Silver Accreditation Course

Course Assignment EXAMPLE

Seasonal Training Plan

[Submitted by a Coach enrolled in the Class of 2000]

Note: Attached are excerpts from a paper, to be used as a guide only.

PERIODISATION OF TRAINING PLAN 2000/2001 Season Plan

WEEK COMMENCING MEETS TRAINING PHASE SPECIFIC

23 October Aerobic Overdistance

30 October Aerobic Overdistance

6 November Ansett Summer Swim Meet (4-5) Aerobic Overdistance

13 November Distance Meet (12) Endurance

20 November Endurance

27 November Endurance

4 December Endurance

11 December Specific Quality

18 December Metropolitan (16-17) Specific Recovery

25 December Specific

1 January Quality

8 January Quality HVO2

15 January Taper Recovery

22 January State Age Championships (16-23) Taper Competition

29 January Aerobic Overdistance

5 February Aerobic Overdistance

12 February Aerobic Overdistance

19 February Endurance

26 February Endurance

5 March Endurance

12 March Endurance

19 March Specific

26 March Specific Quality

2 April Specific

9 April CHS Championships (5-7) Quality HVO2

16 April Quality/Taper Recovery

23 April Australian Age Championships 19-23 Taper Competition

EXPLANATION OF TRAINING PLAN I have broken the 26-week plan into two 12-week phases with one week of competition. The first phase will be a preparation for the State Age Championships (January 16-23) and the second phase for the major competition for the year Australian Age Championships (April 19–23). Each phase will consist of…

Aerobic Phase 3 weeks Endurance Phase 4 weeks Specific Phase 3 weeks Quality Phase 2 weeks Taper Phase 2 weeks

I am working with a group of 14 swimmers aged between 14 and 17. Within this group I am hoping eight swimmers will qualify for the Australian Age . All of the swimmers are training 8-10 sessions a week (including club night). All morning sessions include a one-hour weights/exercises session then one hour in the pool, while our afternoon sessions are two hours in length in the pool. The idea of the Training Plan is make sure the swimmers are protected from injury while slowly building into the program, aiming for maximum performance during the Specific and Quality Phases to set up a good racing base, both mentally and physically, for each swimmer. I will be using many overdistance swims gradually, increasing the distance of the sessions over the first six weeks of each plan. I will be implementing a combination of aerobic and anaerobic sets to build the swimmers into the specific work. During the Specific Phase I will be working on the swimmer’s endurance, hoping they can handle the extra stress while maintaining the distance of each session to prepare them for the Quality Phase. During the Quality Phase I will reduce the distance of the sessions but increase the intensity of the sessions and work all Test Sets at race pace and specific distances of each swimmer. Finally, the Taper will consist of one more week of reduced quality and one week of full adaptation before competition.

AEROBIC MACROCYCLE The aim of this macrocycle is to let the swimmers progressively build a sufficient aerobic base, which will allow the swimmers to prepare for the endurance phase of the cycle. This will be done by… • Maintaining sub-maximal heart rates (40-50BBM) • Minimum rest • The duration of the sets must be longer than 20 minutes and can be up to 120 minutes for

senior athletes • Good, efficient technique must be maintained • The sets should be completed in competitive strokes • This form of training should be a large percentage of the overall volume of training throughout

the year I have found this type of approach works in two ways. Firstly, it lets the swimmers get the results they are after in the hard endurance weeks to follow. I find this lifts the self-esteem of the swimmers and the team to work harder. Secondly, the swimmers used go straight into an endurance cycle to get their fitness back after a break. I found this caused some problems with my older boys and their shoulder injuries. Their shoulders would flair up very quickly after a break if pushed too hard. This was very concerning to me, as the swimmers involved then had to sit on the sideline for one or two weeks to rest their shoulders before they could continue the program pain free. Therefore, I introduced the aerobic macrocycle to avoid these problems. This cycle will involve two weeks of light overdistance Freestyle and Medley work and one week of moderate overdistance sets. We usually do not complete any specific sets during the first two weeks. In the third week we introduce the sets we will be working on during the next four weeks of endurance work. These sets will have a long rest-to-work ratio. The rest-to-work ratio will decrease week by week during the Endurance Phase. During this third week we will complete four overdistance aerobic sets. Physiological Conditioning Physiological preparation-training the energy systems Aerobic Base Training • Fundamental to overall success of the program • As a training concept … the velocity that can be maintained • Peripheral adaptation … increased blood flow for working muscles – increased oxygen

utilisation – lower lactate for given swim speed • Central adaptation … lower heart rates for given swim speed – lower ventilation for given

swim speed • Development provides a ‘platform’ for supply of higher energy demands • Enhances recovery by influencing lactate removal rates In conclusion, we do not include any major stressful sets during this phase. I believe the swimmers are not fit enough to handle the hard work and I have learnt in the past not to over stress the swimmers to early to avoid injury.

