![]() One of the most important details of racing is stroke rate, especially during a sprint. In the end, the extra underwaters in short course races help us to maintain a higher energy output throughout. However, when you’re gliding, your muscles catch a break and are able to clear out some of the hydrogen, reducing the muscle fatigue before the next lap starts. This results in metabolic acidosis and causes the all-too-familiar burning sensation and muscle fatigue. Because your muscles are essentially working in “overdrive,” the hydrogen accumulates quickly and lowers the pH in the cells. During high intensity exercise, your muscle cells are rapidly breaking down molecules used to release energy, and in the process, release a high volume of hydrogen ions into the cell. The extra underwater time doesn’t just give you a boost, though it serves as “recovery time.” While your lungs may beg to differ, this period of your race is much more relaxed, and you expend less energy. Swimming under the surface avoids this problem, and more energy is used to push you forward. Moving at the surface of the water is slower. Underwaters have a major effect on speed. On the other hand, a long course pool only allows you to stay underwater for up to 30% of the race. A short course race has twice as much turning and gliding, allowing you to spend up to 60% of the race underwater. So what makes long course so different? Turns and GlidingĪn obvious difference between a short and long course pool is the number of turns. Despite this, all swimmers know that swimming in a short course pool feels considerably faster and less tiring. The distance of every event is still the same. How you approach it mentally is what will help you in the long run.Īll commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.The only tangible difference between short and long course is the pool length. Regardless of which pool style you like better, training in each pool has its advantages and disadvantages. This means it allows for less time to adjust to the new season before competing because of the tight schedule. It can be extremely difficult, especially because the season is much shorter compared to short course. But when the long course season sneaks up around spring time, swimmers are forced to adjust in a short amount of time. Typically, high school, summer league, and even most year-round meets are done in short course yards. By the time you’re done, you feel like you’ve done a 500-yard free and your energy is drained. Conversely, in long course, there are four long laps. In short course, there are eight laps, quick and easy. Each lap is like a vast expanse of water and you never know when you’ll reach the other side. Your mind drifts to your after-practice meal and seemingly five minutes later, you’re still on the same lap. We’ve all been there at one point in the middle of practice in a long course pool. Long Course Cons Each Lap Feels Like Eternity Plus, it allows swimmers to have a fresh start and focus on new goals for the season ahead. It keeps people from becoming complacent and bored with a little change of scenery. But in the sport of swimming, a little change can be good for the mind. Many of us love familiarity and keeping things constant in our lives. Swimmers have to consistently keep their technique and build speed in a pool that is twice as long, and that itself is not an easy task. While short course is all about turns, long course is geared toward building endurance and speed throughout each lap. ![]() Rather than trying to remember what lap they are on and most likely forgetting, they are able to focus more on the actual race without the added mental pressure. While there are lap counters at meets, it really helps distance swimmers having fewer walls and laps to do because it allows them to truly focus on endurance and speed. Difficulty for Distance Swimmersįor distance swimmers, having to count 66 laps at practice during short course season when training for the mile is exhausting. ![]() ![]() As the races get longer, the turns can become sloppy, becoming a disadvantage to your time. It’s human nature to see a wall in front of you and automatically slow down because obviously your brain wants to avoid an accident. While practicing turns is beneficial, the number of walls really can drag a swimmer down. Short Course Cons The Number of Walls Can Become a Hassle Along with practicing underwaters comes breath control and this can help in all facets of swimming, including in the last 15 yards of a race when you are struggling for air. I use them to my advantage because I know that while I may not have the long reach like typical swimmers, I can still use underwaters to help me improve in my races. As someone who has a shorter body type, underwaters are my best friend.
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