2008-07-08
You Need Speed!
(An) interesting article published in the current issue of ASCA by Scott Volkers an elite swim coach from Brisbane, Australia. I like what he has to say about Speed…listen up all you triathletes, open water swimmers and distance swimmers who do not believe that speed work is important…you're wrong! A sample of the article:
Or as (my college coach) the Haucker would say "In order to swim fast you need to swim fast."
“Train like you race. If someone was to ask me what happens in Queensland compared to a lot of places, why do we go well? Across the board I think we train like we race. I have been pushing that for about 16 years in Queensland, about speed. Speed is important. Speed is the most important thing now. If you do not have speed you are in the wrong event. Look at Grant Hackett. He goes 49 (long course meters) for a 100 freestyle and he is going to swim 1500. If your best is 53, you are a little bit behind on the first lap. Then he can’t hang with any of the toughest guys around”.In the same vein, there is a quote from an associate who says of adult/masters swimmers and how they train and why so many don’t see continued improvement “When they swim slow they swim to fast, when they swim fast they swim to slow”.
Or as (my college coach) the Haucker would say "In order to swim fast you need to swim fast."
