Negative splitting is one of the most difficult concepts to
explain to developing swimmers. What’s
even harder is getting them to successfully execute a negative split set. Negative splitting a race means swimming the
second half of a race faster than the first half, contrary to how the body
would normally perform.
“The reason swimmers
generally don’t negative split a race is due to the mental component of
swimming: specifically, a loss of concentration. 98% of it is loss of concentration, and the
other 2% is due to actual physical fatigue,” coach Tim says to me at today’s
practice.
Yes, that means if a swimmer goes off into la-la land, he or
she will not negative split a race.
Negative splitting doesn’t even require a swimmer to be in peak
condition. Negative splitting is solely
due to swimming smart.
Tim tells me the set ahead of time: a 50 (2 lengths), a 100
(4 lengths), a 200 (8 lengths), a 400 (16 lengths), and an 800 (32 lengths). “I don’t want them to kill themselves on the
50. It’s all about control. The 100 should be an okay effort. Then for the 200 they should start to build
it up. The 400 should be good. Very good.
And the 800 should be an all-out sprint.”
I provide sendoffs for the respective lanes, depending upon
age and swimming ability. “Stay long and
in control for the 50, otherwise you’ll be in trouble for the 800 if you sprint
it,” I tell some of the younger ones, who have a tendency to eagerly start a
set quickly, regardless of its intended speed.
“Grab hold of the water and really catch it with your hand and
forearm. But you should be thinking
about moving your body forward, not your hand backward.”
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Getting ready for the main set!
I know very very about a swimming and what it takes to be really successful so I probably have a similar mindset to a novice swimmer, that being said I think you did an excellent job of explaining negative splitting, even in this short blog post. It is very similar to the sprint workouts i used to do in track. Both of these sports combine endurance and mental skill to create a really good athlete. The kids probably don't realize it yet but what you are teaching them about swimming is going to teach them to have the right mentality about a lot of things in life. A lot of things feel like a sprint all the way through but really they are just a build up to a really big mental sprint at the end. The whole project is kind of like that too. Good luck, maybe in 15 years you'll see one of these kids at the olympics.
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