Hey Tom...
I feel we have reached the end of my "helpfulness" to you on this topic and I apologize if you feel I stepped on any coaches toes.
Never meant to.
I do appreciate the conversation and feedback and have looked forward to this discussion.
My rationale for it being "too much" is that i asked you *where you are connecting to your rhythm. You named 4 locations with the crux being HAND timing w FOOT timing. All I was/am suggesting is to try to
simplify the location, to only ONE when you connect for rhythm. And more effectively NOT doing that at the ends of your skeleton (hands and feet) and start more with getting better (more consistent, rounded rhythm) from your hips, shoulders (boat), and breath
individually, before going to your arms, legs, hands and feet or any combo therein.
I hope that makes better sense and answers both questions you asked.
Congrats on the improvement! I hope it continues and never thought you were complaining about progress but rather I found refreshment in your willingness to listen and try something from a stranger online. These forums are always tough and the conversations limited and obviously very impersonal. A coach, seeing you perform regularly is going to have a much better perspective and so there were def some **assumptions on my part. Ill own that 100%
That said (ha!)
Final assumption filled feedback and then I will happily try my best to just answer questions if you have any.
(I'm saying the following bc you have commented on tired arms, swimming more than you ever have, and also SPL. Additionally, as I have found over the years very few (men specifically) who do triathlon have a naturally beneficial relationship with the water due to more lean muscle mass and that mass being located below your center of buoyancy... so, generally, we are "sinkers")
So, with those generic assumptions said, be cautious about lowering your SPL. I believe, DPS (as swimmers call it) is one of the most, if not THE most damaging paradigms in our sport. It influences the coaches, the athletes, the drills, the equipment, the conversations etc etc etc.
Taking fewer strokes per length does not equal efficiency or increased effectiveness. More often than not it leads to unmanageable stress on the shoulder joint and eventually injury. Additionally, these fewer strokes are manipulated by hyperextension through your skeleton and over reaching and over kicking as well as extended underwater kicking off walls. All of these can produce more velocity but at a massive cost of energy output and thus are very short lived. Bc we are sinkers (assumption**) lengthening and becoming non-functional with our arms and shoulders creates more time between our "impulses" or connections to the water or the throw where we create/sustain velocity. When given more time in the water, bc we are sinkers, well, then we sink. Ill use me as an example: I can do 100s and go 1:10 pace per 100 taking 11 or 12 strokes in a 25 yard pool and take 3 breaths per length. My HR (as it was this am, was 145). I can also swim that same pace, same interval (as I was also doing this am) taking 16 strokes, breathing 5 times per length and my HR was 120. Im a typical sinker with a moderate kick behind me (moderate for a div 1 swimming program in college but miles ahead of other triathletes I swim with).
I spent years trying to lower my DPS only to find sweet salvation :) in the ease of sustained speed by limiting my "down time" between impulses bc of my natural tendency to sink. Having a better understanding of your relationship with the water can help to clear a path to reaching
your elite potential. Just be careful with buying into fewer strokes per length meaning you're a more efficient swimmer.
Thanks again for reading and responding!
Good luck!
as always, happy to discuss.
daved
http://www.theundergroundcoach.com