D.A.R.E - HIGH VELOCITY SWIM TRAINING EXPLAINED

D.A.R.E Training for the 50m-100m Events

D.A.R.E is an anachronism for:

Defined
Anaerobic
Response
Enhancement
……..And, describes a unique method of developing speed in swimming without the drudgery of the traditional distance overload method used in the UK to train swimmers.

So, if you are a swimmer who is training hard, but slow to improve, despite putting in the hours and distance or a triathelete who wants to see their swim times rapidly improve you have come to the right place



Introduction:

Some individual Swimmers are born with the ability to perform repetitive actions at an unusually fast rate. This characteristic, when coupled with the technique of applying force in the most efficient manner, produces the "Quick 50m-100m" swimmer.
The following, concerns a factor that governs the maximization of all swimmers ability. Its contents have been known for more than 30 years but have largely been ignored by coaches.

Our Present Situation:

In the current sprint events of 50m-100m swimming a few features have become very evident. The performance of swimmers over these distances are highly variable which suggests to me that there is a lack of any defined, correct procedure for controlling the level of training for their 50m-100m sprint event in the UK.
There are a few individuals who cluster at the very top of the performance tree. This, in my view may be interpreted as indicating that the development of this talent is by chance rather than through the design of coaching. The training programmes of these so called sprint swimmers are extremely varied.

In UK swimming, there is a very big problem with the conditioning paradigm of the coaches and swimmers for these events. The problem is crucial, and I hope that if you are reading this, you may start to change the way you approach your training for the 50m-100m events.
Every workout that I have attended or seen written down throughout a swim season is very aerobic in its content, with very little thought given to the real speed work that is needed by the 50m-100m sprint specialists.

It is my view and the view of notable U.S swim coaches Dr. Sam Freas and Dr. David Salo that there is a historical belief that swimmers cannot handle a session that is speed orientated in its content, because it will place a too heavy a demand on the swimmers cardiovascular system.
Traditionally any speed work will command only a very minor proportion of the training session that is provided for the swimmer and is by tradition relegated to the end of the session.
In between, the remaining time is taken up by very inappropriate and what is more important… performance-sapping swim training. All too often I have observed that any sprinters that are within the training group are often combined into the same program and group as the middle and long-distance swimmers.

It has been known since 1998 Costill, 1998 and Trappe, that distance training will cause fatigue to the sprinter and suppresses the sprinters ability to sprint…. as it depletes their functional strength and power.

The most popular trend in the preparation of any sprint specialist is to utilise only a very limited form of interval training as "speed work." But, it never ceases to amaze me how UK coaches tend to fixate on 25m or 50 meters as "the distance" for stimulating their sprint swimmers.

Explanation:

Swimmers and more importantly swimming coaches tend to approach high quality work that is repeated over these distances in a rather tentative fashion because of the high level of fatigue these swims will generate.
Along with this limited exposure to speed stimuli is the fact that any progress at this distance is further compounded by the UK tradition of conducting sprinting at the end of training when the swimmers sprint and power production capacities are very much diminished.

This practice is contrary to known physiological requirements of sprinting which stipulate non-fatigued states to experience maximal and appropriate adaptation because as stated in1999 by Rushall, Rushall & Pyke that: all speed improvements are primarily neural, not physiological
The use of interval training as the most expedient form of training for adaptation to exercise stress is widely accepted.

A further principle of equal importance exists: Training should be specific to the final desired swimming performance:If you wish to perform in the 50m or 100m event, then your training velocities should be at least the same as the velocity of the final anticipated competitive performance.

If there are insufficient practice sessions of performing the intended limb-tract patterns then "skill" (neuromuscular patterning) will not be developed fully.

Sprint limb-tract patterns cannot be learned or developed when executed under fatigue this has been stated in research papers by Williams, McEwan, Watkins, Gillespie and Boyd, in 1979.
Basically your body does not have the capacity to learn movement patterns when highly stressed or in a state of fatigue. This factor is not related to the specificity of training principle associated with overload adaptation in energy systems. The specificity principle of physiological adaptation does not apply to motor learning.

