Season Planning for Age

Group Swimmers
& Writing Workouts
Guy Edson
American Swimming Coaches Association
Your Age Group Team Improves
by…?

 Accident?
 Natural growth?
 New families joining the team?
 Or (my favorite) A goal based plan?
Where Am I Coming From?
Where are you coming from?
What is “Age Group”?
Your Brain…
 You sit down to write age group workouts and
you think about… what?
Michael Phelps Training Plan
It’s All Connected
Where Does a Goal Based Plan Come
From?
 “Where were we…
 “Where do we want to be at the end of this
coming season?”
Kinds of Goals
Goals are objective (measurable). Two types:
 Performance Goals

 Workout Goals
 Pave the way for above
 Test sets
 yardage
Tools for Writing Your Plan

 Your Brain
 Dedicated time
 A very large eraser
 Pencils, rulers, blank paper
 Software?
Thinking About AG Workouts
Age group swimmers are not
just little seniors
1. Forget about making yardage your primary
objective
2. Focus on what it takes to develop age groupers
into senior swimmers
3. Create “components” of a workout
4. Use your components for season planning and
for weekly workout planning.
Basic Components (Objectives)
of an Age Group Workout
 Aerobic base, AB
 Awesome Kicking, K
 Learning to Race, R
 Challenge Sets, AO Free and IM
 Long Quality Swims ability, LQS
 Teaching Strokes, SW
 Teaching Starts and Turns, STW
 Sprinting, S
 Sanctioned Goof-off Time (games and relays)
Taking a Different Look at your Workout
Time
 It’s not 90 minutes…
Points of Focus: Suggestions

 Stroke Development, 4-6 weeks

 Aerobic Development, 6-8 weeks
 Race Development, 2-3 weeks
 LQS Development, 2-4 weeks
 IM Development, 4-6 weeks
 Championship Preparation, 2-3 weeks
 NOT a taper, because…
Next Slide – A Season Plan

 Based on Objectives
 Based on Points of Focus
 Based on Changing Priorities
 The numbers represent blocks of time
 Don’t get stuck on the numbers… just get the
idea.
 A Season Plan
Cycle=>
Component SD AD RD LQS IM Champ

AB 8 12 12 12 12 10
K 5 5 5 5 5 5
R 0 1 3 2 2 2
AO/IM 0 3 2 1 3 1
LQS 0 0 0 2 1 1
SW 10 3 3 3 2 3
STW 5 2 2 2 2 4
S 1 3 2 2 2 3
G 1 1 1 1 1 1
Total 30 30 30 30 30 30
Use the Season Plan to Create a
“Workout Model” for the Cycle Components
AB -12
K–5
Mon 4:00 AB
Workout Model for R–2
4:15 K
the Race AO – 2
4:30 STW SW – 3
Development Cycle STW – 2
4:45 R
S–2
5:00 AB
Example WO’s at End G-1
5:15 AB
Tue 4:00 AB Thur 4:00 AB
4:15 S 4:15 K
4:30 AO 4:30 AO
4:45 SW 4:45 SW
5:00 AB 5:00 AB
5:15 K 5:15 AB
Wed 4:00 AB Fri 4:00 AB
4:15 K 4:15 AB
4:30 SW 4:30 STW
4:45 R 4:45 R
5:00 AB 5:00 K
5:15 S 5:15 G
 Sample Workout
TIME OBJ GROUP 1 OBJ GROUP 2 OBJ GROUP 3

4:00 AB 10 X 150 K 50 FLY-BK NO AB 5 X 150 FREE ON 2:50 STW FLY-BACK TURNS

BOARD, SWIM ALT 100 FR/100
IM ON 2:50
4:15 K CONTINUED FROM ABOVE STW FLY-BACK TURNS K 8 X 50 ON 1:50 KICK, FLY-
BACK BY 25, NO BOARD,
DESCEND 1-4
4:30 STW FLY-BACK TURNS K 9 x 50 ON 1:45 KICK, FLY- AB 5 X 100 IM ON 3
BACK BY 25, NO BOARD,
DESCEND 1-3
4:45 R 3 X B 100 IM BY 50, 25, 25 ON 2 R SAME AB 600 FREE
GROUPS ON 1:OO/30/30

5:00 AB 2 (400 ON 6, 300 ON 4:30, 200 AB 2 (300 FREE ON 6, 3 X 50 R 2 X B 100 IM BY 50, 25, 25
ON 3, 100 ON 1:30) EACH SPLIT FASTER ON 1:30, 150 ON ON 2 GROUPS ON
FASTER 3, 50 ON 1:30) 1:OO/30/30
5:15 AB CONTINUED FROM ABOVE AB CONTINUED FROM AB 4 X 125 ON 3, THEN A FAST
ABOVE 50 FROM THE BLOCK

TOT 4100 2800 2250

 Sample Workout
TIME OBJ GROUP 1 OBJ GROUP 2 OBJ GROUP 3

4:00 AB 7 X 100 FREE DRILL ON 2 SW BREASTSTROKE RECOVERY K 8 X 50 ON 1:45 KICK FREE

ROTATION TO KICK BACK,
NO BOARD
4:15 S 8 X 25 FREE/ BK ON 3 GROUPS S SAME S SAME

4:30 AO 4 X 200 IM ON 3:30 AO 4 SETS OF: SW BREASTSTROKE RECOVERY

200 IM ON 4:00
2 X 100 BACK ON 2:15
4:45 SW BREASTSTROKE RECOVERY AB CONTINUED FROM ABOVE AB 3 X 150 BREAST ON 4:30 EOF

5:00 AB 800 BREAST, MAX 8 STROKES K 8 X 100 BACK KICK WITH SW BACKSTROKE ENTRY
PER LENGTH FINS ON 1:50 STROKE INTO
THE TURNS AND FINISH
5:15 K 9 X 100 BACK KICK WITH FINS AB 600 BREAST, MAX 8 AB 10 X 50 BACK ON 1:20 REST 1
ON 1:40 STROKE INTO THE STROKES PER LENGTH, MIN, 50 BK FOR TIME
TURNS AND FINISH REST 1 MIN, 100 BREAST
FROM BLOCKS
TOT 3400 3200 1550
Now, Let’s Talk About…

