At LY Swimming we offer training groups based on physical (and mental) development to help swimmers progress from learning strokes to being highly competitive athletes. Each training group offers a certain number of practices based on the needs of swimmers at that level. As swimmers move from one group to the next, the number of practices offered increases, the intensity level goes up, and the amount of yardage swum increases. While not every swimmer is trying to become Michael Phelps, we do base our practice schedule and training demands on the optimal attendance and training needed to have the best outcome for the competitive swimmer. We provide the opportunity for swimmers to progress, but it is up to the swimmers to take advantage of that opportunity. In a later newsletter I will talk about how workouts are developed daily, weekly, and across a season to provide optimum benefits for each swimmer, but in this article I want to concentrate on the importance of attendance based on simple yardage.

Our Blue Group swimmers are not concerned about yardage at all. Blue group swimmers do not need to worry about swimming fast. Blue Group swimmers are working on mastering simple, yet important, mechanical skills. Blue group swimmer Jane Jones is working on breathing every three in freestyle, turning her head to the side to breathe, keeping her knees straight to kick freestyle, learning underwater cycles for breaststroke, flipturning on free and backstroke, keeping her legs together on butterfly, and other simple technical matters. She comes to the pool twice a week for an hour each practice and comes to the stroke clinics on Saturdays. Jane is working to be prepared to swim the yardage that comes with a move up to Gold Group 2.

Jane’s brother John Jones swims in Gold Group 2. John’s practices are offered four times a week and they are an hour and a half long. ALL groups are always working to perfect mechanical skills, but when swimmers move from the Blue Group into Gold Group 2, they begin to also have training introduced and their ability to progress is impacted by their practice attendance. John swims about 3,000 yards a practice. He comes to every practice so he swims about 12,000 yards a week (plus he comes to stroke clinic to work on his starts and flip turns). In a month’s time he swims 48,000 yards and across three months he has swum 144,000 yards.

Nelly Jones is a Gold 1 swimmer. She has six practices a week and her practices average 6,000 yards a piece. Nelly is a very dedicated swimmer and comes to all practices offered. In a week’s time she has swum 36,000 yards. In a month’s time, she swims 144,000 yards (note that it has taken her brother John 3 months to swim this far). In three months time, Nelly swims 432,000 yards. Another swimmer in Nelly’s group, Sue Smith, only comes to three practices a week. Sue doesn’t understand why Nelly is so much better than she is. Sue needs to consider the impact of missed practices. Sue is only swimming 18,000 yards a week. At the end of three months, Sue has only swum 216,000 yards as compared to Nelly’s 432,000. This difference is HUGE. And consider the disadvantage to the swimmer that misses two months in the winter or perhaps takes three months off for the summer!

Meanwhile, Phil Jones is the ultimate swimmer, swimming in the Gold group. Before he moved into the Gold group, he was coming to all practices offered in Gold Group 1, realizing that the increase in demands from one group to the next is dramatic. He is offered nine practices a week averaging 7,000 yards a practice. Phil swims 63,000 yards a week; 252,000 yards a month; 756,000 yards across three months. Because Phil is so dedicated, he actually has the opportunity to come to TEN practices a week to further improve his training. Another swimmer in Phil’s group, Matt C. Smith, only comes to the minimum number of workouts to remain in the group. He averages 7.2 practices a week. Matt swims 50,400 yards a week; 201,600 yards a month; 604,800 yards across three months. At the end of three months, Phil has swum over 150,000 yards more than Matt; over the course of a year, Phil has swum over 600,000 more yards than Matt.

When swimmers make their goals for the season, they need to realize that their commitment to practice attendance directly impacts these goals. Every yard swum is like money in the bank. In order for swimmers to be successful in competition, it is vital to strive to KEEP UP WITH THE JONES!!