For many swimmers and coaches this is the time of year for a new beginning. High school seasons in the fall as well as all the college programs and most of the US Swimming teams are beginning training again. Our team is no different than yours. We began last Monday, the 25th of August. As we start it is a chance to put all of the past behind us and begin anew. This is the natural opportunity to look forward uncluttered by what has been happening. Even if there is only a two or three week break somehow it symbolizes exactly the kind of separation needed for a fresh start.
We will have a discussion next week about goals but right now we'd like to focus on two things we are developing this season: snorkel use and sculling. You have probably used a snorkel already; we certainly have. Likewise with sculling you have probably used it to some extent already; we too have done so. What is different for us this year is a commitment to making it a larger part of our training program.
When you use a snorkel you take the distraction of the head turn or head lift out of the equation. All of your focus can be directed towards implementing technique that pulls and pushes the body forward, never needing to compensate for the breath. Flyers and breaststrokers keep your ears in the water. Backstrokers get a pass here! - Although some of our kids have fooled around with turning the snorkel such that they can actually swim on their backs with it; crazy but true. There are tons of drills using the snorkel. We do sets of repeats, sometimes with drills and others just normal swimming. And at this time of year we regroup on our technique and do not worry about the amount of yardage, just the quality of what we do.
Then at the same time we are doing this we add in sculling - lots of it. Think of the power those synchronized swimmers need to develop in their hands, wrists, forearms and shoulders to be able to do what they do. They seem to be sculling all the time! We scull with the hands out in front, down under the torso and back at the thighs. We do laps using all three positions. We work on relaxing the neck, allowing the head to rest in the water. This is where the snorkel is invaluable. We look for a long flat spine. We tighten the transverse abdominals, activate the glutes and hamstrings, put the heels and toes together (make sure you point the toes) and drag a long flat needle of a body behind the power of the scull. Start with widths of the pool if you need to, then progress to lengths, then to repeats of 25's working your way up from there. You won't get as many yards as regular swimming. You will get swimmers with elevated heart rates and strong wrists and forearms that have feel for the water and strength to catch it. They will also have an increased awareness of the need for proper body position and the value of it as it translates to the full stroke.
Many of you out there have numerous drills and technique items you are using effectively today. Why not share your knowledge with the greater swimming community? Drop us a line! See you at the pool, maybe tomorrow?!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Older, Tougher, Smarter
That was the headline on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle Friday, August 22, 2008. We encourage everyone to read Julian Guthrie's article. Guthrie points to the many achievements of some of the older Olympians in Beijing. Dara Torres is our sports poster woman this year for this subject. The article explains that many of our swimmers are older. Why do you think that is so?
One major factor is the money involved. It is entirely possible for a swimmer who has international experience to earn $50,000 or more in cash and sponsorships which allow him/her to continue training past college. Michael Phelps is in a different league as is probably Torres and Natalie Coughlin. We have no direct knowledge of any of their individual sponsorship deals. However, when the new LZR Speedo suit costs about $500 retail and you figure how many thousands of young swimmers are already using it you can do the math and see how it is possible for the top end swimmers to make serious money. But even the second tier swimmers, ones with Olympic exposure who do not have a medal can cash in. We think it is a good thing that swimmers can pursue their dreams while in their mid to late twenties, and into their 30's and beyond. Jason Lezak anchored the Gold Medal Men's 400 Free Relay. He is 32! The point here is that very few athletes are at their peak right out of college at 22 years of age. Michael Jordan certainly wasn't; nor was Tiger Woods.
What is of equal interest to us is that the Chronicle article discusses the additional benefits of staying physically active. Simon Melov of the Buck Institute for Age Research in Novato, CA says, "Exercise doesn't just make the muscles stronger, it makes them younger." Fascinating, encouraging and inspiring all at the same time!
Dr. Karen Francis, a behavioral neuroscientist at USF and author of "Physical Dimensions of Aging", talks about the need to challenge both our mind and body daily. Several tips are offered in the same article.
We could take this into the pool so very easily. Try breathing on the left for a lap and the right on the next lap. When you do a flip turn keep looking at the same side of the pool at each end as you push off. This will necessitate you turning both ways. Park a little farther from the pool so that you get a few extra minutes walk before your swim. The list is endless.
The overall point for us in this process is that the Beijing Olympics did a lot more than excite us. They have already improved our coaching through the sheer power of inspiration. How about you? Let us know what you learned so that we can share your knowledge with the world. We all benefit!
