Swimmer’s Thread
This thread is the place for swimming discussion. Feel free to post your times, meet results, and other helpful info.

Note: If I have missed a link please pm me that link.:thanx:

Swimming Websites:
Swimming websites for the major countries. If I have not posted a link to your nation’s website please post the link and I will add it.

United States Swimming (http://www.usaswimming.org/usasweb/DesktopDefault.aspx)

Australian Swimming
(http://www.ausswim.telstra.com.au/)
Australian Swim Coaches Association (http://www.ascta.com/)

Austrian Swimming Federation (Verbandes Osterreichischer Schwimmvereine) (in German) (http://www.asn.or.at/voes/)

Swimming/Natation Canada (http://www.swimming.ca/)

Canadian Swimming (http://www.swimming.ca/swimming/)

Danish Swimming Federation (http://www.ol.dif.dk/english/swimming.htm)

Division 3 Swimming and Diving (http://www.d3swimming.com/)

Danish Swimming Federation (in Danish) (http://www.dslf.dk/)

The Dutch site of Swimming (Unofficial Site)
(http://www.dutchswim.home.ml.org/)
Faroese Swimming Association (Faroe Islands) (http://ftp.sleipnir.fo/sport/svim/ssfeng.htm)

Finnish Swimming Association (in Finnish) (http://www.slu.fi/uimaliitto/)

French Swimming Federation (Fédération Française de Natation) (in French) (http://www.ffnatation.org/)

German Swimming Federation (DSV Schwimmen Verband) (in German) (http://www.dsv.de/)

GIBRALTAR STRAIT SWIMMING ASSOCIATION webpage (Spanish and English) (http://www.acneg.com/)

Icelandic Swimming Association (http://www.toto.is/sersamb/ssi/english/default.htm)

Natacion en Mexico (in Spanish) (http://www.matem.unam.mx/carlosh/natacion.html)

Norweigan Swimming Federation (in Norweigan) (http://www.nif.idrett.no/svomming/)

Polish Swimming (in Polish) (http://free.polbox.pl/p/polswim/)

Portugese Swimming Federation (FEDERAÇÃO PORTUGUESA DE NATAÇÃO) (in Portugese)
(http://www.fpnatacao.pt/)
Swim South Africa
(http://swim.co.za/)
Spanish Swimming Federationv (in Spanish) (http://www.ctv.es/rfen/)

Swedish Swimming Federation (in Swedish) (http://www.svenskidrott.se/simning/)

Swiss Swimming Federation (http://www.fsn.ch/)

FINA website
(http://www.fina.org/)

News Sites

SWIMNEWS ONLINE (http://www.swimnews.com/) – an excellent website with the latest swimming news.

Swimming Magazines:

Swimming World (http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/swiminfowire/)

Podcasts

Speedo Make Waves (http://www.speedo.com/index.php?option=com_podcast&Itemid=167&task=overview)

Links
Swimming Links (http://www.niagaraswim.org/Swimlinks/swim%20links.htm)

Misc.

Soon to be released: Pride (http://www.pridefilm.com/site.php)– a movie about swimming

Articles

Technique (http://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/technique/)

Top 30 Foods for Swimmers (http://www.usaswimming.org/USASWeb/_Rainbow/Documents/94917f2c-4fea-46be-9629-23cd96f88a5d/Top%2030%20Foods%20for%20Swimmers.pdf)

Articles for Master Swimmers (http://www.usms.org/articles/)

Featured Article(s)
FREESTYLE - Head-Up Swimming
by Glenn Mills (http://www.goswim.tv/pMachinePro/members/profile_view_ind.php?id=1)

Catch and kick. Those two very important components of a good freestyle are tough to work on at the same time. It's hard to think about two focus points at once -- especially when they involve OPPOSITE ENDS of the body.

This drill almost FORCES you to feel the catch of the hands, as well as kick more quickly and frequently. If you don't do BOTH... you won't be able to accomplish the simple goal of the drill, which is keeping your head above water.

DESCRIBE THE IMAGE If you're a beginner or intermediate swimmer, or if you're still working on balance, this drill may seem to go AGAINST everything you're trying to learn. It asks you to be UNBALANCED, but this can be good when you realize how HARD you have to work when you're out of balance. For more advanced swimmers, this drill is a good way to practice swimming freestyle with a bit more intensity and aggression. Don't think about your balance when you do this drill. Just allow whatever happens to happen as long as you're... keeping your head above the water.

Why Do It:

Head-Up Freestyle requires that you make a quick connection with your hands at the front of the pull. While some may argue that this connection is placed at the wrong angle because it's a more supportive move, a connection is a connection, and when the head is lowered, the angle of connection will change automatically and it will all tie together. This drill also requires that your legs stay active. If your kick is too small or too slow, the lower half of your body is going to sink SO low that it will be TOUGH to make it to the other end.