ENDURANCE MACROCYCLE The aim of this macrocycle is to gradually increase the intensity and mileage of the sessions in the program. This will be achieved by setting the sets within the sessions to… • Work the swimmers’ heart rates 20-40BBM • Use times within the session which have been set up using the Step Test • The volume is less than aerobic base training but intensity is higher Note: The distance specialists will require higher volumes in this training zone. The next four weeks of the program are where all of our distance sets are completed. I like to use the fitness the swimmers have gained during the aerobic cycle and test their mental and physical ability. I believe this cycle of the program can indicate how the swimmers are going to train during the entire 26-week plan, as well as how they are going to compete in both competitions. The sessions which will be completed will all be around six kilometres, which will involve 3km HR sets (e.g. 30x100 1.30), 1-2km of kick a session, Test Sets (e.g. 7x200), overdistance sets (e.g. 3000 for time) etc. During these four weeks we will complete…

Monday Morning Tuesday Afternoon 3 HR Sets a week Thursday Morning Monday Afternoon 2 Kick for Time Sets Friday Afternoon Wednesday Afternoon 2 Endurance Workouts Friday Morning

Physiological Conditioning Physiological preparation-training the energy systems Aerobic Endurance Training ‘Threshold Training’ • Develop the swimmers ability to deliver large amounts of oxygen to working muscles • The Endurance Phase allows the swimmer to swim further/faster while relying on aerobic

sources for most of the energy • The Heart Rate or swim speed can be to ‘prescribe’ training intensity • The cardiac drift will occur during these sets • Duration of rest between each interval is important … for example, shorter for shorter

intervals, longer for longer intervals, which should be between 10-30seconds

SPECIFIC MACROCYCLE In this macrocycle the intensity increases while the workload drops slightly. The aim of this cycle is to further develop the aerobic system at high intensity. To do this I… • Will be training at swimming speeds just below that which gives maximum heart rate • Will stimulate increases in lactate removal processes to control the rapid increases normally

associated with this intensity • Highly stressful form of training The anaerobic system will also start to be worked on during the second week of the specific cycle. These two weeks are probably the most taxing on the swimmers, both physically and mentally. It is important during these two weeks to keep in touch with each swimmer’s goals. During these sets I ask the swimmers to complete the important sets in their main stroke. I find this helps me indicate the downfalls in each swimmer’s stroke as they get tired throughout the sessions. This way I can help the swimmer improve their stroke efficiency and stroke rate. Physiological Conditioning Physiological preparation-training the energy systems Heart Rate Training ‘Specific Pace’ • Volume is limited to 1500-2500m • Volume is increased during the season and be reduced into the Taper • Interval distance will be 100-200m … 50s or 300s can be used • All sets performed on main stroke for specific adaptation

QUALITY MACROCYCLE The aim for this cycle is to sharpen up the swimmers, by using sessions, which include less mileage and complete emphasis on race distance and pace time trials. Within this cycle I will cover training, which will include… • Equivalent of ‘peak lactate’ training • This cycle is designed to stimulate the energy system that produces lactic acid and therefore

high lactates will be recorded during these sessions • The sessions will maintain full or near to full recovery between efforts to allow clearance of

lactic acid • The swim target times will be set up on race pace • I will be using active recovery between efforts The type of sets I would complete would be… 5x100 (5 minutes) for sprinters 5x200 (8 minutes) for middle distance 4x400 (10 minutes) for distance swimmers The decrease in distance makes sure the swimmers are able to train at the highest potential. The energy system being used in this cycle include the anaerobic cycle and MVO2 max. I like to complete all Quality sets in the afternoon sessions. I find this helps the swimmers prepare for the sessions. I also ask the swimmers to use the quality week as a practice week for competition. For example, we will complete eight sessions during the first week of quality, all morning sessions will be aerobic work including short sprints and all afternoon sessions quality sets. This cycle gives the coach a great indication of how the swimmers are coping with the program. Physiological Conditioning Physiological preparation-training the energy systems Quality Training ‘Lactate Production Tolerance Training’ • Designed to stimulate adaptation to high lactate levels in the muscle and blood • Increasing levels of lactate with each effort • Performed at max speed while trying to hold a constant speed • Highly stressful on the body