One major factor is the money involved. It is entirely possible for a swimmer who has international experience to earn $50,000 or more in cash and sponsorships which allow him/her to continue training past college. Michael Phelps is in a different league as is probably Torres and Natalie Coughlin. We have no direct knowledge of any of their individual sponsorship deals. However, when the new LZR Speedo suit costs about $500 retail and you figure how many thousands of young swimmers are already using it you can do the math and see how it is possible for the top end swimmers to make serious money. But even the second tier swimmers, ones with Olympic exposure who do not have a medal can cash in. We think it is a good thing that swimmers can pursue their dreams while in their mid to late twenties, and into their 30's and beyond. Jason Lezak anchored the Gold Medal Men's 400 Free Relay. He is 32! The point here is that very few athletes are at their peak right out of college at 22 years of age. Michael Jordan certainly wasn't; nor was Tiger Woods.
What is of equal interest to us is that the Chronicle article discusses the additional benefits of staying physically active. Simon Melov of the Buck Institute for Age Research in Novato, CA says, "Exercise doesn't just make the muscles stronger, it makes them younger." Fascinating, encouraging and inspiring all at the same time!
Dr. Karen Francis, a behavioral neuroscientist at USF and author of "Physical Dimensions of Aging", talks about the need to challenge both our mind and body daily. Several tips are offered in the same article.
We could take this into the pool so very easily. Try breathing on the left for a lap and the right on the next lap. When you do a flip turn keep looking at the same side of the pool at each end as you push off. This will necessitate you turning both ways. Park a little farther from the pool so that you get a few extra minutes walk before your swim. The list is endless.
The overall point for us in this process is that the Beijing Olympics did a lot more than excite us. They have already improved our coaching through the sheer power of inspiration. How about you? Let us know what you learned so that we can share your knowledge with the world. We all benefit!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
What Does It All Mean?
I (Don Swartz) am a big believer in quantum physics. To simplify, we get from life what we expect to get based upon our belief system. I got turned on to the concept in the early 1970's when reading a book by Gary Zukav entitled "The Dancing Wu Li Masters". Most recently I have read an enchanting and very helpful book by Natalie Reid, "The 5 Steps to a Quantum Life".
As a coach I continue to pursue excellence professionally while simultaneously encouraging our swimmers to do the same. My wife posed an interesting question this week as we watched the swimming coverage of the Olympic Games on NBC.
"If all the swimmers are preparing for the race and all believe that he/she will prevail why do some do so and others not?" The question took on an even more intriguing dimension as Michael Phelps pursued one Gold Medal after another. When you look at the finish of the men's 100 meter butterfly - Phelps winning by .01 second - you wonder if he had a greater commitment to the goal than the other swimmer. If you look at the finish of that race under water you will see a frantic but well timed final short stroke by Phelps while the other swimmer reached for the wall and glided in to the touch pad - with his head up of all things!
Such is life. At some point, I believe, we do actually will ourselves to a place or an accomplishment that we really want. And by the same token, if we wish but do not actually believe then we usually get what we believe, not that for which we wish, but do not believe.
All this drama on the TV is good for our imaginations. We have several swimmers on our team who have Olympic talent. As coaches we keep steering them in that direction. If today, for instance, a swimmer is 22 seconds from a possible Gold Medal in London in 2012, we can chart a course for that improvement over the next 4 years. Today it may seem wishful thinking but not real belief that in 4 years it could be realized. However, if broken down into smaller segments - say 4 seconds improvement this next year - then similar next year etc - then maybe we can get there.
I am quite certain, without actual proof, that the great inventors of all time didn't walk into the lab one given day and invent - what, the electric light bulb, the radio, the Polaroid film process. It took development over time until one day the actual final pieces fell into place.
Phelps' great achievements this week, if we are to believe his public press comments, came from much earlier in discussions with his coach Bob Bowman. They talked about dreaming at the highest level; about reaching a place no one had ever been...and then working on it daily in the pool while building the belief system to support the dream.
It All Means You Can Have Anything You Want!
As a coach I continue to pursue excellence professionally while simultaneously encouraging our swimmers to do the same. My wife posed an interesting question this week as we watched the swimming coverage of the Olympic Games on NBC.
"If all the swimmers are preparing for the race and all believe that he/she will prevail why do some do so and others not?" The question took on an even more intriguing dimension as Michael Phelps pursued one Gold Medal after another. When you look at the finish of the men's 100 meter butterfly - Phelps winning by .01 second - you wonder if he had a greater commitment to the goal than the other swimmer. If you look at the finish of that race under water you will see a frantic but well timed final short stroke by Phelps while the other swimmer reached for the wall and glided in to the touch pad - with his head up of all things!
Such is life. At some point, I believe, we do actually will ourselves to a place or an accomplishment that we really want. And by the same token, if we wish but do not actually believe then we usually get what we believe, not that for which we wish, but do not believe.
All this drama on the TV is good for our imaginations. We have several swimmers on our team who have Olympic talent. As coaches we keep steering them in that direction. If today, for instance, a swimmer is 22 seconds from a possible Gold Medal in London in 2012, we can chart a course for that improvement over the next 4 years. Today it may seem wishful thinking but not real belief that in 4 years it could be realized. However, if broken down into smaller segments - say 4 seconds improvement this next year - then similar next year etc - then maybe we can get there.
