THE TOOL BOX and more

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving, with a little break from the pool.  It was good 😊to see a lot of you make the effort to attend practice on Saturday afternoon.  We had a great 2 hours, tremendous effort by everyone.

WEEK AHEAD

This will be a busy meet for us with all practices at the normal time, and the Mako Winter Invitational this weekend.

WARM UP TIMES FOR BOTH DAYS:

11-12 year olds 7:30

10 and Under's 11:00

13 and over's 2:40

Remember your warm ups and warm down's. We may have to adjust our meet warm up for senior prep and junior gold if it is crowded.  Don't forget that 2nd warm up about 20 minutes before you swim.  Very Short 3x50's (1smooth, 2 easy fast, 3 fast easy) and 4-6 25's all out.  This should all be free, we are just trying to get the heart rate up.  When you get out, wrap up stay warm, little drink and let's go!

HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMERS

Good luck to the High School swimmers in Our Senior Prep group, as they start their season this Friday Night.  Katelyn Schafer Robinson, Madeline Ice Marshall, Allyson Lerke Centreville, Elizabeth Williams Oakton, Alexandra Martschenko South Lakes, Cara Patrick Centreville

Have a great time as all of you enter your first dual meet of the season.  There is a lot of stuff that revolves around High School Swimming and sometimes swimmers let that get in the way of their training that they have been doing since September.  Sometimes swimmers will allow all of these distractions to sabotage the good work that they have been doing.  We all would love to have best times every time we go into the pool, but that is not reality.  These are dual meets (like little quizzes) and your only job is to race and BEAT people.  Your goal should be to have that best ⏱ at Your District Championships, and if you make it to Regions and on to states.  Don't get wrapped up in the times early in the season, instead focus on the places for the points.

One of the big ways to sabotage your swimming is skipping that Saturday training session because of a late meet and a team dinner afterwards.  Due yourself a favor and get to the pool, and if your honest with yourself you will probably feel a lot better after practice and you may not be as sore and tight all weekend.  The other big mistake is missing practice Friday morning because your going to rest for a DUAL MEET (REALLY that's just an excuse not to get up)later that night.  It's easy to find and excuse not to do something, instead focus on something that may help you swim better, GET TO PRACTICE.  Swim tired so that when you are rested at Districts, and you are on edge and hungry to do something, you may have that great race your looking for.  The one last area is the Thursday Night Dinner and I can tell you from experience that my daughters never missed a Thursday afternoon practice and always got to the dinner (maybe a little late).  They understood the bigger picture.  BE SMART WITH YOUR CHOICES that you make the next few months.  

THIS WEEK PRACTICE

This week we will be doing a lot of IM work early in the week and a lot of our focus will be our dolphin kicks off our walls.  Our goal is always first get to the flags, from there we  move to the 10 m mark so let's stay focus on our work around the walls this week.  I want to see a big difference at the meets the next two weeks.  Friday the afternoon groups will not need their fins as the pool will be set up for the meet.

"The Tool Box"

What is in your tool box?  You may be thinking🤔 He's lost it now, he is talking about tools.  But no you all have not made  me crazy Yet, but what I want you to think about is, how you show up at practice and with what?  Yes suits, goggles, caps and all that is fine and pretty easy, but what I am talking about are turns, streamlines, starts, finishes, underwater dolphins and good techniques.  You need to acquire all of these and put them into your tool bag so that you can pull them out when you need them.  Just showing up at practice and jumping in the pool does not accomplish this, and I was reminded of this working with the Seniors this past weekend.  We were going through the sets of fast 25's of swim and kick.  At the start I informed them that I would keep track of where they were in the set and that there whole focus was to maintain ALL OUT speed.  On two occasions a couple of them looked up and asked; How many more?  They were not paying attention to the goal of the set, and sarcastically my only response was, that is why you can't finish a race.  Mean maybe, honest absolutely and sometimes that may be what you need to hear like it or not.

What I am trying to get at is that it is just important to pay attention to the focus of the set and add that tool to your bag.  It doesn't get into the bag unless you work at it constantly not just when you want to or its uncomfortable.  At some point you will be uncomfortable in your race and you better have that good turn with fast dolphins, because I promise you your competition will.

See you at the pool!   Mike

LEARNING

Over the three day period last weekend I watched a lot of races.  One thing that I always observe is that there is always an opportunity to learn something, it never fails.  This fact is true regardless of your time or how you placed in your race.  If you want to become more proficient you need to realize this, but the question becomes, "What are you going to do when you get the information and I mean really get it?"

