How are your turns doing? Could they be better? ALWAYS. Are you doing everything possible to have better turns? PROBABLY NOT. Not a criticism just a human fact. Do the walls only become important for you during a race? In order to improve in this area you need to approach your walls with the same intensity during practice as you would in a race.
Regardless of your talent level the walls are a great equalizer if you can master them. Think about this statement from coach Paul, "For a 50 free the start covers at least 10 yards, the turn another 10 yards (flags to wall, wall to flags) and the finish another 10 yards." Thats 3 critical areas that cover 30 yards of your 50 (60% of your race) (30%of your 100 race) and ( 15% of your 200 race). Just how good are you in those 30 yards and do you make a point of working those 30 yards hard during your training, or does your training look more like the map above, all over the place with no clear destination. Your roadmap to improvement is clear it’s straight down that black line turn and return over the same line.
Although we have been limited with are starting block work over the past year, all of you have done a fantastic job on your starts with all of our limitations. The one thing to remember is to step up on to the blocks with a clear mind and an aura of confidence. Control what you can control. Explode on the sound legs, hips arms, shoulders, and head all moving as one powerful piston. That's it.
Here is a cute little story from the past weekend about a girl who came over to where I was with another coach and proceeded to layout her strategy for her upcoming race (the 50 free) and this plan covered everything from start to breathing, encompassing a fast turn and finally the finish. This other coach looked up and said; "Dear it's only a 50! Bottom line is don't over think your races. It causes unnecessary stress which will only lead to you tightening up at that critical moment.
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