Lap Swimming for Surf Training

Can't find the right forum, then post your general surf-related remarks here!

Moderators: jimmy, collnarra, PeepeelaPew, Butts, beach_defender, Shari, Forum Moderators

Smolchy
Grommet
Posts: 49
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2007 7:39 pm

Lap Swimming for Surf Training

Post by Smolchy » Sun Jul 22, 2007 7:39 pm

I have been swimming for about 3 months now 3 times a week. Being a weekend warrior I think its best option to excercise paddling muscles and keep myself fit for when I do get to hit the surf. To start with I can swim about 200m before stopping for quick few breaths then swim 100 m at a time stopping for quick breath at 100m intervals , I keep this going for about 40 mins . I quit smoking 2 weeks ago and has made a big difference to my breathing but I still think I should be swimming more. Anyone here who is a strong swimmer, What type of distance should I be aiming for in the next 6 months or so ? Id like to be up around 400m in under 8 mins, so I can go for the Bronze medallion. Went for a quick surf today and noticed a big difference in paddling ability and recovery time after paddling back out after catching waves. Any1 who swims got any tips?

User avatar
bookster
barnacle
Posts: 1247
Joined: Fri May 14, 2004 9:04 am
Location: cronulla-ish
Contact:

Post by bookster » Sun Jul 22, 2007 7:47 pm

If you do a search under fitness (I think) I seem to remeber a thread which had some good sets of lap swimming tips....

Nick-W
barnacle
Posts: 1055
Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2006 4:17 pm
Location: The Internet

Post by Nick-W » Sun Jul 22, 2007 7:57 pm

Work on your breathing, take a breath every 3 strokes so you breath alternate sides. I was told by a very highly respected coach that it increases your lung capacity and oxygen saturation in your blood for racing.

But your not racing so you know, its your choice, but it works.

Morning training (fitness sessions) normally consisted of;

20 laps warm up, no stopping for more than a few seconds anyway, after 5 laps you should be in a rhythm and a tumble turn lets you keep the same rhythm so you dont break and its over quicker and you can recover at the end.

6 mini medlys (25m of each stroke, rest at the end of each 100)

Then catch up swimming, its like interval training on land which is a very effective way of increasing fitness (probably the best fitness boost)
This is where the fastest swimmer would go first
10 metres down the pool and the next guy would swim after him. So you have a big line of people trying to catch the person in front, swimming flat out for a hundred. swim a medium 50 back
jump out, mount the blocks and get ready for the whistle. You get caught and you get extra laps at the end. Basically its using the medium pace as your rest, its a killer, but if you can do it...its worth it. The only reason i ever used to do this was because i would be booted from the team if i didnt, so i was forced, which makes gettting fit easy.

Do the stuff with a mate and try not to joke around till after. That way, you wont stop to tell him what your thinking about on the lonely laps and it keeps you to a routine

User avatar
kookmachine
Local
Posts: 662
Joined: Mon Aug 30, 2004 8:34 pm
Location: In the barrel

Post by kookmachine » Sun Jul 22, 2007 8:11 pm

^ From what you've said above, you should quite easily qualify for your Bronze Medallion. 8 minutes is ample time for nearly all competant swimmers to swim 400 metres, even in poor surf conditions. I work as a swimming instructor and usually swim around 3-4 hours a week, normally for an hour at a time. A couple of years ago I was swimming competitively at a state level and training anything up to 15 hours a week. Best tip I can offer is to get your technique right; perfecting your style will let you swim longer, faster and with less effort. If possible, film yourself swimming and watch for the little things that slow you down (head position, kick tempo, arm reach, etc.). Work on ironing those faults out of your stroke and your swimming will improve out of sight.

Smolchy
Grommet
Posts: 49
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2007 7:39 pm

Post by Smolchy » Sun Jul 22, 2007 8:21 pm

Thanks for input Nick - W and Kook machine, Ill definitely give thos things a try tomorrow when i hit the pool, Im still trying to find my rythm and sometimes tire out too quick, I only breath on my left side every four strokes so will try and alternate, I guess like anything rythm is the key. I can easily run 8km but cause Im not used to swimming Im struggling to get into a rythm and not stop for breath . Thanks again .

Nick Carroll
Huey's Right Hand
Posts: 26515
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2005 9:29 am
Location: Newport Beach

Post by Nick Carroll » Sun Jul 22, 2007 9:04 pm

Smolchy, do a squad. There's plenty around. Most public pools will have 'em. Squads involve committed swimming with a crew of people under a coach and it'd mean you would get the technique instruction mentioned by kookmachine. You would learn correct technique for all four classic stroke styles, f/s, b/s, breast and fly. It'll feed back into your paddling btw. Not just fitness but technique.

doug
Grommet
Posts: 43
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2004 5:51 pm
Location: newcastle

Post by doug » Sun Jul 22, 2007 9:27 pm

Does anyone know how much difference budgie smugglers make? Im fairly
fit, mostly running. I swim in short style of boardies and swim a 1500m in just over 30mins cant get it under. I've been meaning to do a stroke correction class for ages.

Nick-W
barnacle
Posts: 1055
Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2006 4:17 pm
Location: The Internet

Post by Nick-W » Sun Jul 22, 2007 10:16 pm

Waxing, shaving, wearing skins, it shaves off half a second to a second in a 100, absolute maximum.

But that is what will win or cost you a race at good levels, the split from first to last is normally a second for a 50 free.

Get your stroke corrected. It will speed you up, there are things called power zones, especially in breast stroke and back stroke, where your hands push the water most efficiently, out side the zones you dont get as much or much power, so its a waste. That is the basis of stroke correction, getting the most efficient stroke to use every bit of your power.

