200 IM Race Strategy

小臭贝

BY CHELSEY WALDEN-SCHREINER//Correspondent
Race strategy can be as important as the training that precedes it. From how much effort you should expend to go out in your race, to whether you kick off the walls after your turn, race strategy can play a major role in the outcome of your race. Developing a successful strategy is unique to each swimmer. Often, what works for one swimmer may not be the best strategy for another.

Robert Pinter, assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin and 1992 Olympic finalist in the 200m butterfly, offers the following advice when it comes to developing a strategy for the 200 individual medley.  

“For the 200 IM, I try to break it up into three areas: energy, technique and overall strategy,” Pinter said.  

From an energy standpoint, Pinter suggests that swimmers should even-split, or build, each 50 of the race, beginning with a fairly strong fly leg. By focusing on building each 50, swimmers are less likely to back off too much in any given stroke.

“I like to have the swimmers warm up knowing what to do in the first 50,” Pinter said. “They should know how fast, or how much effort, should go into it. They can control it. Then, bring the race home with everything they have left.”

The second area, technique, should incorporate all the elements the swimmer has worked on in practice, from stroke technique and tight turns to underwater kicking and breathing patterns. It is easy to let fatigue undermine the breaststroke leg, or diminish a six-beat kick in the freestyle. But, attention in practice and in race strategy can help combat those common pitfalls.

Finally, general race strategy can take into account an opponent’s race history. If the competition is going to go out fast, or has a strong backstroke, this may change the race strategy.

“You should swim a strategy to maximize your strengths,” Pinter said.  

For more information on how to develop your own race strategy, consult your coaches. They will be able to help you create a plan based on your training and personal strengths.