Consider This Training Set: Developing 200 Fly Pace

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

Consider This Training Set: Developing 200 Fly Pace (From the Archive)

We turn to the Swimming World vault for a look at a training set that may be utilzied. This set is a 200 fly endurance set that builds to 200 pace. Take a look at the set below and the description that follows:

4 x 75’s as 50 fly kick no board/25 fly drill (single arm progression from #1-4) on 1:30

3 x 200’s build on 3:00 as:

#1: fly/free by 25

#2: fly/free by 50

#3: 75 fly/25 free

4 x 50’s as 25 fly kick/25 fly drill (single arm progression from #1-4) on 1:00

8 x 50’s ODD: easy free EVEN: 200 fly pace on 1:00

The set begins with 4 x 75’s as 50 fly kick/25 single arm fly drill. The kick should be at a moderate effort without a board, just getting the legs into the set and reminding your athletes to use their hips and legs to maintain a good body position once they transition into their stroke. The fly drill is a progression of single arm butterfly. On the first repeat, have your swimmers go 3 right arm strokes, 3 left arm strokes, and 3 full arm strokes. On the second repeat, they will do 2 each, then 1 each, with the last repeat being full stroke for a 25.

The purpose of that drill progression is to match their drive from the hips and legs with a drive forward in their stroke, specifically in their recovery. Reducing the arm strokes with each repeat will naturally increase their tempo while reminding them to drive forward with their chest and upper body at the end of each stroke.

The 3 x 200’s build that follow mix in fly and free, with the amount of straight butterfly increasing with each 200. Remind your athletes to transfer that feel of their stroke from the 4 x75’s into their full stroke swimming on these 200’s, especially as they are speeding up within each 200. While the power of their stroke increases they shouldn’t sacrifice their body position or the rhythm of their stroke.

Finally, the set ends with 4 x 50’s revisiting the kick/drill progression as a chance to recover and set up their strokes for the last 8 x 50’s, which are every other one at 200 pace. Throughout the set, make sure the focus is on the quality of the stroke rather than pushing the intervals. If your athletes can’t hold stroke with the prescribed intervals above, change them to give them more rest. Happy swimming!

All swimming and dryland training and instruction should be performed under the supervision of a qualified coach or instructor, and in circumstances that ensure the safety of participants.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

Name*

Email*

18 Comments

Oldest

Newest Most Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Tom De Roeck

6 years ago

Elles Becker, heerlijke inspiratie 😉

Elles Becker

6 years ago

Reply to Tom De Roeck

???
Ik zal me vast mentaal voorbereiden! 😉

Hannah Truslow

6 years ago

Trevor Serman

6 years ago

Reply to Hannah Truslow

That’s money for tomorrow

Michael Brienza

6 years ago

Michael Brienza

Hannah Truslow

6 years ago

Reply to Michael Brienza

Michael, so proud you keep motivating Michael! #gains

Karney McNear

6 years ago

Tommy Lutter

Nathaniel Wells

6 years ago

Thorpe N Hall D’sylva killer set ideas?

Thorpe N Hall D'sylva

6 years ago

Reply to Nathaniel Wells

Brutal! I’m so behind already

Christina Wijkhuijs

6 years ago

Josien Wijkhuijs Ronald Veenstra Trainingsschema 😉

Ryan George

6 years ago

Allison Somers

Nick Westaway

6 years ago

Mark Helliwell-Holmes ooh I might do a few modified versions of this

Mark Helliwell-Holmes

6 years ago

Reply to Nick Westaway

Yeah- it’s like what we sort of did last Friday

Heather Raley

6 years ago

“200 fly” and “pace” should not be in the same sentence, Melanie Rebechi. It’s “do butterfly until you die then just keep doing what barely resembles butterfly enough to not get dq’d until the end”.