The first thing you need to do is get past all the emotions from your race.  The emotions that a swimmer has will always be there and they can range from elation, disappointment, frustration, and even embarrassment and that's okay.  You can use these emotions to fuel your desire to learn. When you race well and your super pumped, use that emotion to your advantage, on the other hand if you underperform use that emotion to get energized and figure out what you need to work on to be better next time out.  

The feedback and information your coaches give you is to help you as you go back and train for your next race.  It's not meant as criticism, so open your minds and learn.  Unless you use that information and I MEAN REALLY USE IT AT PRACTICE, the whole process becomes another wasted opportunity to learn and get better.  The process of learning and then using that knowledge is what fires my engine as a coach.  It's a pretty simple process, not always easy but worth it at the end of the day.

See you all Saturday.    Mike

THANKSGIVING STORY

SWIM AND ROCK REVIEW

 

If i hear YMCA🎧 again anytime soon I believe I’ll go “nuts”.  It’s ringing in my ears, and yes I know how to spell it.  We had a good weekend of racing with a large number of 11 and over’s returning for finals on Friday and Saturday.  Some of these swimmers were making their first trip to the finals for the first time and performed very well as, did all of thier Mako teammates.  The energy that you all had over the weekend was amazing to watch. It all started with the way you all handled our meet warm-up, and the way you worked with each oter as you went through it.  You may ask why I don’t run warm-ups like other coaches and the simple reason is that I wan’t YOU to take ownership of your swimming.  I also believe that one of the most important jobs I have at meets is to take the pressure off each of you and make you as comfortable as I can so you can RACE.  I can’t do that if I am acting like a traffic cop at the end of your lane.  You all also cheered for your teammates and supported each other all the way through the meet.  When things did go wrong, and they always will at some point I did not have to  deal with that “pity party”, which is a sign that you are growing as an athlete and a good person.

 

The racing in the pool was really awesome to watch, our turns look better each time we go out.  We are more aggressive around the walls both on the turns and the finishes, so your hard work is starting to show.  Our underwater off the walls will always be a work in progress as each of you become stronger and more comfortable being underwater.  The stroke look really good, although there is always work to be done, but i was really happy with the effort I saw  from all of you.  

 

We had some of you try new events and distances was great to see as that is a big part of the process in this sport.  In this sport it is always good to try new things to help yourselves become a better overall swimmer and person.  I was so proud of all you for the great TEAM and INDIVIDUAL effort this  past weekend, keep up the good work.

 

WEEK AHEAD:  Don’t forget there will be no Practice Thursday or Friday, and on Saturday practice is from 12:00-2:00.  

 

Some of you asked about doing something outside of the pool so here is a thought for you so you can get out of the house.  Take a 30 to 40 minute run where you run for 1 minute and than walk for 2 to 3.  You can also walk 2 minutes run 30 seconds, 20 pushups, 20 leg lifts, 20 squats, and back to walking.  Do this for 30 -40  minutes and that will help if you need to get out.  Actually you should do it!

 

SET OF THE WEEK:

11x 2x25 swim@30/ 4x25 kick@30 (ALL OUT KEEP THE SPEED UP). This was a mile swim.

 

This week I spent some time in the library doing some work on the computer and some light reading and came across these two stories I thought I would share with you for Thanksgiving; Enjoy and have a great Thanksgiving!

 

See you at the pool!!   Mike

 

THE SIGN

 

A Little blind boy sat on the stairs of a building, holding up a sign, “I’m blind.  Please help me!”  He even had a hat by his side , which had just a few coins.

 

While wriing last week in the library last week, I came across these two stories for a Thanksgiving thought and thought of sharing them with you all.  Happy Thanksgiving

 

After a few hours, a man came and stood beside the child.  He took out a few coins from his pocket and dropped them in the kid’s hat.  He then took the sign, turned it around and wrote a few words.  He put the sign back so that other people could read the new words.

 

The hat soon began fill up with notes and coins.  That same afternoon, the man who changed the sign came to see how things were going.  The boy recoginized the footsteps of the man and asked him “Were you the one who changed my sign board this morning?  What did you write?”  The man replied “I only wrote the truth, but in a different way.  The sign read, “Today is  a beautiful day, but I cannot see it”.

 

Both the signs meant the same.  But the firs sign implied that the boy was blind and the second sign said that people were lucky that they were not blind.  No wonder the second sign was so effective!

 

PUMKIN PIE

 

8 year old Sally lived in the countryside with her family and hardly had any visitors from ther city.  One day, Sally’s mother informed her that daddy was bringing two guests for Thanksgiving supper.  Everyone enjoyed the delicious turkey together, and now it was time for pumpkin pie.  Sally went to the kitchen to help her mother with the pie.  She proudly presented the first piece of pumpkin pie to her father,  but he passed the plate to one of the guests.  Sally came with the second slice of pie and faster gave it to another guest.  It was getting too much for little Sally, who blurted out, “It’s of no use, Father.  All the pieces are of the same size”.

