Introduction:

In the world of swimming, innovation and adaptation are key to achieving optimal performance. At the HC Swim Club in Tasmania, coaches Sam and Rachel, Jess, Harry and Mitch have introduced an approach to skill development. By breaking down progressions of skills using shapes as cues, swimmers have experienced significant improvements in their technique and overall performance. This article explores how this unique method has become a driver for change within the swim club and highlights its positive impact on swimmers' abilities.

Breaking Down Skills:

One of the key strategies employed by Coaches at HC Swim Club is the use of shapes to guide swimmers in mastering specific skills. For example, when teaching turns, swimmers are taught to create an ‘h’ shape with their bodies, balancing themselves under the water:

By first practicing this movement on land and then transferring it to the water, swimmers can better understand and execute the necessary actions for a successful turn. This breakdown into biomechanics has proven highly effective in helping swimmers grasp the intricacies of each skill.

Step-by-Step Approach:

The HC Swim Club coaches have found that breaking down skills into three steps and teaching each one separately yields excellent results. By initially focusing on individual components, swimmers can fully comprehend and master each step before combining them into a cohesive whole. This method allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the skill, ensuring that swimmers can consistently perform it correctly. Once the skill is broken down and repeated, training sets are tailored to the swimmers' abilities, gradually increasing the distance they can practice while maintaining proper technique.

Positive Outcomes:

The implementation of this innovative approach has brought about positive outcomes for swimmers at the HC Swim Club. By providing a structured framework for skill development, swimmers have experienced improved technique and efficiency in their strokes. The step-by-step approach has allowed swimmers to build a strong foundation and gradually progress to more complex movements. Moreover, the use of shapes as cues has enhanced swimmers' kinaesthetic awareness, enabling them to better understand and replicate correct body positioning in the water. For further information to support this concept, visit this blog:

Biomechanics In Sport - Physiopedia (physio-pedia.com)

Conclusion:

45 HC Swimmers performed at the recent Tasmanian Cripps Short Course State Championships, supported by coaches Rachel Brennemo, Harry Kink, Dylan Harris and Mitchell Rickards.

As a team we achieved 118 personal bests, along with 16 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 19 bronze medals.

We also had five state records broken by Daniel Shilcock, backing up some incredibly fast swims at the New Zealand Short Course Championships and Victorian Age Championships in August. Since turning 17 in June Daniel has broken an impressive 27 State Age records and 2 State Open records. Congratulations, Daniel!

Across the board our team performed exceptionally well, and the camaraderie and spirit of our team really stood out particularly with big days, after a very busy season.

HC Swim Club achieved some fantastic results at the 2023 Short Course Victorian Age Championships.

Our team was represented by Daniel Shilcock, Eli Jones, Tommy Direen, Ewan McIlwraith, Lara Pederson, Molly Duffy, Ruby Biggins and Leila Joscelyne. Along with coaches; Rachel Brennemo, Dylan Harris and Mitchell Rickards.

Swimmers performed excellently at this high level of competition.

Daniel Shilcock broke five Tasmanian state records (some multiple times over the weekend!) to achieve first place in the 200 Breaststroke; second place in the 200 IM and 200 Backstroke; as well as third in the 100 Backstroke.

Eli Jones also achieved third place in both the 800 and 1500 Freestyle events for the 15/16 age group, despite having only turned 15 a few weeks ago. This trip was a great opportunity for our team to strengthen and provided a learning experience for both swimmers and coaches.

Joe Pemberton is a Strength Coach; owner of Hobart Strength Training in Sandy Bay, and Sydney Strength Training in Sydney; and an online coach for Barbell Medicine - an evidence based online coaching company based in America.

Joe’s swam at Hutchins and Collegiate Swimming Club from ages 12 to 16. A backstroker initially, it didn’t take Joe long to gravitate towards 50 and 100m freestyle where he achieve national age group medals, and eventually open top 10 performances.

When Joe graduated from Hutchins in 2003 he earned a sports and academic scholarship at The University of Sydney, where Joe joined their sprint specialist program.

At the age of 20 Joe was burnt out from swimming, giving it away to focus on a career as a Chartered Accountant. Post-swimming Joe pursued competitive strongman, and powerlifting. After a few years Joe realised that working in an office, wearing a suit, and having a boss, wasn’t for him so turned his attention to personal training.

Joe has worked with a number of high level athletes - of note Joe took care of the S&C program's for James Magnussen (multiple world champion, and olympic medalist), and Lewis Blackburn (open national medalist).

Although Joe’s businesses focus on strength training for the general population, he has a passion for sustainable athletic development not only for short and medium term sports performance, but to ensure people are fit, healthy, and happy across their lifespans. 

Swimmers who maintain efficiency and produce stronger finishes in 200 metre freestyle races, have a better understanding of their own breathing habits.

The energy system used for this type of event is largely anaerobic, where oxygen is less used. However, it is important that gas exchange happens in the lungs to push out metabolic waste in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2), which otherwise reduces swimmers performance through early onset fatigue. 

Sports science has given us information on Maximal Lactate Steady State (MLSS), where most of the metabolic waste (Lactic Acid) is removed out of the working muscle tissues by blood. The heart rate is regulated by the CO2 concentration in the blood. As the workout intensity increases, the amount of CO2 in blood increases, which signals the heart to beat faster and pump the blood carrying CO2 quicker to lungs where CO2 is pushed out. It is said that 4.3% of exhaled air has carbon dioxide in it.