How To Do It:

1. Push off and swim freestyle like you normally would... only... lift your head out of the water.

2. Look directly forward, and keep your head stable. Don't allow it to move from side to side. Keep the eyes looking forward.

3. Try to keep your mouth above water, and avoid bobbing up and down for air. Move on a straight line to the other end.

4. To increase your turnover, experiment with a bit wider entry. Find the spot that allows you to maintain a quick rhythm as well as keep your head up.

5. Maintain a quick, consistent kick throughout the entire length.

How To Do It Really Well (the Fine Points):

This is an aggressive drill, so limit your swims to 25 or 50 yards. Take a break, then try again. Don't overdo it and end up struggling just to grab a breath. You'll also find that the drill is easier to do if you release the hands earlier in the back. If you push the hand too far back, you slow the rate of rotation, and cause your head to fall into the water. Keep the hands out in front as much as possible.

To make sure you don't end up with a high-head freestyle, alternate sets of this drill with some long, smooth, slow pulling or swimming to remind yourself how you can integrate this pull into your regular stroke. Because this drill works the legs, taking a little break with pulling or swimming will allow you to maintain a quicker kick when you switch back to the drill.

Okay, I'm going to post sets/practices here which I'll try to update once every week. I'll also give each practice a level. Ages are merely estimates.

Elite/Senior: You need to be a fast, strong swimmer; ~ages 13+; Should be able to do a 100 on ~1:05 or less (in a meet).
Age Group: You need to be able to hold your own. All ages

Vocab:
Base: refers to base interval fro your 100 hundreds.
Build: To get faster throughout the swim
Descend: The interval gets faster every repitition (You go 1:15, then 1:10, etc.)
500 pace: The pace you would go on your 500. If you do 5:00 for a 500 then you would do a 50 on :30.
AFAYCH: As fast as you can hold. You'll want to hold a fast pace for the whole set.

Practice #1:


Practice Lvl: Elite/Senior

Warmup:

5X200 1-FREE 2-PULL 3-KICK 4-IM 5-FREE
6X125 ODDS - 50 KICK 75 BUILD
EVENS - IM (EXTRA 25 CHOICE.. ADD IN WITH OTHER 25 OF SAME STROKE)
7X50 3-KICK (1 EZ 2 FAST) 4 - DESCEND

Prep Set, Base 100's:
5X100 @ BASE
5X50 ON :55 ODDS-GOAL 500 PACE
EVENS- DIST PER STROKE
5X100 @ BASE+5
5X50 ON :50, AS ABOVE
5X100 @ BASE-5
5X50 ON :45 AS ABOVE

100 EZ
500 SPEED PLAY
100 EZ


600 - (50 PULL 50 KICK 50 SWIM) 4X
6X250 ON 3:45 3- AFAYCH 1@RECOVERY
| 200 PULL
| 250 @ 500 PACE
2X | 200 KICK
| 250 @ 500 PACE
| 200 SWIM
| 250 @ 500 PACE

Practice Found Here (http://www.goswim.tv/pMachinePro/forum/threads.php?id=3120_0_8_0_C).

Practice #2


Practice Lvl: Senior/Elite

800 choice swim
300 choice drill

6 x through (odd = swim even = kick):
4 x 25 descend on :30

4 x 400 on :30 sec rest
1 = last 50 slo-mo arms w/fast legs
2 = last 100 slo-mo arms w/fast legs
3 = last 150 slo-mo arms w/fast legs
4 = last 200 slo-mo arms w/fast legs

500 Timed Kick w/fins on 7:00 (Goal = 50 Free Time)

6 x through (choice unless specified):
25 build pull on :30
50 negative split on :50
75 pull under best 100 time on 1:10
100 DPS free on 1:30

Timed 50 off Blocks

300 swim (5650)

Practice found here (http://www.goswim.tv/pMachinePro/forum/threads.php?id=3300_0_8_0_C).

Practice #3


Practice Lvl: Senior/Elite

1000 (100 drill + 100 swim)
5 x 100 kick descend on 2:00


4 x 75 free on 1:05 hold pace
3 x 50 breast w/flutter + breast build on 1:05
4 x 75 free on 1:00 hold pace
3 x 50 breast w/flutter + breast build on 1:05
4 x 75 free on :55 hold pace
3 x 50 breast w/flutter + breast build on 1:05
4 x 75 free on :50 hold pace


800 (50 free + 50 back) D-P-S w/10 yard streamlines


10 x 25 fly from blocks w/10 push-ups before each 25 (hold stroke count + palms up)


Back Progression (2 x through):
4 x 25 underwater dolphin on :30
3 x 50 kick on side on :55
2 x 75 10 k roll + 8 k roll + 6 k roll on 1:20
1 x 100 swim on 1:40 (hip rotation)


600 swim w/:10 sec fast vertical dolphin each 50


300 swim (6100)

Practice Found Here (http://www.goswim.tv/pMachinePro/forum/threads.php?id=3227_0_8_0_C).

