Olympic coach Zhang Diyong teaches in person: A complete guide to training champions by 2025 without forcing them to grow or hurting their bodies

The awakening journey of an ordinary swimming parent - the true path to healthy swimming development

“When I saw with my own eyes that an 8-year-old could hide in the locker room and vomit after a game, I finally understood - Hong Kong’s children’s swimming training is using the wrong method to consume our next generation.” Once during training, I heard parents talking outside the locker room, and I knew something was wrong. They must have been over-trained, a bit like the sequelae of the child’s physical growth not keeping up with his strength.

As a father of two young swimming daughters, 2025 SEEDINO’s new project - Hong Kong Children’s Swimming Enlightenment Cradle , gave me the precious opportunity to have a 76-minute in-depth face-to-face conversation with Alex Fong and Au Kai-chun’s mentor, Hong Kong Olympic swimming coach Cheung Ti-yung.

This mentor, who has trained top swimmers such as Ho Sze Pei (during the Nan Hua Association period) and Chan Yi Ming, overturned my perception as soon as he opened his mouth : "Do you know? Now 80% of the fastest swimmers in the primary school group will permanently quit the swimming pool before the age of 16."

Further reading: Hong Kong Swimming Competition - China Hong Kong Swimming Association: D1/D2/D3 competition strategy, classification rules, promotion mechanism and competition system in-depth analysis

This conversation completely changed my perception of children's swimming.

Therefore, I spent more than a week combining Coach Zhang’s training notes with my daughter’s years of experience in learning to swim, and decided to write this guide. This is not just a technical manual, but also a “revolutionary declaration” against Hong Kong’s distorted competitive culture!

On June 18, 2024, Professor Zhang shared a public teaching article, which I used as a preface:
"In this year's elementary school team competition, the two girls each won a medal. The elder twin (Yan Xi) won the gold medal in the 50m breaststroke and the bronze medal in the 50m freestyle in the C group. The younger twin (Yan Fei) participated in the B group 50m butterfly and won the bronze medal.

In addition to this blessing, I mainly want to talk about my feelings. I have always been against elementary school students learning too fast, because if they want to increase the speed before they develop, they must use "strong measures" to succeed.

However, I want to clarify that I had no useful hard means at all for the twin girls' 50-meter speed. The high-intensity Siberian Tigers and the heavy-loaded Siberian Tigers only underwent large-scale technical training and medium-intensity technical quantitative training, and they achieved such excellent results, which was somewhat beyond my expectations. This makes it possible to achieve (from childhood to adulthood) my ideal. I initially insisted that my college years as a swimming athlete were the golden years.

The twin girls are still young, so we need to wait about 8 years to prove whether it is successful or not. "

Olympic coach Zhang Diyong personally teaches: How can the champion training method that does not force growth or harm the body develop healthily and truly help the long-term development of every child?

I integrated the following Coach Zhang’s training notes (each text record will be separated at the end of the article) , I will first share the key points of each chapter in chapter format.

As a member of a swimming family, our competitors are not each other, but the ability to truly grow our children and step onto the international stage, which is truly healthy growth and nurturing, rather than endless hellish training.

I hope that the intention of this article can help all fellow travelers to grow correctly together.

Simplifying the complex: Three chapters

Under the plane tree at the Paris Olympic training base, coach Zhang Diyong opened the training notebook full of notes. This golden teaching plan, which has been passed down for multiple Olympic cycles, uses the "human biorhythm curve" as the warp and the "psychological resilience training model" as the weft to weave the ultimate code for cultivating champions. This article will be simplified and divided into three chapters for sharing.

In today's competitive swimming world, proper training methods are crucial to the long-term development of athletes.

Olympic coach Zhang Diyong, using his professional knowledge and experience, has proposed a training method that does not force growth or harm the body, aiming to help young athletes achieve excellent results while maintaining a healthy state. This article will delve into the specifics of this method and guide parents and coaches to rethink their training concepts.

Chapter 1: Subverting Tradition: Three Core Laws

In this chapter, we will reveal Coach Zhang’s three core laws, emphasize the importance of technical efficiency, and explore how to promote the healthy development of athletes through moderate-intensity training. These laws not only challenge traditional training concepts, but also provide a new thinking framework to help athletes achieve optimal performance without excessive fatigue.

Chapter 2: Five myths that parents must break: The cruel truth about Olympic coaches

This chapter will uncover five common myths that parents have that often affect their children's sports careers. Coach Zhang deeply analyzes the root causes of these myths and provides scientific explanations and suggestions to help parents make smarter choices and support their children's healthy growth.

Chapter 3: Olympic-level training blueprint: 12-year scientific training system

In this section, we will introduce the 12-year scientific training system developed by Coach Zhang for athletes, covering the training focus and phased goals for different age groups. This system not only focuses on technical improvement, but also emphasizes comprehensive physical and psychological development to ensure that every athlete can achieve optimal growth at the appropriate age.

Core Value Reminder: Three Memos to Hong Kong Parents

Finally, we will summarize Coach Zhang’s three core value reminders to parents, emphasizing the importance of patience, scientific training, and long-term development. This is not only an appeal to parents, but also an expectation for the entire swimming community, prompting everyone to work together and strive for the future of children.

Chapter 1: Subverting Tradition: Three Core Laws

Law 1: Technical Efficiency > Training Intensity

"The secret to speed improvement lies in the improvement of each centimeter of stroke, not in painful high-intensity sprints." (Chen Yiming's case on 2022/11/8)

Scientific evidence: swath economics

• Tan Haiyang's breaststroke to butterfly stroke revolution :
  "Replace the traditional breaststroke 'push' with the 'kick' of the butterfly stroke leg, turn the ankle 110-120 degrees, and reduce the wave resistance by 23%" (Technical Analysis on 2023/7/23).

