Standard Test Sets

The Youth newsletter which went out yesterday set deadlines for the results of the Standard Test Sets (STS) to be returned to SNZ:

• 10 x 400 + 30 and K5 x 200 - 6 August
  
• 10 x 200 + 30 and K5 x 200 - 31 August
  
• 10 x 100 + 30 and K5 x 200 - 16 September
  

These dates are also noted on the golongdistance calender at the top of the home page.

At the recent MfG Workshop in Wellington I distributed tables of these STS scored against FINA points. The calculations are extrapolated from the actual FINA points system but you will find they serve as a useful tool for comparing the diferent sets and different swimmers. They show 50-point increments from 500 to 1,000 and try to emulate a training equivalent of the actual FINA points race standards.

As usual click for a bigger view.















To read them you have to make a decision on the 'best' race distance of the swimmer; 400, 800 or 1,500m because each will have a different relationship to the sets. A 400m swimmer doing 10 x 400 is covering ten times their preferred race distance so it's an extensive set for their muscle fibres, whereas a 1,500 specialist is covering less than three times their preferred distance. In a similar vein a 1,500m swimmer doing the 10 x 100 is covering less than their preferred distance whereas the 400m swimmer is still swimming 2.5 times their distance. This explains the difference in time standards for each points level as you go from 10 x 100's to 200's to 400's for each 'type' of swimmer.