Race Mode

Race Mode, is when a swimmer swims with the a high level of intensity. Hopefully with enough repetition of technique the swimmer can go into race mode without losing complete control of their technique.

At RCA (TNT) I did a lot of timed 25 sprints. They were typically head to head races. I did them enough that my swimmers knew what their best time for 25 sprint of the strokes. At a certain point it does become hard for improvement, and comes down to executing the "little things," while also swimming a little in the out of control area.

The swimmers listened to what everyone was getting because they paid attention to who beat them and who they beat. These 25's created the competitiveness in them.

I still do 25 sprints for time, and most of the time the same result comes from it. The kids understand what is a fast time, and where they want to be when they swim. I look at my swimmers now though, and ask myself, "Am I doing this enough with them?" I used to ask myself, "Am I doing this too much?" Interesting to see how my coaching evolves and changes. Maybe in four to five years I'll be back to asking, "Am I doing this too much?"

I definitely felt like my swimmers were having a hard time into race mode, so tonight, we went to those 25's for time. After the first round, I started to see the competitive juices flowing again. Now, I feel a whole lot better for this weekends Coastal Champs, as they look good at practice in many areas, but the race mode was what was missing. I can't wait to see how it turns out.