• He Shibei's V-shaped body advantages :
  "The innate proportions of 52cm shoulder width and 62cm waist circumference, combined with acquired technical quantification, can increase the distance of the 200m freestyle by 0.15 meters per stroke" (2023/03/11 Endurance attribute discussion).

Practical system: 4-12 years old technology consolidation

1. Visual Labeling (6-8 years old) :

   • Fluorescent bands are set every 25cm on the bottom of the water. If the error of the striping is greater than 3cm, it will be redone.

   • Coach Zhang’s iron rule : “A 0.5 second slower speed is acceptable, but stroke accuracy cannot be compromised”

2. AI Motion Capture (9 years old+) :

   index	Standard value	Monitoring Tools
   water entry angle	17±2°	SwingVision Software
   Catch Depth	Forearm＞45°	Underwater 4K Camera
   Hip speed	0.8-1.2 laps/sec	Inertial Sensors

Law 2: Moderate intensity creates metabolic miracles

“26 heartbeats/10 seconds is the magic number—it stimulates the aerobic system without causing technical deformation.” (Training log 2023/10/23)

The golden balance of energy metabolism

• Hong Kong Sports Science Laboratory Data :

  Intensity Type	Lactic acid value	Technical error rate
  Moderate	2.8-3.2mmol/L	4.7%
  High strength	12.5mmol/L	51%

• Zhang's Energy Management Model :
  "When the training intensity exceeds 27 heart beats/10 seconds, the muscle pH value is <6.9, resulting in a 19% decline in the paddling effect" (Energy Supply Discussion on 2022/10/30).

Practical course schedule: Wave cycle training method

"Use a small amount of essential content to create special fatigue, and then recover accurately - this is the art of accumulation." (2023/10/23)

 Week 1 (destruction period):
 -Main event: 8×100m technical swimming (heart rate 26 beats/10 seconds)
 -Key points: Stroke error < 2%, slow down your pace by 5%

 Week 2 (Rebuilding):
 -Main event: 16 x 50m tempo swimming (heart rate 24 beats/10 seconds) 
-Key points: Reduce the total amount by 30% and focus on fluency

 Week 3 (supercompensation period):
 -Main event: 4×200m simulation (heart rate 27 beats/10 seconds)
 -Key points: Technical stability > Speed ​​performance

Law 3: The Eight-Year Law and the Body Bank

"Every minute of technical training you put in now will have a compound interest effect after adolescence." (Chen Yiming case study on 2021/11/8)

Growth period return on investment

• Boys' growth model :

  Training Type	12 years old put in 100 hours	18 years old return
  Technical training	Decomposition game + video analysis	50 meters faster by 0.8 seconds
  Strength training	Land equipment	50m 0.2 seconds faster (injury risk ↑41%)

• Physiological reset during the dormancy period :
  "Chen Yiming stopped training for 2 years, his testosterone level naturally increased by 70%, and micro-muscle damage was completely repaired" (Case study on 2021/11/8).

Chapter 2 Five myths that parents must break: The cruel truth about Olympic coaches

Myth 1: Precocity = genius

"Primary school group won a medal by leaps and bounds? That's a scam to overdraw growth dividends." (2024/6/18 twin girls post-match analysis)

Physiological chain of evidence

• The cost of advanced bone age :

  Precociousness Index	Short-term advantages	Long-term costs
  Bone age is 2 years ahead	10-12 years old dominates Group C	Height stagnation rate at 15 years old↑82%
  Muscle mass exceeds the standard by 30%	Amazing explosive power	Articular cartilage wear rate ↑300%
  Excessive testosterone levels	Short-term speed breakthrough	Endocrine disorder risk ↑67%

• Zhang's delaying strategy :

  1. Calorie regulation : Daily intake = basal metabolism × 1.1 (e.g. a 30kg child needs 1,650 calories)

  2. Light management : No electronic products 2 hours before bedtime (blue light inhibits melatonin synthesis)

  3. Nutritional intervention : Daily supplementation of vitamin D3 2000IU + K2 100μg (to regulate the direction of calcium deposition)

"Parents who force their children to compete in higher-level events are essentially auctioning off their children's athletic lifespan." (Reflection on Chen Yiming's case on 2021/11/8)

Myth 2: Medals = success

"The smiles on the podium in the academic world may be killing the real Olympic medals." (Training log on 2023/10/23)

Champion Growth Timeline Decoded

• He Shibei data model :

  age	Training Focus	50 self-score	200m freestyle
  10 years old	Technical Quantification	28.03 seconds	2:11.43 Second
  15 years old	Aerobic expansion	25.38 seconds	1:59.94 seconds
  18 years old	Special breakthrough	25.70 seconds	1:57.96 sec
  22 years old	Olympic Level	24.09 seconds	1:51.67 seconds

"True champions are unknown before the age of 18, accumulating compound interest at the bottom of the pool." (2023/03/11 Endurance attribute discussion)

Learn more: Siobhan Ho's most comprehensive data sharing: Full personal time record from 2007 to 2024

Parents' Action Guide

• Performance Assessment Matrix :

  index	Weight	Assessment Tools
  Technical stability	40%	Underwater photography + AI analysis
  Width efficiency	30%	Number of strokes per 50 meters
  Speed ​​performance	30%	Competition results