TAPER MACROCYCLE The aim for this cycle to work of what was achieved in the quality week. The kilometres are decreased day by day ... I like to work with a 10-day taper program. I have found in the past, all of my swimmers prefer a longer taper than a shorter taper. Although I have also found that I need to keep the miles high within the first five days of the taper to continue the adaptation process for the swimmers. During the sessions I like to work mostly on short sprints with long swim downs. I find this helps the swimmers progress into the taper instead of just dropping the kilometres dramatically. During the last two days of the taper I like the swimmers to practice their race warm-up. I find this a big part of the physiological preparation for the swimmers. These two days give the swimmers time to ask questions and gives me time to change anything, which is not working for the swimmers. During the first four days of the taper I like to do race distance time trials with breaks. An example of this is my favourite set. All swimmers complete 2x100 main stroke. The 100 is broken at the 25 and the 75. I have found this really gets the swimmers on their toes and swimming fast, as well as building great team atmosphere.

TRAINING SETS AEROBIC SETS The aim of these sets is to improve aerobic base. These sessions are all around 6km with specific over distance sets of around 3000m included. These sets will maintain sub maximal heart rates (40-50BBM) with minimum rest. 1. 400 Freestyle/200 Rev. IM/200 Freestyle

6x200 Kick – 4 with fins – 2 on 3.00, 2 on 2.50 2 without fins on 4.00 12x200 form stroke – desc times

4 on 3.00 4 on 2.50 4 on 2.40

10x50 pull with paddles – explode 1st 15m on 60 10x50 pull with paddles – explode last 50m on 60 8x50 Swim down – 5 sec rest

2. 6x100 rev IM on 1.50

5x100 pull – all gear/8x50 with paddles on 1.10/8x50 with paddles Alt Freestyle/form … Explode 1st 25m … Stroke Count on 1.00 2x800 Freestyle on 10.30 1x800 IM as (2x400 IM’s 2x800 form on 11.30 (Backstroke) 12.30 (Breaststroke) 400 swim down – breathing 3, 5, 7 by 50’s

ENDURANCE SETS These sets will allow the swimmers to swim further/faster while relying on aerobic sources for most of the energy. The heart rate I will be looking for while completing these sets will be around 20-40BBM. These sets will mostly be used during the early part of the season with the aim of increasing the anaerobic threshold of each swimmer. 1. 400 Freestyle … breathe every 5th

8x75 – kick/swim/explode 200 Freestyle 3.15 100 Freestyle 52x50 … 3 on 45, 2 on 40, 1 on 35 8x75 Backstroke – Breaststroke – Freestyle on 1.30 25 lateral kick on 40 400 Freestyle/Backstroke by 50s swim down

2. 3x100/3x100 IM/8x50 build on 55

5x300 on 4.30 record times and HR Aim HR 160 20x50 fin kick on 45 4x100 kick on 2.00 HARD 20x100 – 10 Freestyle pull on 1.20 10 form – swim/down

3. 30x100 HR 40-20BBM (1.30)

SPECIFIC SETS 1. 200 choice drill on 3.20

4x50 Freestyle kick on 60 – no board 200 Freestyle pull on 3.00 4x50 kick on 60 – no board 30x50 … 10 on 45 10 on 400 pace 10 on 60 – 4 PB +8

3 PB +6 2 PB +4 1 PB +2

500 swim down

2. 500 swim

4x100 desc. 4 x 25 Freestyle/Backstroke on 1.50 400 swim/kick on 50 10x50 – 1-4 on 60 explo. 25

5-8 on 40 9 & 10 on 60 build

200 easy

24x50 1-6 on 1.30 200 pace +3

7-12 on 1.45 200 pace 13-18 on 2.00 … 2nd 50 of 100m pace 19-21 on 2.30 … 1st 50 of 100m pace 22-24 on 3.00 … max effort

1x500 w/fins & paddles (on turns 15 u/water of walls)

