SwimPath's Jemma Lowe takes a look at friend and European Champion Georgia Davies' record-breaking 50m backstroke race in 2018!
SwimPath Blog
When is the best time for swimmers to specialise in a certain event, stroke or distance? There's a lot of grey area and questions about when to focus on one event, but every individual swimmer is different.
Deciding when to specialise is a discussion that all swimmers need with their coaches and together a plan can be made to reach the swimmer's goals.
Even when a swimmer has grown to be better at a certain stroke or event, there are many benefits to continue to do some training on all of the strokes and competing in different events:
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Improves overall general fitness working on more muscle groups rather than the one stroke you are specialising in,
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Working on other strokes can benefit performance, by helping with recovery and adapting work load,
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Reduces the pressure of trying to beat the time in one event as the swimmer will have a number of events and Best Times to beat rather than just one,
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Racing in different events increases race practise and helps improve racing skills and speed,
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The best type of training is racing! There are lots of top swimmers that still race in a number of events for training purposes, which helps towards their main event,
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You might surprise yourself with a good time in an event you wouldn't normally do,
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It keeps training and racing fun!
Hello, I'm Charlie Attwood, former GB international swimmer and breaststroke specialist. In 2013 I qualified for my first international junior team where I would compete at the European youth Olympic festival held in Utrecht, Netherlands. I came away with a bronze in the 200m breaststroke and then in the 100m breaststroke I ended up winning Gold.
Later, in 2015 I qualified for the European Games held in Baku, Azerbaijan where I won bronze in the 100m Breaststroke and then silver as part of two relays. The same year I competed at the 2015 world junior championships held in Singapore, this meet didn’t go as planned but I did make the final my events which I was happy with.
I then moved training programmes from my home club Taunton Deane to the British swimming national centre in Bath where I would be training alongside Olympians and world medallists ahead of the 2016 Olympic year. I didn’t make the Olympic team, but I did end up competing at the 2016 European championships in London the same year.
My favourite achievement was winning my individual medal in Baku at the European games. I am now working with SwimPath to help other swimmers achieve their goals. A top tip for you breaststrokers to aid your catch is to scull as much as you can in training, as this will strengthen your in sweep and out sweep to maximise your pull.
Thank you to everyone who designed a Jowe Swim Suit and entered our Competition! There were lots of brilliant designs and so many of you took part.
Congratulations to our 3 finalists and thank you to everyone who took part in the votes on our Facebook Page!
There could only be 1 winner.... Congratulations to Tracey Prescott from Bolton Metro Swimming Club who received the most votes over the 2 weeks! Here is Tracey's design 'Bubblicious' which will be available in our Jowe range later this year!
Thanks again to everyone who took part! Look out for out future competitions! :)
Looking back on the years of training and dedication that got me to 2 Olympic Games and 3 Olympic Finals, I think about what was it that got me out of bed on those mornings I was so tired and wanted to stay in bed. I often get asked, "Did you ever not want to go training or feel like quitting?" And the answer is yes, and the answer will be the same for the majority of World Class swimmers. Competitive sport is extremely tough and challenging and it's completely normal for us to have feelings of wanting to give up. Here are some motivational ideas/ thoughts that
pushed me to get out of bed and commit to my training:
- Ask yourself, Why am I doing this? To do be the best I can be, to beat my personal best, do get under 1min for 100 Fly, to win, I want to be on that Team.
- Remember how it felt when I missed out on that Final and the time I missed out on making a team?
- Is going to training going to get me closer to my goal or further away?
- I don't have to go, but I'm going to feel worse if I don't go training.
- Put your personal time goals on your bedroom wall, a reminder of what you want to achieve. It was such a good feeling achieving a personal time goal and being able to rip apart the piece of paper with the old time on and create a new goal time.
- Everyone else will be at training, I'm going to miss out.
- What will my competitors be doing?
- If I get up I can have Breakfast!
- Deep down I want to be doing this and I know I'm not ready to stop swimming.
Everyone will have different goals and different ideas that motivate them to go training. What works for you?
