2010 GLST Practice Overview – Ages 7-8

 

Practice Component Overview/ Explanation (Week 2 - 8)

                Warm Up: Ranges from 100 to 200 yard, swim and a kick component each day. The intensity is very low.  The yardage will adjust depending on what point in the season it is and increase as the swimmers endurance increases. The warm up will be similar every day but altered slightly in order to keep swimmers engaged and interested. Warm up is important to loosen up the swimmers bodies and warm up their muscles in order to adjust them to the water and prevent possible injury.

               

                Main Set: Ranges from 300 to 800 yards each day. The intensity will range throughout the main set low during drills and medium to high during kicking sets and practicing for race situations. The yardage will adjust depending on what point in the season it is and increase when the swimmers endurance increases. In this training program there will be example workouts throughout the season plan so that parents and swimmers can get an idea of how the progression throughout the weeks will look and to give them an idea of how what will be covered in a practice. This is also in order to allow for some flexibility in my workouts throughout the week so that I can adapt to the swimmers needs and focus on areas that they need to focus on as the season progresses. We will work on all 4 strokes and weekly and also focus on starts, finishes and streamlines. The fastest parts of a race are as follows: 1. Start, 2. Turn, and 3. Breakout. Swimming is actually the slowest part of your race. Not having adequate starts, turns and breakouts can take the fastest parts of a race and make them the slowest. Since 7-8’s only swim 25’s we will not be working on turns yet and only focusing on the start and the break out.  (Note: breakouts are included in start work and 7-8’s will not be learning turns because there will not be a race that they need to turn in so we will be focusing on the starts breakouts and  having an efficient finish to a race)

My goal for the main set is improve swimmer technique and endurance through the use of drills, technique work and different intensities of kicking and swimming.

 

                Cool Down: Will vary from day to day based on the amount of swimming. It will usually be somewhere around 75 - 100 yards. I prefer to have my swimmers to cool down all freestyle, but some days it may change. It is important for every swimmer to complete a warm down before leaving practice so as to release as much built up lactic acid as possible. Lack of warm down can result in cramps, tight muscles, and lactic acid build up. It is also important for the swimmer to eat a good balanced meal after practice so that their bodies can get the nutrients they need to rebuild the muscles that were worked out that day.

 

WEEK 1 – May 3 – May 7

Training will consist of building up endurance primarily using kicking, freestyle and backstroke. We will focus more on these freestyle (FR) and backstroke (BK) this week because the majority of these swimmers have just moved up from 6& under and have never had to swim breaststroke (BR) and butterfly (BF) before.  We need to make sure they are given the opportunity get a firm grasp on freestyle and backstroke and build up some endurance before we introduce new strokes. Drills for FR and BK that will be used throughout the season will be introduced this week.        

May 3 – New Swimmers Only

                Warm Up

                                Assess swimmers levels of ability

                                -50 kick w/ board

                                -25 freestyle swim

                                Divide Swimmers into lanes based on ability

                Main Set

                                Go over freestyle basics (Demonstrations, Verbal Instructions, Dry Practice)

                                -25’s working on skills

                                                -Breath to side

                                                -Streamline

                                                -Arm drills

                                                -Flutter Kick

                Cool Down

                                -25 Freestyle swim

                                -50 Flutter Kick 

                               

May 4 – New Swimmers Only

                Warm Up

                                -50 flutter Kick

                                -2ื25’s freestyle

                Main Set

                                Go over back stroke basics (Demonstrations, Verbal Instructions, Dry Practice)

                                -Floating on back

                                -25’s working on skills

                                                -Kicking

                                                                -with/without kickboard

                                                                -hands to side/streamline

                                                -Introduce back stroke arms

                                                                -drills

                                                                -strokes

                Cool Down

                                -25 back stroke swim attempt

                                -25 freestyle swim

                                -50 flutter kick

May 5 – All swimmers

                Warm Up

                                -Reassess swimmers

                                -50 Flutter Kick

                                -25 Free

                                -25 Back

                                -Divide up into new lanes based on skill (Stay in these Lanes for the Next few Weeks)

                Main Set

                                -Review Freestyle and Back Stroke

                                                -2ื50’s Flutter Kick w/ board

                                                -4ื25’s Freestyle streamline drills

                                                -2ื25’s Flutter Kick on Back (w/ board, hands to side or streamline depending                                                                                                  on skill and comfort level)

                                                -4ื25’s Back stroke drill

                Cool Down

                                -25 BK swim good technique

                                -75 Kick w/ board/ streamline

                                               

May 6 – All Swimmers

                Warm Up

                                -75 Flutter kick w/ board/ streamline

                                -25 FR

                                -25 BK

                Main Set

                                -FR Stream Line Drills

                                -8ื25’s Alternating FR Drill and Stream Line Flutter Kick

               

                Cool Down

                                -50 FR Swim good techniques

                                -75 flutter kick w/ board

                                 

