However, even the best open water swimmers in the world do much of their training in a pool. Pools offer objective feedback, interval training, and a controlled environment where coaches can have a greater impact on performance. Also, depending on where you live, you may not have easy access to open water. Introducing drills and sets that target open water skills can make pool workouts more specific and enjoyable.

1. Dolphin Dives: Beach starts and finishes in ocean races require the ability to quickly dolphin under or with waves. Using the waves properly will let you shoot forward and often gain an edge on competitors. In the shallow end of the pool, dive down with your arms out in front, touch the bottom with your hands then feet, and explode off the bottom at a 45-degree angle (jump forwards and towards the surface).

Example set: 8x50s on 1:00 dolphin dive the first and last 12.5yds, sprint the middle 25

1. Sighting: Sighting is an essential skill in any open water swim. Practice keeping your head as low as possible while still being able to spot your destination, then rotating your head to either side for a breath as you finish the sighting stroke. Place 3 orange cones at different positions on the other side of the pool and alternate sighting between the three. Tarzan drill (swimming with your head up) is also a great way to strengthen the neck and back muscles required for effective sighting.

Example set: 3x [4x25s + 4x50s] where the 25s are Tarzan drill on :35, 50s sight all 3 cones on first 25, fast on second 25, on 1:00

1. Pace Line: With a group of swimmers, do several long swims where everyone leaves 2-3 seconds apart and the leader rotates each 100. The leader can drop off at the 100 and hop on the end of the train, or for a more challenging set, the person in the caboose can sprint alongside the train to take over the lead when it’s their turn.

Example set: 4x400s on 6:00 alternating leaders in pace line

1. Pack Swimming: Swim 3-4 swimmers wide in a single lane to simulate the contact of pack swimming. If you’re on the outside, get on the middle swimmer’s hip – that’s where you’ll get the greatest draft. If you’re in the middle, try to drop them.

Example set: 16x25s pack swimming on :40, taking turns in different positions

1. Stroke Rate: A high stroke rate is preferred in open water, especially in rough water, where surface chop and currents would laugh at an extended arm attempting to glide. The <a href=” http://www.finisinc.com/equipment/electronics/tempo-trainer-pro.html”>Tempo Trainer Pro</a> is a great tool for increasing stroke rate. Figure out what tempo you comfortably swim at in strokes per minute (spm), and increase from there.

Example set: 500 + 400 + 300 + 200 + 100 on 1:30 (or other comfortable) base. Set Tempo Trainer Pro  2spm higher than your comfortable tempo for the 500. 2spm higher for the 400. 2 higher for 300, and so forth.

1. Deck Ups: The reason the sprint up the beach at the end of a race hurts so much isn’t because you’re not a good runner; it’s because the rapid transition from horizontal to vertical causes a significant heart rate spike. Get used to this in the pool by sprinting 50s and immediately upon finishing, climbing out of the water and standing straight up. No hunching over!

Example set: 12x50s on :50, every 4^th 50 recovery, all others sprint + deck up

Extra challenge: Add in 8 squat jumps on deck in between the fast 50s

Finally, the next time you’re stuck in an overly crowded lane at the pool, smile and remember it’s great open water training!

Jen Schumacher

Marathon Swimmer, www.jenschumacher.org

Sport Psychology Consultant, www.jenschumacher.com

Here are four ways you can add a whole new dimension to what would otherwise be a rather simple freestyle set.  You can choose to work on increasing your stroke rate or to work on increasing your distance per stroke.  Both have their advantages.