Myth 3: Pain = Progress

"Coaches who make children vomit during training are not training champions, they are creating sports refugees." (2023/8/21 "One Thousandth of a Second of Joy")

Lactate Threshold Trap

• Children's physiological characteristics :
  → The lactate threshold of children aged 8-12 is only 60% of that of adults (4mmol/L is the limit)
  → Super-threshold training leads to apoptosis rate of growth plate chondrocytes ↑37%

• Zhang's training comparison experiment :

  Group	Training Mode	12 years old 50	Retirement rate at age 16
  High intensity group	Anaerobic sprints 3 times a week	29.1 seconds	68%
  Zhang's Group	Heart rate 26 interval training	30.5 seconds	3%

"Trading 1.4 seconds for a child's 10 extra years of sports life is a ridiculous bargain." (Chen Yiming case on 2021/11/8)

Myth 4: Stopping training = regression

"The miracle of Chen Yiming's explosive performance after stopping training for 2 years proves that the body needs strategic hibernation." (2021/11/8)

Physiological reset during dormancy

• Endocrine system reboot :

  index	Before stopping training	Dormant period	After refresher training
  Testosterone Levels	425 ng/dL	572 ng/dL	721 ng/dL
  Muscle micro-damage	Level 4	Level 1	Level 2
  Stress hormones	38 μg/dL	21 μg/dL	29 μg/dL

• Zhang's Hibernation Formula :
  "After every 18-month cycle, the number of mandatory rest days = age x 2, for example, a 12-year-old child needs to take a 24-day break."

Myth 5: Skill = Talent

"High-level technology is calculated, not given by God." (Analysis by Tan Haiyang on July 23, 2023)

Technological Quantification Revolution

• Breaststroke to Butterfly Project :

  1. Ankle turned 110-120 degrees (traditional breaststroke 90-100 degrees)

  2. The proportion of propulsion from leg kicking has been reduced from 40% to 15%.

  3. Improve arm stroke efficiency by 27%

• Training system :

  age	Daily technical training volume	tool
  6-9 years old	45-minute break-up tour	Kickboard + resistance band
  10-12 years old	60-minute quantified tour	AI Motion Capture
  13+ years	75-minute special tour	Underwater metronome

"Ho Shi Pei's V-shaped figure is a gift, but her ability to swim the 200m freestyle in under 1 minute 53 seconds is due to her 2000m technical quantified swimming every day." (2023/03/11)

Parent Action Toolkit

Self-assessment form: Is your child trapped in a myth?

1. 【 】Number of awards in the past year＞Age×1.5

2. 【 】 Weekly anaerobic training volume > 30% of total training volume

3. 【 】 Bone age test is ahead of actual age by more than 6 months

4. 【 】 Resting heart rate in the morning＞75bpm

5. 【 】Annual technical film analysis <10 times

✓ Check ≥3 items: Start training mode adjustment immediately

Coach’s perspective: Zhang Diyong’s five soul-searching questions

1. "Can you accept that your child won't win any medals before the age of 15?"

2. "Would you like to spend three years recording strokes instead of seconds every day?"

3. "If science proves that pleasure now can lead to injury in the future, what will you choose?"

4. "Can you stick to your silent training while other parents show off their medals?"

5. "Are you ready to become the 'odd parent' of Hong Kong's swimming revolution?"

Chapter 3 Olympic-level training blueprint: 12-year scientific training system

Stage 1: 6-12 years old "Technology Capital Period"

"Spending five years honing your skills is like saving compound interest for your teenage explosion." (Training log 2023/10/23)

Training philosophy: quantify every centimeter of progress

• Zhang Jiao's decomposition training method :

  1. One-arm specialization : 3 times a week, 40 minutes each time (50% of training volume)
     → Freestyle single arm decomposition: Strengthen the high elbow catch angle (maintain 45±3°)
     → Breaststroke single-arm stroke: fixed shoulder rotation trajectory (reduces 15% of ineffective movements)

  2. Vertical kick training : 15 minutes a day (weight 0.5-1kg sandbag)
     → Improve ankle joint flexibility (dorsiflexion angle ＞70°)
     → Enhance core anti-rotation ability (pelvic shaking <3°)

• Technical monitoring system :

  tool	Monitoring indicators	Eligibility criteria
  Underwater 4K Photography	water entry angle	17±2°
  Inertial Sensors	Hip speed	0.8-1.2 laps/sec
  AI Analysis Software	Width error	<3%

"I would rather slow down by 0.5 seconds to ensure the millimeter-level accuracy of each stroke." (2024/6/18 Twin Girls Training Record)

Stage 2: 13-16 years old "Metabolic Expansion Period"

"The wisdom of He Shibei using 400 to practice 200 speed is to build an energy reserve pool." (2023/03/11 Endurance attribute discussion)

Aerobic Engine Construction Engineering

1. Mitochondrial proliferation program :

   • Training module :
     → Variable speed long swim: Alternate between "3 minutes of heart rate 26 interval + 1 minute of heart rate 22 interval" within 60 minutes
     → Super slow swimming: 2000m freestyle pace slowed down by 20% (focus on movement continuity)

   • Nutritional Support :
     → Daily supplementation of PQQ coenzyme 20mg (stimulates mitochondrial biosynthesis)
     → Take 10g of branched chain amino acids (BCAA) within 30 minutes after training

2. Vascular network expansion program :

   • Alternating hot and cold therapy :
     → After training, perform a "38°C swimming pool → 24°C cold water bath" cycle (10 minutes each)
     → Increase capillary density by 17% (increase oxygen transport efficiency)

