Desire, Conditioning, Speed…

Overview

Our USA Swimming (USAS) swim team, which competes within Potomac Valley Swimming (PVS) and the D.C. metro area, includes first-timers, swimmers focused mainly on high school or summer league, and athletes qualified for PVS, Eastern Zone and USA Swimming National championship meets.

The team is made up of 5 levels, ranging from novices to national qualifiers who are vying for college scholarships. Swimmers have no practice or competitive requirements, except at Level 5. Generally speaking, our training philosophy is predicated on balance, hard work and swimming smarts. We place a premium on training technique and phasing intensity and volume for continued improvement over the long haul.


Training

Our training plan revolves around five components of training: active stroke & race technique, passive stroke & race technique, aerobic fitness, speedwork, and land-based training. Fundamental stroke mechanics and general aerobic fitness form a foundation at the younger ages. Advanced stroke technique and intensified aerobic training are phased into the middle age groups. By the time our swimmers ascend to the senior level, they undergo all components on a weekly basis.

Further breakdown of training components:

A1 – low to moderate aerobic; continuous to semi-continuous
A2 – moderate aerobic to anaerobic threshold; semi-continuous; short recovery
A3 – VO2 max; fast swims; moderate to high recovery
AT – active technique; skill specific instruction
DL – dryland; limbering, shoulder strength, core strength, plyometrics, and yoga
PT – passive technique; drills and progressions
RT – race technique; includes starts and turns
SP – speedwork; racing games, test sets, timed swims

2008- 2009 Program Announcement