why is it important for swimmers to compete in long course season

The only discipline that swimmers compete in globally, long course swimming allows for diversity in the sport that is unparalleled in short course yards and meters. Some claim that American swimming is “easy” because we swim in yards, not meters, during our short course season.

Full Answer

What's so special about long course swimming?

While every swimmer develops their mental and physical toughness no matter the length of the pool they are training in, there is something special about racing certain events in a long course pool. The 400 ­IM and 200 ­fly take on totally different meanings when the amount of walls per race is cut in half.

Why is college swimming the best?

Because college swimming has so many lifelong benefits, and to put it bluntly…college swimming is the best! If you ask any collegiate swimmer, current or former, about their college swimming experience, I guarantee that they tell you they wouldn’t trade it for the world!

What happens to your swimming habits after college?

Your routine may change after college, but the habits you developed over the course of four years of college swimming will not go away. College swimming created the framework for an active and healthy lifestyle. As your college years come to a close, that framework remains intact, allowing you to naturally continue your healthy habits.

What is it like to train in a long course pool?

In a long course pool there is quite literally more swimming to be done. More pool space. And now, probably my favorite aspect of long course training. Space! 10 swimmers in a short course lane is a bubbling cauldron of arms and legs; the same ten swimmers in a long course lane suddenly feels like you have all the space in the world.

Why are some swimmers better in long course?

Distance swimmers tend to experience a smaller increase from their short course and long course times, since their increased endurance over a long period of time helps them to regulate their stroke rate and power even throughout the 50-meter laps.

Why is Olympic Swimming Long Course?

While short course is all about turns, long course is geared toward building endurance and speed throughout each lap. Swimmers have to consistently keep their technique and build speed in a pool that is twice as long, and that itself is not an easy task.

Why is there long course and short course swimming?

The main reason for this is because the short course has an extra turn for the same distance in the long course. Picture a swimmer who is swimming 50-metres in a long course pool.

What does long course mean in swimming?

50 meters — known as “long course meters” or simply “long course”. This is the pool length used for the Olympics and many international competitions, and during the “long course season” of USA Swimming from April to August. This much larger pool size is rarely used for neighborhood or club pools.

Why is short course faster than long course?

Short course is significantly faster than long course swimming because of the turns! Each turn does two things: 1) increases speed, and 2) allows for a period of inactivity. Pushing off the wall is much faster than swimming any stroke (including underwater dolphin kick).

Is Olympic swimming Long Course?

The Olympic Swimming Competition is held in a long course pool. Surprisingly, many people who watch the Olympics are unaware that the pool they race in is over twice as long as their local 25-yard pool.

Is long course swimming slower?

Long Course refers to competitions held in 50 meter pools. Swimmers' Long Course times are almost always slower than their Short Course times for three main reasons: A 50, 100, 200, etc. event in Short Course is always in yards and the corresponding event in Long Course is in meters.

Is Long course swimming harder than short course?

The biggie: long course swimming is straight-up tougher. You don't need me to tell you that. For swimmers going from short course yards to long course meters the difference is even more profound.

How do you swim faster in long course?

3:0417:52How To Train For Long Course In A Short Course Pool - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd it's easy to start to take sloppy strokes slower strokes and not maintain. So it's important toMoreAnd it's easy to start to take sloppy strokes slower strokes and not maintain. So it's important to do drills. And do focus that's where you're exclusively. Focus on some elements of the technique.

How long is a swimming season?

As of right now, in club, school, and college swimming in the United States and Canada, the short course (25 yards) season is much longer, from September to March. The long-course season takes place in 50-meter pools and lasts from April to the end of August with open water in the summer months.

How far is long course swimming?

Long course (LC) events are held in a 50m pool and short course (SC) is held in a 25m pool. The Olympic Games is always held in a 50m pool but there are international competitions in both LC and SC.

Does college swim short course or long course?

Swimming in the USA's college and university system is almost entirely done in SCY (short-course yards). The normal college swimming competitive pool is 25 yards long. Olympic swimming is done in LCM - long-course meters. Olympic pools are 50 meters long.

Why is short course swimming important?

Exposes the weaknesses in your technique. Short course swimming can help paper over technique flaws. When you have strong walls and underwaters you can hide the soft spots in your swimming with long underwaters.

What are the shortcomings of short course swimming?

A shortcoming of short course swimming is that seemingly a couple moments after you hit the rhythm and technique you want it is time to turn, forcing you to start over after another push off and streamline.

How to lengthen a pool?

There are lots of ways to lengthen the pool. Swim with a parachute. Tether yourself to a cord. Throw some DragSox onto your feet. From personal experience I can tell you that the first time you put them on and try and kick the length of the pool the resistance will double the amount of time it takes to get there.

Why is butterfly swimming so tough?

Butterfly races in particular get a whole lot tougher when the amount of arm-saving turns gets cut in half. Gives you more time to really work on stroke corrections. Long course swimming gives you longer opportunities to hold on to desired stroke corrections.

What does flip turn mean in swimming?

This means that doing a flip-turn a meter or two from the wall, kicking from a dead stop, and continuing on with your swimming. Training this way robs you of the push-offs and breakouts you’d typically lean on to recover.

Is swimming in the 50m pool harder?

At the highest level our sport’s athletes swim at in the long course pool, and yet, when you mention to most age group athletes that practice will be in the 50m pool you tend to get groans. Yes, it’s harder. Yes, it requires more stamina. But yes, it will make you a better swimmer.

Does swimming require stamina?

Yes, it requires more stamina. But yes, it will make you a better swimmer. For those swim teams and swimmers that are lucky enough to have access to a long course pool, here is why.

