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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Genuine question, I’m a swimming novice parent, why is this? “…swimming your best events twice in a row is not ideal for times. Taking a break is usually better.”

I am assuming twice in a row means two weekends in a row but let me know if that assumption is wrong.[/quote]

Yes,  twice in a row referring to two weekends in a row.  I am not sure what the science is - if it is a physical thing or a mental thing.  I will talk about swimming the same events in meets back to back vs. swimming prelims/finals for an event.

Swimming events over and over in meets or close together in time (say meets one week apart or a couple of weeks apart) generally is not a good idea.  Coaches like you to have a four weeks.  Generally swimmers do not see time improvements if meets are closer together than four weeks and then that can add a mental rut component.  It is also very common swimming events a week apart to actually add time because you are not racing, your body is acting like its practice and autopilot.  So switching events is how most coaches solve this problem and keep the swimmer in race mode.  If a swimmer plateaus in an event and every month keeps swimming that event, they are likely making it worse on themselves and just hardwiring the same results into their brain and body over and over.  So coaches will tell a swimmer take a break for a few months from that event and then come back to it.  So when they come back to it they are supercharged.

Now as for prelims/finals format.  Generally that happens the same day or in the case of VHSL the next day. You will find swimmers fall into two camps on prelims/finals.  You have some swimmers that swim their perfect swim at prelims, getting into finals is their mental goal and they hit is out of the park.  At finals, they generally match their time or  add a little.  Some swimmers will add alot if mentally exhausted from a long meet.  The second group make it into finals and drop massive amounts of time.  Having that second race so close on the heals of the first allows them to course correct on the event and perform better.  Swimmers after a while, kind of know what camp they fall into.  A lot of the top swimmers hit it out of the park at prelims and hold their time at finals.  They are just that good.

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Thank you, really helpful![/quote]

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