To learn skilled movement patterns that are to be executed under fatigued conditions, that learning has to occur in non-fatigued states.
If you wish to swim 50 meters in 25 seconds then the majority of your training must be repeated at a velocity of at least 1.95 meters per second. For you, as a sprint swimmer to execute any training at a slower speed would result in you training for a slower than desired performance during your major championship meet. Also, your neuromuscular patterns of performance are specific to each increase in speed of swimming.

The skill factor in producing maximal and optimally efficient sprint performances is dependent largely upon the amount of skill executions at a specific performance velocity.
When a desired performance level requires a high velocity then you should train at that velocity or faster to become skilled at that specific limb-tract movement pattern.
Unfortunately, speed work, as it is presently practiced, is so stressful that few swimmers in the UK develop any great skill for sprinting. They simply do not perform sufficient repeats nor experience the appropriate intrinsic and extrinsic feedback to enable them to develop strong consistent sprint-movement patterns.

In the UK, swimming coaches are confronted with a perplexing problem on a daily basis: How can an increase in the amount of sprint training be prescribed if it is so stressful?
If a coach increases the total amount of sprint training then the participating squad members will succumb very quickly to excessive stress.
A very obvious solution would be to strike a preference for quality (the development of specific skill) or quantity (the development of stress adaptation). However, it is possible that no dilemma should exist at all. The amalgamation of research findings of psychology and physiology suggest another alternative that allows both sprint skill and appropriate physical adaptation to be developed simultaneously.


What Research tells us about Sprint Swimming:

The principle of specificity in exercise skill is very convincing. The integration of neural and physiological functions in a skilled motor activity is very complex and specific.
For example, it is not difficult to demonstrate the complete disparity of energy and motor functioning in swimming 50 meters in 25 seconds and 32 seconds. The greater the amount of training entertained at a set speed the more predictable will be final performances.

One should expect that if a sprint swimmer has practiced a great deal at their desired race pace then on the given day, their performances would be quite predictable with little variation.
The majority of swim coaches know that the energy for muscular contraction stems from three sources, aerobic and two forms of anaerobic metabolism.

The liberation of aerobic energy is dependent upon oxygen being delivered to the working muscles via the cardiovascular system.
However, in brief spurts of very intense activity the supply of aerobic energy is very inadequate. Most of the energy for sprint swimming is acquired from anaerobic sources. This produces the phenomenon of “oxygen deficit”.

There are three anaerobic energy sources within their swimmers muscles that can be utilised effectively. Our D.A.R.E programme is based around two of these systems:
Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) is a complex chemical compound that is stored in all cells, particularly muscle cells.

ATP is required for the biochemical reaction of allowing a muscle contraction to take place. It is comprised of Adenosine bonded to three phosphates. During muscular contraction, ATP is broken down. This results in the release of energy through the breaking of a phosphate bond to the Adenosine. This leaves Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP) and a free phosphate. The greater the demand that is placed on a muscle the faster this breakdown of ATP will be. During intense exercise the ATP that is stored within muscle cells is quickly depleted. For continued muscular contractions to occur, ATP within the muscle must be quickly replenished. This is accomplished by the biochemical processes of the three energy systems.

Creatine phosphate (CP) is a chemical compound stored in muscle that is important for replenishing ATP after the initial stores are exhausted. In this process, creatine phosphate donates its phosphate to ADP to create ATP. In this way, the creatine phosphate serves as an immediate source of high energy phosphate which can be used to replenish ATP. Because of its limited quantity, creatine phosphate only contributes to ATP replenishment for the first 15 seconds of intense activity

As stated, your alactacid energy system is functional only over the first 10 and possibly up to 17 seconds of maximum swimming effort as it uses existing energy sources that reside in the muscles. This energy source is restored within seconds over an ensuing rest period. There is no accumulation of lactate.

This duration is longer than is commonly thought of or spoken about because not all the swimming training over a given distance involves swimming strokes, the push-off from the wall, etc. the glide phase at the start of a race
As well, the muscles of your upper body are particularly endowed with Type II muscle fibers and so can perform anaerobic functions quite well. If the period of intense work is greater than 15 seconds the functional limit of alactacid energy source will very likely be surpassed.