To increase your stroke rate, assuming your target stroke rate is 80 SPM:

-15×100 Descend by Threes

-Holding Target Stroke Rate (80 SPM)

or

15×100 Holding Even Pace

1-5: Target Stroke Rate of -2 Strokes (78 SPM)

6-10: Target Stroke Rate (80 SPM)

11-15: Target Stroke Rate of +2 Strokes (82 SPM)

To increase your distance per stroke, assuming your cruising stroke rate is 76 SPM:

15×100 Descend by Threes

Holding Cruise Stroke Rate of -10 Strokes (66 SPM)

or

15×100 Hold an Even Pace

1-5 @ Cruise Stroke Rate (76 SPM)

6-10 @ Cruise Stroke Rate of -4 Strokes (72 SPM)

11-15 @ Cruise Stroke Rate of -8 Strokes (68 SPM)

- Mallory Mead
Open Water Marathon Swimmer
Indianapolis, IN
www.mallorymead.com

Public & Private Settings for Videos
All videos now offer the option of a public 0r private setting managed by the owner of the video. Private videos are only viewable by athletes tagged in the video and by coaches who manage the team. Public videos allow you to share your video with anyone on the web. You initially set the privacy of the video when you upload the video.

Change the privacy setting of your video at any  time via the new video toolbar available on each video page.

Share your Coaching videos
Once you set one of your videos as public you have several easy ways to share your videos with friends and teammates not using Stroke Lab.

• Public Video Link- Each public video now has a selectable public link that can be shared.
• Embed Video Link- Share coaching videos on your website or blog using the embed code. The embed feature creates an easy way to share technique analysis with groups outside your team.
• Share via Facebook or Twitter- (coming soon)

Stand Out at the Pool

New FINIS Custom Swimwear provides you the opportunity to train and compete in your own team colors and designs. Make your own print from scratch, choose your own colors, add your team logo, or let the FINIS team help get you started. The customized swimwear uses sublimation printing so that you can have any design or pattern you desire. All suits are made of polyester fabric, which ensures extended durability and quality.

The FINIS custom design process is easy. The first step is to pick your suit style.  Next, design your suit selecting your color, patterns, and images (logos, team name, and mascot).  Once you have decided on your design, it takes these simple steps to order:

• Contact the FINIS Custom Team by email (customgear@finisinc.com) or phone (888-333-4647)
• Request a sizing kit and fabric color swatches to get a realistic view of how your suit will look
• Submit your ideas and digital artwork. The Custom Team will work with you to make sure your suit is right & ensure optimal design quality

In addition to swimsuits, FINIS also offers customized mesh bags, swim caps, warm-ups and coach’s shirts with your team’s logo. You can also download one of our various wallpapers for your computer. It’s a great way to decorate your desktop and get excited for your own custom suit.

FINIS custom designers will walk you through the design process and help your team stand out from the competition. Let FINIS help you develop unity by creating your ideal custom design today.

Visit the Custom Page online

Click here to download the Custom Swimwear Catalog 

1. Plan Ahead - Structure your training schedule the week or so before you travel so that your recovery days fall on days you know you won’t be able to make it to the pool.

1. Do your Research - Spend some time surfing the internet for pools in the area you will be be traveling to, and make a calendar that lists available practice and lap swim times. Gather up as many options as you can for flexibility.  Also, don’t forget to check on admittance requirements (such as fees, guest policy for gyms and universities, etc.

1. Bring your Tools - For those “less than ideal” situations, it isn’t a bad idea to pack a watch, stationary cords, and some dryland cords. Some pools won’t have pace clocks, so having a watch or Swimsense on hand will help you keep track of intervals. If the only pool you can find is a hotel pool, tether yourself down and you can still get a decent workout in without doing a flip turn every 15 yards.  Also keep in mind that cross training is better than nothing, so pack those running shoes, and strengthen those swimming muscles with stretch cords.

1. Stay Focused - plan as far ahead as you can as to when you are going to get your swim in, and the earlier the better!  Waiting until the end of the day increases the chances that life (or decreased motivation) will get in the way of your workout.

Happy (mobile) Swimming!

- Mallory Mead
Open Water Marathon Swimmer
Indianapolis, IN
www.mallorymead.com

There are some good drills that teach the importance of hip rotation, but there is really no better way to feel proper hip rotation than using the FINIS Hydro Hip. The Hydro Hip’s blades, positioned on either side of your hips or waist, increase resistance as you rotate through the water. In order to rotate without hitting your hands on the blades, you’ll have to lead rotation with the hips, and rotate more powerfully and quickly than you’re perhaps used to. Using the Hydro Hip creates an intense workout for your core, and is best used for short distances. The Hydro Hip takes some getting used to, and it can be difficult while you have it on, but you’ll notice a drastic improvement in your rotation and timing when you take it off.