I am quite certain, without actual proof, that the great inventors of all time didn't walk into the lab one given day and invent - what, the electric light bulb, the radio, the Polaroid film process. It took development over time until one day the actual final pieces fell into place.
Phelps' great achievements this week, if we are to believe his public press comments, came from much earlier in discussions with his coach Bob Bowman. They talked about dreaming at the highest level; about reaching a place no one had ever been...and then working on it daily in the pool while building the belief system to support the dream.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Together Everyone Achieves More
We have just returned from the 2008 Speedo Junior National Championships in Minneapolis which were held from August 4th-8th. We had a wonderful week of racing and growing as competitors. Our North Bay Aquatics team finished 9th in the combined men’s and women’s scoring and we are taking a small amount of space this week to be grateful for our swimmers’ success. In the 400 Free Relays our Men finished 3rd and our Women finished 5th. This is a significant step forward for our team from last year and as coaches we are very proud of our team!
At the meet there were many T- Shirts walking the deck and we thought you’d enjoy a sample of what we saw. We think that 3 to 5 words are about the right number but what do we know? Anyway, for your reading pleasure this week we offer the following…and if you have a favorite we’d love to hear about it! We will add here that some of these saying/quotes were attributed to certain people. We have omitted their names here simply because we cannot verify the authenticity of each statement…have some fun with this!
Together
Everyone
Achieves
More
Choose
Embrace
Achieve
You can’t put a limit on anything, the more you dream the farther you get
Building character one length at a time
Committed to excellence
We stand the test of time
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, it is a habit
Beware to lollipop of mediocrity, one lick and you’ll suck forever
My element is water, my weapon is my body, my world is swimming
Quality not quantity
Respect all, fear none
Success comes through hard work
Coaching 4 life
Want to come in 2nd? Follow me
Pride
The harder you work the harder it is to surrender
We believe in creating the wave, not riding it
We’re not here to mess around, in fact, we’re all in
Rev- it – up
Presence is more than just being there
Simply swimming
Someone may beat me but they are going to have to bleed to do it
Losers let it happen, Winners make it happen
Dream – Believe – Achieve
In the heat of battle we’re on fire
Well oiled machine
Motivation is what gets you going, habit is what keeps you going
Ludicrous speed
One team, one goal
The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital
Making it happen
No time outs, no substitutions, it’s now or never
At the meet there were many T- Shirts walking the deck and we thought you’d enjoy a sample of what we saw. We think that 3 to 5 words are about the right number but what do we know? Anyway, for your reading pleasure this week we offer the following…and if you have a favorite we’d love to hear about it! We will add here that some of these saying/quotes were attributed to certain people. We have omitted their names here simply because we cannot verify the authenticity of each statement…have some fun with this!
Together
Everyone
Achieves
More
Choose
Embrace
Achieve
You can’t put a limit on anything, the more you dream the farther you get
Building character one length at a time
Committed to excellence
We stand the test of time
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, it is a habit
Beware to lollipop of mediocrity, one lick and you’ll suck forever
My element is water, my weapon is my body, my world is swimming
Quality not quantity
Respect all, fear none
Success comes through hard work
Coaching 4 life
Want to come in 2nd? Follow me
Pride
The harder you work the harder it is to surrender
We believe in creating the wave, not riding it
We’re not here to mess around, in fact, we’re all in
Rev- it – up
Presence is more than just being there
Simply swimming
Someone may beat me but they are going to have to bleed to do it
Losers let it happen, Winners make it happen
Dream – Believe – Achieve
In the heat of battle we’re on fire
Well oiled machine
Motivation is what gets you going, habit is what keeps you going
Ludicrous speed
One team, one goal
The will to win is important, but the will to prepare is vital
Making it happen
No time outs, no substitutions, it’s now or never
Sunday, August 3, 2008
You Are What You Eat (Do You Know What It Is?)
In 5 days the Games begin, literally and figuratively, in Beijing, China.
The Games of course mean the Olympic Games themselves. The "figuratively" part we refer to here is the never-ending contest between the agencies charged with catching the cheaters and the users and abusers of chemical aids to enhanced sport performance. Track and field along with weight lifting have generally garnered their fare share of the headlines. This summer swimming was briefly thrust into the spotlight with the positive test of Jessica Hardy. Hardy has withdrawn from the team, meaning she will not contest the positive test at this time. We only know what we read in the papers and have no more information than do you. This makes us reluctant to postulate on the details of her specific situation.
With Jessica Hardy having tested positive for Clenbuterol and linked to Advocare this is a good time to take a moment and read this important message on supplements from Bill Krumm and US Swimming. What may or may not be in supplements can be surprising.