THE COMFORT ZONE

We have talked at practice a lot about racing in the comfort zone and always coming up alittle short of where you expected to be.  To reach for that “GREAT RACE” you may need to step outside of your comfort zone this weekend.  If you stay in it and refuse to change anything; how can you honestly expect anything to change in your races?  Yes you may drop a little time, but all average swimmers do.  Be better than average this weekend, and strive to be great and step outside that comfort zone.  Here is a poem passed down through the years

 

“THE COMFORT ZONE"

 

I used to have a comfort zone, where I knew I couldn’t fail

But the routine and familiar walls were like a jail

I longed so much to do the things I’d never done before

But I stayed inside my comfort zone and swam the same old race.

 

I said it didn’t bother me that I wasn’t doing much

I said I didn’t care for things like self-esteem and such

I claimed to be contented with things inside my zone

But deep inside, I longed for that special race of my own.

 

I couldn’t let my life go by just watching others win

So I held my breath, and stepped outside, to let the change begin

I took that step with inner strength I’d never felt before

I kissed my comfort zone “GOODBYE”, and closed and then locked the door.

 

If you are in a comfort zone, afraid to venture out

Remember, every swimmer was once consumed with doubt

So don’t hold back—just take that step and seek those pastures new

Embrace your  races with a smile, the GREAT RACE is there for YOU!

 

 

SENIOR PREP:  We do not have practice on Thursday and I know some of you are going to get into a pool somewhere and asked what should we do.  Here is a workout for you

 

WARMUP: Do our  meet warm up, just alittle shorter (300 swim/ 4x50 free build@1:00/ 200 kick/ 3x50 kick build@1:00/ (4x50 easy/ fast—fast/easy—fast—easy 2times)

SET:  12 x25 your choice fast pace @1:00. warm down 200

 

See you Friday.    Mike

"IF IT'S TO BE, IT'S UP TO ME"

This will be a big week for us with practice and the Swim and Rock meet at Oakmarr on Friday, Saturday,and Sunday.  Some reminders about the meet that you need to be aware of:

• FRIDAY AND SATURDAY:  Prelims will be in the morning and finals at night for 11 and overs.  There will be one heat of 11-12 year olds, and 2 heats of 13-14 and 15  and overs.  It is important that you check to see if you make finals before leaving in the morning.  If you make finals you have 30 minutes to scratch with my approval.  If not YOU MUST COME BACK TO SWIM, IF YOU FAIL TO SHOW YOU WILL BE SCRATCHED FROM THE REST OF THE MEET.  It is also unsportsmanlike not to show and have an empty lane that another swimmer could have  swam in.
• SUNDAY: All events are timed finals.
• All 10 and under events are timed finals
• WARM UP TIMES: 
• Friday: 11 and overs 6:30-7:30. DISTANCE EVENTS About 11:30. Finals 5:00-5:50. You must provide your own timer and counter for the distance events.
• Saturday: 13  and overs 6:30-7:30.  11-12 year olds 11:00-12:00.  10 and under 2:25-3:05.  Finals5:15-6:15
• Sunday:  13 and overs 6:30-7:30.  11-12 year olds 11:40-12:40.  10 and under 3:30-4:10

Be on time for warm ups.  It’s not fair to jump in when we are half way through our warm-up.

 

POSITIVE CHECK IN:  Make sure you check yourselves in for events prior to warmups.  This is your responsibility!  The table should be at the deep end of the pool on the bleachers side of the pool. Don’t forget if you check in but fail to show you are scratched from your next event.

 

FINAL THOUGHT:  Come prepared not to swim, but to RACE! and have fun.

 

PAST WEEK

This past week we spent a lot of time working on what we do between the flags and the walls when we are racing.  Monday we spent time relaxing floating in the water getting more comfortable with our heads in.  We took this and worked on getting a better push off the wall with some good dolphin kicks.  In free we worked really hard on pulling with our deep arms off the walls and breathing on our 2nd or 3rd pull.

 Breaststroke we worked on stronger pull outs off every wall and this includes that 200 and 400 IM when you think your tired.  We also did a lot of work on our IM and getting in and out of those walls.  Don’t forget it’s not a turn, it’s a change of direction your doing so keep your head in line and get your hips and legs moving to the wall quickly.

 

Overall I was very happy with your work through the week, and now it’s time to take it to the pool and race this weekend.  Let’s get after it!

