IMX STRATEGY

 

Now that we have all our entries in for the IMX meet we thought this would be a good time to help you with some race strategies so that you walk in feeling confident.  The last thing you want to do is attempt to come up with a plan right before you head to the blocks.  Let’s try and come up with that plan now so that we have a couple of weeks to work out any concerns that you may have.  Go over your plan for each event in your head several times throughout the next two weeks and one last time as you head for the blocks for each race.  We are here to help you have a good experience with this meet.

Let's start from the beginning, all your races will start with the dive but how important is it for the longer events that you will be swimming.  

You are correct if you were thinking this, "I won't win this race with the start" but it does not make the start any less significant.  We have talked about finding that easy speed at the start of the race and with a good start and breakout that easy relaxed speed will come naturally into that first turn.  You definitely do not want to start and immediately breakout into a slow pace worried about being able to finish the race, it can have disastrous results.  It takes a lot more energy to go from a slow speed to a fast speed, so you have to think of building your race to a fast finish.  With a great start and breakout you put yourself into a great position physically and mentally, and now it comes down to trusting the hard work you have done and start building your race in a smart way.

A few weeks ago we talked about instead of tackling the entire staircase all at once to tackle each step one at a time.  When we relate this to your swimming we can do the same.  The first thing that will help is to take each event as it comes.  In other words if you are doing the 400 IM on Friday it makes sense that it should command all your attention.  Your mind should not be focused on, let's say the 200 breast later in the weekend, you can't do anything about that step until you get to it.  Keep your focus on exactly what is in front of you at the moment.

The next step in the process is breaking down the events into smaller races.  When you look at the races as a whole they might look somewhat intimidating, but if you break them down they become somewhat more manageable.

 Take your races and view them like a dollar bill and then break it down into quarters.  Swim those races in quarters.  Build each quarter as you are swimming and if you stay controlled and handle each quarter

well it will add up to a great finish and your $1.00.  If your not building or adding interest as you go along your going to come up short each quarter, which means the next one is going to take that much more energy to even stay even.  Your going to come up a little short.

IM's As for the races, lets look at our Friday event which is the 400 and the 200 IM.  Same race same thought process only difference is one is a little longer.  In both races our strategy is to work the back half of the Fly, Back, Breast and the Free is a sprint to the wall.  In the 400 that means we are building that second 50 and for the 200 we are building the second 25.  We are trying to negative split the back half of each stroke which helps at the transition into the next stroke.  This is vital as you can not transition into the next stroke at a slow pace.  You cannot go 5 seconds slower on the back end and hope to remain efficient.  It goes without saying that are walls have to be aggressive with strong underwater's and breakout.  This event comes down to toughness

FREE. Sorry kiddo's no 50, 100, or even 200 here, yes it's the 500.  Let's do a little math here, how do we break a $500 bill into quarters.  Think of this race as 4 $125 bills and work it like that.  That first quarter starts off easy with the dive and just let that speed off the dive and breakout carry you into that first turn.  Now it's up to you to carry that speed into the next quarter.  The next quarter you want to try and focus on the back half of each 50 or your splits start falling off requiring more energy at the end.  The third quarter continue this with more attention on those walls getting you ready for that one last push.  Start building that last quarter with each 50 getting faster.  Note here is not to wait until that last 50, if you do it requires a lot more energy.  Its a gradual building process. You should be entering that last 50 already at a sprint.  A couple of "tid bits" to remember, set up your breathing pattern early so that you can maintain   a good pace.  There are 19 turns in this event.  Use them to your advantage and shorten your race.

FLY (200 AND 100).  Swim with an easy speed, hold your rhythm and smoothness.  You may be thinking easier said than done, but not if you break it into quarters.  The race becomes a lot shorter if you can maximize your turns and underwater distance.  Think of swimming a perfect fly during each quarter with high hips throughout.  The hips are important because if you let them drop your going to be creating drag and will hit exhaustion very quickly.  During the third quarter of your race it's time to open up your speed a little and in the last quarter use all your energy and break away.

BACK (200 AND 100). As you explode off the start remember to remain in control, that easy speed will always be there if you are focused.  Stay in control of your kick early in this race, they will fail you at the end if you don't control them. The first 2 quarters use a smooth steady kick and start to build them during the third quarter.  When you get to the 4th quarter the legs will be there, it may burn a little but let them go, thats why we do those 10 minute kicks during practice. Accelerate during the 3rd quarter and let it all go in the last.  Remember those turns, a great way to shorten the race.

BREASTSTROKE (200 and 100) This event is a different beast all in itself.  Two critical areas here involve strong pullouts and consistent stroke rate throughout the race.   As for the stroke race finish each stroke cycle with a strong kick and then repeat one-one-thousand before you begin the next cycle with a strong catch at the front end.  Maintain that rate for the first half of the race and as you move into the third maybe one-thousand will work for you as you build into the last push.  As for the pullouts, try to maximize your distance off each wall especially on that last turn as you sprint toward the finish.

Enjoy the opportunity that you have to be able to swim this meet with the long events over three days and really test your toughness.