LT for Kids-A Waste of Time and Time to Change.

ASCTA Convention GOLD COAST AUSTRALIA, May 22 nd 2011 LT for Kids-A Waste of Time and Time to Change. By Wayne Goldsmith Moregold Performance Consulting L.T. - what does it stand for? Lactic Threshold? Yep - for senior athletes, elite swimmers, swimmers 13 years of age and older - absolutely. For swimmers 12 and under what does L.T. stand for? Lazy-coaching time. We've all heard the old swimming clichés about kids and training: "You've got to get the miles into the kids." "Kids recover fast so you can push them harder more often." "Training kids is all about volume - you have do a lot of work." The volume of training appropriate for kids 12 years and under is not for debate here (and let's be honest, no one really knows the answer to that one anyway) - it's all about intensity - and by and large, we are pushing young swimmers too hard too often: we are pushing them at or around L.T. for sustained periods for no logical or rational reason. Whilst the evidence for including some quantity of L.T. work in the training programs of senior swimmers is hard to question, the role of L.T. in the training and development of young swimmers is uncertain at the very least. Here's the case for pushing kids 12 and under at L.T. pace for extended periods during swimming training: 1. It looks like they are training hard so everyone feels good about the workout; 2. It keeps the noisy and disruptive kids quiet. 3. Their parents like it because the kids are too tired to argue with them, and they sleep! 1 P a g e L. T. A W a s t e o f T i m e T i m e t o C h a n g e. W a y n e G o l d s m i t h 2 0 1 1

Now here's the case against pushing kids 12 and under at L.T. pace for extended periods during swimming training: 1. They don't produce a lot of lactate but what they do produce (i.e. by swimming at or above L.T.) they don't deal with very well; 2. They don't race over distances requiring high level L.T. adaptation abilities, i.e. most 12 and under swimmers race 50s and 100s; 3. Most of the events they race over are approximately 50% dives, turns, underwater swimming and finishes - i.e. skills based - with only around 50% of race distance being free swimming; 4. Pushing them hard at L.T. for long periods leaves them fatigued and impacts on their ability to swim at max or near speeds in training during speed development training; 5. L.T. is the proverbial metabolic "no man's land" for swimmers aged 12 and under. It has the effect of young swimmers doing their slow work too fast and their fast work too slow - developing neither endurance or speed and largely wasting their all too valuable water time. So why do so many coaches spend so much time bashing and belting young swimmers up and down the pool in the L.T. - "no man's land"? Because it is easy to do! The easiest way to coach a large team of young swimmers is to push them as hard as possible as often as possible. It keeps them under control. It keeps them working hard. It makes parents think they are getting fitter and stronger. And...just occasionally, a few swimmers get a good result from the too hard / too often approach if they manage to get a lot of rest during their taper and have some underlying sprinting abilities. This is of course the old "broken-egg" coaching approach. Throw enough eggs against a wall and maybe, just maybe, one or two out of a thousand will survive the impact. Instead of the other 998 eggs lying broken on the ground... think!! - is this really good coaching????? And we wonder why so many kids drop out of the sport at 13, 14 and 15 years of age... they just got sick of being made into omelettes! So weigh it up in your own mind. Old way - push the kids as hard as possible at or above L.T. in every workout for a few months, taper them for a few days and hope it all comes together on race day or... New way - adopt a common sense, practical, sensible approach that helps develop the swimmers' physical, mental, technical and tactical abilities in a way which is relevant and appropriate to their competition goals. Hmmmmmm - difficult choice! 2 P a g e L. T. A W a s t e o f T i m e T i m e t o C h a n g e. W a y n e G o l d s m i t h 2 0 1 1

Summary and Practical Coaching Tips: 1. When coaching swimmers 12 years of age and under, stick to the simplicity and practicality of the P.A.C.E. model see below; 2. If in doubt, either work very slow (60-70% speed, very aerobically, great technique) or very very fast (100% speed, short distances, great technique, lots of recovery) - and always work in an integrated way - i.e. managing training speed plus mental factors plus technique plus skills; 3. Break your old habits! The old "let's push the kids every workout so their faces are red, their shoulders sore and they are out of breath" days are over! Effective training is about balance, adopting an integrated approach and including physical, mental, technical, tactical development activities in every session. Wayne Goldsmith 3 P a g e L. T. A W a s t e o f T i m e T i m e t o C h a n g e. W a y n e G o l d s m i t h 2 0 1 1

