In our final phase of the long course season, we will be going through a series of "peak weeks" that lead directly into our Junior Olympic Championship meet. After the June Age Group Invite we have 4 and a half weeks of training to get where we need to be to accomplish our goals for the season.
Immediately after JAG we begin our first peak week of the new phase. I call it Peak Technique week. We focus 100% on technique work while incorporating videos to add to the learning process. The idea is to get back to what really makes you fast, technique! By having the kids see (through video and demos), hear (by listening to the coach and videos), and do (through swimming, drills and games) we are touching on the different ways kids learn and bringing them back to the basics of good swimming. (I am thinking of getting in the water with the kids each day next season if I can get the use of the teaching pool.)
Then the next week will be a transition period. We will be picking up the yardage a little but still relying heavily on the key techniques established in the prior weeks phase. I want to make sure the kids will slide seamlessly into a heavier work load without loosing what we gained in the peak technique week as well as hold on to all the good habits that were formed throughout the entire season up to this point.
After this transition week we will go directly into the hardest two weeks of the season; the Peak Intensity weeks. Peak Intensity week one is more of a transition to a very hard workout that is designed to push the athletes to their limits. We go harder and longer than any workouts we have done this season and the focus is on race-pace swimming at top speeds for every set and every lap.
Peak Intensity week two is basically the same. The kids are now used to the harder workouts and have a good understanding of how to successfully get the most out of themselves. We go over key out-of-water elements like nutrition and recovery. Dryland is also heavier and is very important to this phase of the season. We really push the legs with plyometrics and work the core with good abdominal and body weight exercises.
This puts us in the final week. Our Peak Performance week is only 4 days, but it is a very focused 4 days. This is where we do everything as race oriented as possible with an emphasis on a swim-to-win attitude. We finish every wall hard, hold our breath in and out of every wall, and streamline past the flags in 2 seconds or better every time. These are all things that should be done all season long, but now we don't just say we are going to do them, we actually do them. With less yardage we have more time to work on turns and starts as well as put a lot of bite into our underwater skills. By the end of this week, we are prepared and super confident. Preparation and confidence leads to fast swimming. We will be prepared and we will be confident!