   • Blood flow restriction training :
     → Low-intensity rowing training using an inflatable cuff (pressure 40-80 mmHg) → Induced vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion ↑ 230%

Measured data: He Shibei breaks through the model

“Athletes who swim the 400m freestyle are naturally one step ahead of others in the 200m freestyle—because their energy bank is never overdrawn.” (2023/03/11)

Stage 3: 17-22 years old "explosion period"

"The four years of college are the golden years for swimmers, and all your patience will be put to good use here." (2024/6/18 Twin daughter training prospects)

Anaerobic Conversion Science

• Chen Yiming's outbreak model :

  index	Refresher training 1st month	Month 3	Physiological mechanisms
  50 self-score	25.1 seconds	23.7 seconds	Testosterone level ↑70%
  Width efficiency	0.88m/stroke	0.95m/stroke	Neural recruitment efficiency↑41%
  Lactate threshold	175bpm	188bpm	Buffering capacity increased by 3.2 times

• Training system :

  1. Threshold sprint training :
     → 8×50m sprint (rest ratio 1:3)
     → Strictly control blood lactate levels within the range of 8-10mmol/L

  2. Competition simulation system :
     → Wearing a drag parachute (increasing the load by 15%) to perform start and turn training → Using virtual reality (VR) to reproduce the sound, light and pressure of the Olympic Games

Nutritional Management: Fuel Formula for Explosive Stages

The physiological codes of Olympic athletes

Gene expression regulation

• ACTN3 gene advantages :
  → Fast-twitch fiber ratio> 65% (average 45-55%)
  → Calcium ion regulatory protein activity↑32%

• EPO receptor sensitivity :
  → The red blood cell production efficiency is 18% higher than that of normal people
  → Blood oxygen saturation maintained > 95% for 27% longer

"Genes are lottery tickets, and training is the way to cash in the prize money." (2023/7/23 Tan Haiyang's analysis of the technological revolution)

Coach's Perspective: Zhang Diyong's Art of Cycle Design

Wave periodization training

"Use a small amount of essential content to create special fatigue, and then recover accurately - this is the art of accumulation." (2023/10/23)

• Three-cycle module :

  
  

   Week 1 (Metabolic Disruption):
   -Main event: 10×100m technical swimming (heart rate 26 interval)
   -Goal : Lactate accumulation to 3.5mmol/L
  
   Week 2 (Super Recovery):
   -Main event: 6×200m tempo swimming (heart rate 24 interval)
   - Target: Mitochondrial density ↑8%
  
   Week 3 (Specialized Conversion):
   -Main event: 4 x 50m sprint (heart rate 28 zone)
   - Target: Neuromuscular efficiency ↑ 12%

Risk Management: Avoiding premature burnout of genius

Early warning system for precocious players

• Bone age monitoring : Take an X-ray of the left hand every year (TW3 scoring method)

• Hormone profiling :
  → Testosterone level > 50ng/dL (under 12 years old) → Start suppression regimen → IGF-1 concentration > 400μg/L → Adjust caloric intake

• Joint Health Index :
  → Ultrasound detection of shoulder labrum thickness <2mm → Suspend butterfly stroke training

"Protecting a player from being destroyed by his own talent is more important than training ten champions." (Chen Yiming case summary on 2021/11/8)

Core Value Reminder - Three Memos to Hong Kong Parents

Value 1: Time is the most advanced coach

"I never sign a 10-year-old's report card. I only care about their stroke progress curve and resting heart rate in the morning ." - Zhang Diyong's 2022 training notes

Value 2: Pain is not a medal

"While other kids were throwing up in the locker room, my players were analyzing Tan Haiyang's breaststroke butterfly technique - this is Olympic-level training."

Value 3: The paradox of slow is fast

"It is much wiser to spend eight years training a 23-second 50m freestyle swimmer than three years training a 28-second swimmer - because the former will swim under 22 seconds at the age of 22, while the latter will retire at the age of 16."

"When my students won Olympic medals at the age of 22, those primary school champions had already disappeared from the swimming pool. This is not a prophecy, but a script written by the blood and tears history of Hong Kong swimming, unless we change it now."

The above content is integrated from the key points of Coach Zhang Diyong's articles over the past years, including:

2024/6/18

In this year's elementary school finals, the twin girls each won medals. At such a young age, the eldest twin (Yanxi) won the gold medal in the 50m breaststroke and the bronze medal in the 50m freestyle in Group C. Xi Ma (Yan Fei) joined the cross group to compete in the Group B 50 butterfly event and won the bronze medal.

In addition to congratulations, this article mainly wants to talk about my feelings. I have always been against elementary school students speeding up too fast, because if you want to increase the speed before they develop, you must use strong measures to succeed.

However, what I want to explain is that I did not use any tough measures at all for the twin girls' 50-meter speed. No high-intensity or high-load things. I only did a lot of technical training, medium-intensity technical quantitative training, and they achieved such excellent results, which was somewhat beyond my expectations. This may make it possible for me to achieve my ideal (from childhood to adulthood). I always insist that the swimming career during college age is the golden age.

The twin daughters are still young, so we need to wait about 8 years to prove whether it is successful or not.

2023/10/23

1. High level of technology
2. Moderate intensity training
3. Theoretically speaking: extreme intensity training and competition are harmful to the body.

The above three are topics, and the following are discussions for your reference. If you have different ideas, you are welcome to discuss and exchange ideas.