The P.A.C.E. System - How to simply, practically, reliably and accurately manage training intensity in swimming. By Wayne Goldsmith The challenge itself is relatively simple. How to simply, practically, reliably and accurately manage training intensity in swimming. Now add in these complications: 67 kids aged 8-12 years all in the water at the same time; Only one coach on deck; Nine of the kids in lane 6 get out of the water every ten minutes to go to the toilet; Three of the kids in lane 4 are pulling each other s goggles off and throwing them up on to the backstroke flags; No heart rate monitors (i.e. so any heart rate monitoring is done manually); No sports science support. The challenge just got a little more difficult...or has it? Introducing the PACE system - P.A.C.E. So why bother to re-visit the topic of simply, practically, reliably and accurately managing training intensity? There have been after all more words written about managing training intensity in swimmers than there have been in all the Harry Potter books! The key is in the word - "practical". As most articles on managing training intensity are written by sports scientists, academics or elite coaches working with small numbers of senior swimmers, they are not relevant or practical for part time, age group coaches working with large numbers of young swimmers in overcrowded lanes. So the aim of the P.A.C.E. system is to "fill in the gap": to give hard working age group coaches a realistic, simple, practical way of managing training intensity in their teams. The other main benefit of the P.A.C.E. system is that it is based on swimming training times relative to the achievement of a future performance goal. Most training intensity management systems use a past event - i.e. a previous test or previous PB on which to base training intensity levels. The P.A.C.E. system uses the targeted speed of a future competition as the baseline measurement guide with the result being that swimmers and coaches are focused on achieving future performance goals rather than on duplicating previous testing or competition performances. 4 P a g e L. T. A W a s t e o f T i m e T i m e t o C h a n g e. W a y n e G o l d s m i t h 2 0 1 1

In summary, the P.A.C.E. system is: P = PREPARATION AND PRACTICE PACE = or if you like easy swimming - around 50-60% max speed for warm up / warm down / drills / skills / recovery; A = AIR-ROBIC = endurance development - around 70-80% max speed; C = COMPETITION SPEED = training done at target race speed with race mechanics, race quality skills and race breathing patterns; E = ELECTRIC SPEED = neural stimulation, speed development training - max/ supra max speed. The P.A.C.E. system uses speed as the core ingredient because it is easy, simple, practical, reliable and accurate to measure and...the other three most common methods of managing training intensity have too many problems associated with them when working with large numbers of young swimmers: Heart rate: too hard to get kids to take it manually, too much variability day to day, too many questions about it as a determinant of training intensity in young kids; Lactate: no one is even sure what it does in pre-pubertal swimmers, it is costly, invasive, and there are real questions about its value when working with young swimmers; RPE (Rating of Perceived Exertion): too subjective, too inaccurate - young kids have real trouble using RPE with any real consistency. Again - the question is not what is the best possible way to measure and manage training intensity under perfect conditions - the question is "what can coaches working with 65 kids aged 8-12 years of age do that is fast, reliable, accurate, simple and easy to administer?" P.A.C.E. System Level Description Feels like Used for P or PACE 1 Practice and Preparation Pace Easy, relaxed. Recovery, drills and skills. A or PACE 2 Air-robic Pace. Easy to moderate. Endurance development. C or PACE 3 Competition Specific Pace Hard. Race specific practices with race specific speeds, skills, techniques and breathing. E or PACE 4 Electric Pace Fast - explosive. Speed development. Let's look a little closer at the P.A.C.E. system: TABLE 1: An overview of the P.A.C.E. System PACE ONE - Practice and Prepare Pace. o Pace one is slow, easy, relaxed swimming (but with good technique and skills of course). It is the ideal pace for warm up, warm down, skills, drills and recovery. 5 P a g e L. T. A W a s t e o f T i m e T i m e t o C h a n g e. W a y n e G o l d s m i t h 2 0 1 1