2x100 kick

400 swim down

3. 3000 for time 4. 7x200 Step Test

QUALITY SETS The aim of these sets is try and reproduce times as close as possible to 50 and 100 pace. It is important to sit down with the group before this session and emphasise the importance of holding an excellent technique. These sessions are great opportunity for swimmers to copy their race day preparation. These sets are to be performed on main stroke for specific adaptation with long rest intervals for maximum intensity. 1. 20x100 3.00

1st 50 of each 100 at 100 pace Count stroke rate and reproduce Dive start

2. Distance swimmers … 4x400 max 10 min 3. 200 on 7 .00

100 on 5.00 50 on 3.00 Max effort main stroke

4. 8x150 100 easy choice

3rd 50 at 100 pace

TAPER SETS In the taper, all sessions are greatly reduced to make sure of a 100% adaptation to the training plan. The mileage of each session should be reduced but the sessions should still be kept at the distance which each swimmer will cover during each day of competition. For example, a 200m swimmer will warm-up (1.5-2km), compete (200m) and then warm-down (1.5-2km). Therefore the sessions during the taper period should be kept around 4km. Although the mileage has been reduced, I still like to include some short intensity work to keep the swimmers on their toes. I usually find by the time taper comes all swimmers are jumping out of their skin and cannot wait to compete. To compensate for this I use my special set… 2x100 broken 25 (15secs) and the 75 (15secs) I have used this set with great success in every taper. I like to complete this set at the start of the first week of the taper when the swimmers are still a little tired from the quality and then again mid way through the second week. I usually find there is a great time difference between the first time we complete the set to the second. This gives me a great indication of how all swimmers are adapting to the taper and recovery. I also find it gives the swimmers a great psychological boost as they can see how well they are swimming before competition.

RECOVERY SETS These sets are always strategically placed throughout all weeks of the program to make sure the swimmers do not burn out or get sick of swimming during the really heavy weeks of training. They are mainly aerobic and a lot of fin work. 1. 3x1000 fins

200 Freestyle, 300 Backstroke, 200 Breaststroke, 300 Freestyle kick pull by 50 400 IM drill, 200 Butterfly kick back/front/side/side 400 IM REV swim 400, 300, 200, 100 on 1.30 pace with paddles

2. 30x100

10 – 100 Freestyle/Breaststroke 1.50 10 – 100 IM 1.40 10 – 100 Freestyle/Backstroke 1.40

TECHNIQUE WORK Technique is a major part of all of my sessions. It is always emphasised when performing drills that… “99% right, is 100% wrong” I strongly believe that when drills are to be done, the drills must be performed perfectly and are not just a chance for the swimmers to relax and lose concentration. The majority of my warm-up and all of my swim downs have some form of technique work within them. I believe it is important to do technique work in the swim down because this is when the swimmers are tired and therefore can lose their technique both mentally and physically. During the swim down all swimmers must demonstrate perfect technique before they are allowed to finish the session. My reason for this is simple. Most swimmers lose technique within the last 15 metres of each race. I try and reproduce this tiredness by making the swimmers perform technique skills at the end of each session. The drills that I use are mostly stroke development and specific drills for stroke correction. Most of the drills I use are drills I have seen being used within other squads and thought I may try them out within the squad. A lot of the drills I use are from Bill Sweetenham’s videos and being involved in many State Camps and Australian Swimming Camps as both a swimmer and now a coach. A separate session is organised either on a Saturday or Sunday when swimmers come to the pool and are videotaped with the help of one of the parents. During this time we video their stroke technique, turns and starts. I then sit down with the swimmers and analyse these points. During each session all swimmers are instructed to streamline off every wall and this is reinforced constantly from a very young age. There is no excuse for practicing basic skills incorrectly. Swimmers are given a time, either 15 minutes before training or 15 minutes after training where I can spend some time individually with them, to work on their particular technique problems. This is done so that during the session the swimmer is reminded of the problem and the need to concentrate on it. Whenever possible in training, the sprint sets or max effort swims are done in clear water so that swimmers can put 100% effort and correct starts, turns, and finishes can be practised with the swimmers swimming in a straight line. Most of the drills and skills I use within my program can be seen in Appendix 1.