A great way to get the most out of your Hydro Hip is repeat 100s on an easy interval. Wear the Hydro Hip on the odd 100s and focus on ‘popping’ the hips side to side, like a downhill skier on moguls. Do the even 100s without the Hydro Hip at a slightly higher level of intensity. Notice how much earlier you drive your hips and focus on the increased power this adds to your stroke.

The Hydro Hip is also great for backstroke; the same principles apply. You can also get creative and adjust the blades so both rest on your stomach, facing the bottom of the pool or slightly outwards. Freestyle with the Hydro Hip set up in this manner forces you to initiate hip rotation quickly and forcefully. The same can be done for backstroke, with the blades resting on your back, facing the bottom of the pool.

Regardless of how you use your Hydro Hip, it offers an intense core workout and will increase the power and efficiency of your stroke.

Jen Schumacher

Marathon Swimmer, www.jenschumacher.org

Sport Psychology Consultant, www.jenschumacher.com

Ever wonder what it’s like to be training for a spot on the 2012 Olympic team? From waking up at 6:15 in the morning to taking her dog out for a walk, Pan American Record Holder & FINIS athlete Lara Jackson, shares with us a typical training day.

6:15am: Wake up for morning practice. I make a mug of coffee and headed to the pool at 6:40am

7:00am: I’m in the water no later than 7am for a 2 hour swim practice

9:30am: Go home and cook breakfast, which is usually: eggs, toast, yogurt & more COFFEE! After I eat, I take my dog Sasha for a quick walk to the park around the corner.

10:00-10:30am: Head to the stable to see my horse Calypso; I ride her or let her out.

11:00-2:00pm: I head home and make lunch which is usually some salad and a sandwich. I like either a tuna melt or ham and cheese. I sit back and relax for whatever remaining time I have until I head back to the pool at 2 for my second workout of the day.

2:00-4:30pm: I go to the pool and do about 30 minutes of dry land and then swim for 2 hours. Twice a week after practice I go boxing at my gym for an hour from 5:30-6:30 at night.

6:00pm: I go home and cook an entree.  I’ve been getting into cooking different things, so it’s whatever recipe I’ve decided on.  It could be a meat like chicken with rice or a vegetable. But I like to explore recipes with lots of fresh produce and non processed meats.

8:00pm: I finish off my day walking Sasha again around 8 and stay in for the night after that, getting ready to do it again in the morning.

Lara does a great job balancing her training with her time away from the pool. It is evident that Lara is ready for 2012 and is preparing to do something spectacular. To keep current on Lara Jackson and her quest to the Olympics, make sure to follow FINIS on Twitter & Facebook.

Joe Jones Logs Landmark Yard

Livermore, CA – (January 24, 2012) FINIS, a world leader in technical swimming products that maximize your fitness potential and technique, announces the achievement of Swimsense® (Powered by SportSense® Technologies) performance watch users worldwide, uploading 100 million yards on the Swimsense® Training Log. FINIS is excited to introduce Joe Jones who was the lucky Swimsense® swimmer who uploaded the 100^th millionth yard.

The Winner:

Joe Jones originally from Chicago, currently resides in Tucker, Georgia. He was awarded the AquaPulse® Heart Rate Monitor for uploading the 100^th millionth yard. An avid 55-year-old swimmer, Joe started his swimming journey at the age 13, with the Ridge Park Swimming Club in Chicago.

After high school, Joe attended Wheaton College, swimming his first two years and earning Division III All-American honors. After college he took some time off, but at 28 Joe decided to jump back into the pool. At that time he renewed his love for the sport. “I knew that I would do it for the rest of my life”, says Joe.

When returning to swimming Joe realized that without the pressure of a championship meet, swimming became very enjoyable and aerobically challenging (even without swimming 6,000 yards twice a day). He swam some Master’s meets in his early thirties, but now he mostly finds pleasure in simply racing himself.

