How to Speed Up your 50 Free
by Cheryl Wagner
All things seem possible on New Year’s Eve at midnight. 365 days stretch out endlessly, giving all sorts of opportunities for self-improvement. Why, I could lose 10 pounds, spend more time with the kids, and last but not least, take 2 seconds off my 50 free.
I decided to take the challenge and ask some experts for tips on how to improve my 50 free time in 2004. Here are the responses from Clay Britt, Sean West, Jeff Roddin, and Michael Lee.
From Clay Britt:
There are three things that I would do to improve my 50 times over a couple of months.
I would concentrate on my flip turn. You can gain a half of a second with a great turn compared to a slow turn.
I would perfect my start. There is another 1/2 second in the start. Focus on your streamline position as you enter the water. You will go further on the start if you are "skinny" in the water on the start.
I would focus on speed training. Use stretch cords in the pool to swim with resistance. This helps prepare the muscles for explosive speed. Get surgical tubing, an old belt and a hook, (or buy one) and do 5-10 25y all out sprints to the other end of the pool. Make sure that you hold your stroke together when it gets tough!
Hope this helps. Clay
(For more technique tips from Clay, check out his swim clinics. Info: clay@claybrittswimming.com )
From Sean West:
Do 25 - 30 repeats of 25 yard all-out sprints (to get the sensation of speed), followed by 75 yard drills.
Eventually add a fast flip turn to the end of the 25s. Focus on making a "tight ball" with your body when flipping.
Also focus on speeding up the part of the stroke when your hand is directly under your body, keeping your elbow high and not "slipping" through the water.
From Jeff Roddin:
Here is a quick tip on a set I did to drop my 50 free time from 22.4 to 21.6.
25y sprints on a 1:00 interval. The key is to swim them at 100% maximum effort. You may find you can't do more than 6 without pausing for an easy 50 (if you truly do them at 100%). I suggest doing 6x25 on 1:00, then swim an easy 50 or 100, and then try to do 6 more.
But if you really want to drop some time you'll need to do lots of starts and turns - there is probably more room for improvement in those places than there is in between the walls.
From Michael Lee:
Once a week do a 1,000 warmup consisting of technique drills, followed by 6x50y on a 5 minute interval - all-out. Pretend you're in a race.
During the rest of the week, do aerobic sets to build up your engine. Focus on streamline.
