Why do swimmers and coaches feel there is a big mystery about tapering and hope that it works? This is crazy! If your seasonal plan includes progression of race pace work and the proper recovery throughout the season then you have the experience to know that your taper will work. Tapering is the progression towards […]
Read MoreWe all have knowledge of swimming drills for each stroke as they have been handed down by coaches for many many years. I just ask coaches to please understand the reason you are coaching a specific drill to your swimmers and each swimmer to understand what they may be learning or unlearning from the drill. […]
Read MoreThis is a continuation of the starts newsletter. We will continue to expand and detail every aspect of the start. There is a swim workout and the end of this article with outline explanations of how it was written. Full season outlines are also in the 23 week, 14 week and Faster Swimming books. […]
Read MoreThe forward start is one of the most ignored and misunderstood skills of swimming. Improving a start may only drop a small amount of time but this will be the difference between winning or losing and qualifying or not. A quality start allows swimmers to launch off the block sooner with greater speed, superior body […]
Read MoreThere is a lot of information about teaching the high elbow in swimming and I feel there is a lot of misinformation. I ask you as coaches and seasoned swimmers to really think about the mechanics. RECOVERY OF THE STROKE: Most coaches just teach the high elbow in the recovery of the stroke with drills […]
Read MorePlease remember to test your swimmers regularly thru the 23 week season. You can administer the following test sets every other week ending the week of your swimmers biggest meet of the year. The test sets will teach your swimmers to maintain race pace thru the season. You will notice the intensity of the sets […]
Read MoreFrom a muscular engagement point of view the start is a well-timed and powerful contraction of the posterior chain. The posterior chain is the series of muscles that have overlapping insertion points, forming a chain link like structure. These muscles include the lower to middle back (erector spinae), glutes, hamstrings and the calves can even be considered a part of the posterior chain. This group of […]
Read MoreThe following explains a little of the peaking phase of training that we structure into the end of the season,along with some general ideas and considerations. Generally We most often use a Hi/Lo system of training sessions as we near our biggest meets. “Hi” being high intensity, race pace work that includes more and more […]
Read MoreAs we approach peaking season for our swimmers we want to keep the focus on process, not outcome, just as we should for the majority of the season. Below are some basic points of reference for coaches to keep in mind no matter what the level of our swimmers. Swimmers, just like any other athletes, […]
Read MoreEvery athlete wants to excel, but the will to excel is insignificant without the will to prepare to excel. Preparation is where many athletes fail. Most are willing to put in hours on top of hours of training, but almost no time is devoted to planning or record keeping. This planning (and tracking) is essential […]
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