In my last 3 posts I talked about each pool discipline. First we saw a dynamic without fins performance that could bring some improvement, after that we talked about static and last week was time to analyze dynamic with fins. In all 3 articles I talked about separate disciplines without any connection with each other. Well, in real life training that is of course not the case and one of the most challenging things is to let it all come together.

Yes, I know, it would have been easier if we only had focused on one discipline for these 13 weeks. Then everything is set to fit to only this discipline and maximum gains could be expected. Well, for us that’s not the way how we work. Sanne has clearly mentioned to me his goals and which he clearly let come out that he would rather be an average performing all round freediver then a specialized world ranking freediver. And I couldn’t agree more! And not just for the extra exciting and challenging effort I have to put in to make it all work. Just by the fact that freediving in our opinion is still a combination of time, distance and depth and not for example only time. That’s one of the reasons why I have so much respect for Herbert Nitsch. He’s really a master in all disciplines.

Let’s be clear, it’s not that Sanne has to train like a triathlete with 3 different sports, he’s more training like a swimmer by training for multiple disciplines. But each of them are different by approach. One of the main objectives I set for these 13 weeks is the improvement of Sanne his breath hold capability under stress. As you maybe read in the other analysis, Sanne really has no problem setting down good performances, and he always comes out easy. That’s because he’s got an excellent base level of relaxing. The first part of relaxation can be extended pretty far. So one of the things we are focusing on now is the part that comes after the relaxing part. And of course daily max statics and dynamics in your schedule would drain every freediver in the end, so we have to take a different approach by that.

We do that by using all kind of different swimming schedules and change the sorting, distance and speed variables of these many times. This way we prevent a mental breakdown. That’s one of the things waiting around the corner while you train for your max. If you look at the specific freediving training, then we are talking about dry statics, dry walks and 2 freediving pool session of maximum 45 minutes. In the pool we don’t use fins. Technique for bifins is carved in Sanne his brain. And because we set the goal to switch to monofin 2nd half of this year, we don’t put time and energy into the bi-fin technique anymore. So fins in the pool are useless, at least during this schedule (and for this Sanne!).

We are now in the third phase of the pool training. In the beginning focus was more on the volume of training in the pool, and getting Sanne through the complete schedule. After that focus shifted to an increase in intensity towards the end of the session, and the last weeks we focused on an very increased intensity in the beginning of the session and slowly tapering it down to the end. Tuesday will show phase 4 in which we start the last 6 weeks of the schedule were he will go slowly to his max attempt.

So how does in short such a pool session look like? Without getting in too much detail, it goes as follows. Sanne walks into the pool, takes his mask and neckweight and gets in the water. Within one minute that he gets in, he starts his dynamic without fins distance he knew already a week before. Last Friday it was 100 meters and he made it look so easy, that I’m wondering where the end is. Let’s be clear, within 3 minutes that Sanne opened the doors of the pool, he did 100 meters, just cold. I don’t know why but Sanne was rushing through the water and technique was far from what it should be. Especially the last 75 meters looked so out of focus. No rhythm, variable speed, all in such way that I wasn’t trusting it fully. So very alert as I was, I stayed very close to him. At 100, the wall, he was still at the bottom, slowly rising by using his positive buoyancy, so I already put my foot behind him so he could sink anymore. When he came up he looked like he had done 25 meters and the only comment he could give about it was that he couldn’t focus today. I was so surprised by this, amazing!

After this first set distance, it’s time for another 50 meters of dynamic without fins but in high speed gear. This way the legs get really full and heavy so they are already pre-exhausted for the rest of the training. Then follows just 1300 meters of all kind of different swimming and breathing techniques. Crawl with only breathing at every x number of crawls. On your back using only bifin kicks without fins to propel yourself. Many many others come by during these 1300 meters. And the correct combination of these make an excellent freediving training, without exhausting the mind, that prepares Sanne for the most difficult part of freediving; the fighting part.

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