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One rule all swimmers and coaches agree with on race day is keeping your routine and sticking to strategies that you know work and lead to your best performance. Have a series of checklists that will help set you up to achieve your peak performance. In this blog, we will go through the different ways to prepare for that big race.
Competitions push a swimmer to their limit, adding additional challenges. Swimmers often have to warm up multiple times during the day, once at the beginning of a session and again before each swim. Most warm-ups in the water consist of a moderate level of swimming, maybe try 400 to 800 metres! This can include stroke drills and even high intensity workouts that last around 50 seconds.
Here are a few things you can do to help prepare that little more:
Finish your main warm-up at least 30 minutes before you have to race.
Finish your pre-event warm-up as close to the start of the event as possible. Leave it to the last five minutes of when your race is to begin
If possible, try getting back into the water 10 to 15 minutes before the race.
Only work your body enough to warm it up! Don’t work so hard that you fatigue your body before stepping up on the blocks!
As important warming up in the water is for a race, you should also incorporate dryland training into your warm-up, especially if the pool space at a competition is limited and no warm-up pool is available. Dryland training can improve a swimmer’s power, athleticism and speed for when they get back into the water.
Swimmers need a strong core to transfer force efficiently from one part of the body to another, to push off from the wall and essentially win the race. Good core strength enables the swimmer to accelerate faster and to carry more speed in a dive. Core training can help to improve your breathing flow in the water, improve posture and upper body strength. You can do many dryland workouts that help to improve core strength, such as using resistance bands or doing sit-ups. Dryland training has many benefits for a swimmer. Want to learn more on why dryland training is important to a swimmer? Read more here: https://www.proswimwear.co.uk/blog/why-you-should-begin-dryland-training-/
Although your physical ability and health is important for a race, being mentally prepared and ready for a race is also very important. Having a well-known routine that helps prepare your brain for the race is always a great way to have your mind focused and will help to increase your performance.
Having strong self-confidence is also important to being prepared for a race. When a swimmer is able to see future successes as part of their mental preparation, their confidence isn’t too far behind. Confidence is something you can train and sharpen and isn’t something you have to fake. Recognising what you have done well helps to boost your self-esteem and to appreciate how far you have come. Want to learn more on how swimming increases self-esteem and confidence? Read more here :https://www.proswimwear.co.uk/blog/how-swimming-increases-self-esteem/
Overall, preparing for your race on the day should be with workouts and routines you are familiar with. Have confidence in yourself and don’t tire your body during warm-ups! We wish you the best of luck with your next competition!
So you have your first race coming up? How exciting! It’s time to prepare and make sure you have everything for the big day! There is always a lot to remember to take with you to a race day, as well as what you should be doing to make sure your body is prepared before a race. Not sure where to start? Let us help!
Get your swimming gear packed, ready for the race the next day. Prepare your meals for the day, including your breakfast so you don’t have to rush around in the morning finding food to eat. Plan your snacks for the day too! Need some help with what food is the best to eat before a swim? Read our ‘What you should eat before a swim’ blog for some suggestions:https://www.proswimwear.co.uk/blog/what-you-should-eat-before-a-swim/
Check your tickets and ID, which bag you plan to take, your water bottle, and any other equipment you possibly could need. Organise this all before race day so you can focus on the race with no distractions or worries.
Get a good few nights of sleep before race day and make sure you stretch before the race. Warming up before the race will help get your body ready and in the zone. Training normally slows down before a race, so make sure your body is prepared in time for the race.
You know your mind better than anyone else, so make sure you get yourself in the zone. You can do this by plugging in your headphones and listening to music.
Make sure that you know your end goal, and that you race hard with maximum input. You want to ideally keep realistic goals from your training, to not get disappointed, and should organise yourself accordingly to reach these goals. You know what you want from the race, so go for it.
Make sure you get to the swim meets early! They can be very hectic and can often mean you are rushing around and stressed if you aren’t prepared. Know your event, your heat numbers, race times, and your block position. Make sure you know this information for yourself, even if you have to write it all down!
These steps will help you in your swimming race, but remember that it is all meant to be fun, and if you don’t reach your personal goals this time, work for it for the time after. So race hard, the biggest competition is yourself!
Do you have a child preparing for their first swim meet and not sure what to expect? We can help! Check out our blog on what you should really expect at your child’s first swim meet:
The butterfly stroke is one of the most popular in the swimming world. It can be challenging to learn, and difficult to master, but the physical and mental benefits of improving in this stroke are worth it. You’ll feel your body start to become stronger and become more in sync with each day you practice.
Whether you’re a beginner recreational swimmer just learning how to swim butterfly or a competitive swimmer this race season looking for extra tips and pointers, this article will provide a few ideas to help you further achieve the excellent butterfly form.
Tips for improved butterfly form
Of all the swimming strokes, butterfly is one of the most challenging. It burns more calories during one hour of swimming than any other stroke. A butterfly swimmer who weighs 155 pounds (70kg) will burn 774 calories in an hour. That is 70 more than the same person would burn when swimming freestyle or breaststroke.
Not only does the stroke expend a lot of energy, but the form itself can be hard to master. Taking the time to train with the proper butterfly technique will help you improve the efficiency in your stroke, allowing you to maximise the energy you use while swimming. The following tips will help to improve critical areas of your stroke technique.
Body position
How you position your body in the water plays significant roles in efficiency and speed. With butterflies, you want to make sure your body is aligned. When you do this properly, each part of your body will be participating in the movement.
Butterfly will mean that you will be undulating when you move through the water. Undulation allows you to move through the water efficiently. This type of body motion is to propel yourself forwards in the water, similarly to the motion used during an underwater dolphin kick. It allows your upper body and legs to alternate to help in propelling yourself across the pool with more efficiency and faster speed.
