Back to the Basics

Hey y’all! Sorry I haven’t posted in a while, but after Age Group State, it was definitely a time for a break from both swimming and school! For this year’s break, I went to the beautiful island of Maui with my family! As I might have mentioned earlier, this summer I am heading to the Western Zone Age Group Championships (again!), which will be held in Kihei, Maui. While on vacation, I decided to stop by after scuba diving and check the pool out! It was pretty nice, except it had a ghetto scoreboard, but I’m pretty sure nothing can be too bad in Hawaii!

The Zones Pool

It’s finally time to start training for my fav time of year…long course season! The meets are held outside and there are less walls, which is definitely a bonus for me and my sucky turns. The first couple of weeks back in the chlorine are the most important, and they set the tone for pretty much everything in the future.

It’s always good to ease back into your routine, but that is not how we started off this time - unless you call sprinting for thirty minutes in dryland before you even get into the water easy breezy lemon squeezie. I have to admit, it is tempting to start off with a bang, especially by sprinting warm-up, but then the end of practice comes around and you literally are gasping for air.

Before a break, you are in your tip-top shape, just coming off of taper and big meets where you are getting best times. After a break, it is like swimming is an entirely new sport that you have never done. Therefore, it is important to watch your technique. Drilling is one of my favorite ways to practice technique and focus on all the “little things”. If you want to change your stroke, now is the time, as you can enforce these habits all season long. 

Now, during breaks you are supposed to remain somewhat active, and not be a couch potato. Well, I am not the example for this whatsoever. I slowly (key word: slowly) walked to the beach and attempted to tan, averaged twelve hours of sleep a night, and went out to eat every night while engulfing in bread and all sorts of desserts, such as hula pie! :)

Getting back in shape is really tough, but the harder you work, the quicker you’ll be there. On my team, we have been emphasizing leg driven strokes and underwaters. Because of these tough sets, I am super duper sore and walking up the stairs is a struggle. But in the end, it is all worth it, because hard work does pay off!

That is all that I have for y’all today. Be sure to comment down below on your experience with new seasons - I would love to hear ‘bout it! If you want to stay up-to-date with all my posts, please follow! Thanks for reading and I will see ya next time!

XOXO

Siena

Gear Galore

At swim practice, I use loads of equipment to improve technique, build strength, and add variety. In today’s post, I will be giving you my insight and comments on swimming stuff!

Kick Board

The definition is pretty self explanatory - you hold onto this block of foam, and as my friend Elise would say it, just flail your legs. Over time, kick boards have become my worst enemy. My biggest pet peeve is when someone steals your kick board during a set and claims that it is their’s when they didn’t even pick one up in the first place! Also, my pool has “good” kick boards and “bad” kick boards. Everybody rushes to get the “good” kick boards, and if you are too late then you have to get one of the “bad” kick boards, which have chunks torn out of them.

Paddles

You would think that since I don’t kick when I swim, I would be a good puller. Well, guess what?You are wrong. Maybe it is because my paddles are twice the size of my hands, or because my hands enters the water in the completely wrong direction. I bought agility paddles to correct this habit, but they fell off every twenty-five yards!

Different Sizes of Paddles
Photo Courtesy: TYR

Fins

I used to like fins, until my coach decided to cut off a piece of them hoping that it would make it harder and increase my kick tempo. Not only do my fins look like little stubs, but they never seem to conform to my feet. I have to wear socks for them just to stay on, and blisters still seem to magically appear on my toes.

Snorkel

Snorkels are not for seeing coral, fish, turtles, or starfish. Instead, they allow you to pay close attention to what your hands are doing underwater. Until you get used to your snorkel, I recommend that you invest in a nose plug, as they are super handy dandy. If you don’t want mold to grow inside the mouthpiece, you should probably put it through the dishwasher every now and then. 

Pull Buoy

A pull buoy is one of my favorites because it helps engage your core. While holding a pull buoy snug between your legs, it often becomes challenging to get a quality push off the wall with powerful dolphin kicks. I have not used a pull buoy in practice recently, and I am not sure why, but hopefully I can put it to good use soon!

Pink Pull Buoy
Photo Courtesy: DJ Sports

Mesh Bag

I am pretty sure that I would look like a complete dork if I had to gather all my gear everyday without a place to store it. I rely heavily on my mesh bag for multiple reasons. It is waterproof and my go-to location to find anything and everything. 

Miscellaneous

Some of the basics that you need no matter what are caps, googles, and your water bottle. From personal experience, I can tell you that if you ever are dumb enough to forget your water bottle, you are pretty much doomed. :(

That is all that I have for you guys today. Thank you so much for reading and check out Swim Outlet for deals and steals on any equipment that your might need. See you later!

XOXO

Siena