The message from the USADA is:
"The use of nutritional or dietary supplements is completely at the athlete's own risk - even if the supplements label says 'approved' or 'verified.' USADA's drug reference resources DO NOT provide information about dietary supplements."
For those of you who are curious for more information about this whole subject we include the following links. It is sad but true that much of the coverage will focus on this subject. But then again, there are 23 hours of coverage daily and they need to sell advertising and negative news sells...so be prepared!
USDA Test Alert Card
USADA Doping Control Process
Drug Reference Online
A final thought today...much as when you read about some well conceived plan to defraud a group of investors, or even a high tech crime spree, when you read about an athlete who has tested positive for a banned substance - a substance that is already on a published list - do you ever wonder how fast the athlete might have been if they put as much effort into his/her training and total race preparation as she/he put into finding and trying and then masking the substance?
Your comments please...
The Games of course mean the Olympic Games themselves. The "figuratively" part we refer to here is the never-ending contest between the agencies charged with catching the cheaters and the users and abusers of chemical aids to enhanced sport performance. Track and field along with weight lifting have generally garnered their fare share of the headlines. This summer swimming was briefly thrust into the spotlight with the positive test of Jessica Hardy. Hardy has withdrawn from the team, meaning she will not contest the positive test at this time. We only know what we read in the papers and have no more information than do you. This makes us reluctant to postulate on the details of her specific situation.
With Jessica Hardy having tested positive for Clenbuterol and linked to Advocare this is a good time to take a moment and read this important message on supplements from Bill Krumm and US Swimming. What may or may not be in supplements can be surprising.
The message from the USADA is:
"The use of nutritional or dietary supplements is completely at the athlete's own risk - even if the supplements label says 'approved' or 'verified.' USADA's drug reference resources DO NOT provide information about dietary supplements."
For those of you who are curious for more information about this whole subject we include the following links. It is sad but true that much of the coverage will focus on this subject. But then again, there are 23 hours of coverage daily and they need to sell advertising and negative news sells...so be prepared!
USDA Test Alert Card
USADA Doping Control Process
Drug Reference Online
A final thought today...much as when you read about some well conceived plan to defraud a group of investors, or even a high tech crime spree, when you read about an athlete who has tested positive for a banned substance - a substance that is already on a published list - do you ever wonder how fast the athlete might have been if they put as much effort into his/her training and total race preparation as she/he put into finding and trying and then masking the substance?
Your comments please...
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Three Times 8 = ?
The answer today is 8-8-08, the day the Olympics begin in Beijing, China.
Swimmer Jessica Hardy apparently will not be on the US Team as it makes its way to training in Singapore prior to its final stop at the Olympic Village. Hardy has tested positive for Clenbuterol. News stories are running rampant from the main stream media as well as the swimming related sites. Swimming World Magazine broke the story earlier this week.
Time will tell if Hardy, as she is claiming, is innocent. And we prefer to leave that part of the discussion to others. Our interest in this story goes down a slightly different path.
At what price is glory justified? We have no pat answer but we think about it constantly. As coaches we are always asking athletes to think hard about the choices they make. How do they use their time; what activities support their dreams; are they making the best possible decisions on a daily basis?
Some times our society puts such an emphasis on winning that the pressures on athletes become enormous. We wonder about the costs.
The great football (soccer) manager Bill Shankly had a quote for the ages that rushed to mind when the Hardy story broke.
'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death.
I'm very disappointed with that attitude.
I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.'
Swimmer Jessica Hardy apparently will not be on the US Team as it makes its way to training in Singapore prior to its final stop at the Olympic Village. Hardy has tested positive for Clenbuterol. News stories are running rampant from the main stream media as well as the swimming related sites. Swimming World Magazine broke the story earlier this week.
Time will tell if Hardy, as she is claiming, is innocent. And we prefer to leave that part of the discussion to others. Our interest in this story goes down a slightly different path.
At what price is glory justified? We have no pat answer but we think about it constantly. As coaches we are always asking athletes to think hard about the choices they make. How do they use their time; what activities support their dreams; are they making the best possible decisions on a daily basis?
Some times our society puts such an emphasis on winning that the pressures on athletes become enormous. We wonder about the costs.
The great football (soccer) manager Bill Shankly had a quote for the ages that rushed to mind when the Hardy story broke.
'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death.
I'm very disappointed with that attitude.
I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.'
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Have You Snorkeled Lately?
Many of you already know about swimming snorkels. If you don't, or don't know where to get one check out your favorite swim shop or try www.finisinc.com. Snorkels do a number of things for your workouts and racing if that's your thing as well. They also get you incredibly fit aerobically.
When you swim with a snorkel first thing to remember is to hold it in your mouth; do not grip it hard or you will end up with tight jaws and that's no fun. It is easy to hold onto this training aid without overdoing so.
