Particular Units: The Coaching of Jude Burkhart, NBAC’s Newest Age-Staff Standout
Final yr, North Baltimore Aquatic Membership’s Jude Burkhart set two nationwide boys 11-12 marks, one within the 1650 freestyle (16:05.52) and one within the 800-meter freestyle (8:48.44). On best of the ones NAG information, Burkhart, on the finish of the 2023-24 brief direction season, held the highest time within the country in six brief direction and 9 lengthy direction occasions. Many of those occasions put him within the best 20 all-time:
Whilst Burkhart, who has been with NBAC since he was once 7, is starting to make a reputation for himself nationally, nearer to house he’s already a identified commodity. At NBAC, he holds 11 group 9-10 information and the entire 11-12 information aside from the 50 unfastened, 50 and 100 breast marks. His absolute best SCY 13-14 400 IM time is a 4:05. Through comparability, Michael Phelps went 3:56.
IS PAST PROLOGUE?
The monetary group is fast to remind us that provide efficiency does now not ensure long term effects. All of which is to mention, for Burkhart, it’s early but.
The six-foot Burkhart grew to become 13 on Halloween, however that hasn’t stopped him from attacking practices and fighters in meets. Says Tom Himes, his present mentor and previous trainer of long term Olympians Michael Phelps and Beth Botsford: “Jude is the true deal as a result of he works onerous at what he does. There’s indisputably ability there. He by no means misses a tradition. When he finishes, he asks, ‘Can I warm down a little longer?’ He’s very aggressive and doesn’t love to be overwhelmed.
“The article that makes him much more superb is he isn’t doing anything else particular from what everybody else is doing. He has the ones NAG distance information, however we don’t spend a large number of time on distance unfastened. He’s simply that excellent. What we attempt and do is make everyone excellent at the whole thing at a more youthful age.
“A few years in the past, his weaknesses may were backstroke and breaststroke. We’ve labored on the ones issues so much. Now he has AAAA occasions in each the 200 again (1:55.53) and the 200 breast (2:16.96). With a few of our higher youngsters, I in truth take a look at to not overdo issues, however quite acknowledge how smartly they’ve achieved—and likewise how a lot better they may be able to be.
“As a seventh-grader, Jude isn’t doing doubles or anything else loopy from a tradition point of view. He is going six occasions per week for 1:30-1:45, no 10,000 units. What makes it particular is there’s so a lot more room for him. Subsequent yr, he’ll transfer to our best workforce.
“We haven’t attempted to make him a famous person but so far as coaching to make him sooner and sooner. I’m satisfied that if we’d interested by a few extra issues, he may have damaged a number of extra NAG information whilst he was once 12. At this time, he’s set to take off someday as a result of he can do just about anything else. (Trainer) Paul Yetter and I feel his 400 IM goes to be lovely superior.
“I’m Outdated Faculty. I was into yardage. Now I’ve long gone to shorter, extra high quality stuff. A lot of my fly units are 25s on brief periods. I’d quite have swimmers grasp stroke in combination than push thru a ten x 200 fly set.
“I tell our swimmers anybody can make these sets. It’s HOW you swim them. In Jude’s case, he swims them hard all the time. So, yes, we do a lot of fairly fast swimming in our practices.”
THE FUTURE?
“I imagine at the next Olympic Trials, he wants to be there. At the rate he is going, it is certainly a possibility,” says Himes.
Burkhart Highest Occasions (SCY as of 2-19-25)*
* All age 13 aside from for 1650, 100-200 Breast, 100 IM, when he was once 12
BURKHART WORKOUTS
NBAC trainer Tom Himes oversees and explains Jude Burkhart’s workout routines:
“Jude’s road to success is led by his desire to be the best he can be and to not put limits on himself,” says Himes. “He’s going to just about do no matter he’s requested…and past. Laborious paintings, willpower and dedication to excellence is the gas that makes Jude the standard swimmer he’s.
“Our number one center of attention with all of our swimmers is IM-based. We wish every swimmer to excel in every stroke. Whilst Jude has damaged two distance-event nationwide information (800 meter unfastened/1650 backyard unfastened), there was once no center of attention on the ones occasions.
“Jude trains all strokes each week: generally, one-to-two IM-focused practices, one fly, one back and one breast plus one-to-two free-focus practices per week. Nothing crazy…just fairly simple sets swum fast.”