PACE TWO - Air-robic Pace. o The core of most age group programs, Pace Two creates, builds and develops endurance capacities for the short and long term. PACE THREE Competition Specific Pace. o Pace three is about preparing swimmers for the specific demands of competition swimming - i.e. to swim at the pace targeted to perform well at their next meet. PACE FOUR - Electric Pace. o Electric Pace is speed development. It is work performed at maximum speed over short distances with the aim of developing real speed through stimulating neuromuscular adaptation mechanisms. And now, many of you are asking, "where is the LT / the lactic threshold intensity level? The most over-used yet under-useful training speed when working with kids is LT. Many coaches still do their slow work too fast, and their fast work too slow, and as a result kids never full develop real speed or great endurance. The culprit...too much L.T. work! Pushing kids at threshold pace gives the impression that everyone is working hard and therefore everyone will improve if they swim at L.T. often. However, the accuracy of measuring and managing L.T. when working with large numbers of young age group swimmers is questionable at best and the value of training young kids at sustained L.T. speeds is very doubtful. As the majority of races kids compete over are 50 or 100 metres, there is no point in doing lots of kms at LT - particularly when almost half of the distance kids cover during races are dives, starts, turns and finishes - i.e. skills based. Am I suggesting the P.A.C.E. system is the best way of managing training intensity in all swimmers? No. Am I suggesting the P.A.C.E. method should replace heart rates, lactates and RPEs in managing the training intensity of all swimmers? Not entirely. What I am suggesting is that the current methods of managing training intensity are impractical when working with large numbers of young age group swimmers and for coaches who are working in this environment the P.A.C.E. system is practical, simple, easy to implement, common sense and replies on using the one tool every coach and swimming Club can afford - a clock! So try the P.A.C.E. system and let me know how it works with your team. Wayne Goldsmith 6 P a g e L. T. A W a s t e o f T i m e T i m e t o C h a n g e. W a y n e G o l d s m i t h 2 0 1 1

The Engagement Factor. By Wayne Goldsmith Now, let's build on the P.A.C.E. system by introducing the Engagement Factor: the first training prescription system which incorporates a mental skills focus in swimming workout design. Everyone talks about the importance of the mental side of swimming and how important it is for swimmers to train both their bodies and minds in training and preparation. Talking about it is one thing. The next step for coaches is to include mental skills and the integration of the mind and body into every session and the way to achieve this is to incorporate mental skills in the workout design itself. Introducing the Engagement Factor. We all know that optimal performance comes from the integration - or harmony if you like - of body and mind. When the body and mind come together to collaborate in competition anything is possible. The problem is that at the moment, for the most part, we train the mind and body separately. When we design swimming workouts, it is always done from a physical (volume and intensity), technical (stroke technique and skills) and tactical (stroke mechanics, pacing etc.) perspective. Then, we train the mind quite separately by organising motivation talks, personal development sessions and mental skills workshops. For example, a training set like 5 x 200 metres is typically written: 5 x 200 (volume) at a pace of 75% maximum speed (intensity) on a 3:30 cycle (intensity) - which are all physical variables. We might add in some technical and tactical elements, for example: 5 x 200 on 3:30 holding 75% maximum speed / stroke count of ABC and stroke rate of DEF. But again, our instructions to the swimmers are based on the execution of physical performance elements. The challenge is how can we incorporate mental skills as an integral, core aspect of workout design? 7 P a g e L. T. A W a s t e o f T i m e T i m e t o C h a n g e. W a y n e G o l d s m i t h 2 0 1 1

