Swimming World November 2021 Presents – How They Train with Irish Olympian Darragh Greene – Sponsored By StrechCordz

Swimming World November 2021 - How They Train with Irish Olympian Darragh Greene

[Photo Courtesy: Sportsfile And The Olympic Federation of Ireland ]

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How They Train with Irish Olympian Darragh Greene

By Michael J. Stott

Swimming World November 2021 - How They Train with Irish Olympian Darragh Greene
[Photo Courtesy: Sportsfile And The Olympic Federation of Ireland]

Swimming World November 2021 - How They Train with Irish Olympian Darragh Greene - Progression of Times Chart

Irish Olympian Darragh Greene has been one of National Head Coach Ben Higson’s prime performers ever since joining him at the Dublin National Centre in 2017. Over the last four years, the “reserved, focused, intense” Greene has emerged as Swim Ireland’s top male in the 100 and 200 meter breaststrokes.

Prior to joining the National Centre, Darragh had qualified to race at the 2017 World University Games, where he clocked a semifinal 1:01.89 15th-place in the 100 breast and a lifetime best 2:16.35 in the 200 meter breast, where he finished 22nd out of 50 competitors. In 2018 at the LEN Championships, Greene broke a minute for the first time, posting a 59.92 for the 100. His 27.44 in the 50 breast was good for 12th.

At the 2019 FINA World Championships, he was 10th in the 50 breast (27.14) and became the first man to swim a sub-60 100 meter breaststroke (59.82) and fail to advance to finals. And as one of nine Irish swimmers in Tokyo, Greene went 1:00.30 (28th out of 47 swimmers) and 2:11.09 (23/40) in his signature events to galvanize his nation’s presence on the world aquatic stage.

The 26-year-old Greene has been a welcome addition to the National Centre roster, notes Higson: “Darragh is friendly and mixes well with the athletes and staff. He is a quiet leader who speaks up when necessary and sets a high standard in and out of the pool.

“Prior to his arrival, Darragh’s previous training was fairly limited and characterized by high intensity and low volume. These days, he exhibits a strong, consistent work ethic and pushes his body to complete key sets and practices.”

SAMPLE DARRAGH SETS
(Long Course)
A.E.C 3 = aerobic capacity 3 (training sets with specific aspects of intensity)
60 x 50 fast – breaststroke target :31
20 as every 5th 50 fast on :45
16 as every 4th 50 fast on :50
12 as every 3rd 50 fast on :55
8 as every 2nd 50 fast on :60
4 fast on :65

A.E.C 3/A.N.P = A.E.P aerobic power (training sets with more frequency of intensity); A.N.P anaerobic power (short fractions at maximum speed)
• 4 x 150 breaststroke descend 1-4 on 2:30
Rest :60
1 x 75 FAP (50 split 29.4 – 75 split 45.97)
Rest :10
1 x 50 FAP (29.11)

A.E.P
2x
• 8 x 50 on :60 (1 easy, 1 descend 1-4 stroke count—10-12-14-16) Rest :60
100 push, negative-split on 2:00
4 x 50 hold stroke count from 2nd 50 of 100 on :60
100 FAP, target 200 (race pace back-end speed)
300 loosen

A.E.P
• 8 x 100 breaststroke
1 @ La5 (lactate) on :90 (1:11.3)
1 @ faster on 2:30 (1:08.1-1:06.5-1:05.7-1:04.3)

Coach Higson: On the odd repetitions, Greene had to hit La5 1:11.3. On the evens, he had to start off quicker than the 1:11 pace, and then descend 1-4. The hold times he recorded are listed above.

A.E.C 3
2 x 50 on :60 (1 easy, 1 fast, breast – target :31)
8 x 100 on 1:40 (1 free La2 – 1:10.6, 1 breast La3 – 1:18.5)
4 x 50 as above
6 x 100 on 1:40 (1 free La2 – 1:10.6, 1 breast La4 – 1:16.4)
6 x 50 as above
4 x 100 on 1:40 (1 free La2 – 1:10.6, 1 breast La5 – 1:14.2)
8 x 50 as above
2 x 100 on 1:40 (1 free La2 – 1:10.6, 1 breast fast – 1:06.3)

Coach Higson: The lactate (La) chart is based on Greene’s aerobic and anaerobic capacities established through completing a physiological test. Roughly speaking, they equate to:
La1 = 50-60 beats below max in terms of heart rate
La2 = 40 bbm
La3 = 30-40 bbm
La4 = 20-30 bbm
La5 = 10-20 bbm v

Click here to download the full November issue of Swimming World Magazine, available now!

Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Level 5 coach, golf and swimming writer. His critically acclaimed coming-of-age golf novel, “Too Much Loft,” was published in June 2021, and is available from store.Bookbaby. com, Amazon, B&N and book distributors worldwide.

[PHOTO BY KAREEM ELGAZZAR / USA TODAY SPORTS]

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FEATURES

012 2021 OPEN WATER SWIMMERS OF THE YEAR
by Dan D’Addona and David Rieder
Brazil’s Ana Marcela Cunha and Germany’s Florian Wellbrock both captured Olympic gold in Tokyo and repeated as the world’s elite open water swimmers in both 2019 and 2021.

014 2021 OPEN WATER HIGHLIGHTS
by Dan D’Addona
Although the Tokyo Olympic Games commanded the spotlight in 2021, there were many other open water highlights throughout the year.

018 ISHOF FEATURE: AQUATOTS MURDER CASE—THE KATHY TONGAY STORY (Part 2)
by Bruce Wigo
This is the second of a three-part story about “The Aquatots Murder Case” that first appeared in the October issue of Swimming World. It is about Kathy Tongay, a little girl whose father, Russell, had been training her almost from birth to be an expert diver and swimmer. When she died at the age of 5, her father was arrested for murdering his daughter.

022 PERHAPS OVERLOOKED…BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
by John Lohn
As we creep closer to signing off on this Olympic year, Swimming World offers a look at six athletes—all members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame—who hold a special place in history, even if they are not always at the forefront of the mind.

025 CONTINUING TO MAKE AN IMPACT
by David Rieder
Anthony Nesty’s accomplishments as a swimmer in the late 1980s and ’90s made him a national icon. But decades after that, he is still making a huge impact on the sport from a different vantage point—as a coach.

028 MENTAL PREP: BEFORE THE BEEP WITH DAVID CURTISS
by Shoshanna Rutemiller

030 NUTRITION: THE IMPORTANCE OF IRON—LOW MEANS SLOW!
by Dawn Weatherwax
Iron is a mineral that directly impacts performance.

COACHING

016 COACHING IN A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT (Part 1)
by Michael J. Stott
In the first of two articles, Swimming World explores how coaches and administrators coped with the recent unpleasantness of COVID-19.

036 SPECIAL SETS: AUDREY DERIVAUX—KILLER QUEEN
by Michael J. Stott
Young Audrey Derivaux of Jersey Wahoos has turned in comparable times to the 11-12 age group superstars who have excelled before her.

040 SWIMMING TECHNIQUE CONCEPTS: DISTRUST IN SWIMMING SCIENCE IS NOT A MYSTERY
by Rod Havriluk
The fact that general scientific information is routinely ignored provides some perspective about the difficulty in applying science to the sport of swimming. While a single technique element cannot guarantee success, American Lydia Jacoby’s Olympic victory suggests that using science can provide a competitive advantage.

042 SPECIAL SETS: DANIEL DIEHL—DEFINITELY DRIVEN
by Michael J. Stott
Daniel Diehl, 15, of the Cumberland YMCA Sea Otters is Maryland’s—and the nation’s—top-ranked male swimmer in the Class of 2024. In recent months, he has either broken or knocked on the door of several national age group records. In October, as the youngest male on the U.S. National Junior Team, he notched seven top 10 individual finishes at the FINA World Cup meets in Germany and Hungary.

044 Q&A WITH SWIM IRELAND’S NATIONAL PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR JON RUDD
by Michael J. Stott

045 HOW THEY TRAIN IRISH OLYMPIAN DARRAGH GREENE
by Michael J. Stott

TRAINING

039 DRYSIDE TRAINING: BACK TO BASICS (Part 2)
by J.R. Rosania

JUNIOR SWIMMER

047 | UP & COMERS: AVA BUHRMAN
by Shoshanna Rutemiller

COLUMNS & SPECIAL SECTIONS

007 THE OFFICIAL WORD

008 A VOICE FOR THE SPORT

009 DID YOU KNOW: ABOUT “DO YOU KNOW THAT….”?

032 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

048 GUTTERTALK

049 PARTING SHOT

Swimming World is now partnered with the International Swimming Hall of Fame. To find out more, visit us at ishof.org

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