In recent years, I have been studying how to quantify the increase in overall load while conducting technical training. I think the main thing is to increase the amount of technical training at 26 heartbeats (10 seconds), that is, to increase the amount of moderate intensity. This can not only improve cardiopulmonary function, but also improve special technical level.

Maintaining a high level of technique in training requires a good condition. If you are overly fatigued, you will not be able to maintain a high level of technique during training. Under conditions of extreme fatigue, technical deformation is inevitable. The technical deformation is mainly manifested in the decrease of each stroke effect, but the frequency remains unchanged. The decline in paddling effectiveness is one of the main reasons for the decline in performance.

In addition, I am practicing a new idea, which is that the main theme of the entire training is recovery and accumulation, rather than high intensity and heavy load. Use a small amount of focused training content to create specific fatigue, and then recover from it. The key here is to grasp the wave lines and cycles. If the wave lines are well grasped, the formation of cycles will be most effective.

There is another key point: to pay attention to the generation, destruction and reorganization of the internal environment. A good internal environment means high aerobic capacity; high aerobic capacity means strong overall athletic ability. Maintaining a good internal environment in a constant state for a long time is crucial to improving swimming performance.

The result is: it will form a virtuous cycle, like a snowball, getting bigger and bigger. I am also pursuing good results when I was younger, but the prerequisite is benign stimulation. While laying a solid foundation of technology and endurance, I try my best to improve my speed ability. Improving speed ability mainly depends on the level of special skills, but not on high-intensity speed training and large load.

Therefore, never use destructive means to achieve short-term results, but use cumulative concepts. Everything in the world has a process of accumulation, especially accumulation is sustainable. As the saying goes, killing the chicken to get the eggs is not advisable.

2023/8/21 One thousandth of a second of joy

At the Hong Kong 2023 Championships which just ended yesterday, Chen Yiming won the gold medal in the men's 50m freestyle. Although the result was average, it was his first time to win a gold medal. The joy he felt was beyond words. It was undoubtedly a spur and encouragement. He needs motivation to keep moving forward.

Chen Yiming is 20 years old this year, which is the starting point of his swimming achievements. In the Asian Games trials in April this year, he lost the qualification for the 50m freestyle by 0.2 thousandths of a second. He was very disappointed and frustrated at the time. I tried my best to comfort him, saying that he had already swum his PB and performed very well, so he should congratulate the person who beat him and not be discouraged by the defeat, but use it as motivation to keep working hard and move forward.

Now I have agreed with him that after he graduates from university in the UK next year, he will return to Hong Kong to continue training for two years and strive to participate in the next Asian Games. My passion for swimming training has not diminished. I now have a group of young athletes in my hands, most of whom will not reach the top level, but from yesterday's final events of the championship, the men's and women's 4x100 freestyle relay finals (our men and women both won fourth place), the parents of eight families accompanied me to complete this championship, and the atmosphere was extremely warm and exciting.

Everyone cheers and cheers for their children's hard work. This is the spirit of sports. Through training and competition, the children's fighting spirit and strong belief are increased, and they can overcome difficulties and strive for success. There is only one gold medal for each event, and only a very small number of people stand on the podium. Most people are interested in participating and competing with themselves, which is endless fun.

I will do anything for swimming. In order to get things done, I will not hesitate to use cruel means to force people to hate me and motivate them. This has two benefits:

1. When the 99 goal is not achieved, I will accept it calmly.
2. The power generated by hatred is unexpectedly strong and is likely to achieve one's ideal.

As for me, I don’t care about the method. As long as I can do a good job and don’t break the law, personal gains and losses are completely unimportant. Life is short. I probably still have ten years to enjoy swimming, so enjoy it to the fullest!

2023/7/23 Learning experience

This morning was the first game of the World Swimming Championships, and it was also my first lesson. For every swimming coach, it is very important to learn the world's advanced techniques in world competitions.

In this morning's competition, the most outstanding swimmer of the entire game was China's breaststroke swimmer Qin Haiyang. In the 100-meter breaststroke preliminaries, she advanced to the semifinals with ease, taking first place. In addition to his excellent condition, his breaststroke technique caught my attention greatly, because he had never participated in such technical competitions before. His previous technique focused on the breaststroke legs, but now he basically minimizes the role of the breaststroke legs and adds the energy saved by the legs to the arms, thereby greatly improving the efficiency of the technique.

I think transforming breaststroke technique into butterfly stroke is the most scientific choice. The key to breaststroke technique is to reduce drag. Reducing drag is equivalent to increasing traction and propulsion. To reduce resistance, the focus is on leg technical movements, using butterfly stroke kick techniques instead of breaststroke kick techniques. The difference lies in pushing and kicking. Kicking is a foul. Just turn your ankle back and use the butterfly stroke kick technique to complete it.

I predict that if Qin Haiyang performs normally in the 100 breaststroke final, he should be able to finish around 57.6 seconds, which should give him the chance to win the championship.

Every Olympics and World Swimming Championships is a good opportunity to learn. Although I cannot watch them live, I can still learn a lot from TV. We can exchange ideas when we have the chance.

2023/03/11 Talk about the attributes of swimming

Swimming is an endurance-based sport. I believe that quality coaches will not and cannot deny this concept.

The basic definition is: high-intensity exercise within 6 seconds does not require endurance, because the energy used within 6 seconds is the existing energy (ATP CP) in the working muscles, and does not require the decomposition of the body's energy system to supply energy.

After 6 seconds, when the existing energy in the working muscles is exhausted, the body's energy supply system must be mobilized to break down glycogen and protein and synthesize energy for muscle contraction to support sustained exercise. Therefore, endurance is already involved at this point.

