Training champions

Swimming Technique, Apr-Jun 2000 by Whitten, Phillip

This issue of Swimming Technique contains the first in a series of articles on the training of the world's greatest swimmers, written by their coaches. We begin the series by focusing on Penny Heyns with the article "Training A Champion," by her coach, Jan Bidrman. Last year Heyns had. one of the most remarkably successful seasons in swimming history, setting 11 world records during a two-month period in all three breaststroke distances. Bidrman shares his training philosophy for Heyns and provides samples of the workouts and sets she did between May 1998 and the summer of '99.

One of the most notable aspects of Bidrman's philosophy is his emphasis on quality breaststroke swimming. That means relatively short distances swum at a high rate of speed: most of Heyns' breaststroke swimming is done at distances of 50 or 100 meters: This philosophy is shared by Coach John Pontz in "Tech Tips: Six Fundamentals for Fast Breaststroke." Pontz, who coaches U.S. Olympic hopefuls Kyle Salyards and Kristen Woodring, shares his breaststroke training philosophy and recounts how it developed over the years.

In, perhaps, the most comprehensive article on swimming shoulder injuries ever published, Larry M. Weisenthal, a physician, researcher, Masters swimmer and swim parent, argues that most swim coaches and orthopedic physicians do not understand swimmer's shoulder. Here he discusses the origins of the ailment and suggests how it might be treated.

It's hard to imagine competitive swimming without accurate timing, but in the early nineteenth century, most swim races were match races with no timing at all. There were no lanes, with one swimmer per lane, nor were courses accurately measured. Bets were made on the outcome of the races on the basis of training information-and mis-information. In his "Off the Blocks" column, Cecil Colwin illuminates the history of the stopwatch in swimming.

And speaking about the stopwatch, don't miss our Stopwatch Buyer's Guide on pages 14 and 15. This Buyer's Guide gives you "at-a-glance" information on 30 stopwatches currently on the market. It includes such items as price, length of warranty, type, memory/splits and many other features.

George Block, past president of the American Swimming Coaches Association, writes about "A New Direction" taken by Coach Paul Blair, who merged his Arkansas team with a team from Kansas City at the senior level. Some have argued that this is unfair, but Block explains why it's not all that different from what college coaches already do. Is this the wave of the future, or is it an idea whose time has already passed?

There's some thoughtful reading awaiting you in this issue, so kick back...and enjoy.