When you order one also get a "cardio cap". This is a device that you can eventually slip over the opening thereby reducing the size of the breathing hole. Wait a while before you do this...always move in progressions. If you have never snorkeled begin with a few laps and work your way to perhaps a 1000 yards or so comfortably. That may take some time and we all have time!
We will offer a number of different drills soon but for today let's just do this much: see if you can swim freestyle with a steady six beat kick the entire lap. A common stroke fault is that when you breathe you drop your kick, or do a cross over kick. Either of these is usually a result of your legs compensating for your head rotation. Without getting too technical in this forum we'd suggest a lap of freestyle with a steady six beat kick and pay attention to when you breathe through the snorkel and see if your legs stop when you breathe.
Sooner than later we will have video clips on our site showing some of these drills. And of course, we can always do video analysis of your strokes should you so desire. Give this a try and let us know what you notice about the relationship of your breath to your kick. See you soon...at the pool!
When you swim with a snorkel first thing to remember is to hold it in your mouth; do not grip it hard or you will end up with tight jaws and that's no fun. It is easy to hold onto this training aid without overdoing so.
When you order one also get a "cardio cap". This is a device that you can eventually slip over the opening thereby reducing the size of the breathing hole. Wait a while before you do this...always move in progressions. If you have never snorkeled begin with a few laps and work your way to perhaps a 1000 yards or so comfortably. That may take some time and we all have time!
We will offer a number of different drills soon but for today let's just do this much: see if you can swim freestyle with a steady six beat kick the entire lap. A common stroke fault is that when you breathe you drop your kick, or do a cross over kick. Either of these is usually a result of your legs compensating for your head rotation. Without getting too technical in this forum we'd suggest a lap of freestyle with a steady six beat kick and pay attention to when you breathe through the snorkel and see if your legs stop when you breathe.
Sooner than later we will have video clips on our site showing some of these drills. And of course, we can always do video analysis of your strokes should you so desire. Give this a try and let us know what you notice about the relationship of your breath to your kick. See you soon...at the pool!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The Power of One Human Mind
This is simply too good. We had to share with all of you. Devon DeMont is the 16 year old daughter of Swim Coach Direct founder Ken DeMont. The Western Zone Gold Sectional meet is next week in Bakersfield. This is a high end US Swimming Senior competition, one that most older swimmers in California and surrounding states strive to attend. Getting "cuts" (qualifying times) is a major season's goal for many swimmers. Devon trains with North Bay Aquatics in northern California. She is in the Senior training group. She made it a goal this year to achieve at least one Sectional cut. The event she was aiming for was the 50 freestyle. And an interesting thing happened on the way to achieving this goal.
Thursday, at the summer Junior Olympic Swim Championships in Concord, CA, Devon swam 100 meters of freestyle in 1:02.15 seconds, improving an impressive 2.8 seconds from her previous best time of 1:04.9...and in the process got her first ever Sectional Qualifying time standard.
Four items of interest in this story are:
1 - Devon was shaved and partially rested for the meet
2 - Devon did swim in a BlueSeventy high tech swim suit
3 - Devon did some visualizing the night before her swim. She wanted to work on her race, keep calm and give herself the best chance to race well. She also used a stopwatch in her visualization. This is a skill we teach, one we have used for 30+ years with our swimmers. She closed her eyes and swam her race and when she hit the touchpad in her personal "movie" she stopped the watch. The time on the face read 1:02.11, a mere .04 (that's four one hundredths!) of a second off her actual swim time. Does visualization work? You will have a very hard time convincing Devon that it doesn't!
4 - At the end of the day, the meet, the season, it is the swimmer in the suit, not the suit the swimmer is in, that matters. Devon has had her eye firmly on the target - getting a Sectional cut - for 5 weeks now. She has been training for years but for the last 5 weeks all of her actions have supported her goal.
We had several swimmers this weekend achieve goals similar to Devon's. I (Don Swartz) chose to highlight her in this instance because of her visualization drill. We are proud of all our swimmers. They are attempting to do something special. They are not willing to be "one of the gang". Average is not something they settle for. Swimming fast doesn't make you a better person. It simply makes you a faster person in the water.
Striving for excellence - your own brand of that - is what makes you special, what sets you apart from the crowd. We are fortunate to have a pool full of special people who happen to be swimmers.
Thursday, at the summer Junior Olympic Swim Championships in Concord, CA, Devon swam 100 meters of freestyle in 1:02.15 seconds, improving an impressive 2.8 seconds from her previous best time of 1:04.9...and in the process got her first ever Sectional Qualifying time standard.