Butterfly
2x:
2 x 100 unfastened @ 1:30
4 x 25 fly (rapid) @ :30
2 x 100 unfastened @ 1:30
3 x 50 fly (rapid) @ 1:00
2 x 100 unfastened @ 1:30
2 x 75 fly (rapid) @ 1:00
2 x 100 unfastened @ 1:30
1 x 100 fly (rapid) @ 1:30
2-min. swim & leisure @ 2:00
Spherical 1 held occasions:
25s: 12.5/12.9/13.1/12.9
50s: 26.9/26.9/27.2
75s: 42.5/42.6
100: 57.9
Spherical 2 held occasions:
25s: 13.0/13.2/12.9/12.9
50s: 27.4/27.2/27.6
75s: 42.9/42.6
100: 57.9
* * *
Backstroke
“Sets consist of 50s, 100s, 150s and 200s. Occasionally, we may do 25s or up to 300s of back, but generally, the sets range from 50s to 200s. Most are done descending or to maintain specific pace. Jude does both well.”
4x:
200 (50 again/kick – 50 again/drill) @ 3:30
4 x 50 again (25 again/25 unfastened) @ :50
200 again – 100% @ 2:30
1 x 100 unfastened – simple @ 2:00
Jude: 2:04/2:04/2:04/2:01
* * *
Breaststroke
“A lot of breast sets focus on negative-splitting. We are looking for good stroke counts and building tempo.”
1 x 100 (50 kick/50 drill) @ 1:50
4 x 50 breast (negative-split) @ :55
1 x 100 unfastened or again @ 2:00
1 x 100 (50 kick/50 drill) @ 1:50
3 x 100 breast (negative-split) @ 1:40
1 x 100 unfastened or again @ 2:00
1 x 100 (50 kick/50 drill) @ 1:50
2 x 150 breast (negative-split) @ 2:20
1 x 100 unfastened or again @ 2:00
1 x 100 (50 kick/50 drill) @ 1:50
1 x 200 breast (negative-split) @ 3:00
1 x 100 unfastened or again @ 2:00
“Often, Jude does some great 200 times while negative-splitting. Recently, he did a best time in the set, going under 2:20 while negative-splitting the swim.”
* * *
Freestyle
“We use these free sets to work on aerobic type of training. Not all are limited to this, but most free sets are aerobic-based.”
Fresh freestyle set:
6 x 50 unfastened (highest with sturdy kick) @ :50
3 x 100 unfastened (500 tempo) @ 1:30
6 x 50 unfastened (highest with sturdy kick) @ :50
2 x 200 unfastened (500 tempo) @ 3:00
6 x 50 unfastened (highest with sturdy kick) @ :50
1 x 300 unfastened (500 tempo) @ 4:00
6 x 50 unfastened (highest with sturdy kick) @ :50
2 x 200 unfastened (500 tempo) @ 3:00
6 x 50 unfastened (highest with sturdy kick) @ :50
3 x 100 unfastened (500 tempo) @ 1:30
6 x 50 unfastened (highest with sturdy kick) @ :50
“Most swimmers are not quite at 500 pace, but the challenge is there. For example, Jude has gone (4:37 – 500 free / 55.5 pace). He was around 54s on the 100s, 1:52-1:54 on the 200s and 2:48 on the 300.”
* * *
Person Medley
“We do variations of IM sets—odd distances / free IMs / backstroke-breaststroke sets as an example. Here’s one of my favorite IM sets.”
2-3x:
100 unfastened @ 1:20
100 unfastened IM (no fly) @ 1:20
100 IM @ 1:20
4 x 50 unfastened or again @ 1:00
200 unfastened @ 2:30
200 unfastened IM (no fly) @ 2:30
200 IM @ 2:30
“Our swimmers have achieved more than a few iterations of (those workout routines), however all did a unfastened, then a unfastened IM after which the IM. Distances were as much as 300s and 400s. For more than a few causes, we’ve got now not achieved many of those sorts—with the bulk being 200s.
“Jude does an ideal task with this set—most often finishing within the 2:00-2:04 vary at the ultimate 200 IM from a push.
“There are many more sets in each stroke and IMs that we use. The idea is that we do not do just freestyle and/or work on just a swimmer’s best strokes. As a result, they improve their IMs and become more efficient in all four strokes.”
Michael J. Stott is an ASCA Degree 5 trainer, golfing and swimming author. His severely acclaimed coming-of-age golfing novel, “Too Much Loft,” is in its 3rd printing, and is to be had from retailer.Bookbaby.com, Amazon, B&N and e-book vendors international.