The effectiveness of training programs and workout designs are dependent on how engaged the athlete is in the activities. A brilliantly designed workout, with skilfully crafted sets and logical repeat times is of little value to swimmers who are not interested, not concentrating, not focused and not engaged in the workout. As engagement is such a critical factor in the effectiveness of workout design, it makes very good sense to incorporate a measure or level of required engagement in the workout design itself: hence the Engagement Factor. The primary goal of incorporating and integrating a mental component into workout design is to have swimmers go "on line" - to engage their brains and switch on mentally when completing important sets and repeats. As a general principle, the Engagement Factor aims to help swimmers increase their level of engagement as the need for greater levels of technical excellence and higher speeds are required by the coach - or as the demand for excellence in technical execution and speed increases, so too does engagement level. So, why do this? Why do we need an Engagement Factor? Remember that the P.A.C.E. system is targeted at young age group swimmers? Similarly the Engagement Factor is targeting young age group swimmers (aged 8-12 years) and is designed to help coaches working with young swimmers to better "train the brain". We have all heard the rhetoric about how "every lap is important" but the reality is young kids cannot concentrate or focus for the full 45-60 minutes of an average age group swimming training session. The response of coaches to the swimmers lack of concentration or focus has been to yell and scream and pull their own hair out. The Engagement Factor overcomes this frustration by clearly instructing swimmers when to "switch on" and when to "switch off". In the same way we instruct swimmers when to speed up and when to slow down their swimming pace using repeat times and goals speed, the Engagement Factor helps swimmers to learn how to control the "speed" of their brains during a training session. To summarise the Engagement Factor: Engagement Factor 1: Warm up (early stages) / swim down / recovery: Focus on relaxation, ease of movement and slow, steady breathing; Engagement Factor 2: Warm up (later stages) / long endurance work: Focus on relaxation, flow, "switching on" to the workout; Engagement Factor 3: Most conditioning work: Combination of relaxation and rhythm whilst focusing on skills execution and technique; 8 P a g e L. T. A W a s t e o f T i m e T i m e t o C h a n g e. W a y n e G o l d s m i t h 2 0 1 1

Engagement Factor 4: Drills and skills work. Focus on attention to detail, purposeful movements, quality in execution; Engagement Factor 5: Competition preparation work and speed development - i.e. total concentration and focus to stimulate neural adaptation mechanisms and simulate competition conditions. For example: Traditional methods of swimming workout design using Physiological variables only (i.e. volume / intensity - P.A.C.E. system): Warm up - PACE 1 (see table above ): Easy 400 freestyle on 6:30 / 8 x 50 Back kick in streamline on 1:30 Drills and skills - PACE 1 (see table above) 8 x 25 lateral freestyle kicking drill on 45 / 8 x 25 lateral 6 x 6 freestyle drill on 40. Main set - PACE 2 (see table above) 8 x 200 metres freestyle on 3:15. Sprint development - 6 x 50 metres as (20 metres best stroke at maximum speed PACE 4 / 30 metres recovery freestyle PACE 1) Swim down - PACE 1 (see table above) 400 as alternate 25s backstroke / freestyle Now look at the same workout using the new concept incorporating the Engagement Factor, i.e. Mind and body incorporated into swimming workout design: Warm up - PACE 1 (see table above ): Easy 400 freestyle on 6:30 / 8 x 50 Back kick in streamline on 1:30 - Engagement Factor 1-2. Drills and skills - PACE 1 (see table above ) 8 x 25 lateral freestyle kicking drill on 45 / 8 x 25 lateral 6 x 6 freestyle drill on 40 - Engagement Factor 4. Main set - PACE 2 (see table above) 8 x 200 metres freestyle on 3:15 - Engagement Factor 2-3. Sprint development - 6 x 50 metres as (20 metres best stroke at maximum speed PACE 4 / 30 metres recovery freestyle PACE 1) - Engagement Factor 5 on sprints / Engagement Factor 1 on recovery. Swim down - PACE 1 (see table above) 400 as alternate 25s backstroke / freestyle - Engagement Factor 1. Or in swimming workout design "shorthand", the shift in thinking means writing workouts this way: Old method: 12 x 100 metres on 1:45 holding the target intensity level for example PACE 2: New method: 12 x 100 metres on 1:45 holding the target intensity level of PACE 2 at an Engagement factor of 3 - or 12 x 100 on 1:45 P2 E3. 9 P a g e L. T. A W a s t e o f T i m e T i m e t o C h a n g e. W a y n e G o l d s m i t h 2 0 1 1

Summary: The philosophy behind the Engagement Factor is simple: it is an easy, practical way to incorporate a focus on mental skills into swimming workouts and thereby make workouts more efficient and effective. When combined with the P.A.C.E. system of managing training intensity, the Engagement Factor provides a simple, practical way for young swimmers and their coaches to ensure the optimal stimulation and integration of physiological and psychological factors in training and preparation. Wayne Goldsmith 10 P a g e L. T. A W a s t e o f T i m e T i m e t o C h a n g e. W a y n e G o l d s m i t h 2 0 1 1