Practice #4

Practice Lvl: Age Group

100 swim - (SCM Pool)
100 kick streamline on back
100 drill - choice

4x25's scull @ 1:30

4x50's midpool, 3 sec. flip turn pause drill @ 1:30 (Work on flip turn so that when the feet touch the wall their arms are in a streamline position.)

4x100's breaststroke @ 4:00
*Recap scull set from earlier and talk about the outsweep and insweep of BR.

100 C.D.

Practice Found Here (http://www.goswim.tv/pMachinePro/forum/threads.php?id=3154_0_9_0_C).

Okay, this is the new News section. Look here for the latest swimming news.

Henin-Hardenne Pips Manaudou By A Point
Jan 2, 2007 Craig Lord

European journalists have voted world No1 tennis players Roger Federer, of Switzerland, and Justine Henin-Hardenne, of Belgium, the world's top sportsman and woman of 2006, Laure Manaudou, the French swimmer, beaten to the title by just one point.

Henin-Hardenne, 24, took the award of the AIPS, Europe's representative body for professional sports journalists, for the third successive time after winning six titles in 2006: the French Open and tournaments in Sydney, Dubaï, Eastbourne, New Haven and the Masters.

Manaudou's second-place finish in part reflects a lack of understanding of the quality of her world l/c records over 400m freestyle among the army of journalists who follow the tennis circus week in week out all year long. Such is the nature of that sport, and such is the nature of swimming ... though it does help to lodge one's vote. I didn't this year. Deeply sorry, Laure.

Reserved 3 :mischief:

Parting Shot (for now)
http://www.irandaily.ir/1384/2337/html/028539.jpg

Okay, you can post now.

3.5 years ago i tried to cross the Gibraltar Strait swimming (14.5 km at the narrowest point). The event was cancelled at 1/3 of the distance due to sudden bad weather though. It was a bit harder than i expected so i didnt try it again. Here you have the GIBRALTAR STRAIT SWIMMING ASSOCIATION webpage (Spanish and English): http://www.acneg.com/

Wow... that must have been quite an experience. Too bad it got canceled.

Okay, the link has been added, thanks!

Water was way too cold even being summer and wearing a thin neoprene, and waves at high sea are much higher than near the coast, so it makes swimming uncomfortable. There is a lot of people that has done it though, even a 74 years old guy. :eek:

Water was way too cold even being summer and wearing a thin neoprene, and waves at high sea are much higher than near the coast, so it makes swimming uncomfortable.

That stinks. You're better than I am, I find the pool water chilly.

There is a lot of people that has done it though, even a 74 years old guy. :eek:

:wow: That must have been... interesting.

Okay. I've added a practice section in the first few posts. Enjoy! :D

What's everyone's best stroke? Mines the breaststroke.

http://www.d3swimming.com

Good site to expand your NCAA horizons :)

I was a butterflyer and backstroker - the 100 yard variety. Pretty much retired now, but I did qualify for the Olympic Trials in the 100 fly (which was always a big goal of mine). Good luck with your season!

Thanks for the link, Egroen. I'm an okay backstroker but my butterfly is horrible.

I've updated the featured articles section.

Is it just me, or is no one really interested in swimming?

Normally the only succesful threads are the ones with some polemic. So if you had started a thread like "who is better Popov or Ian Zorp?" or something similar surely you would have more posts. ;)

On my preferred stroke it is backstroke. But i am faster in butterfly and of course crawl.

Normally the only succesful threads are the ones with some polemic. So if you had started a thread like "who is better Popov or Ian Zorp?" or something similar surely you would have more posts. ;).

Yeah, those are usually the most successful. I should have named this the Swimmer's Resource then. It's more appropriate since this thread is really a big group of useful links.

well, for what it's worth, I one swam the 100 m Freestyle (SC) under 1 minute, clocking in at 0:59.88.

and I finished 14th one year at the Ontario Provincial SC Championships in the 100 m Breaststroke.

I was an average swimmer at best, a mediocre one more realistically.

I finished 14th one year at the Ontario Provincial SC Championships in the 100 m Breaststroke.