Four items of interest in this story are:
1 - Devon was shaved and partially rested for the meet
2 - Devon did swim in a BlueSeventy high tech swim suit
3 - Devon did some visualizing the night before her swim. She wanted to work on her race, keep calm and give herself the best chance to race well. She also used a stopwatch in her visualization. This is a skill we teach, one we have used for 30+ years with our swimmers. She closed her eyes and swam her race and when she hit the touchpad in her personal "movie" she stopped the watch. The time on the face read 1:02.11, a mere .04 (that's four one hundredths!) of a second off her actual swim time. Does visualization work? You will have a very hard time convincing Devon that it doesn't!
4 - At the end of the day, the meet, the season, it is the swimmer in the suit, not the suit the swimmer is in, that matters. Devon has had her eye firmly on the target - getting a Sectional cut - for 5 weeks now. She has been training for years but for the last 5 weeks all of her actions have supported her goal.
We had several swimmers this weekend achieve goals similar to Devon's. I (Don Swartz) chose to highlight her in this instance because of her visualization drill. We are proud of all our swimmers. They are attempting to do something special. They are not willing to be "one of the gang". Average is not something they settle for. Swimming fast doesn't make you a better person. It simply makes you a faster person in the water.
Striving for excellence - your own brand of that - is what makes you special, what sets you apart from the crowd. We are fortunate to have a pool full of special people who happen to be swimmers.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
The Olympic Trial Venue from the Inside
Never before has so much been done to allow a swimmer the best chance to swim fast at a meet. The organizers of the Olympic Trials did a fabulous job and the results that followed were good feedback on how they set up the swimmers to be at their best.
If you followed the action on TV you saw what a beautiful complex it was. Set in an arena that is used more for NCAA basketball games or concerts than a swim meet, by putting in a temporary Myrtha pool into the space they were able to create the ultimate in spectator comfort. It enabled the crowd to feed a wonderful energy to the swimmers that spurred them on in an amazingly fast meet.
What you didn't get to see on TV was the warm up pool that was built underneath the stands that was only accessible to coaches and swimmers. There was a full size 50 meter 8 lane pool, with another 8 lanes of 25 meter space available for warm up or warm down that was not for the public or the media to be privy to. They put up a big screen TV so you could watch the action and had a scoreboard so you could see the times posted. This was all within 50 meters of the main venue.
Other amenities included
What a wonderful experience it is to be in such an environment and to see some of the best in the world ready themselves for their races or analyze their races with their coaches afterwards. As hard as it is to believe, much of what they talk about is the same things that swimmers of lesser abilities talk about at their own competitions. Michael Phelps is working on his pacing and his turns just like the rest of the swimmers....he just happens to be going quite a bit faster!
For the meet, the swimmers were posting 45% best times for their races overall. This is an outstanding percentage for a meet that is so challenging to qualify for. Four year ago in Long Beach the percentage for the 2004 Olympic Trials was 18%.
Quite an improvement for America's best!
If you followed the action on TV you saw what a beautiful complex it was. Set in an arena that is used more for NCAA basketball games or concerts than a swim meet, by putting in a temporary Myrtha pool into the space they were able to create the ultimate in spectator comfort. It enabled the crowd to feed a wonderful energy to the swimmers that spurred them on in an amazingly fast meet.
What you didn't get to see on TV was the warm up pool that was built underneath the stands that was only accessible to coaches and swimmers. There was a full size 50 meter 8 lane pool, with another 8 lanes of 25 meter space available for warm up or warm down that was not for the public or the media to be privy to. They put up a big screen TV so you could watch the action and had a scoreboard so you could see the times posted. This was all within 50 meters of the main venue.
Other amenities included
- A large massage and physical therapy area that was free to the competitors who wanted to use these services.
- A swimmers lounge complete with easy chairs, large screen TV's, computers, and video games.
- Hot tubs for those inclined for such things.
- Sport drinks and water in more than ample amounts for the taking
- A coaches lounge with similar amenities that the swimmers were given (minus the video games).
- A large area with mats and other gym equipment for stretching and getting ready to race.
What a wonderful experience it is to be in such an environment and to see some of the best in the world ready themselves for their races or analyze their races with their coaches afterwards. As hard as it is to believe, much of what they talk about is the same things that swimmers of lesser abilities talk about at their own competitions. Michael Phelps is working on his pacing and his turns just like the rest of the swimmers....he just happens to be going quite a bit faster!
For the meet, the swimmers were posting 45% best times for their races overall. This is an outstanding percentage for a meet that is so challenging to qualify for. Four year ago in Long Beach the percentage for the 2004 Olympic Trials was 18%.
Quite an improvement for America's best!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Ian Thorpe: “Because of this thing called competition”
That is the quote from Ian Thorpe, former Australian Olympic swimmer and world record holder when asked if Michael Phelps could win 8 Gold Medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Thorpe is betting against Phelps. In this Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle sports section, noted columnist Scott Ostler posed the question about whether it is reasonable to expect that Phelps could actually pull off the feat.