SPECIFIC RACE PREPARATION To decide on the pre-race warm up for my swimmers, I sit down with each one of them to discuss ideas on a warm up that I feel would suit the swimmer from my experience and from what I have observed and know about the swimmer. I feel it is important to discuss the warm up with each swimmer so that they know the reasons why they might be asked to perform a specific task. Swimmers are also asked to keep a record of everything they have done at past competitions such as … what they had for breakfast … what time they got out of bed … and what they did in the warm up. I find adding the occasional obstacle into everyday training helps the swimmers cope with unexpected problems on race day. I like to talk to my swimmers about being athletes who can perform when things go wrong as well as according to plan. Examples of this would be in dive effort swims in training, the starting technique or style is varied so swimmers get used to concentrating on their start and waiting for the signal. False starts are not looked upon favourably in training. Other activities I like to try include … instructing swimmers to take off their goggles before an effort swim to gain experience in this situation, in case a pair of goggles may break directly before a race. For this reason the swimmers within my squad are encouraged to have a spare pair of goggles on hand at carnivals. Swimmers will also occasionally have an effort swim sprung upon them at the end of training. This can be after an aerobic type session, to encourage swimmers to be tough and experienced at swimming when they are tired and not at the ideal racing state. Twice during the season, swimmers will be asked to do a maximum effort swim with only a land warm up to prepare a swimmer for the possibility of missing their pool warm up, for one reason or another, before a competition. Constantly throughout the year all members of the squad are reminded how important it is to concentrate on doing all the little things correctly in training all the time so it can be reproduced for a PB on race day. In training the swimmers are expected to make every dive a racing dive, every turn a racing turn. Swimmers must aim to streamline past the flags off every wall and never to breathe the first stroke in and out of the wall. A number of swim meets are scheduled throughout the season to provide an opportunity for individuals to rehearse and refine race day preparation and specific racing skills such as pacing. Swimmers who are still working on their ideal race day preparation, are asked to write down what they did prior to the competition including … time they got out of bed … pre race warm up … what they did in the marshalling area … how they mentally prepared themselves … and how they felt leading into the competition. This helps to work out what suits each individual swimmer. At certain meets swimmers will focus on things other than winning or doing PBs and will concentrate on other areas such as specific pacing or stroke counts. I ask my top-level swimmers to look at the smaller less important meets, such as metro, to refine their pacing and race strategies. At some meets swimmers will be expected to swim through tired and swim in many events to gain race fitness and learn how important it is to swim down sufficiently. At other meets, swimmers will swim only one event and will be expected to put everything into that particular event and try to produce and excellent result. The week prior to competition I like to have a team meeting with the swimmers to make sure they are eating and drinking the correct foods before competition. I am a big believer in carbo-loading and like to see my swimmer’s practising this method. I would hope that all the time we spend during the year with regards to nutrition pays off at this time. During this meeting I also like to say encouraging words in reference to how well the team has trained during the program.

On the day of competition I encourage all swimmers arrive at the pool half an hour before the actual warm-up starts. During this time I like to talk to all the swimmers and ask how they are feeling. This gives me an excellent opportunity to give words of encouragement and identify those who need a “pick me up”. I like to make sure that all swimmers within the team stretch together, with the Team Captain leading the stretches. I believe it is very important for all swimmers to take the opportunity to stretch before an event. I see this as a time for the swimmers to get their minds into gear. It also gives me an opportunity to walk around the group and discuss with individuals the events they will swim on the day. After stretching for half an hour, all team members will warm-up together. Following is the general warm-up I use for all swimmers. 400 Freestyle/Backstroke by 50s 200 IM drill 4x100 15 max off wall … 15 in to wall (2.00) 4x50 build 1-4 … 4th dive start race pace (50) 3x25 max effort (cover all stroke of competition) 100 swim down After completing the warm-up, the swimmers can choose whether they wish to have a hot shower (if applicable) or not. I then talk to the team as a whole, emphasising the importance of eating and drinking during the day. I ask that all the swimmers to come and talk to me before each of their races. In this time I like to talk to them about how they will swim the race, etc. I find this pep talk very helpful to all swimmers, as it seems to calm their nerves before going down to the marshalling area. I also make a big point of making each swimmer come and see me after the race as well. This way I can control how the swimmers are competing during the competition.

