400m swim for DM

[Kstnbike]

I've been a competitive swimmer all my life (well from 6-18, i'm 20 now) and the 400m swim is all about technique. My best advice is to work on your technique with a buddy who swims or find a good swim coach and the 400m should be cake. I've seen countless people do the 400m swim for DM and just lose it because they are expending too much energy. Surface swimming can be compared to diving. You get better air consumption when you have good technique (buoyancy control, no arms flailing, etc). Swimming is way easier and you use less energy when you have a proper technique. Work on your technique and work up a little to the swim and you'll do fine. My old 400 yard time (I swim yrds not meters, sorry) was about 4:10 when I was in good shape. After two years of not swimming really at all and not working out much I jumped in the pool and did my DM swim in 6:02. I had put on about 15 pounds and my stamina was horrible. The only way I got the time I did was because my technique was still there.

-Kstnbike

 

[Jstew]

I agree, technique is key. Stay streamlined and you should have no problem completing it in 8 minutes-which will give you a 4/5. My time is a 7:02 and i havent been swimming in 6 months. Good Luck.

 

[stiebs]

This topic seems to come up over and over, and it amazes me how many divers struggle with it. As others have pointed out before me, the point of the swim is not that you are able to do it, but that you possess the fitness to be able to do it. If you struggle to swim 400m in 15 minutes, then what you should be doing is building your fitness until you can do it.

I just did GUE Fundamentals on the weekend, and part of that was a 300m swim in 15 minutes, after a 4hr session in the pool. I've let myself go a bit over the past year or so, and right now I consider myself very much out of shape and lacking fitness. I set myself a goal to complete the swim in 5 minutes. I finished in just under 5:30, and that's because of my (lack of) fitness I resorted to breast stroke for 2 laps. I'm certainly a capable swimmer, but there's a lot of people swimming past me in the lap lanes..

I don't intend to offend, but if anyone is going for a DM qualification, where they plan on being paid to have others put faith in their ability and in the water, I sometimes think that they should seriously reconsider their position if they don't have the fitness and stamina to swim under half a kilometer in a quarter of an hour.

 

[EvaL]

Got my DM 5 years ago - and passed both 400m and 800m on first attempt (I'd say I was average fitness with frequent bike rides then). I did practice twice a week for the 2 weeks leading up to it. On the test, I stuck to my pace (don't over extend as you may wear out prematurely). If you aren't sure of your pace, it helps to have your practice laps time recorded and have someone tell you at each lap to go faster/maintain pace.
Good luck!

 

[RJP]

use your legs on the turns at the walls

dont try to be an olympic swimmer and do the fancy summersault turns....grab the edge with both hands....bring your legs to the wall and kick off....

The candidate must swim 400 metres/yards without stopping using no swimming aids and using any stroke or combination of strokes desired. If a candidate stops, the exercise is incomplete and must be repeated.

If you grab the wall, you stopped.

The best advice I can offer is to do the swim in a lake or olympic pool. By turning around 16 times you waste a LOT of momentum/energy changing directions.

The shop where I did my DM stamina tests wouldn't let you touch the wall. At all. We had to swim the circumference of the pool, which is also easier than laps because you can parlay your forward momentum through the 90deg turns vs losing it altogether in 180deg turns.

 

[SparticleBrane]

I would much rather do flipturns. If done correctly they can be a nice rest from the swim, and can go much further on less energy (1/4 to 1/3 the length of the pool, possibly further) if you have any technique.
The energy used vs. momentum gained of a flipturn is much more than that of a standard front crawl stroke.

 

[del_mo]

I did my first lap freestyle, rolled onto my back and did the rest on my back....mostly just kicking. I would throw in a few arm strokes each lap, but the vast majority of the swim was sans arms. My time got me an easy 3 points.

 

[SparticleBrane]

I did my first lap freestyle, rolled onto my back and did the rest on my back....mostly just kicking. I would throw in a few arm strokes each lap, but the vast majority of the swim was sans arms. My time got me an easy 3 points.

And this was counted for a DM cert?! :shakehead

 

[dkktsunami]

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to go about doing the 400m swim in the allocated times allowed

thanks

If freestyle is tiring for you, try breast stroke. With practice you can achieve the necessary speed with less effort.

 

[espenskogen]

And this was counted for a DM cert?! :shakehead

It's within standards...