The US Swimming Olympic Trials began today in at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska. The top 2 finishers in each event qualify for the Olympic Team in each event. Consider that less than half of the one percent of the swimmers in the country even qualify for the Olympic Trials. You must then finish 1st or 2nd to swim the individual event. (In the 100 and 200 freestyle the top 4 make the relay and the 5th and 6th finishers typically are taken as alternates to swim the prelims of the relays at the Games themselves).
Phelps appears to "own" the 400 Individual Medley and the 200 Butterfly, though nothing is for certain. The other events he competes in have multiple challengers that pose a real threat to his even making our team in the various events. And then he needs to be selected to the relays based upon his performance as well.
In golf not long ago, Tiger Woods ruled the world. Many of his contemporaries began playing for second. If Tiger was "on" he was unbeatable. However, golf, like swimming, has many competitive people in its ranks and the one thing history teaches us is that it is much easier to win a championship than to defend one.
When Woods, or Phelps, or Roger Federer win consistently it actually motivates many in their sport, pushes them to places they have not been and thereby changes the landscape - forever; as did Woods, Phelps and Federer when they came up into the championship ranks...and so it goes.
Some people say that competition isn't healthy; that it puts too much pressure on others; that it destroys the purity of the game. Our view is that competition, when entered into in a spirit of willingness, a spirit of genuine love of the game, brings out the best in each of us. It increases our appreciation of our sport and our place in it.
Whether I am a weekend warrior, an up and coming Olympic hopeful or world champion the benefits are the same. I find out what matters to me; how to perform under some scrutiny and where my personal limits are.
We suggest that you go to the pool soon and push yourself a little and see what your reaction to that is. Let us know and tell us how we can help!
(Olympic Trial coverage is on the web and on TV all week long. Check your local listings for details.)
The US Swimming Olympic Trials began today in at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska. The top 2 finishers in each event qualify for the Olympic Team in each event. Consider that less than half of the one percent of the swimmers in the country even qualify for the Olympic Trials. You must then finish 1st or 2nd to swim the individual event. (In the 100 and 200 freestyle the top 4 make the relay and the 5th and 6th finishers typically are taken as alternates to swim the prelims of the relays at the Games themselves).
Phelps appears to "own" the 400 Individual Medley and the 200 Butterfly, though nothing is for certain. The other events he competes in have multiple challengers that pose a real threat to his even making our team in the various events. And then he needs to be selected to the relays based upon his performance as well.
In golf not long ago, Tiger Woods ruled the world. Many of his contemporaries began playing for second. If Tiger was "on" he was unbeatable. However, golf, like swimming, has many competitive people in its ranks and the one thing history teaches us is that it is much easier to win a championship than to defend one.
When Woods, or Phelps, or Roger Federer win consistently it actually motivates many in their sport, pushes them to places they have not been and thereby changes the landscape - forever; as did Woods, Phelps and Federer when they came up into the championship ranks...and so it goes.
Some people say that competition isn't healthy; that it puts too much pressure on others; that it destroys the purity of the game. Our view is that competition, when entered into in a spirit of willingness, a spirit of genuine love of the game, brings out the best in each of us. It increases our appreciation of our sport and our place in it.
Whether I am a weekend warrior, an up and coming Olympic hopeful or world champion the benefits are the same. I find out what matters to me; how to perform under some scrutiny and where my personal limits are.
We suggest that you go to the pool soon and push yourself a little and see what your reaction to that is. Let us know and tell us how we can help!
(Olympic Trial coverage is on the web and on TV all week long. Check your local listings for details.)
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Why Do I Do This Sport?
Another story….
There is a young man on the team I coach who has had an extremely successful swimming career to this point. He has competed at the National level and done well in his High School swimming. Next year he will be swimming at the college he has chosen, and they are quite happy to have him on the team.
With all that he has going for him in the world of swimming, he has gone through more than one wave of questioning why he even doing the sport in the first place. He stresses over the fact that there is pressure when he competes and that the training can be no fun. When I reminded him of all he has accomplished over the past year he acknowledges that it was all a blast and he wouldn’t trade it for anything, but he still has that feeling of stress and lack of fun. His continuing swimming was in doubt...he felt burnt out.
This begs the question of why you are doing this sport in the first place (or any sport for that matter). Something about it must make you want to keep doing it or most likely you would have given it up fairly quickly. For most competitors it is the thrill of the race. Most swimmers can vividly remember their first race and the feelings they got from it. Back when you started (especially if you started out very young), what time you did for the race was most likely not important…trying to win or perhaps finishing were much more important elements.
