Here is a great article about why speed and technique should be done in the beginning of a workout, not at the end:
http://xlathlete.com/blog/articles/entry/speed_and_skill_optimization_a
When the athlete is fresh is the best time to learn new skills, not when the athlete is tired. And speed should be done at the beginning of the workout, when the athlete is fresh and able to go at top speed, not later on when the athlete is tired.
If you work on technique later in a workout, you might get frustrated because you are tired and you aren't as mentally or physically fresh as you were earlier. You can't learn new things nearly as well in this state. Better to work on a new technique move at the beginning of a workout.
Likewise for speed. If you can't go at top speed, you aren't really developing speed. So, do it when you are fresh at the beginning of a workout, so you learn to be faster.
I even recommend this concept for weight training. Do your plyos or high-speed reps early in the workout, then your slower lifts later. It's important in weight training to also train speed and power, not just strength and endurance. It's better to work on that speed and power early in the workout when your muscles can go at top speed, not later when the movements will be slower.
Speed should be worked on year-round. There is a certain training approach where you lay an aerobic base and then only work on speed right before a peak before a major competition. But then, you are so slow from never doing speed work, and you can't magically improve your speed in such a short period of time. If you aren't working on speed weekly, you could actually be getting slower. So, it's good to include some speed work in your program year-round, even in the off-season.
The article lists some suggested rest intervals and repetitions for sprint training. I believe those are intended for running sprints, not paddling. In paddling, with smaller muscles groups, I think you can do more repetitions and have a shorter rest period than in running sprints. So, I recommend about twice the number of reps and a much shorter rest than they do in the article. Here is the link to the article:
http://xlathlete.com/blog/articles/entry/speed_and_skill_optimization_a
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