Mixed ability swim

Tim said:

Hi folks,

I have a session once a week at lunch with work mates, the problem is the abality range is quite
diverse, faster swimmers will catch slower after a only 75m. Any good ideas on how to keep the
session entertaining and still provide for all swimmers?

I assume you only have one lane? There isn't much you can do in that case. You can construct a
workout based on sets of 25m, 50m, and 75m swims and adjust the time interval as needed. The problem
here will be that slower swimmers might not be able to stay on the intervals that are challenging
for the faster swimmers, but I have coached this way in the past when there were a lot of swimmers
in a 25m lane. It does help, but unfortunately there is no satisfactory solution that I know of
short of commandeering two lanes.

martin

--
Martin Smith email: [email hidden] Vollsveien 9 tel. : +47 6783 1188
P.O. Box 482 mob. : +47 932 48 303 1327 Lysaker, Norway

Get the better swimmers to do butterfly while the slower swimmers do freestyle. That'll soon even
things up.

"Tim" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi folks,

I have a session once a week at lunch with work mates, the problem is the abality range is quite
diverse, faster swimmers will catch slower after a only 75m. Any good ideas on how to keep the
session entertaining and

still

Quoted message said:

provide for all swimmers?

Thanks

Tommy

"Tim" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi folks,

I have a session once a week at lunch with work mates, the problem is the abality range is quite
diverse, faster swimmers will catch slower after a only 75m. Any good ideas on how to keep the
session entertaining and still provide for all swimmers?

Thanks

Tommy

Perhaps you could alternate endurance sets and sprint sets between the faster and slower groups, so
that sprinters would spend more time resting and thus not obstructing lanes. Or give fast group
Fartek sets (25 sprint, 25 active recovery. Or give fast group lots of kicking(LOL), scull
sets...Larry

"Tim" left this mess on Mon, 4 Aug 2003 09:41:12 +0100 for The Way to clean up:

Quoted message said:

Hi folks,

I have a session once a week at lunch with work mates, the problem is the abality range is quite
diverse, faster swimmers will catch slower after a only 75m. Any good ideas on how to keep the
session entertaining and still provide for all swimmers?

Tommy, the one thing you haven't told us what you *have* done to improve the situation?

Have you tried splitting the workouts between ability groups? What about reverse-stagger start so
the slowest swimmers are hitting the water as the faster swimmers are just finishing a split?

What have you tried already?

Tao te Carl

"It takes a village to have an idiot." - Carl (c) 2003

How about the old "first swimmer leaves again when last person touches" type set. Can be either 25's
or 50's. Usually works out that the fast swimmers get lots of rest so they swim the set like speed
work (long rest but fast pace), The slow swimmers don't get a lot of rest so it becomes more of an
endurance set.

Can also do a set were people swim right at the feet of the person in front. This would allow the
slower ones to draft and keep up. Once they loose the draft the continue swimming until the are
caught again by the lead swimmer, and then rejoin the group after a rest.

"Tim" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi folks,

I have a session once a week at lunch with work mates, the problem is the abality range is quite
diverse, faster swimmers will catch slower after a only 75m. Any good ideas on how to keep the
session entertaining and

still

Quoted message said:

provide for all swimmers?

Thanks

Tommy

Yes Martin.

It's only one lane of a 25 meter pool!

T

"Martin W. Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tim said:

Hi folks,

I have a session once a week at lunch with work mates, the problem is

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

abality range is quite diverse, faster swimmers will catch slower after

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

only 75m. Any good ideas on how to keep the session entertaining and

still

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

provide for all swimmers?

I assume you only have one lane? There isn't much you can do in that case. You can construct a
workout based on sets of 25m, 50m, and 75m swims and adjust the time interval as needed. The
problem here will be that slower swimmers might not be able to stay on the intervals that are
challenging for the faster swimmers, but I have coached this way in the past when there were a lot
of swimmers in a 25m lane. It does help, but unfortunately there is no satisfactory solution that
I know of short of commandeering two lanes.

martin

--
Martin Smith email: [email hidden] Vollsveien 9 tel. : +47 6783 1188
P.O. Box 482 mob. : +47 932 48 303 1327 Lysaker, Norway

Colin Priest said:

Get the better swimmers to do butterfly while the slower swimmers do freestyle. That'll soon even
things up.

Good idea. Some breast stroke is another possibility.

martin

--
Martin Smith email: [email hidden] Vollsveien 9 tel. : +47 6783 1188
P.O. Box 482 mob. : +47 932 48 303 1327 Lysaker, Norway

Thanks for all the suggestions, It's a 'tight' lane so Chris is right, butterfly and breast are
difficult. I'll continue to use sculling and doggy etc!

Any other suggestions warmly welcomed

Thanks Guys,

T

"larry burns" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Tim" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Hi folks,

I have a session once a week at lunch with work mates, the problem is

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

abality range is quite diverse, faster swimmers will catch slower after

a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

only 75m. Any good ideas on how to keep the session entertaining and

still

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

provide for all swimmers?

Thanks

Tommy

Perhaps you could alternate endurance sets and sprint sets between the faster and slower groups,
so that sprinters would spend more time resting and thus not obstructing lanes. Or give fast group
Fartek sets (25 sprint, 25 active recovery. Or give fast group lots of kicking(LOL), scull
sets...Larry

"Martin W. Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Colin Priest said:

Get the better swimmers to do butterfly while the slower swimmers do freestyle. That'll soon
even things up.

Good idea. Some breast stroke is another possibility.

Hey, breast is my fastest stroke!

Butterfly and breast are two strokes that don't really work well in a single lane, especially the
narrow 25-meter pool lanes, and especially with beginners. Getting kicked by a breaststroker is the
one thing that could actually kill you in swimming. And the butterfly pull is hard to narrow down
when someone passes.