As you move on and swim for a long time, these basic elements sometimes disappear as we chase the all important time standard or something similar, but I think remembering the basic joy you get out of being a competitive swimmer is something that you should connect with every now and then. When you look at Masters swimming, for most swimmers your times will get slower as you get older. You will most likely post times that are not as fast as your younger years, but the joy of competing can be just as rewarding. Times were not real important when you started and I can make a case that they should not be important after a long time at doing the sport as well. I really believe this type of mind set actually helps you do better as you are swimming with less performance pressures.
I am happy to report that after some soul searching my young friend has started training again with a renewed vigor. There is no guarantee that it will continue, but I think his ability to reconnect with his love for the sport has him coming back for more.
Remember why you are doing this!!
There is a young man on the team I coach who has had an extremely successful swimming career to this point. He has competed at the National level and done well in his High School swimming. Next year he will be swimming at the college he has chosen, and they are quite happy to have him on the team.
With all that he has going for him in the world of swimming, he has gone through more than one wave of questioning why he even doing the sport in the first place. He stresses over the fact that there is pressure when he competes and that the training can be no fun. When I reminded him of all he has accomplished over the past year he acknowledges that it was all a blast and he wouldn’t trade it for anything, but he still has that feeling of stress and lack of fun. His continuing swimming was in doubt...he felt burnt out.
This begs the question of why you are doing this sport in the first place (or any sport for that matter). Something about it must make you want to keep doing it or most likely you would have given it up fairly quickly. For most competitors it is the thrill of the race. Most swimmers can vividly remember their first race and the feelings they got from it. Back when you started (especially if you started out very young), what time you did for the race was most likely not important…trying to win or perhaps finishing were much more important elements.
As you move on and swim for a long time, these basic elements sometimes disappear as we chase the all important time standard or something similar, but I think remembering the basic joy you get out of being a competitive swimmer is something that you should connect with every now and then. When you look at Masters swimming, for most swimmers your times will get slower as you get older. You will most likely post times that are not as fast as your younger years, but the joy of competing can be just as rewarding. Times were not real important when you started and I can make a case that they should not be important after a long time at doing the sport as well. I really believe this type of mind set actually helps you do better as you are swimming with less performance pressures.
I am happy to report that after some soul searching my young friend has started training again with a renewed vigor. There is no guarantee that it will continue, but I think his ability to reconnect with his love for the sport has him coming back for more.
Remember why you are doing this!!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Remember What Got You There
Recently a talented young swimmer I have the privilege to work with has made a huge step for any swimmer to make. She has qualified for the Olympic Trials at a fairly young age. As you can imagine her team mates, coaches, and family were quite excited with the accomplishment and we are making plans to be there for the swim.
A lot of work went into getting her to this point. While the support certainly worked hard to give her (and others) the best chance to achieve her goals, ultimately it was her hard work that got her the Olympic Trial invitation. There was certainly a lot of training and sacrifices that went into making this dream come true.
An interesting thing happened after the goal was achieved. This swimmer began to train with less vigor and desire and began to show signs of trying to take an easier path than before. After a few weeks of this downturn in dedication, we went to a bigger meet that was sort of a test run for the trials. It was really no surprise that she did not do well. Everything that was accomplished just a few weeks before suddenly looked so imposing to her.
Since that meet, I am happy to say our swimmer is back to work and is determined to bring her best race to Omaha. A lesson was learned and hopefully the pitfall can and will be avoided in the future.
Often times it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to achieve meaningful things in your life. When you do achieve an important benchmark, whatever that may be, it is wise to look back at what you did to get to where you are. To get to a higher mark may take more work than before and that is the nature of life. Most likely you will have a difficult time getting to where you were by doing less, although most people will try that method, usually with little or no success.
So if you have done something great in your life, remember what got you there. If you have that type of mind set, getting there in the future will be easier to accomplish.
A lot of work went into getting her to this point. While the support certainly worked hard to give her (and others) the best chance to achieve her goals, ultimately it was her hard work that got her the Olympic Trial invitation. There was certainly a lot of training and sacrifices that went into making this dream come true.
An interesting thing happened after the goal was achieved. This swimmer began to train with less vigor and desire and began to show signs of trying to take an easier path than before. After a few weeks of this downturn in dedication, we went to a bigger meet that was sort of a test run for the trials. It was really no surprise that she did not do well. Everything that was accomplished just a few weeks before suddenly looked so imposing to her.
Since that meet, I am happy to say our swimmer is back to work and is determined to bring her best race to Omaha. A lesson was learned and hopefully the pitfall can and will be avoided in the future.
Often times it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to achieve meaningful things in your life. When you do achieve an important benchmark, whatever that may be, it is wise to look back at what you did to get to where you are. To get to a higher mark may take more work than before and that is the nature of life. Most likely you will have a difficult time getting to where you were by doing less, although most people will try that method, usually with little or no success.
So if you have done something great in your life, remember what got you there. If you have that type of mind set, getting there in the future will be easier to accomplish.
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