You have total control over the way you think at the same time – you just have to find the right and act – you are not at the mercy of the world, as so balance that works best for you. many people seem to think. Take back your power instead of giving it to others, and know that nothing Tip No.72 … THINK POWERFUL, need bother you ever again. Better still; know that it SUCCESSFUL THOUGHTS & MANAGE will only bother you if you ALLOW it to bother you. YOUR LIFE LIKE A PRO This way you remain in complete mental control – and when you control your mind, you control your Being a successful swimmer is not just body as well. The swimmer who manages their something you do in the water. It follows you thoughts and life the best outside the pool, will everywhere you go in life. probably also manage their swims best in the pool. Being successful in the pool means thinking The top swimmers have to become ABSOLUTE successfully out of the pool as well. It means MASTERS at handling outside pressures such as expecting the best – of yourself and of others. It media attention, public expectation, as well as the means never being satisfied with anything that is usual stuff like training, meets, friends, etc. – and this second-rate, but demanding excellence of yourself in is what you need to be able to do also, in order to all areas of your life. Powerful thoughts. succeed. The easiest way to be successful at anything is Begin managing your life like a professional. to become a successful PERSON. This means Cool, calm and efficient ... In the pool, and out. thinking and behaving the way a successful person Think powerful thoughts. Together, these can only would think and behave – and this will always bring bring strong results.
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basically rendered useless – as it cannot directly Tip No.73 … COMPARING YOURSELF TO influence another swimmer’s race. FASTER SWIMMERS – GOOD OR BAD? This means that even the highly competitive swimmers (who thrive on trying to beat their One of the worst things (for self-confidence) and teammates and competitors) focus upon what they one of the best things (for improvement) is to are doing, and then they check out the other regularly compare yourself to better swimmers in swimmer’s times later. your own team or squad. Yes, I know this doesn’t The more you know about yourself, the better seem to make sense, so let me explain. a swimmer you will be – so it’s worth discovering Laura Broadbent, a swimmer with Stratford which motivations which bring out your best, and Kinsmen Y Aquatic Club in Ontario Canada asked use them to your advantage. me about this recently, and the answer is that comparing yourself to others can be a double-edged Tip No.74 … WATCH OUT FOR SILENT sword – meaning it can be good OR bad for you, SABOTEURS depending on your personality type. Swimmers who may be a little low in confidence When you are at a Meet, there are all kinds of may only drive their confidence down FURTHER silent hazards to watch for which can affect your by comparing themselves to the faster swimmers in mental attitude (and your races) – and many their team, whereas the more COMPETITIVE swimmers don’t even know they are there. types often thrive and improve even faster by Recognising these hazards is the main step doing this. It all depends on what type of person you towards a successful mindset – as many swimmers are and your level of confidence in your own ability. don’t recognise them and simply allow their mental It’s important to work out which category you fit approach (and their races) to be silently sabotaged - into, otherwise you may be tearing down your without even knowing it! confidence each time you are beginning to build it up I will go into some of these hazards in a moment, again. I must say that the majority of swimmers I but first, the best way to remain focused and positive have worked with have generally been far better at a Meet is to regularly check in with your thoughts when they simply worked upon improving their every 10 or 20 minutes, to ensure that your thinking OWN PB’s – as this keeps them focused upon their is on track for a successful Meet. Basically, this own performance and off their competitors’. allows you to notice what you are thinking each This fits in with my philosophy of FOCUS time you check in, and eradicate any negative UPON THE GOAL, NOT THE OBSTACLES – thoughts immediately before they begin to grow but this is not to say that you couldn’t be in the other more powerful. This is essential – as once these category – it is up to you to work this out for negative thoughts take effect, they are very difficult yourself. One sure way of knowing is if you find to overcome. yourself obsessing about other swimmers’ times, this It’s also very important to keep a watchful eye out is a sure sign that you should bring your focus back for other potential saboteurs which can be are intent in upon your own swims. on your swimming destruction – let me show you However, regardless of which category you what I mean. Here are just a few very powerful silent belong to – never, ever allow your competitors’ saboteurs to your swimming, to watch out for at performances to dominate your thinking – your Meets… prime focus should always be your own lane, and Uncontrollables – these are powerful negative your own swim. Otherwise, you may find your own thoughts, which focus upon all the things you performance is beginning to suffer due to lack of absolutely cannot control. This can range mental focus and attention - and this often occurs from hundreds of different factors, such as the with overly-competitive swimmers. These amount of swimmers in the warm-up pool, the swimmers often want to win so much they almost try temperature of the water, the lane you are to will their competitors to lose rather than focus swimming in, the size and physique of your upon their performance – and this simply does not competitors, etc. work. These (highly common) thoughts create anxiety, Your mind requires a very clear goal to act which constrict the muscles and reduce the blood upon (to give you the result you want) and so if your low, thus reducing your performance in the pool. You goal is totally focused upon another swimmer, must watch for these thoughts very closely at Meets, your subconscious mind’s role in your swim is and stop them immediately before they take effect.
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