Why is long course swimming so easy?

The only discipline that swimmers compete in globally, long course swimming allows for diversity in the sport that is unparalleled in short course yards and meters. Some claim that American swimming is “easy” because we swim in yards, not meters, during our short course season. When we dominate events like the PanAm Games, PanPacs, Olympics and World Championships, we cement our spot as the top swimming superpower. Long course swimming gives us the opportunity to strut our stuff on an international stage.

Is long course swimming funnier than short course swimming?

Swimming is the “ Funnest Sport ,” and long course swimming requires “more swimming.” This might mean that long course swimming is, by proxy, funner than short course swimming in the eyes of our governing body, USA Swimming.

Is long course open water?

Long course isn’t exactly open water swimming, but with half as many turns, sometimes it feels like open water. Fewer turns mean less mistakes. There’s nothing worse than missing a wall. Long course puts less emphasis on turn prowess and more emphasis on pure, classic swimming.

Do you have to swim long to make an Olympic team?

While swimmers here in the U.S. don’t necessarily have to train long course to make the Olympic team — some Olympians have done it training primarily short course — it certainly doesn’t hurt. The more you swim long course, the more confident you’ll be when you reach those long course championship swim meets.

Change Perspectives

During the school year, many high school and college level athletes remain very busy. This causes them to have to balance their swim life with other duties, such as school work or jobs. From their perspective, the summer time can be seen as a way to wind down and relax.

Get a Fresh Start

Most swimmers have a few weeks of off time between the winter and summer USA swim seasons. It is because of this that each season can feel like a fresh start. The old times and races that you once had no longer matter as much. A new leaf has been turned.

Get Out There!

Above all, every swimmer should enjoy their sport and the fun times that come with it. Summer swim seasons can foster a sense of belonging and community in teammates. They are meant to be enjoyed, and the memories that come from them can last a lifetime.

Why is swimming not a good offseason?

It is difficult to restart anything in life after taking a break. One of the reasons swimming doesn’t encourage a lengthy offseason is due to the fact that people may not want to come back after a multiple-month layoff.

Why do people leave swimming?

A Genuine Opportunity For a Physical and Mental Regroup/Reset. One of the main reasons people leave swimming is due to burnout. Early mornings and late nights year-round can get physically and mentally exhausting. Receiving more time off may help ease the fatigue swimmers feel later on in the sport.

How long is high school swim season?

Creating a uniform season makes sure it won’t clash with the age-group long course season or the proposed offseason. Having all high school swim seasons end no later than mid-February gives at least a month between state and club championship meets. Doing so prevents swimmers from competing in championship meets on back-to-back weekends or having to make the tough decision on whether to compete in or taper for one or the other. A high-school season is typically three months, no matter the time of year . The proposal does not change the season’s length but instead makes it linear throughout the United States. I know weather is a concern, but with all states possessing an indoor pool or the ability to host a temporary pool, that should not be an issue.

How long should swimmers be laid off?

For their hard work, perseverance, and discipline, swimmers deserve more than a two-week layoff.

How many world records did the European Swimming Championships have?

More recently, the European Swimming Championships featured 13 championship records, including two world records. The swims are a sign that we should expect electrifying performances at the Olympic Games in Tokyo . sponsor. College swimmers also performed superbly after the layoff. Ten men went sub-19 in the 50-yard freestyle, ...

What happens if an athlete does not participate in club swimming?

If an athlete does not participate in club swimming, they always have had an offseason spanning several months, and this model would not change that. For club swimmers, they would follow the age-group/club swimming proposed offseason.

When is the long course season?

Long Course Season: Mid-April-August. The long-course season would be almost the same as it currently is. It includes a short recovery period from the short-course season and gives enough time to hit peak performance at July or August championship meets.

What is college swimming?

College swimming is an experience you will be able to relate to and use in every work experience for the rest of your life. Competitive. Works well in teams. Self-motivated. Great communicator. Passionate. Receptive to criticism. Leader. Perseveres.

How many hours of swimming do you need to work out?

The intense level of fitness and nutrition is something that you will learn in college swimming and will keep with you for life. Going from your average 4-5 hours of work out a day to the 30-45 minutes you can squeeze in during the work day is tough, and going from eating 5,000 calories a day to 2,000 is more frustrating than you can ever imagine.

Why do I always hold myself to this higher standard?

You will always hold yourself to this higher standard because you know what you are capable of and you expect the best of yourself. Your routine may change after college, but the habits you developed over the course of four years of college swimming will not go away.

Is being a full time student more challenging than being a full time student?

It is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences you will ever have in your life. Being a full-time student is challenging in itself, but being a full-time student-ATHLETE is 100 times more challenging. You are not only going to class and studying, but you have a 20+ hour training schedule that you somehow manage to fit in ...

Can you trade your college swimming experience for the world?

If you ask any collegiate swimmer, current or former, about their college swimming experience, I guarantee that they tell you they wouldn’t trade it for the world! You may think college swimmers are a little bit crazy, but fueled by their passion, college swimmers have made one of the best decisions a swimmer can make.

Fewer Turns

Distance Swimmers Can Let Loose

Better Practices

U.S. International Dominance

• The only discipline that swimmers compete in globally, long course swimming allows for diversity in the sport that is unparalleled in short course yards and meters. Some claim that American swimming is “easy” because we swim in yards, not meters, during our short course season. When we dominate events like the PanAm Games, PanPacs, Olympics and Wor...

See more on swimmingworldmagazine.com

More Fun Than Short Course

Summer Training

The Future of Long Course