Brad Tandy pulled a 200 pound bucket of water up in the air like it was inflated with helium. He did this not once, not twice, but 6 times during his main resistance set. What was equally amazing was that his tempo never faded. His stroke rate never slowed from breakout to final stroke 15 Meters down the pool. For the few who do not know, Brad Tandy is going to compete in the 2016 Olympic games for the country of South Africa. He swam at the University of Arizona for the latter part of his collegiate career where he broke the school record in the 50 yard freestyle with a 18.8 (Race Link Here). The man is quick!
The apparatus that Tandy was using at practice is known as a “power tower” (Shown Below). It is a belt that’s attached to a bucket via a pulley system. The bucket can be filled or emptied with water to achieve a desired resistance for th
e swimmer (who is wearing the belt around their waist). Tandy’s bucket was overflowing with water.
The display that he put on during this “taper” set was astounding. I had to ask how he did it. Specifically I wanted to know how his tempo did not falter when hundreds of pounds was pulling him backwards. What was he thinking about in order to get his tempo that high while applying so much power to the water?
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