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There are only a few meets
in the Long Course Season, so this means that there is less chance to prepare
for the Championship Season which starts in June for our younger swimmers and
goes through to July and August for NYAC's provincial and higher level swimmers.
This means that focus is extremely important, so that you maximize each racing
and training opportunity. As always, it's not how fast you're swimming, it's how
you're swimming fast!
I would like to spend some time talking about the
most effective approach to Long Course racing and training. I call it "Training
in High Gear".I'd
like to use the analogy of cycling to illustrate this concept of Training in High
Gear. Most people can relate to the gears on the bicycle turning at a high revolution
rate with the least amount of resistance. We call this cycling in the lowest gear.
Certainly the revolution per minute rate is a lot higher in the low gear but this
doesn't translate into faster speed or velocity because the tension is less. It's
easy to pedal but you don't get very far, very fast in this scenario. Furthermore,
you're going to reach a point of diminishing return because the resistance of
the lower gears is going to plateau simply because there is only so fast that
your feet can pedal. As you move to the higher gears on the sprocket, the resistance
increases and it requires more strength to pedal. Pedalling in the higher gears
is more demanding but it gives you higher returns of speed or velocity. It is
the same thing in swimming, especially in long course season and I like to use
this concept of the gears on the bicycle to impress upon my swimmers the importance
of technique in racing and training.
At this time of the year swimmers
should be paying attention to maximizing their range of motion, to create a stroke
efficiency that is based on the fewest number of strokes per length of the pool
with the best technique possible. This in essence is training in the high gear.
Mastering form and control (technique) at the higher gears will require strength
gains to execute stronger revolutions for superior speed and velocity. This is
important in long course because there are fewer turns. Without the extra walls
to gain speed and velocity, you need to maximize your stroke power.
Let's
illustrate this high gear concept in the context of a 200 freestyle event. In
the first 50 m, if your stroke -cycle rate is not sustainable during the course
of the race, then you have taken too many strokes and there will be a drop off
in terms of splitting: the last three 50s will not stay the same, but instead
will get slower.
This is a very common race approach for the 14 and under
swimmer. It's the process of learning pace control that inevitably will lead to
superior performances. Successful older swimmers know how to properly budget their
strength throughout the race, so that they will not burn out or drop off in the
last 50!
In early season meets the importance has to be on swimming the
races with integrity (pacing and splits), as opposed to just being focused on
the end result. If you've been racing with the wrong focus in short course, then
you're going to pay for it in long course.
Going back to our bicycle analogy,
you will acquire the necessary strength by swimming with a greater range in motion
and balancing the stroke rate according to the needs of the race (for instance
the stroke rate in a sprint will differ from a longer race). You need to be training
in the high gear right now: focusing on the fewest strokes per length, with higher
and higher stroke rates, balanced to the needs of the swim. If you train in the
high gear then you are acquiring the necessary strength requirements to race in
the high gear to balance stroke rate and stroke length according to the needs
of the swim.
How else do you train in high gear?
Swimmers need
a certain amount of physical strength that is rooted in core development when
preparing the body to swim and train in high gear. NYAC has recently solicited
the services of Claudia Bolognesi of Studio C to guide our National Group athletes
and to train group coaches. Bi-weekly, Claudia trains the National Group in the
gym at Glendon College. She will also be presenting a seminar to all NYAC coaches
to train them on proper form and technique for dry-land and core body training.
This new training of NYAC coaches will be taking place in the month of May. This
will set the club up for a consistent dry-land program across all training groups.
As
parents and swimmers make their preparations for summer activities they should
consider selecting summer camps and programs that cater towards cross-training
as opposed to just swimming. This not only allows for muscle and mental regeneration,
but still allows for physical gains in strength and conditioning necessary for
any sport. It is also good for swimmers to be doing load-bearing exercise since
they don't get any of that in the pool.
Short Course Recap Team
Selections
NYAC has had an extremely successful short course season.
This is reflected in the selection of numerous NYAC swimmers to upcoming tour
teams and camps. I would like to congratulate the swimmers and their coaches for
their outstanding achievements:
1. Eastern Canada Tri Camp and Competition:
Representing the Ontario Team are Alex Jin and Teddy Kelp.
2. Swim Ontario
Train to Compete Provincial Camp: Teddy Kelp and Youn Ho Choi
3. North American
Challenge Cup: Representing Canada are 6 NYAC Swimmers! They include Teddy Kelp,
Alex Jin, Jacob Lee, Caitlin Hodge, Alex Hamilton and Youn Ho Choi.
4. Swimming
Canada's 2011 Short Course Identification team: Alex Hamilton
5. John Grootveld
Sr. Invitational: NYAC had 7 new Provincial Qualifiers! Team
Champs in Sudbury
Another indication of our successful Short Course
Season is our final standings at Team Champs in Sudbury just before the long weekend.
NYAC was 4th overall with some outstanding swims and 31 of 40 swimmers scoring
points. Congrats to
all swimmers who competed and a big "thank you" to our chaperones Linda
Liberta, Mina Ajalli, Sandy Jin and Jane Hair.
Below
are the point earners in alphabetical order:
Jonathan
Brodie (14) 8 points
India Bruhn (12) 5
Youn Ho Choi (14) 31 1 Gold 1 silver
Cassandra
chong (10) 3
Roland Drews (18) 7
Seonaid Hair (10) 4
Alex Hamilton (15)
34 2 Gold 2 Silver
Caitlin Hodge (16) 17 1 Silver 1 Bronze
Nathaniel Hu
(15) 4
Alex Jin (14) 33 3 Gold
Teddy Kalp (14) 41 3 gold 2 Silver
Julian
Kennedy (9) 9
Sasha Kennedy (12) 11
Rogan Kim (15) 2
Jocelyn Langballe
(18) 10
Jacob Lee (12) 34 1 Gold 2 Silver 1 Bronze
Lee Ann liberta (13)
1
Thomas Lychy (11) 3
Matti Maclachan (12) 5
Allison Martin (12) 17
Katie
Martin (16) 13
Kiera M-Russell (13) 10
Alex Mierzynaki (15) 20 2 Bronze
Mike
Minh (13) 8
Saki Nakamura (10) 30 1 Gold 2 Silver 1 Bronze
Donna Nguyen
(14) 9
Angelena Pan (12) 8
Mack Smith (16) 15 1 Bronze
Ryan Tong (12)
27 1 Gold 2 Silver
Eddy Toro (23) 34 1 Silver 1 Bronze Upcoming
Events
There are a lot of exciting racing opportunities coming up.
Additionally at the end of May, the National Group will depart for their Spring
Training Camp in Barbados. Over the course of ten days, NYAC will be in Barbados
at the same time as the Etobicoke Swim Club. This will provide for some excellent
training opportunities for both teams. NYAC also has two upcoming meets that we
will be hosting: May Performance at U of T, and Mayor's Cup at Douglas Snow.
I
would like to thank all NYAC families for their continued support and the countless
hours of volunteer work which is undertaken for the good of all NYAC swimmers.
Keep up the great work, train hard and race fast.
Go NYAC!
Coach
Murray
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