(I won’t go into details about the classification of endurance and the process of transferring energy. You will understand it clearly by reading theoretical books.)

Below I will use He Shibei as teaching material, hoping it will be helpful to everyone. Recently, I was happy to hear that Shibei Ho won the silver medal in the 400m freestyle in 4 minutes 05.84 seconds in a competition in Florida, USA, and reached the Australian Games A standard. This 400m freestyle result is not among the top three in the world, but it is of great significance. Let me explain the reasons below.

I remember meeting He Shibei at the training ground in June and July last year. I asked her for technical advice and she was very open in talking to me. Her answers to my questions satisfied me greatly and proved that the general direction of my new concept was correct. The theme was about technical efficiency and the interaction between static and dynamic forces during swimming.

According to her introduction, her training is a process of technical quantification. After I taught her the techniques, I also gave her a suggestion, which was to strengthen her endurance training for the 400 freestyle. If she can get a result of around 4 minutes and 4 seconds, it will be very important for her to win gold medals in the 100m and 200m freestyle at the Paris Olympics. She may even have to swim the 800m freestyle and temporarily give up special training for the 100m and 200m freestyle.

She said: Her coach also had this plan. From then on, she started swimming the 400m freestyle in short-course competitions (it is not clear whether she has swum the 800m freestyle). She seemed to have swum it once, and she broke the Hong Kong record in 4 minutes and 8 seconds for the first time in the long course.

The results of this competition in Florida, USA, are enough to prove that her past training, which focused on aerobic endurance, has been very effective. The significance lies in that at the Olympics in Paris, France, the gold medal in the 200m freestyle is basically in the bag, and the 100m freestyle is also 99% certain.

The purpose of using He Shibei as an example is to prove the importance of endurance in swimming and the scientific nature of technology in speed. He Shibei is in her 20s and is at the world's top level. She also needs to strengthen her endurance training in time to improve her best level in her main events, the 200 and 100 freestyle. Let us look forward to Shibei Ho winning Olympic gold medals in the 200m and 100m freestyle at the Paris Olympics.

Finally, I hope that our swimming coaches, athletes and parents in Hong Kong will look further ahead, focus on basic endurance training and technical training. Although academic competition is fierce and you have no choice, you can still choose.

2021/11/8

The student's name was Chen Yiming. When he was in Form One, he looked exactly like a primary school student. He was short and thin. Although he had a good sense of water, he was always a step behind his peers.

At that time I thought: This child needs to be "raised" slowly, and when he grows taller, he may be good. Therefore, I developed a long-term training plan for him, first improving his technique and aerobic endurance. During the seven years in secondary school, he basically focused on growth. His hard work paid off. After he finished his DSE exam, his height grew to 1.8 meters.

Due to the epidemic and the college entrance examination, he stopped training for nearly two years. After he finished the DSE, he started training with me for a few months. In the Hong Kong Swimming Championships, he swam the 50m freestyle in 23.7 seconds and won the silver medal.

This result surprised me very much, and I also learned a lesson from it. For talented children, training must not be rushed from an early age, and high-intensity anaerobic training must not be done. The focus should be on technical and aerobic endurance training. Before the child develops, he should be given adequate nutrition (aerobic endurance) to enable him to thrive. It is imperative that the child's body develops in the best condition. This is very important for the child himself and his swimming results, and it is also the greatest gift for his parents.

Chen Yiming is now studying at university in the UK and continues his swimming training. For Yiming, the formal improvement training has just begun. This is the golden four-year training period, and he is expected to achieve excellent results in short-distance events.

I have been thinking about a question: Hong Kong swimming has achieved unprecedented outstanding results in the Tokyo Olympics. How can we continue our glory? In addition to receiving strong support from the government, should our grassroots coaches also aim for long-term development from an early age in order to train world-class swimmers, and avoid short-term drastic measures that only seek immediate benefits?

Although most coaches know this, it is very difficult to put it into practice. Just like the long-course age-group championship that just concluded, each swimming club tried their best to compete for the team rankings. The key was to train little supermen in the 10-year-old and 12-year-old groups to compete for precious points.

I have always kept my faith and trained with it, and generally started to see results after I was 13 or 14 years old. As we all know, a swimmer’s golden four years are from the age of 18 to 22, which is the four years in college. Many things are easier said than done, but I will persist and continue to work hard.

2022/11/2

There is probably no instrument that can measure the energy output during swimming training. I have tried to offer my humble opinion on what method the coach uses to measure the energy output of each movement for your reference. If there is anything inappropriate, please criticize me.

I think we should first use technology as a standard to measure the output power of energy. Stroke width plus frequency equals speed! Assuming that each stroke is 1 meter and each stroke takes 1 second, then 10 meters can be traveled in 10 seconds.

In addition: Through training, each stroke can be made 1.1 meters. If the frequency remains unchanged, then 11 meters will be traveled in 10 seconds, and the energy output of each stroke will increase by 1 unit. Another way: each stroke is 1 meter, the frequency is 0.9 seconds, then 10 meters distance is completed in 9 seconds. At this time, the output of each stroke remains unchanged, but the speed of energy supply is accelerated, and 10 units of energy must be supplied in 9 seconds.

Another thing: each stroke is 1.1 meters, and the frequency is 0.9 seconds, so it only takes 9 seconds to swim 11 meters. Assuming that each move only travels 0.5 meters, the energy output per move only uses 5 units of ATP/CT. If each move travels 0.8 meters, then the energy output of each move will be 8 units.