MENTAL SKILLS TRAINING We work very hard on mental skills in all of our training sessions and at competition. I believe the swimmers need to practice their mental skills during training so it is easier for them to use this skill in racing. I make sure the swimmers use this skill in the Quality Phase of the preparation. Using positive sayings during training and displaying motivational sayings around the squad can be worthwhile in developing a positive mental approach. Mental skills training is included in team meetings and swimmers are told to be prepared for the unexpected at competition. Different scenarios are discussed with the squad members who have to come up with solutions or ways of monitoring different situations. Examples may include what other swimmers might do to try and psyche them out and things that could be said in reply. This provides a good opportunity for swimmers to talk about personal experiences and how they dealt with them and if there was anything they could have done differently. Visualisation is something, which needs to be discussed and that are commonly used by champions of all sports. It is a powerful and safe way of programming your mind, which can control your body’s performance. With my squad I use visualisation exercises where the swimmers try to imagine the perfect swim in their mind. They need to imagine doing such things as … their racing skills performed perfectly … their attitude being confident and relaxed … and concentrating on their own technique and swimming their own race and not the person next to them. Swimmers are encouraged to visualise the perfect race in their minds as much as they can. I ask the swimmers to practice this skill mostly just before they go to bed every night. This way the swimmers have no distractions and can relax and concentrate on their breathing patterns to relax. To help me understand how emotion affects my swimmers at competition, I ask them to complete a Personal Emotional-State Questionnaire (an example can be seen in Appendix 2) before each major meet. This can help to know if it is beneficial for swimmers to make a relaxing music tape to listen to before a race to help them stay clam or whether they need to make a tape with music that will get them hyped up and excited for example. By discussing pre-competition rituals with my swimmers and by comparing the use of different strategies, the ideal preparation for each swimmer can be found and maintained. I feel it is important for my swimmers to train with a purpose and to maintain a high standard at training to achieve their very best at competition. For this reason I make sure the swimmers and I talk at least once a week to go over their goals for the season. These goals are both long-term and short-term goals, which are written in each swimmer’s logbook at the start of each season. This way the swimmer will be able to keep in contact with their goals and understand how they are going in relation to the goals they have set. Goal setting is a fundamental psychological skill and provides the building blocks for other aspects of mental preparation. It is also the most readily and generally accepted skill by my swimmers. We work on two types of goals… 1. Result Goals – what the swimmer wants to achieve in

• The long term (more than 12 months away) • The short term (within 12 months)

Result goals provide a sense of where the swimmer is heading. They consist of some outcome the swimmer wants to achieve. These goals consist of times, places, titles, medals, selections. 2. Training or Process Goals – how the swimmer is going to get where they want to go

This is what the athlete has to do, some action they have to perform, to achieve the desired result.

Both kinds of goals are essential. The “result” or outcome provides energy and desire while the “Process” provides direction and a step-by-step plan for achievement. Training/Process Goals provide the building blocks for quality performance. I use a number of Goal Setting and Personal Information Sheets, which can be seen in Appendix 2. If the coach and the swimmer regularly update goals and keep a close record of when these goals are achieved, a swimmer’s self confidence can be greatly improved which can have a very positive effect on future races. I use a number of goal sheets (Appendix 2) which show the type of information I ask my swimmers to provide me for their own benefit and mine. Swimmers need to realise that by having control over their own performances and reinforcing the importance of concentrating on the skills they have learned in training, they can reduce the nervousness and self doubt experienced by many swimmers prior to racing. They can only control their own performance in a race and can do nothing about the other swimmers in the race.