Why the Swimsense®?

Joe views the Swimsense® as a “godsend” due to the meditative state that longer swims seems to put him in. Joe commented, “I no longer have to keep count or wonder ‘Was that 800 or did I sleep a 50?’ The Swimsense® has motivated me to swim more. I love to run home, hook it up to my PC and check my graphs. I also really love the new ‘auto interval’ feature”.

Typical Workout

Joe swims two to three times a week with his Swimsense®. The typical workout consists of a 1,000 freestyle, 500 breaststroke, 500 backstroke, and a 200 warm down.

FINIS wants to thank all the Swimsense® users who have contributed to reaching the 100 Millionth yard milestone. Now onward to 200 Million!

About FINIS:

Founded in 1993 in Northern California, FINIS was started by John Mix and Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer Pablo Morales. The Monofin and the Swimmer’s Snorkel were the first products they developed for the US market; afterwards, they continued to focus on creating training tools for swimmers and coaches worldwide. FINIS products are currently available in over 60 countries and are used by US and International Olympic teams, elite triathletes, and fitness swimmers.

Innovative research and design is FINIS’ highest priority. This dedication has resulted in truly unique products such as: the Swimmer’s Snorkel, which is recognized as the paramount tool to improve a swimmer’s technique, the SwiMP3® that uses bone conduction technology to play music instead ear buds, and the Z2 Zoomers® fins, which demonstrate an intimate understanding of swimming musculature, hydrodynamics, and engineering.

Visit the FINIS Blog at http://www.finisinc.com/blog/ & Follow FINIS on Facebook & Twitter for swimming news, tips, and events

Media Contacts:
Jennifer Baybrook
Account Executive
Max Borges Agency
1.305.576.1171 ext. 13
jenniferbaybrook@maxborgesagency.com

The first barrier is usually understanding swimming lingo. There are a lot of terms thrown around on the pool deck, and coaches tend to take for granted that not everyone is familiar with these common terms.  Here is a quick cheat sheet of terms:

Pull: Swimming with a pull bouy between the legs or paddles on the hands, or both.  The point is to isolate your upper body and core.

Kick:  Swimming using only your legs; no arms.  There are many ways to kick: on your front, back, side, sometimes on a kickboard, sometimes in a streamline, with one arm out, or with your arms at your side. Kick can also be done wearing fins!  If you coach doesn’t specify the type of kick, you can usually ask or choose for yourself.

Descend: To get faster within a set, or to descend the amount of time to complete a repeat.  For example, to descend a set of four 100s you might go 1:50 on the first one, 1:48 on the second, 1:47 on the third, and 1:45 on the fourth.

Build:  To get faster within a repeat.  For example, if you are doing Build 50s you might start off at about 50% effort during the first 10 yards and build your speed until the last 5 yards of the 50 are at 100% effort.  Start the build over again on the next repeat.

Stroke:  When part of a set is designated as stroke, this means non-freestyle (i.e. butterfly, backstroke, or breaststroke.)

Sprint: 100% Effort!

Recovery: Easy effort.

“The Top”: The 00 on a digital clock or the 60 on an analog pace clock.

“The Bottom”: The 30 on both a digital and an analog pace clock.

Intervals: Intervals are a specified amount of time to complete repeats of a set. For example, if you are doing 50s on a 1:00 interval, you would leave for the next 50 every minute.  If you swim your 50s in :45, you would get :15 rest before you leave again.

Base Intervals:  If a coach gives you a set with repeats of varying distances, they may give you a base interval.  For example, a coach may give a set of 50s, 100s, and 200s on a Base Interval of 1:30 per 100.  This would mean that the 50s would be on :45, the 100s on 1:30, and the 200s on 3:00.

Rest Intervals:  Sometimes a coach will specify a rest interval, which means the swimmer will get a consistent amount of rest in between repeats no matter how fast they complete the interval.  For example, you would take 10 seconds rest between all your repeats no matter how fast you went.

Now that you’ve got the basic terminology down, it’s time to learn how to read it!  Take this set for example:

4x50s @ :50

This is read as “four fifties on a fifty second interval.”