From a training perspective, the speed of moving 0.5 meters with each hand movement and a frequency of 0.8 seconds is not too bad, and the energy output is slightly reduced, which is more labor-saving. If you want to improve your performance in a competition, you must first improve your paddling results.

When a 50-meter swim (hypothetical, not accurate) is done with 30 strokes, it should be finished in 30 seconds. To improve your 30-second time to 29 seconds, it is best to reduce the number of hands without changing the frequency. Since the energy supply for each move increases, the body's functional level cannot support 50 meters in the initial stage and can only support 15 meters. At this time, technical quantitative training must be carried out to improve the body's functional level to meet the energy supply requirement of 50 meters and 29 seconds.

As I mentioned in my previous article, speed comes behind technology and heartbeat, and this is inevitable. Because the effect (output) of each stroke is increased during training, the frequency can only be slowed down to complete the training volume, which will result in a slow speed and a fast heartbeat.

However, through training, the body's functional level is improved and the energy supply mechanism is optimized. Thereby increasing the energy supply, once the demand is met, the paddling effect remains unchanged, the frequency can be accelerated to the predetermined target, and the speed increase is a natural result.

Technical quantitative training was taught and inspired by coach Xu Guoyi. In the past few years, I have been pursuing the essence of technical quantitative training. Although it is extremely complicated and difficult, I will persevere to comfort Xu Guoyi's spirit in heaven.

2022/10/30

Using energy to generate power

The force behind the power is kinetic energy, so kinetic energy does not require energy. Swimming technique must make good use of kinetic energy under power.

No one paid attention to the discussion topic I raised. I guess I was just being overly sentimental, imagining things, or just talking nonsense. I am always exploring new methods for technical quantitative training.

The first is technique, the second is heartbeat, and the third is speed. In my exploratory thinking, speed comes last, which is very different from traditional training. Maybe my ideas will not be recognized and rejected, I will only start the discussion when I think I have succeeded. I hope my colleagues can express their opinions and jointly explore new directions.

In sports training, the heartbeat is passive and the nerves are the highest level. When the nerves send instructions to the muscles, it is determined how many muscle fibers will be mobilized to participate in the work, and then it can be decided how much energy to provide. The amount of energy supply can define the nature of the training content. The heart rate during aerobic training is generally below 26 beats per second, and the anaerobic heart rate is generally above 27 beats per second. 26 to 27 is the anaerobic threshold heart rate.

The exercise heartbeat I'm talking about mainly depends on the coach designing a training plan and a scientific combination of three types of training in order to achieve good results. The above is a brief introduction. I don’t know if it is correct. Please give me your comments and suggestions. If we were to discuss each of the above points in detail, it would require a long article.

During training, when the amount of lactic acid produced by the human body is equal to its ability to eliminate lactic acid, this is the anaerobic threshold. When the amount of lactic acid produced exceeds the amount eliminated (calculated in time units), lactic acid will accumulate in the working muscles. This is anaerobic training, the muscles will become acidic, the muscle contraction force will decrease, and the speed will slow down accordingly.

Anaerobic training plays a direct role in improving competition results, but excessive anaerobic training will cause the body to become overly fatigued, leading to a decline in various functional levels, and competition results will stagnate or even drop significantly.

The scientific combination of the three types of training (aerobic, anaerobic threshold, and anaerobic) can promote each other and achieve twice the result with half the effort. But everything has an end. It is impossible for every athlete to improve endlessly and make continuous progress until they break the world record. One competition, one event, there is only one champion.

The most important thing is that every athlete participates. During the training and competition process, the will is exercised and the body is strengthened. A strong will and a strong physique are extremely important to life.

2022/9/19

This student went to study in the UK, participated in competitions in the UK, and achieved excellent results. Although his performance was average in Hong Kong, I gave him a lot of technical training and general aerobic training to help him lay a good foundation. Everything has cause and effect.

In fact, I think that being a coach doesn’t necessarily mean you have to train Olympic or Asian Games athletes to be considered successful. Although this student is not famous and his grades are average, he has achieved satisfactory results. From the smile on his face, we can see how happy and confident he is. Therefore, as his coach, I am also happy and relieved for him.

As coaches, we mostly face students with average conditions. This is the difference between majority and minority. There are very few talented students, like Ho Sze-Pui, who won two Olympic silver medals for Hong Kong and broke a world record. People like Au Kai-chun have participated in four Olympic Games and made great contributions to Hong Kong swimming.

Most ordinary swimmers are not eligible to represent the Hong Kong team, but they still work very hard in training and competition. They have their own set goals. Through swimming training, they strengthen their thoughts and will, do not get discouraged in the face of difficulties, are indomitable and move forward courageously, laying a good foundation for their lives.

Society is made up of millions of individuals. If every child participates in various sports training from an early age to strengthen his muscles and bones and strengthen his will, the entire society can develop healthily and vigorously.

2022/1/17

(Private video sharing, the following is a text transcription)

Although this little girl’s backstroke technique is not very mature, she performs the basic movements very well, especially the shoulder rotation, which is quite exaggerated. This is because I specially designed the exercise movements to achieve this.

I think the most important movement in backstroke technique is the shoulder rotation. This movement must be practiced from a young age, because it causes the bones above the chest to move up and down and left and right to a great extent. If you practice from a young age, the pulling leverage force up and down, left and right can be fully utilized when you grow up.