INJURY PREVENTION, RECOVERY, REHABILITATION All swimmers are expected to be on deck at least 15 minutes before every session to stretch thoroughly. Swimmers are also expected to stretch after the session in the shower, or at the earliest possible time. Flexibility gains need to be pushed early in the season. Some of the muscles swimmers need to stretch before a sessions include: the triceps and biceps (front and back of upper arm), pectorals (chest), deltoid (shoulder), trapezius and rhomboids (back), lower back, hamstrings (back of leg), quadriceps (front of thighs), gluteals (rear end) and calf stretches. All other stretches, which the squad uses, can be seen in the Appendix 3. Having a good relationship with the local sports physiotherapist can be a great advantage as this can help arrange the possibility of having the squad screened to look for flexibility and movement problems, which can cause problems in the future as well as restrict the optimum stroke efficiency. It is also important to have a specific strength program in place to specifically prevent injuries. An example of this is a strength program for swimmers with unstable shoulder joints to help gain more muscular control. Because of shoulder pain being such a common problem among swimmers, rotator cuff exercises are a priority to prevent injuries occurring later in their swimming careers. To help prevent shoulder injuries, large Butterfly or Freestyle sets in training are broken up with some Backstroke work to take some of the strain off the inward rotator muscles of the shoulder. Having Backstroke included in the sets helps to balance out the use of the muscles. (Appendix 3) There is usually a reason why pain occurs and can often be fixed with time, patience and correct rehabilitation techniques and exercises. Having a good variety of these injury prevention exercises can be a big advantage to the swimmers. Weight-training exercises can often be used to correct postural or mechanical problems. Examples of this include specific abdominal exercises and flexibility work can help stabilise the lower back. Sit-ups, medicine ball work and back extensions are all beneficial. The benefits of core body strength exercises should also be noted. I have acquired the Core Body Strength video by Scott Volkers for this reason. Core body strength exercises not only help swimmers to get the ideal body position and contribute to good technique in the water, they can also be a great help towards back and postural problems. Swimmers can also develop pectoral muscles, which become tight and can cause hunched shoulders as they are pulled together in the front and can lead to shoulder pain. Flexibility and strengthening work can again be very beneficial with this problem, as stretching out the pectorals is very important as well as strengthening the muscles in the back to help pull the shoulders back. Most of the strength training exercises, and a brief explanation of the fundamentals of strength training, which the swimmers are asked to put in their logbooks, can be seen in the Appendix. Swim downs are another important area in relation to injury prevention. Swimmers are required to swim a minimum of 800m in the swim down after racing … preferably 1000m. This depends on the type of warm down facility and amount of time between races, however I like my swimmers to be aware of the importance of the swim down even at a young age. Since the highest lactates are generally produced in races lasting 1-1½ minutes … for example, 100m and 200m races … these swimmers are made aware of the importance of lactic acid removal and the effect of swim downs on the removal. As swimmers get older and they are known or suspected of having high lactic acid readings the swim down should be increased till around 1500m.

Swimmers are also advised to stop and refuel during swim downs. They are asked to have a sports drink or food such as a banana to eat, depending on the time between races. Swimmers can mix strokes during the swim down, but a large part of the swim down should be of the same stroke as that which was swum in the race, so the same muscles can be used. I like my swimmers to increase the heart rate during the swim down to 40BBM for around the first 400m of the swim down … this is to maximise the removal lactic acid, and the recovery of the HR. Swimmers are reminded to stretch after the swim down and if a massage can be arranged this is recommended. A Parent/Swimmer Workshop to focus on massage as an injury prevention technique is included during the early part of the season. I arrange for a masseur to come in and educate the swimmers on how to massage themselves if need be, as well as to show parents massage techniques so that they can work on their children through the season as not everyone can afford a professional massage regularly.

NUTRITION EDUCATION AND PRACTICE Since nutrition can have such a major impact on the quality of training and performance, I feel it is very important for both my swimmers and parents to be aware of this. Issues such as high carbohydrate eating, meeting iron requirements, reducing fat in the diet, hydration and weight control are common issues for many swimmers to deal with. If there are swimmers in my squad with weight problems, I try to make sure I do not focus on this too much as the added attention can often make the problem worse. This may be a constant struggle for certain members of the squad and feelings of frustration and failure can develop if not handled with care. Weigh-ins will only be done once a month so as not to make it a major focus. In doing so, the only persons to see the results would be the swimmer and me. As many people are sensitive about their weight, especially girls, only one swimmer and myself will be in the room at a time when swimmers are being weighed. If a swimmer is having problems with their weight, they will be approached privately to discuss the situation. I will do this by expressing the possibility of having the swimmer keep a weekly food diary for me to look at as well as the option of visiting the local nutritionist. The problem needs to be addressed very sensitively to avoid further problems both physically and emotionally. Eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia must be kept in mind and looked out for. The focus must be on ‘health’ and ‘performance’ rather than being ‘fat’ or ‘overweight’. The nutrition aspect of my program is purely based on educational sessions. These education sessions include team shopping sprees or monthly team dinners, where different individuals prepare a meal for the whole squad on a particular night of the week. This meal is eaten directly after the session in the clubhouse. The team also eats as a group on a Friday night before club races. This presents an excellent opportunity to not only educate the swimmers but also the parents who bring the dinner to the pool for the swimmers. The role of the coach would be to monitor the swimmer’s family’s eating habits and make suggestions where needed. The swimmers are also required to record in their logbooks how they believe they competed (energy levels, etc.) at the club races on this intake. This gives the swimmers an excellent opportunity to monitor their own performances in reference to food intake. Therefore, the swimmers can use this information and implement it into their pre race diets. I encourage all of my swimmers to have regular checks with their doctors to keep an eye on iron levels so iron deficiencies don’t develop and go undetected for too long. I like to keep a record myself of doctor’s visits and blood tests, especially for my more ‘at risk’ swimmers. Parents are also encouraged to have snacks in their cars when picking up swimmers from training so that swimmers can replace what they have used up in training as soon as possible. A detailed explanation has been handed out to each swimmer on how to eat correctly to get maximum performance out of each training session and at competition. The swimmers are asked to always have this with them and to stick it on the fridge or in their logbooks. An example of this can be seen in Appendix 4.