The fastest swimmer i know swims with such a slow stroke rate in comparison to most others, but he shapes his body(steam line body position) and has such a good stroke style that he is an absolute fish!

Nick Carroll
Huey's Right Hand
Posts: 26515
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2005 9:29 am
Location: Newport Beach

Post by Nick Carroll » Mon Jul 23, 2007 4:56 pm

doug, swimming in boardies will cost you a fair bit more than a second over 100, specially at your pace.

Take a deep breath and go the scungies. Apart from anything else it'll let you feel the water better.

moya
regular
Posts: 105
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2004 6:46 pm

Post by moya » Mon Jul 23, 2007 6:04 pm

Also -

For an ammo who isnt going to go the hog and invest the time/energy into a squad or work on his technique to refine himself into a "swimmer" but is simply after an additional alternative training exercise to improve his surfing fitness - my two bob is to keep it simple.
1 - swimming is like yoga - All about the breathing and not about the strokes. the secret here is to swim lap after lap as SLOWLY as you can. This forces you to focus on your breathing and you will fall into a rhythm instead of trying to force yourself into a rhytm. Spend weeks/months simply swimming as slowly as you can working on nothing but your alternate side breathing and trying to get to three then five strokes per breath. After the intial three or four sessions you will improve your distance with each and every session thereafter and eliminate the need for gasping breaths in between every four or six laps.
2- After months disciplining yourself to swimming as slowly as you can. Attempt to introduce some form of variation into your routine such as stroke correction ( assistance needed ) or interval training. Do not mix up interval training and slow swimming in the same session. keep them seperated, they do different things to your body and unless you are after specific results coming from a good knowledge base, avoid it.
You may mix your slow swim sessions up by doing alternate laps with a single arm. And also In a single session you may- Do as many slow laps as possible -> use a kickboard under your belly/chest and paddle the laps as if on a surfboard then after this return to slow laps to complete your session. Leave the pool once you start messing around. session over.

betterIwas
Grommet
Posts: 86
Joined: Wed Jan 21, 2004 1:42 pm
Location: South Coast

Post by betterIwas » Mon Jul 23, 2007 7:12 pm

You might want to try one of these 1 day clinics to get the stroke/breathing right.



http://www.cookandphillip.com.au/Sydney ... Clinic.asp

doug
Grommet
Posts: 43
Joined: Fri Aug 06, 2004 5:51 pm
Location: newcastle

Post by doug » Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:30 pm

Think i will have to suck it up and try the dick stickers, interested to see if it might shave a minute off my time.
Another problem I was focussing on the other day is getting the most out of kicking. Being a surfer it feels more natural just to drag my legs along, do other surfers find this problem? i thought lid ridders would probably be able to utilize their legs alot better.

Smolchy
Grommet
Posts: 49
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2007 7:39 pm

Post by Smolchy » Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:39 pm

Thanks all for the input. I too doug have boycotted the dick togs but after hearing this info might have to give them a go. I have come down with a killer flu today got a fever and am shakin like a muthafuka so that rules out my swimmin for the rest of the week at least I think. Cheers again every1 for all ur input its definitely given me some things to aim for and try next time I am in the pool.

User avatar
eMpowered
Local
Posts: 492
Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2004 11:45 am

Post by eMpowered » Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:48 pm

sorry to sound like a ronny roofter, but are there any heated pools on the nthn beaches besides warringah aquatic centre - I love doing laps but hey, fcuck the waters cold at the moment!

Nick-W
barnacle
Posts: 1055
Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2006 4:17 pm
Location: The Internet

Post by Nick-W » Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:53 pm

doug, on long swims i used to drag my legs a bit, then got told off. But its hard not to, you often see the pro swimmers back off their kick in the fatigue parts of the races such as the 1500's.

Try kick up and down (sometimes people kick funny), long deep kicks for long distance, shallower faster kicks for speed.

It will speed you up a big chunk

User avatar
Shaunm
Snowy McAllister
Posts: 9400
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2004 2:30 pm
Location: Manly Lagoon

Post by Shaunm » Mon Jul 23, 2007 9:32 pm

I find it's most beneficial for those who never use leggies.

mondo
Grommet
Posts: 35
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 3:49 pm

Post by mondo » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:57 am

smolchy,
make sure you always have a warm up swim (2 - 400m).
figure out how many Ks your swimming in your sessions. As you progress, try to fit more meters into your 1 hour session.

doing sets are good, - with variety.

if you want to really work hard, try doing sets of 200m, eg. 8 x 200m on the 4mins (watch the clock - you should be swimming firmly, and getting about 20 seconds rest after each one). if 4 mins is too long, or too short, adjust it. Push hard on the last one

other sets:
try 75m (only if you swim in 25m pool). eg. 10 x 75m on the 1min 30 - its always good to set yourself a time so you can gauge how much you slow down as you work through sets.

also try sprints: 16 x 25s on the 30secs. - we need explosive paddle power sometimes to paddle into challenging waves - sprint training will develop that type of fitness. in these sets - sprint hard, perhaps every 4th one, go easy.

maybe do some kick with a kickboard - i know we don't use our legs as much in surfing, but just helps to balance out the workout.

variety is important in swim training. there tonnes of different types of sets you can do - make up your own. In one session give yourself a hard set, but also some easier ones. remember to always warm up, and warm down. And stretch too.

Variety is good for keeping swimming interesting, and making sure you train the different types of fitness.

surfingmaster
newbie
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:30 pm

Post by surfingmaster » Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:00 am

I dont like
Last edited by surfingmaster on Tue Jul 15, 2008 6:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 81 guests