To learn how to breathe during a race, swimmers will be required to practice during training for several years. HC coaches have observed that through the swim training phase, competitive swimmers are seen exhaling half heartedly when compared to inhalation. Due to this habit, swimmers often do not empty their lungs fully. This lowered ventilation can cause buildup of CO2 in the lungs, which in turn reduces the gas exchange between blood and lungs. CO2 retained in the blood fails to remove excess CO2 from muscle tissues. This accumulated CO2 in muscles becomes Lactic Acid, which further hampers muscle functionality and brings in fatigue.

During training consider the following:

1. Clean and fully exhaled to allow for a better oxygen flow to your muscles during exercise to reduce fatigue. With efficient breathing training and correct breathing patterns, swimmers  can optimize oxygen uptake in muscles. This is due to Metabolic Reflex: a physiological function that regulates a persons ability to perform a physical exercise.

When threshold is reached, your breathing muscle sends a signal to your nervous system and brain. As a reaction, the brain sets off a command which reduces the diameter of blood vessels in the active limb muscle. Once your breathing muscle tires, the effect is the same. Isolated respiratory muscle training makes them stronger, faster, and more efficient. 

2. Increase lung capacity by keeping head down into the wall and out of the streamlines. Vital lung capacity is the amount of air exhaled after maximum inhalation. For swimmers, increased lung capacity will mean you can execute better underwater during training and competition, which is a critical part of fast swimming. Having better range of motion in diaphragm, reduces the air remaining in the lungs, you can go longer between breaths while swimming. HC coaches write sessions around swimmers improving their lung capacity, free speed, head down off first stroke out of breakouts and 25m sprints without a breath are just some skills brought into sessions to improve swimmers outcomes. 

3. Sprint work, holding breath for short periods, based on swimmer’s abilities and coaches instructions. Specific breath-hold exercises will teach swimmers to find comfort in keeping their head down. Most often when swimmers  feel like they are running out of breath, the body is actually trying to exhale to get rid of the CO2 build up. However, CO2 actually helps with O2 absorption. Once swimmers become comfortable with their breath holds, their muscle oxygenation will improve. These improvements will result in better performance and speed. Building strength and flexibility in diaphragm & intercostal muscles will make sure

there is no wasted unnecessary energy on breathing.

4. Increase mobility to rotate and hold body position. The upper body is critical in swimming. Maintaining a proper range of motion through the joints and building strength will help you be more efficient in water. Most of the swimmers have thoracic mobility restrictions. Breathing dynamics are dependent on the movement of the thoracic spine . Improving your thoracic mobility and stability will increase the coordination of diaphragm breathing with each stroke.

5. Keep calm and focused. Mental health and general well being can also be enhanced while doing breathwork. Some of the most benefits for swimmers will be lower anxiety and strengthening of focus before the race. Using certain breathing exercises can help swimmers cope with anxiety and support them in focusing on the goal while slowing down their heart rate and diverting focus to their breathing.

Some training ideas to improve aquatic breathing are:

● Breathwork before and after swim sessions

● Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga which is a form of yoga which deals with movement and breathing.

● Teaching long deep exhalations from pre competitive levels or even learn to swim levels

● Respiratory Muscle training with personal equipment.

Niroop and HC Coaches

How to balance training and life as an age group swimmer

Many age group swimmers (between ages 10 – 17years) and their parents can find trying to balance swimming demands overwhelming. Having a swimmer in the family can impact such things as, family time, holidays, weekends, meal-times and sleep. 

More recently, due to many studies around the world, the philosophy around training age group swimmers has evolved and coaches are understanding the benefits for swimmer performance long term if individuals are provided with a more balanced approach towards their swimming. 

Swimming organisations around the world are working with universities to provide a better understanding, in regards to children development in relation to swimming training. A couple of links below will provide additional information regarding this process:  

Swimming Australia - Project H2Grow 

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF SWIMMERS (teamunify.com) 

These studies have recognised greater achievement as an older swimmer when greater emphasis is placed on balancing training, skills and technique with additional activities such as; team sports, bike riding, surfing, yoga, dance and free play are offered.  These activities support their growing bodies with better mobility and flexibility, which will enable their swim coach with the ability to provide stroke correction more effectively. The swimmers are then able to adapt to the change in a shorter period.   

Swimmers who are more balanced can enjoy swimming as a whole and then be more prepared physically and mentally as they feel less like there has been a sacrifice given to achieve their goals, this then channels a focus towards enjoyment of the process. The purpose for a quality age group coach is to manage the swimmers through the years towards moving into an open swimmer who has then a high-quality level of swimming techniques and continues to enjoy swimming. This process can prove difficult if the swimmer feel they have made great sacrifices to being in the sport during the age group years. 

The key elements to consider towards providing a more balanced approach are: 

• Plan holiday breaks for the family after talking with the coach around optimum times throughout the year 
• Ensure the swimmers can plan a free day during the week  
• Plan an adaption long weekend after attending 48 – 52 sessions 
• Balance sessions throughout the week with the coach to include additional activities  
• Re-assess attending every swim meet or time trial and be more specific to allow the swimmer weekend time 
• Consider writing down goals related to skill development as well as times without time frames 
• Look into adding mobility and flexibility exercises into the schedule to support the risk of injuries such as shoulders rotation. The swimmers understanding of how their body moves can assist in their ability to apply changes to their stroke more effectively and efficiency. 

Age group swimmers will be in this stage of their development for around 8 years. Four of these years are in the learning to train phase, followed by the training to train phase.  It is essential that they are provided with the best environment to develop mentally and physically during this period to maximise their performance as they are moving forward into being well rounded open swimmer. 

The family and the swimmer will be better prepared as a whole by taking their time and enjoying the process, injury free. 

Rachel Brennemo (Performance Coach) and the HC Coach Team