3 step Ledecky course

[Talvi]

This refers to Terry's recent post on his swimwellblog.com in which he made some great observations about stoke length and tempo with regard to Kate Ledecky's performance in Russia last month.

Teryy gave three steps to improve one's own stroke based on those observations:
1. Get in the green zone
2. Maintain SPL
3. Increase rate.

I struggle with 2.

Terry suggested swimming a set of 4x50 3x100 2x150 and 1x200 with 10-30 secs between each interval and maintaing an SPL within three for the entire set.

My SPL is always in the green zone. Only at my maximum exertion when really struggling does it get to the the top of it. I'll try the set when next in a pool (I want to continue ow swimming for the next week or two) but when last I was in the pool I aimed to keep my SPL in the lower quarter of my range. That's not the same as keeping it within 3 though.

The answer is probably just practice that set until I get there, but I'm wondering if anyone has found any other practices that has worked to achieve this maintaining, besides that is simply working on individual parts of your stroke?

[CoachStuartMcDougal]

Hi Talvi,

If you are struggling to maintain SPL it may be that you are swimming at a tempo that is too fast given your height and current skill set.

You will need to find the spl & tempo combination that you can sustain over a broken 1000, 1500, or longer set. I generally encourage a range of 2 strokes, i.e. 15-17 inside a tempo range of 0.1 seconds or 1/10 of a second, 1.2 - 1.1 seconds per stroke.

Another tempo adaptation set to try is hold your lower SPL as you slowly increase tempo in your tempo range.

10x100 descend .01 tempo each 100, hold lower SPL, SPL+1: 1x100@1.19, 1x100@1.18, 1x100@1.17, 1x100@1.16 ... 1x100@1.10.

The idea of this broken 1000 is to train your neural system to slowly adapt to the faster tempo while maintaining stroke length.

Stuart
MindBodyAndSWIM

[Talvi]

Hiya Stuart

Thanks for your reply. I've been back in the pool now and I've posted another thread on the same topic from a slightly different angle (sort of). It "clarifies" things, in the light of my session anyway, and I hope also answers the questions you pose here.

I think I understand the advice you've given too. Thanks. It feels more appropriate for someone like me.

I didn't have my TT last time but will break it out of hibernation.