游得更好;成績更佳<運動訓練規劃>

Ironman網站2014/9/15報導。游泳佔鐵人三項比賽總計花費時間不到1成,但水中的短暫時間,卻會產生廣泛的影響。游泳項目是整個鐵人三項比賽中,唯一可以節省體力以便隨後利用的部分。想要讓游泳成績更好,關鍵在練習適應於開放水域游泳。
賽前練習結束前,規律的鼻式呼吸同時想像最佳游泳姿勢,有助加強腦部及肌肉的印象,並紓解壓力。比賽游泳時,可激勵自己嘗試游出比對手水花更小的划手姿勢,有助避免焦慮,同時節省體力。另外,想像游泳只是整個賽事的暖身,可以減少必需游出好成績的壓力。在比賽開始前,事先選擇在划水過程中的某階段姿勢以便於賽中精準鎖定,容易緊張的新手,可選擇專注於:

1)維持「無重量」或中立的頭部姿勢

2)利用手指切出一道水痕,進水時利用上臂完整划水

3)在不製造水泡情況下伸展手臂。划水時小心翼翼不要產生水泡,也可以免除自信心的動搖。如果能在練習時先進行演練,效果會更好。

Swim Well, Race Better

Swim Well, Race Better – IRONMAN.com | Official Site of IRONMAN, IRONMAN 70.3, 5i50, Iron Girl and IRONKIDS | Triathlon Races | Official IRONMAN Merchandise | IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaii

The swim is the key to a calm and composed race. Here’s how to exit the water running.

by Terry Laughlin

Newsflash: swimming accounts for 10 percent or less of your total time spent competing in a triathlon. The 90 percent of the race that happens on dry land has far more potential to influence your outcome, in time or placement.

That short time spent in the water, however, makes up for itself with its broad influence. Let’s look at the two main areas where your swim starts to impact the rest of your race.

Stress

The swim experience can be stressful—particularly for a first-timer—and take away much of the pleasure of the overall experience. This happens because either a) you feel unable to exert control of your body, or b) you feel deeply vulnerable—trapped in a sea of densely-packed bodies in deep water. The resulting anxiety and panic will leave you needing to clear adrenaline from your bloodstream once you’re back on land when you’d be better to just send fuel to your muscles—not much fun and not good for your ability to ride.

Maximize your open-water comfort

Meditate on success. Calm pre-race jitters (and block out nervous chatter around you) by doing slow, controlled nose-breathing while visualizing your best form. Nose breathing is a stress-reduction technique. Combining it with visualization primes your brain and muscles to turn visualization into reality.  You’re best to practice this before race day—ideally at the end of the lane before practice sessions.

Be the quiet center. If you find yourself in the middle of a splashy pack, turn it into a game. Observe the strokes of those around you and strive to swim with the quietest, most leisurely, stroke of anyone around you. Strategies that insulate you from anxiety and help you feel in control of your swim will also help conserve energy for the bike and run.

Energy

Even if you finish the swim without having felt anxiety, you might have worked so hard that you feel drained for much of the race.

This is because you’ve got a finite number of heartbeats to spend, so to speak, over the course of the cumulative time it takes to complete the event. On land—because of gravity, heat and hills—there will be many times when you’ll have little choice but to expend more energy. The water is the only part of the race where saving this energy to spend later is a viable option. It’s also the most strategic option for any triathlete who did not grow up swimming competitively, because, while it takes only a little more energy to run a little faster, it takes a LOT more energy to swim a little faster.

The key to success in running and cycling is training to get in better shape. The key to optimizing your swim performance, however, is to practice in ways that address the open-water swim.

Minimize your energy output

Swim as a warmup. Imagine that the race actually begins as you mount your bike, that you will simply swim to the start as a warmup.  Forming a conscious intention that you will not race during the swim can remove performance pressure. Include swimming at a gentle warmup pace in your visualization. Do entire practices at warmup pace leading up to the race so you’re extra familiar with it—making your visualization all the more realistic.

Choose a focal point. Before the race, choose a specific aspect of your stroke for laser focus. Good choices for nervous newbies include (i) Maintain a ‘weightless’ or neutral head position; (ii) Cut a ‘slot’ with fingers and slide your forearm through on entry; and (iii) Extend your arm without bubbles. Mindfully eliminating bubbles in your stroke also eliminates self-doubt. This also works best if rehearsed in practice.

And, finally, keep a smile on your face throughout the swim as practice for the big smile you’ll display as you high-step out of the water on your way into T1.

Terry Laughlin is the founder of Total Immersion coaching: “Swimming that Changes Your Life.”

Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/news/articles/2014/09/swim-impact-on-whole-race.aspx#ixzz3H8hEzFmI

Posted in 海洋新知.