Coaching Tips!

To tie in with the ASA Festival of Open Water next month and, of course, our great distance swimmers at the Olympics, we've put together some tips on training for longer distance swimming. We're not trying to talk you into swimming the channel, but if you fancy your chances at 800m, 1500m or open water then read on.

Distance freestyle has changed over the last twenty years. It used to be about doing lots of miles in the pool, swimming with a slow two-beat leg kick and having no great speed. Now it's about having some good initial speed, using a six beat leg kick and having the strength at the end to out sprint the others.

The physique of distance swimmers has changed too. They are big and strong and they are excellent at distances from 200m to 800m or 1500m. Keri-Anne Payne, for example, is swimming the 200m and 400m IM as well as the 10k open water and Rebecca Adlington has broken the national 200m freestyle record as well as being number 1 in the world on 800m. David Davies also has a good 200m time as well as being an Olympic medal winner in the 1500m and a medal contender in the 10k.

If you can't get out quick now the race will swim away from you, you need good initial speed. The middle section needs to be solid and you need a kick at the end to sprint to the wall.

Gone are the days of distance swimmers getting in and swimming long, boring sets in training, they can't afford not to do speed work as well now. Gym work is also important, good distance swimmers are big strong people these days.

So remember all you distance swimmers out there - you need to work on speed work too!