Unfortunately, I do not have no info on what training Mark Foster (50m freestyle swimmer) and how Colin influences him.
I was channel hoping, and I stumbled upon Colin Jackson at the British Swimming Championships.
Basically, he said that he was helping Mark with his training, and sprint swimming and actually sprinting were very similar. Thats all he really gave away.
Just thought this may interest the members.
OorWullie,
thanks for this.
The two have been working together for at last a couple of years now, with some success for Mark Foster,still swimming pretty fast 50m’s at not so young an age for an Elite Swimmer.
The only information I have been able to gather about Mark’s training changes after starting working with Colin Jackson are limited to some very general issues like the use of short sprinting distances and extended rest intervals between reps and sets - quite unusual in traditional swimming training.
It appears as more and more swimming Coaches are looking with growing interest at the training methodics and implications which are applied to the Sprints . Mainly because of the duration ( 20"> )of most of the events in swimming and the lower- when compared to land activities -overall forces involved, widespread training methodologies of the sport traditionally and exclusively focussed on metabolic parameters,and the relative complexity of movement in the water allowed so far for rather continuous expansion of the absolute limits of performance along this path-still on the very right of Charlie’s “right to left” training gains curve. As WR’s fall on every distance,and we approach the true limits of performance in the water, it becomes increasingly difficult to successfully survive without a definitive move to the left of the same curve!
Hence the growing attention paid to Training of the Sprints themselves by swimming coaches in the world.
Here is a link to an articled published by USA Swimming, which actually offers some food for thought to those intersted :
http://www.usaswimming.org/programs/ScienceTechnology/POST-LCM%20vs%20SCM%20or%20SCY-Skinner.pdf
I heard Foster missed the qualifying by 5 hundreths. One should remember that even in the 50 sprints movement velocity is relatively low (the start is obviously another matter).
BTW Anyone see CJ swimming in Superstars? 
He kicked ass if I remember right, what was the time like?
He may have won against under 5’s… just
I know this is perhaps a mute point but Michelle Smith (de Bruin) developed her training pre-Atlanta from Track training models - especially the weight lifting, periodisation and CNS overloading elements of the training.
I saw many interviews with her pre and post the Olympics.
Of course there were other factors beyond the remit of this forum - but I still think the point is very valid.
I know I did several years ago, and haven’t looked back.