A belated congratulations then :goodjob: ! I do horrible since I age up 1 or 2 days before championships and am forced to swim with much faster people.

well, it was more than 15 years ago...

That's not that long... it's just about 5475 days.

Okay, I've updated the practice section.

I used to swim the 100 Meter Backstroke in high school.
Then I lost my swim trunks at a championship meet.

That was enough for me to quit the sport.

I used to swim the 100 Meter Backstroke in high school.
Then I lost my swim trunks at a championship meet.

Pulls up swim trunks :mischief:. :cringe: Ouch.

That was enough for me to quit the sport.

I can imagine...

Question:

How do you guys do that underwater flip at the end of the lane to change direction?

A flip turn is really easy to do. Here are a few simple steps for doing the turn:

STEP 1: Approach the wall of the pool swimming freestyle. Begin your turn just short of a body length away from the wall.

STEP 2: Tuck your chin to your chest and roll your body into a ball, so that you start to do a forward flip in the water. Blow air out of your nose to avoid inhaling water.

STEP 3: Open your body halfway through your flip and extend your legs to push off against the wall.

STEP 4: Push off the wall in the opposite direction from the one in which you were swimming. You should still be on your back at this point.

STEP 5: Streamline your entire body and roll back over onto your belly as you glide. Your shoulders should be up against your ears and your fingers should be pointed. Begin kicking immediately.

STEP 6: Begin stroking with your arms as soon as your body breaks the surface of the water.

There are a lot of ways you can practice a flip turn as well. Start by doing flips in the middle of the pool. Don't worry about exiting the "ball" position.

Once you've got the hang of that, start to open up the ball. You should almost be sitting, legs bent to about 90 degrees. Keep practicing.

Ready for the wall? This time stand in front of the wall, then flip. Don't push off the wall. Simply stop your flip once your feet touch the wall. Repeat until you feel well acquainted with where the wall is and where you should be once you begin your flip.

Now that you have gotten a feel for using the wall, stand a couple feet back, and then jump into your turn, pushing off on your back. Remember your technique!

After practicing that for a while, start to swim into the wall. Don't breath for two strokes into and out of the wall. Also, make sure you are pushing off on your back. Don't twist around on the wall. Believe me, it pays to develop good habits early on.

Well that's about it. A flip turn is very simple, it really just takes a ton of practice.

Steps from here (http://www.ehow.com/how_5299_flip-turn-swimming.html).

A ton :confused: weeell maybe, but it take a month to get it right...

But it takes years to perfect it :p .

So you guys shave your legs and chest and .... .?

Nope! Thank god for full body suits!

We don't do that for high school. I have no idea what the girls do, but the boys on my high school team don't shave.

But it takes years to perfect it :p .

Well, thats right!

Yeah I swim, have pretty good times, 3 junior olympic times (almost 4)
Times
50 free- :27.71
100 free- 59.70
200 free- 2:09.52
500 free- 6:13.02 (i didn't try on that one)
100 breast- 1:13.75 (jo)
200 breast- 2:37.95 (jo)
100 back- 1:09.97
200 back- 2:33.42
100 fly- 1:08.96
200 im- 2:24.47
400 im- 5:07.84 (jo)

Man, i got like 37,67 on fifty free, but that would probably be my age spooking...

This might help for flip turn :)

Flipturn (http://www.svl.ch/flipturn.html)

Forgot to ask...hey do you know where I can watch starts or day events from internet? Swimming seems to be enough un-popular sport in Finland so they don't air any kind of compilation after 11am :mad: When they air primary show, who the hell has to time to watch Tv at 11am. Un-employes maybe.

So far I've missed allmost all the events, except events on sunday. Pisssss me offf!!!! :mad: I love swimming and love to watch such great sport, it doesn't bother me that our swimmers doesn't happened to be in a good shape or good enough to challenge the best, I just want to see the game.

help me please :)

Man oh man do I suck at swimming.

I'm a dog paddle whore. Might want to learn, in case I wind up drunk at a party where the host has a pool...

Props to all you who can swim, I can't even float really.

I have the floating qualities of a brick. I like swimming and did manage to develop a decent crawl once upon a time though.

But my body is just so heavy I have no shot at becoming a decent swinner. If we could compete in sinking, then I'd have a shot... I made some preliminary diving tests once (dad was in the navy as a diving MD trained to assist the military guys in trouble down to 75 m), and it was concluded that I'm a natural sinker, as opposed to the majority who are natural floaters.
I.e. should I find myself disoriented in the dark depths, I should swim in the opposite direction to the one my body is inclined to go by itself.:)

lol, i see now how old my last time is :lol:

Its 31,something now...

And i have 1.11 on 100 :) i've spending more time at swimming now...