Research on D.A.R.E Intervals:

In 1977, Astrand and Rodahl related research findings that have been known since the late 1950s to the swimming world. If the work duration is short enough, even though intensity is very high and if recovery periods are short, energy sustains mechanically efficient "fast" work while no buildup of lactate occurs.
As well, glycogen levels remain high throughout the short intervals, good news for you as a 50m/100m sprint swimmer.

Another benefit from utilising D.A.R.E interval training is that your recovery is rapid and is significantly shorter than that required for the traditional accumulated-lactate work bouts.
In swimming terms, that facilitates an increased number of executions of skill cycles.
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Distribution of energy during D.A.R.E workouts:

The energy that is used throughout an ultra-short interval set of a high number of swimming repeats will change from the early to late stages within the set and with training.
Early on in the set, the energy that exists within your muscles is primarily used, alactacid sources being exploited more than lactacid sources. Aerobic energy is gradually stimulated into action and increases its function with each successive swimming repeat. As your set progresses, alactacid energy is still employed. Type II (fast-twitch glycolytic) fibers are continually stimulated along with Type I (slow-twitch oxidative) fibers. Some glycolysis does occur but not in amounts that lead to any significant lactate accumulation. The amount of oxidative work at the end of an ultra-short set is greater than at the start while swimming speed remains the same.

As you employ D.A.R.E intervals consistently in your swim practice, some of your Type IIa fibers (low-oxidative or glycolytic fibers) will be converted to Type IIb fibers that will become oxidative while still maintaining their fast-twitch contractile functions. With the adaptation of these fibers, any work that is performed earlier on in a set is more oxidative than it would be in an untrained state. That means more sprint work is "fueled" by oxygen rather than lactate-producing anaerobiosis. Your capacity for producing work through your alactacid energy system is increased although only by about 2-3 second’s duration.

There still is some requirement for glycolytic work. The frequent but mild stimulation that is involved in these very short but very fast repetitions produces some adaptation although, that improvement might not be as great as that experienced in heavy sprint sets where lactate accumulates to high levels.

Consistent D.A.R.E training produces sprinting performances that sustain fast-twitch (Type IIb) fibers use but will your energize performance with greater amounts of oxygen. This extends your ability to sustain a sprint with good mechanical function. Eventually, your glycolytic anaerobic function will be also improved. When you experience a heavy traditional sprint set, you will often enter an over trained state before any maximal adaptation is achieved. However, while the milder D.A.R.E work does not produce as rapid lactacid adaptation, it eventually does produce higher levels of glycolytic adaptation and consequently produces further performance improvements.

D.A.R.E swim training will develop your alactacid energy production, your fast-twitch oxidative, fast-twitch glycolytic functions, and aerobic adaptation, all while executing race-specific motor skill patterns.
These outcomes facilitate better sprint performances than those fostered by typical, and mostly inappropriate, sprint training for swimming.

Implications for Sprint Training for the 50m-100m events:

Research carried out comparing very short (17 seconds or less) to longer (30 seconds or more) work intervals have shown the latter to be extremely fatiguing.
It is possible to do more sprint swimming training without the problematic fatigue effects of typical programs. The utilization of "D.A.R.E repeats" produces all the benefits of desirable sprint training and adds some exciting new advantages.
It falls onto the individual coach to work with their swimmers to find the interval distances in which repeated performances will be at least equated to desired performances. To be on the safe side for the 50m event, the work period should be in the vicinity of 10-17 seconds seconds.
Thus, distances of less than 20 meters will become important training units for the 50m – 100 sprinters.

For example, a female 50m butterfly swimmer who aims at a time of 32 seconds must repeat each 12.5 meters in 8.0 seconds, or faster.
For the 100m swimmer the training repeat distance can be increased to a maximum of 37.5m utilizing much shorter sets of say 4x(6x37.5) at maximum velocity. Because of the slight increase in the production of lactate, the swimmer should only start the next repeat when they feel absolutely ready to do so.

The implication of these formats in the training of swimmers is clear. The more training that can be accomplished at the pace of the desired performance the better will be the final performance.
A Reluctance on the behalf of the coach to remove the pools lane lines to allow swimming across the pool is not an acceptable excuse for not using desirable distances and time periods for sprint training.

The benefits of the D.A.R.E system are highly desirable. Its characteristics and qualities have been validated in the laboratory. It now remains for swimmers to benefit from this model for training.