Dear athlete
We are now 3 weeks back into our swim season ( Oct to June 2019) and I have to say that I am excited and a little bit nervous as to what lies ahead for the year to come. It is an important year on many fronts. I really want to progress all our squad swimmers into competitions for both the competitive athlete and those seeking new experiences like open water challenges etc etc ( interested in swimming coaching – join our troop or comment below for online options)
This little write up is about progress – preparing to progress and wanting to progress. As a coach, I spend the majority of my time repeating a set number of phrases that really should be embedded into the swimmer subconscious.
progress is about doing the little things right to make the big things easy…. ( I dont know who said that originally but its been ingrained in me as a life long swimmer )
- pre swim warm up
- water bottle/fluids
- equipment – paddles,fins, pull buoy, snorkel
- Tumble turns … good or bad keep trying them
- Breathing on 3 – unless otherwise stated
- finishing at the wall – good lane etiquette
- implementing the basic rules of each stroke
- streamlining
To progress one has to be prepared ….. remember what Roy Keane said….. ” Fail to prepare, prepare to fail ” I should not have to go looking for kit off other swimmers or the facility for you. This is your responsibility. In the past I would have implemented a rule that stated ” if one doesn’t have it, no one uses it” but then we learn not all should suffer because of one persons laziness.
The majority of those 8 points listed above can apply to all levels of swimmer. Attitude is key, there will always be days when we feel off or have no “gung ho motivation ” it is however on these days ( along with every session ) really focus on the basics of what we are trying to achieve in our strokes.
Reach….. press…. pop….. engage ( beach ball )……. power to finish …
We learn by watching others, this is even more important in swimming due to water logged ears, so please lead by example
yours in sports
Train Smart : Train happy
STL
some further reading
21 Things You Can Learn from the Best Swimmers on the Planet