DRUGS IN SPORT EDUCATION The Drugs in Sport Hotline Number is always posted up on the squad notice board for all swimmers to use at any time. The importance of checking with this Hotline whenever anyone is uncertain about any of their medication is constantly reinforced to swimmers and coaches. A Drugs in Sport Handbook is kept on hand at all times at the pool and in the club room for referral, as well as having my own copy at home and with me whenever I go away to a meet. Those swimmers in the squad with asthma need to be very aware of the medications they are allowed to have as some of these certain banned substances. They are also reminded that they need to fill in a Drug Declaration Form and send it in to NSW Swimming who, in term, pass it on to Australian Swimming (now Swimming Australia ltd. – Ed.). It is very important for swimmers who are competing at National Age and Open or soon to be competing at this level to be reminded to notify Australian Swimming of their medication. I like the swimmers in my squad to be aware of common cold and flu tablets and painkillers, which are permitted medications. A list of common medications for these problems is also put on the club notice board. This way, as they get older and may have the chance to be tested, they know which medication they can and can’t take, and they are used to taking one that is permitted. An example of this is if a swimmer usually takes Codral Cold and Flu tablets when they get sick and they feel these work for them ... when they then go to a high level competition with the flu and suddenly realise they are not allowed to take Codral, this can be unsettling for some people who have confidence in a particular product. If I have swimmers who are involved in weight programs outside of the pool, I make sure they are aware that they should never accept and sort of medication, or substance, no matter what they are told it is, until it has been thoroughly checked out to make sure it is not on the banned list. I believe it is very important for swimmers to be aware of the testing procedure as soon as they may have a chance of being tested. ASDA (now ASADA – Ed.) can provide information on exactly what will happen if a swimmer is selected to do a drug test. I have written to ASDA and requested a video be sent to me, which I can watch with the entire squad. This video has all the information and demonstrations within it for the swimmers to understand their rights and responsibilities if they are selected. I have placed a draft copy of drug testing from ASDA, for all my swimmers to read and try to understand in Appendix 5.

WEIGHTS PROGRAM The Weights Program is changed depending on which cycle we are in.

WEEK MON TUES WED THURS FRI PHASE 1 X X X Aerobic 2 X X X Aerobic 3 X X X X Aerobic 4 X X X X Endurance 5 X X X X X Endurance 6 X X X X X Endurance 7 X X X X X Endurance 8 X X X X X Specific 9 X X X X Specific 10 X X X X Specific 11 X X X Quality 12 X X X Quality 13 X X Taper 14 Taper

X-WEIGHTS TRAINING PLAN SWIMMER INFORMATION At the first session of my 26-week plan I like to meet with all swimmers in the team. Within this meeting I express to the swimmers exactly what I am expecting from them over the next 26 weeks. I try to emphasise small goals and issues I want the swimmers to achieve during the program. During this meeting I want the swimmers to feel relaxed and confident about the task ahead of them. This meeting is for all swimmers to interact with me and touches on points such as… 1. Important skills which need improvement such as, improving our skills and conditioning in

training sessions, increasing our mental toughness and working much closer as a team to support and encourage all members of the team.

2. Start a new logbook for the season. 3. Setting the season’s goals. 4. Re-focusing on the next preparation but learn from the last. 5. Do not get over tired … keep yourself well. 6. Monitor your body for injuries. 7. Start practising your mental skill techniques from the first day of the plan. 8. Training will be as follows unless told otherwise.

DAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY PM 4 – 6 4 – 6 4 – 6 4 – 6 4 – 6 AM 6 – 8 6 – 8 6 – 8 6 – 8 6 – 8 LAND AM 5 – 6 5 – 6 5 – 6 5 – 6 5 – 6

Please arrive at the pool 15 minutes prior to each training session for stretching. NOTE: All swimmers will be told which sessions they are expected to be at depending on the phase we are in.