Also, take this set of 100s, 50s, and 25s on a Base Interval of 1:20 per 100:

{1×100 Pull @ 1:20

2x           {2×50 Build @ :40

{4×25 Sprint @ :20

1:00 Rest in Between Sets

This is read as “one hundred pull on a minute and twenty second interval, followed by two fifties build on a forty second interval, followed by four twenty-fives sprint on a twenty second interval.  Take one minute rest after you have finished the round and repeat.

If the coach told you to leave on the “top”, here would be your send-offs for the set above:

100-On the 00 or 60

50- On the 20

50-On the 00 or 60

25-On the 40

25-On the 00 or 60

25-On the 20

25-On the 40

If you find yourself confused after your first workout, realize that you aren’t alone!  All of us had to learn at some point, but after a few workouts you’ll start to catch on and can graduate to helping the newer recruits!

Mallory Mead
Open Water Marathon Swimmer
Indianapolis, IN
www.mallorymead.com

• Find a Swim Friend:  Swimming with another person that shares the same goals as you can make a workout fun and works for both beginner and competitive swimmers. Whether the person is there to talk to you on the wall while you wait for your next set or is there to help push you through a tough practice, human contact is a great thing all around.

• Find a Team to Swim With: Once you have gotten comfortable in the water, joining a Masters swim team truly helps and makes swimming more interesting (Visit the USA Masters Website for more information). For starters you have more than one swimmer to help push you at practice. Peer pressure (yes, peer pressure!) can be a great thing in swimming. For example, if you are participating in a hour-long swim with others,  chances are that you’ll to push yourself to  stay in the whole hour, instead of giving up and getting out after 15 minutes ( don’t worry – it happens to the best of us).  There is also a camaraderie that is present in the pool quite unlike a lot of sports. While you are able to talk and have a good time, you can also get a more challenging workout too.

• Swim with Music: This is a favorite of many. While swimming with others may not always be an option, swim music is definitely the next best alternative. Swimming to your favorite song is something that can be motivating as well as entertaining. A swim mp3 player such as the SwiMP3 2G is a great tool for this. I would recommend creating a playlist with songs that correlate to the type of swimming you are doing. For example, for a swim set where you want to go fast I would suggest fast tempo songs, while for warming down, a slow, calming song would be appropriate.

• Make Swimming a Game: No, I’m not talking about Marco Polo here. A set like “King/Queen of The Hill” is a fun one that you can do with or without another person (yet games are more fun when played with your swim friend!).  Start off on a specific interval, for example a 50m freestyle swim in 1 minute. Then drop a second after every completion and see how far you can go before you miss the interval. If you are really interested in learning various games check out Games-Gimmicks-Challenges by Bob Steele. He lays out great games that allow any type of swimmer to get a great workout in.

• Layout Your Swim: Planning your practice and laying out specific swim sets can be just the variety that you need in your swim routine. While it does require a little more work than just jumping in the pool, it helps to make the swim more interesting if you break up your time in the water into training sets. This is mainly for those of you who do not swim on a swim team, where the coach usually writes the workouts. Writing down a specific set allows you to have a checklist of things to do and what’s more fun than knowing that you completed all of your sets for that day!  Alternate your strokes on days, and your goal times.

• Work on your stroke: This will not only benefit you in the long run by preventing injuries, but this will also add some variety to your swimming sessions. My suggestion is to regularly set aside some time in your pool workout to focus your stroke or technique. You can, for example, work on pushing off the wall in a streamline, or work on your side breath in freestyle. Even the most elite swimmers take time to focus on things like this to improve their technique, and ultimately their performance.  If you don’t have a coach a great place to learn more about stroke drills is on the Internet: YouTube has many videos detailing various drills.

Swimming isn’t all about back and forth across a pool; it can be an exciting experience that provides camaraderie, a therapeutic way to unwind and, of course, a stroke closer to a healthier lifestyle.

All you need is a suit, cap, goggles, and a positive attitude – so off you go.

Happy Swimming!

Elisa Torres