here is an extrach from a note I wrote within a discussion several months ago.....it may help clarify some things.
"To my knowledge, no good swimmers that I'm aware of race at
low stroke rates of 55/min, and none train at 110 HR other than warm-up. I have coached for 27 years and raced open water quite successfully for 38 years with over 400 races under my belt as an athlete. Although there may be many alternative ways to prepare, none of my successes or anyone I know
came from training that way.
The pro 10k race in Brazil last December saw an elite field of ten athletes managing the pace with a stroke rate range of between 76-82. When the break was made at the 7k mark, eventual winner, Trent Grimsley, went to a stroke rate of nearing 100/minute with a strong 6BK. The chase pack then ignited their rates to 84-92 with an increase to a 6BK. They were unable to catch him. They all largely held those rates for the final 3k.
I think much of this stroke rate confusion comes from the elegance and
easy swimming taught by TI and others about total front quadrant swimming and massive rotation; this
slows stroke rate, especially at the slower swimmer level, and those with weak or non-existant kicks. Also, to the swimmer
without an extensive competitive background, which is the majority, they tend to misunderstand or be misled
visually when watching great swimmers race. They see long, elegant, and sleek strokes above the water, being deceived by the rate of turnover (hand velocity) beneath the water, and the power/watts generated. That underwater stroke rate is what mystifies that observer as the arm velocity is significant relative to an average lap swimmer or aspiring triathlete, which is much of the TI audience to my understanding.
Stroke rates are critical to very fast swimming in open water – no matter what the age or level of competition. Train to get to those rates if you want to be competitive.
If Terry and others are not interested in fast swimming or in being the best they can be
competitively, then rates in the 40s-60s are fine, comfortable, and enjoyable, but those rates in open water won't cut it to be competitive, or in producing ones optimal results. Those rates are good for leisure open water camps etc.One needs different gears: 55 rates, then 65 and 75 and 85 RPM etc. if they wish to be competitively successful in open water.
I'd also be pretty hard-pressed to believe any of the athletes that raced the Brazil 10k had heart rates of 110 at any point during their race.
There is no substitute for hard work and deliberate, effective specific training. These modern 10k events call for just that, while it is equally true for all the 1- and 2-mile races and triathlon swim legs around the world. These athletes have to be able to accelerate and slow down, position themselves, and create boxed-in positions on others, thus requiring various stroke rate capabilities and heart rate changes. This is the Tour de France in the aquatic world. They need to practice all of this, and they do.....at least the ones who win consistently. Other than guys like Fran Crippen and Andrew Gemmell, medalists in the 2009 World Swimming Championships, who got up in the high 80s SPM with a corresponding fast-beat kick, many Americans still have a way to go.
Even for the audience that TI teaches: quite a bit of triathletes; their stroke rates are still too low from this coaches perspective. TI and Terry were, and are
, tremendous assets to our sport, making contribution that are immeasurable. Many are grateful to them, especially me for what I have learned.
I recall when Terry sat in my office when I was co-publisher of Swimming World, SWIM, and Swimming Technique magazines, discussing his TI concept, I stated to him then as I do here: TI has its place in the sport…TI is a great business model, I applaud Terry on his very successful business acumen: teach the ABC, 1,2,3 of swimming. Their place in the sport is important and has been significant, it's just not "the" sport – especially at the most competitive ends of the spectrum, and even more specifically in dynamic open water racing.
Furthermore, trying to utilize pool athletes such as Popov's stroke
count, rather than stroke rate
, in a 50 free or the others such as Hackett, Thorpe, Phelps, Mellouli does not help the point. Taking a watch to their strokes over 15 sec., their stroke rates will usually run upward of 76-82 a minute and approaching almost 108/min for Popov in the 50 (Popov swam his world records 50 in 21.6 in 31 strokes, but over 100 stroke rate) and 96/min for Lezak in his recent Olympic relay swim. Please do not confuse the number of strokes in a length with stroke rate.
For open water, variable stroke rates in training is very important, as are variable heart rates, and intensity."
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Gerry Rodrigues
http://www.tower26.com twitter: @tower_26
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