Finally Proud of a Practice!

Jul
22

Finally Proud of a Practice!

Posted by Kevin Doak on Wednesday at: 2:33am (July 22nd, 2009)
After a run (in the new sneaks), I arrived at practice a little late and did a quick warmup. I'm proud to say I had a great practice! It doesn't happen very often but I'm proud of my times today. We swam the following main set:

4 Rounds of:

4 x (50 easy + 50 Fast)

Round 1 and 3 was descend fast 50's
Round 2 and 4 was hold great 200 pace

This set gave me much needed rest and was a maximum of 50 meters fast per swim. Right up my alley! I was holding :28's and :29's on all the fast 50's backstroke! I finished the practice exhausted but with a big smile on my face. I think :28's are where I should be for a 50 meter backstroke in practice from a push. This was all after running a few miles beforehand.

After practice I had a great conversation with my college Coach Peter Linn. We discussed a wide range of topics from World Champ Trials, to the Sectionals meet at Miami (Ohio) this week. By my request, he had critiqued my backstroke quite a bit so we discussed what I could improve upon. I'm trying to modify how I "catch" the water with my right hand as well as "Finishing" my armstroke downward past my thigh rather than finishing into my thigh. Basically I need to push water downward and back rather than toward my leg. Coach Linn also mentioned yesterday that I'm breathing too late in my butterfly, something that has been pointed out to me before but it seems I need a reminder every so often. He feels that on a techinical level, my butterfly is my best stroke. It was both a complement and a downer to hear. On one side, it meant my fly is getting better. Unfortunately, it also means that he doesn't think much of my backstroke. Speaking with him is always beneficial, he doesn't sugarcoat anything and I appreciate that. He tells it how it is and always offers his expertise when requested. I appreciate Coach Peter Linn, I'm not alone in feeling that he's a true expert in stroke mechanics and coaching theory. I'm lucky to have him as a resource I can talk to. Thanks Peter Linn!