Butterfly arms
As you take butterfly strokes, focus on the correct arm movement and how your hands enter the water. Extend your arms with your elbows slightly bent, and keep your hands somewhat further apart than the width of your shoulders when they enter the water.
Once your hands enter the water, pull, as if performing a freestyle stroke but using both hands simultaneously. Focus on pulling equally with both arms, using your forearms and hands to catch as much water as possible. Pull straight down at first and allow your hands to come slightly closer together as you continue to pull towards your hips.
In the arm recovery phase of the stroke, your hands should leave the water by your hips and stay close to the surface. Do not lift your arms too high out of the pool, this wastes energy.
Butterfly kick
Kicking provides a large amount of propulsion. Both legs perform a large, powerful kicking motion at the same time. Your legs must remain together, and keep your feet pointed directly out behind you.
For every stroke cycle, you will kick twice. The first kick you take provides enough forward motion so you can lift your arms out of the water during the recovery phase of your stroke cycle. The second kick happens before you begin your pull and adds additional drive to keep the forward momentum going.
Breathing
When focusing on breathing technique, you want to avoid lifting your head too high out of the water. Lifting your head too far out of the water can tilt your body and cause drag, slowing you down. Your head should come out of the water just enough for you to take a breath before returning to a neutral position.
Butterfly is a tiring technique, so you might need to breathe with every stroke if you are new to it. As your form improves, you might find you can take breaths less frequently than every stroke cycle. Breathing every other or every third stroke allows you to keep your head down longer and cut out drag, allowing your momentum to be significantly stronger as you move through the water.
Twelve butterfly drills to practice your skills
Now that you have the basic understanding of how to swim this challenging stroke with proper form, you can practice some of the swimming drills below to improve your skills. Remember to stay positive throughout your training, and as you continue to train you’ll see improvement.
By the side of the pool
Mimicking and practising the butterfly movement at the side of the pool, outside of the water, can help you to improve your technique. Lay on your stomach and bend your knees slightly to imitate the leg kick as your hands come forwards to enter the imaginary water. Kick again when your hands reach your sides. This drill can help visualise the mechanics of the stroke before you enter the water, assisting when applying it in the water.
With Short fins
Training fins make an excellent option for butterfly drills. Swim this stroke with short swim fins, taking one arm stroke for every 4 kicks. Focus on the form of your leg. The added resistance provided by the fins will allow more sensory response to the movement of your legs through the stroke, providing more focus on the movement.
Butterfly kick drill
For this drill, you will need a kickboard. Grab the kickboard firming and practice your kicking technique. Allow the kickboard to dive under the water in front of you and then come back to the surface as you complete your kicking cycle. This will help you master the movement of the stroke.
With pull buoy
Place a pull buoy between your legs and swim butterfly using only your arms. This drill will help improve your arm strength and help you focus on the upper body mechanics of the butterfly technique. Try to pull equally with both your left and right arm during each stroke.
One-armed butterfly
Swimming the butterfly with just one arm can help improve technique. Keep the arm that you are not using extended out in front of you or along your side. It is extremely important to remember to breathe forwards and not sideways when doing this drill.
Breaststroke legs with lateral breathing
Swim the butterfly whilst using a breaststroke kick for every arm stroke. Breath once to the right and once to the left. Attempt to keep your head underwater as much as possible. This should help you get more comfortable with your breathing technique.
Adding flutter kick
Swim the butterfly using a freestyle leg kick, try to keep your shoulders above the water when performing this drill. Focus on your arm mechanics and practice a powerful pull-through and efficient recovery phase.
Variable entry
Your first stroke of your arms in the water should have a wide entry. In your second stroke, your hand should enter the water at half the width of the previous stroke. For the third, your hands should enter next to one another in front of your head. Repeat this variable entry cycle throughout to get used to the movement.
Recovery underwater
Swim the butterfly without the recovery part of the arm stroke. Make sure your arms are below the chest and try to go as deep as possible with your shoulders by thrusting your back powerfully downward.
Clenched fists
Swim the butterfly with clenched fists to keep your arms and legs as coordinated as possible.
One leg kick
Swim this stroke by just making one leg kick for every complete arm cycle, inserting it at the end of the pull phase right before beginning the recovery phase around the water.
Full stroke
Once you feel more comfortable swimming the complete stroke with proper form, try timing yourself swimming 50 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres and a time. Keeping a log of your times is a great way to track improvement throughout practising the drills!
Essentially, the key to improving any swimming technique is to keep up with consistent practice, and to take your time to think about proper mechanics before you enter the water while you are swimming. Remember, practice makes perfect, and our swimming aids at Proswimwear also contribute towards that.
Ah, it’s that time. The first swim meet. It’s easy to look back at the good old days, where expectations were low and we were just happy that the kids made it from one side of the pool to the other. Many new swim team parents enter the world of competitive swimming, with no point of reference of what to expect. What they’re expecting is often far different than their first swim team experience…
The Arena Pro Swim League was in Orlando this past weekend. With the big names of American swimming hitting the water in their battle to be top of the leader boards. Watch Michael Phelps' performance in the 100m Butterfly wearing the signature MP XPRESSO jammers - Available now at ProSwimwear:
Did you catch last month's showdown between Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps at the Arena Pro Swim series in Austin, Texas? The event was the 200 IM final and the pool was packed with some fo the world's top elite swimmers. Check out the full race here...
The new Michael Phelps XCEED goggles have just arrived through our doors. We're really excited to see everything that is coming from Phelps' swim brand, from the XPRESSO tech suits to his new colourful training swimwear collection, the Alpha Pro training fins and focus snorkel, we've seen a good variety of products from the brand already!
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