Writing and Running a Great

Practice
20 Ideas
1

My Personal…
25% “Rule”
2

Create Workout Groups

Make dynamic groups, YOUR groups

(next slide)
Working with a Range of Abilities

 You MUST have smaller workout groups

each with their own unique workout
 More work for you, better for the athletes
 SBL method or rearrangement of
components method?
 Use of assistant coaches and the pace clock
 The importance of OYO sets
 3

Plan for Every Minute

- Run sets with 1 to 2 minutes between sets

- Combine time blocks to make longer sets
especially for aerobic training and kicking sets
Repeats Per Time Block –
How many repeats at a given send off in 15, 20, 30, and 40 minutes
send off blocks in minutes send off blocks in minutes
interval 15m 20m 30m 40m interval 15m 20m 30m 40
0.30 28 36 56 74 4.00 4 5 7 9
0.35 24 31 48 63 4.05 3 4 7 9
0.40 21 27 42 56 4.10 3 4 7 9
0.45 19 24 37 49 4.15 3 4 7 9
0.50 17 22 34 44 4.20 3 4 6 9
0.55 15 20 31 40 4.25 3 4 6 8
1.00 14 18 28 37 4.30 3 4 6 8
1.05 13 17 26 34 4.35 3 4 6 8
1.10 12 15 24 32 4.40 3 4 6 8
1.15 11 14 22 30 4.45 3 4 6 8
1.20 11 14 21 28 4.50 3 4 6 8
1.25 10 13 20 26 4.55 3 4 6 8
1.30 9 12 19 25 5.00 3 4 6 7
1.35 9 11 18 23 5.15 3 3 5 7
1.40 8 11 17 22 5.30 3 3 5 7
1.45 8 10 16 21 5.45 2 3 5 6
1.50 8 10 15 20 6.00 2 3 5 6
1.55 7 9 15 19 6.15 2 3 4 6
2.00 7 9 14 19 6.30 2 3 4 6
2.05 7 9 13 18 6.45 2 3 4 5
4

Plan on How You are Going

to Use Assistant Coaches
5

Post the Workout

(mental preparation for next slide)
6

No Warm Up Sets,
No Main Sets,
No Rest Sets
 7

Challenge the Best Swimmer

in Each Group

Challenge on intensity
Challenge on intervals

Challenge on distance/density

 How far should they be going?

8

Plan to Teach Something

Every Day
9

Know that you may throw in

extra rest before a last good
swim.
Writing Sets
 Be creative within limits. Take into account:
 Their ability to understand
 Your ability to run it
 Repeatability and Transferability
 Don’t be afraid to make a change on the deck
and remember to record it.
 I start with intensity or technique then stroke
then repeat distance first, then interval, then
repetitions.
 aerobic base, breaststroke, 300’s; can do on 6
minutes, I have 30 minutes, so…
 5 x 300 breast on 6, descend 1-5, 8 meters per pullout
 10

Write Straight Stroke Sets

 Easier to write
 NOT boring if given points of focus
 Great for developing specific stroke endurance
 Always descend sets
 Examples
 11

Write Complex Sets

Different distances
Different strokes

Different intensities

(next slide)
Complex Sets

 Greater variety, perhaps more interest,

less boring
 May be better in simulating race conditions
 Takes longer to write (keep a library of
sets)

continues
Complex Sets

 Much harder to understand and do

correctly
 Repeating well designed sets will lead to
better performance for physiological reasons
AND familiarity.
 If split between too many strokes, will not
develop the stroke in the way you want.
Complex Sets – a “base set”
 400, 300, 200, 100 free, each split faster on
1:30 per 100, repeat 2 times, 30 min, 3000 yds
 This is a “base set” that can be expanded, for ex.:
 400 on 6, 1 x 100 on 2:00 fast,
 300 on 4:30, 2 x 75 on 1:30 fast
 200 on 3, 3 x 50 on 1:00 fast
 100 on 1:30, 4 x 25 on 30 fast
 26 minutes, 1500
12

Write Repeatable Test Sets

Don’t over do this

Use for motivation

Use for workout goals

Keep records

My favorite: The x test. 6 x 100 free on LRP

13

Make Opportunities for Best

Times
14

Plan For Moments of

Transference
15

Add Jungle Training

Timed swims
Salmon Runs
Take your Goggles Off
16

Plan for OYO Sets

Use Plexiglas Writing Boards and Wax Pencils

Listo.com
17

Teach them HOW to Race

Use Writing Boards

Tileboard and Dry Erase markers
18

Create Holiday Themed or

Special Event Workouts
19

Make Time for Games and

Relays
20

Plan To End Practice With

Something Exciting
END the Practice
Final Thoughts
 A Plan gives you more flexibility, not less.
Therefore…
 PLAN, PLAN, PLAN
 Use every minute
 Keep written records
 Be creative
 Analyze and learn
 Have tons of fun!

Thanks