On the contrary: if you do not fully turn your shoulders when practicing backstroke from a young age, the bones above the chest rarely move up and down, left and right. As you grow older, the muscles around the bones have developed and grown, and are fixed in a movement that cannot pull up and down, left and right. You also lose the leverage force, which is a congenital defect and regret for improving your backstroke performance.

2022/1/4

Swimming is an endurance sport. I believe that practicing swimming is to practice endurance. The role of endurance in the overall swimming process can be described as "a rising tide lifts all boats".

Judging from the just-concluded World Short Course Championships, the men's 1500m freestyle champion is also the world champion of the Sea Games. After winning the world titles in 100m and 200m freestyle, Shi-Pei Ho swam the 400m freestyle for the first time at the World Championships and won the bronze medal.

Judging from the examples of the two people above, they both achieved success due to their advantage in endurance. One was winning the 1500m long distance championship due to his advantage in ultra-long distance, and the other was winning the world championship in 200m freestyle (absolute advantage) and 100m freestyle with his aerobic endurance significantly improved.

The level of aerobic endurance can basically distinguish the quality of athletic ability. Aerobic endurance training can improve the function of the cardiovascular system. It is true that: with energy you have strength, without energy you have weakness.

There are several types of endurance training: high-intensity endurance training, moderate-intensity endurance training, medium-to-low-intensity endurance training, and general aerobic endurance training, each of which has its own uses. I think moderate-intensity endurance training is the most effective, and other types can be used as a combination, with moderate-intensity endurance being the main course. Moderate-intensity endurance training is faster, more frequent, and allows for quicker recovery.

Generally speaking, there are two problems in training:

1. Overtraining.
2. Insufficient training.

Both excess and deficiency are inadequate. How to achieve just the right amount requires us as coaches to focus and study. From my previous articles, it is easy for people to misunderstand that you don’t need to train so much or so hard, and that you can swim very fast in the competition if you just train easily. This is unrealistic! I advocate using scientific training methods to arrange training classes reasonably and effectively.

Use the coach's intuition to feel the athlete's condition and change the training plan at any time to achieve the best results. Sometimes adjusting your training is more important than high-intensity speed training.

There are only a few hundred commonly used medicines in Chinese traditional medicine. Everyone graduates from college and starts at the same starting line. Twenty years later, some have become famous doctors, while others remain unknown. The main difference lies in prescribing medicine based on symptoms. By observing the symptoms, certain medicine is added or subtracted, and the additions and subtractions are different each time. Although the basic ten or so Chinese medicines have not changed, the effect of curing the disease is amazing.

(I also think some of the comments are useful, so I share them here)

1. Joe
Because high-intensity training can dehydrate the fascia, it is difficult to recover and may even damage the muscles. Through moderate-intensity training, athletes can concentrate their minds, focus their energy, and attention on the movements, and feel the contact between their bodies and the water. As a result, the techniques are deeply memorized in their heads, and they become technical athletes rather than physical athletes. After your skills improve, you can achieve success by strengthening your physical training.

2. Cui Sir
If you train your lung capacity well, your exercise life will be longer. To be good at the 100m, you must practice well for the 200m; to be good at the 200m, you must practice well for the 400m, and so on! This is a winning routine, and the coach’s training philosophy should also be arranged according to this routine!

You are absolutely right! Endurance comes first, but please note that if you are good at 400 meters, your 50 meters will be relatively worse. In the long run, if you swim 400 meters well, it will definitely help you swim 50 meters in the future.

3. Cui Sir
Good aerobic endurance can ensure the performance in the later stages! At the same time, the recovery ability will also be fast, especially when there are preliminaries, semi-finals and finals! If your recovery ability is not strong, you won’t be able to recover by the time of the finals.

4. Zhou Sir
Teacher Zhang, actually the key point is that parents need to have patience so that children can have endurance first! Everyone is in a hurry to attack the moment. If you don't swim fast immediately, many good talents will be wasted.

Use technology to train endurance and speed.

2021/11/14

When I watched Zhang Yufei's championship journey, the biggest inspiration to me was that her coach determined a three-year plan when he first took over Zhang Yufei. The first year was the year to improve technology, the second year was the year to enhance capabilities, and the third year was the year of breakthrough. As a result, we won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. I think the coach deserves the greatest credit. Without the coach's three-year plan, there would definitely not be Zhang Yufei's transformation.

The focus of the three-year plan is on technical training in the first year. Without high-level technology, improving capabilities will be futile, and there will be no breakthroughs. The point I want to make today is: In all sports training, the decisive factor is the coach, and the athletes are just the works in the hands of the coach. Like a work of art, although materials are important, if the creator is a second- or third-rate craftsman, his work of art will have no vitality.

If a top master creates a work with ordinary materials, his work will be priceless if he gives it artistic life. Another important revelation is that technology plays a decisive role in competition. Without top technology, there will be no top level. Even top players like Zhang Yufei need to spend a year to improve their skills.

Looking back at our level in Hong Kong, do we need more time to train our skills? Especially for junior swimming team training, it takes 3 to 5 years to carry out technical training. When the technology reaches a high level, it will carry out ability and intensity training.

Subsequent updates

Today's article took me a month to compile. I think the above content is public enough for everyone to learn together. Today's sharing ends here. This article will be regularly supplemented with Zhang Jiao's latest experience to maintain the timeliness and authority of the content.

In addition, Coach Zhang will start a toddler raising course (new venue, new swimming line). If you want to know more, please keep following the latest information of our SEED CLUB, or ask me questions privately on Xiaohongshu/Threads.

Today’s sharing ends here. If you have any questions or comments, please email me. See you next time, 88!

Benice Cheung