Land Training Tips

Swimmers need to have a number of qualities to be successful:
• Technique or skill
• Flexibility
• Speed
• Determination and self-discipline
• Ability or ‘feel’ for the water
• Strength
• Endurance

It is important for swimmers to keep working on all these core skills as they grow and develop. There are a variety of different training types used to develop these qualities, one of which is the broad medium of land training.

Land training plays a significant part in a swimmers career. It provides the best opportunity to develop strength and speed and becomes an integral part of the entire training package. It allows younger swimmers to develop their all round athleticism and motor skills as well as providing them with a little variety.

Flexibility training
Flexibility refers to the range of motion around a joint. Improving flexibility is a basic element of a young athlete’s training programme. Good flexibility enables the athlete to perform various movements and skills easily and helps prevent injury.

The best way to improve flexibility is to perform stretching exercises; in young swimmers we are primarily concerned with dynamic and static stretching.

Dynamic stretching involves active movements to the limits of the motion with the athlete not holding a final position. Static stretching involves stretching to the limit of motion without forcing the stretch and holding the position without movement for a given time. It is generally accepted that the best preparation for either land based or water based workout is a dynamic warm up.

Developing circuits
Circuit training is an essential part of any land training programme and is aimed at improving muscular strength and endurance. The exercises utilised in land training should be sequenced so that you are targeting a different area each time in the sequence- upper body, lower body and core. Aerobic activities such as shuttle run, skipping or star jumps can also be added to increase variety and allowing some muscle groups to recover.

Games and their role in land training
Games are a very useful tool in developing athletic ability and they also encourage fair play and sportsmanship as well as being fun!

Games should be integrated fully into any successful land training programme as usually fall into 2 categories:

1. Games to develop motor skills.
2. Games to develop speed.

As swimmers develop land training becomes an integral part of the entire training package and should be seen as such with session attended with as much regularity as the pool based sessions.

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