May 7 – All Swimmers

                Warm Up

                                -75 Flutter kick w/ board/ streamline

                                -25 FR

                                -25 BK

                Main Set

                                -BK Stream line/ balance drills

                                -8ื25’s Alt BK drills and flutter kick on back w/ or w/out board depending on comfort                                                                   and skill level

                Cool Down

                                -2ื25’s BK

                                -Fun Kicking (75-100)

 

WEEK 2 – May 10 – 14

Training will focus on introducing Breast Stroke (BR) and Butterfly (BF) and also perfecting freestyle (FR) and backstroke (BK). Drills that will be used for BR and BF the rest of the season will be introduced during this week. Lengthy swimming will be infrequent because in a race the most 7& 8’s swim at once is a 25 but some endurance is still needed to complete the season successfully. Practices will consist of a Warm-Up, Main Set and a Cool down with the stroke emphasis of the day to the right of the date.

 

May 10 – Butterfly

                Warm Up

                                -75 flutter kick and

                                -50 FR

                Main Set

                                Go over butterfly basics (Demonstration, Verbal instructions, Dry land Practice)

                                -4ื25’s Dolphin kick w/ board

                                -4ื25’s Kick with hands to side working on body roll (Aqua man)

                                -4ื25’s Skull with fly kick

                                -4ื25’s Big little Big

                                -2ื25’s BF Swim

                Cool Down

                                -100  Easy FR swim/kick no board

May 11 – Butterfly

May 12 – Breaststroke

May 13 – Breaststroke

                Warm Up

                                -100 Alternating flutter and breaststroke kick every 25

                                -75 swim FR/BR/FR

                Main Set

                                -9ื25’s Kick Hands behind back/Streamline/Board

                                -4ื25’s skull w/ no kick

                                -4ื25’s Arm stroke only

                                -4ื25’s 2 kick 1 pull

                                -2ื25’s BR swim

                Cool Down

                                -100 Easy Swim Alt FR/BK

May 14 – BR and BF

 

WEEK 3 – May 17 – 21

May 17 – Backstroke

May 18 – Backstroke/Freestyle

                Warm Up

                                -100 Streamline kick w/ board

                                -75 FR/BK/FR

                Main Set

                                -6ื25’s kick Left and Right side

                                -8ื25’s 10 kick 1 pull FR/BK

                                -8ื25’s 6 kick 3 pull FR/BK

                                -4ื25’s FR Rotator drill

                                -4ื25’s BK Rotator drill

                Cool Down

                                -100 Easy FR

May 19 – Butterfly

May 20 – Breaststroke

May 21 – Butterfly

 

WEEK 4 – May 24 – 28

May 24 –Freestyle

May 25 – Breaststroke

May 26 – Butterfly

May 27 –Breaststroke

May 28 - Backstroke

                Warm Up

                                -100 FR Swim

                                -100 Kick FR/BK/FR/BK

                Main Set

                                -6ื25’s  BK kick left and right side

                                -4ื25’s Thumb out Pinky in

                                -4ื25’s Rotator Drill

                                -4ื25’s Technique (Head movement)

                                -4ื50’s BK Swim ↑ Kick↓

                Cool Down

                                -100 easy FR

 

WEEK 5 – May 31 – June 4

May 31 -Freestyle

June 1 – Backstroke

June 2 –Butterfly

June 3 – Breaststroke

June 4 –Stroke/Starts

                Warm Up

                                -100 Swim FR/Choice

                                -100 Kick Flutter/Choice

                Main Set

                                - 8ื25’s Kick FL/BK/BR/FR

                                - 8ื25’s Swim FL/BK/BR/FR

                                - Diving Drills

                                - Finishes

                Cool Down

                                -100 easy choice swim NO FLY

                               

June 5 - Swim Meet!

 

WEEK 6 – June 7 – June 11

June 7 – Backstroke

June 8 – Breaststroke

June 9 – Freestyle

June 10 – Butterfly

June 11 – Stroke/Starts

June 12- Swim Meet!

 

WEEK 7 – June 14 – June18

June 14 – Breaststroke

June 15 – Swim Meet!  Stroke/Starts!

June 16 – Freestyle/Backstroke

June 17 – Butterfly

June 18 – Stroke/Starts!

June 19 - Swim Meet!

 

WEEK 8 – June 21 – June 25

June 21 – Butterfly

June 22 – Backstroke/Freestyle

June 23 – Breaststroke

                Warm Up

                                -100 Swim

                                -100 BR kick

               

                Main Set

                                -4ื25’s Kick w/ hands behind back/ to side

                                -4ื25’s Stream Line Kick

                                -4ื25’s 2 Kick 1 Pull

                                -4ื25’s 3 second glide

                                -4ื50’s Kick ↑Swim↓

               

                Cool Down

                                -100 easy FR/BR

               

June 24 – Stroke/Starts

June 25 – Stroke/Starts!

June 26 – MOC

June 27 - All Stars