 

NUTRITION:  We spend a lot of time in the pool chasing our goals and as we discussed last week chasing that “GREAT RACE”, but have you ever thought about your nutrition as it relates to your swimming.  The food that you eat is just as important as what we are doing in the pool.  Think of your body as a fine tune machine like a car.  next time your in the car after a good rain or storm check out the line of cars at the car wash.  A lot of people put a lot of time, effort and money into keeping their cars looking nice, but I wonder if they put that same emphasis under the hood.  Not unlike our bodies, it is what inside that drives the engine and without the proper fuel neither machine will perform well.

 

One of the first things to remember is that eating well helps in your recovery.  This recovery time allows you to prepare for the next event and what you eat will aid you in that recovery and allow you to have a better race or practice.  The most important time for eating like a champion for an athlete are the 48 hours before an event.  But what some swimmers forget is that each day is important and they should strive to make this a life choice.  Another area in your diet you need to ask yourself is “Am i getting enough protein?"

The carbs are good for energy, but the protein will  help your muscles recover stronger after tearing them down from a workout.  You need to make sure each day your diet contains some protein.  Make your plate look like a rainbow with lots of colors on it.

 

Another area in your diet that you need to pay attention to is HYDRATION.  Swimmers do not feel themselves sweating when we are in the water, thus we do not always get enough water.  We should all have that water bottle waiting for us at the end of the pool, like a good friend, and we need to use it.  Once in a while I will check your water bottles while your in a set and I am always amazed at how little some of you drink.  Once you become dehydrated you start your body on a downward spiral, so let’s use those bottles at practice and meets

 

BREAKFAST:  Imagine your parents trying to get you to practice or a meet with no gas in the car, chances are things may not work out.  Remember we are treating your bodies like afine tune machine, and after a night of fasting your tank is running on empty, and if you show up at the pool chances are things won’t work out for you either.  Some suggestions are cereal (avoid anything with chocolate or frosting) and if your running late eat in the car.  Bread or toast would be great but make it whole wheat.  If time allows have an egg, avoid fried foods and start your day with a serving of fruit.  Take responsibility for your training and pack a little dish the night before to save time.

 

SNACKS:  Don’t forget to pack snacks the night before and what ever you do stay away from the snack bar.  Some suggestions would be cereal bars, protein shakes, yoghurt (low fat), whole wheat cereal, nuts and energy drinks (50/50 mix).

 

WHEN TO EAT:  Try to eat breakfast right after waking up, 3 hours later a healthy snack, 3 hours later lunch, 3 hours later another healthy snack, and 3 hours later dinner.

 

WEEKS TOPIC:  IF ITS’TO BE IT’S UP TO ME

Continuing from last week if YOU are to have that great race it’s up to you and no-one else.  This means that this week you need to pay a little more attention to the little things, such as nutrition, sleep and getting homework done early.  Arrive at the pool this weekend knowing what your events are and have a plan on how to swim them, and then go out and race and execute it.  It starts with a good breakfast and proper warm up.  Don’t forget that short little warmup about 20 minutes before your event.  Behind the blocks visualize your race, a great dive with a super breakout.  Set a fast pace and get to that first wall and bounce off of it feeling strong and in control.  Take control of that finish and don’t wait for the wall to come to you, it ain’t moving.  Get those fingers on the wall first!

See you at the pool.  Mike

 

 

 

GOOD versus GREAT

Okay I hear you all so lets give this a try
Practices this week: We have all our normal practices this week and the Senior prep group should be using double suits and or leggings as we get ready for the swim and rock meet.

SWIM AND ROCK MEET: 🎧November 17-19. This is a trial and final meet on Friday and Saturday. This means for the 11 and overs they bring the top swimmers back at nigh, so be sure you check in the morning before you leave to see if you are swimming in finals. If you fail to show up you are out for the rest of the meet.
POSITIVE CHECK IN: ✏️After you check in for the event you have to show, if not you are scratched from your next event.
MARLIN INVITE WRAP UP: 🏊🏽This past weekend we had a number of swimmers from our groups travel to the University of Maryland for a weekend of swimming. There were a lot of good swims throughout the weekend and feed back was given to all of you. Take that feedback to practice, and make the corrections to your events to help move forward. Some observations through the weekend that we can all work on;

• Warm Ups:⏱ Be on time. When your late it’s unfair to everyone to hope in a land when we are half way through warm ups.
• Finishes:  Still have some breathing into the wall in fly and free.  Let’s work on correcting this!  Some finishes in breast and fly are short.  Lets set up that finish and be strong and long into the wall.  Our “BIG BOY/GIRL” backstroke finishes have really improved.  Keep up the good work.
• Turns:  Our walls our getting better, but there is a lot of work to do in this area
• Breast Stroke: We are starting are pull outs a little early.  Hold your streamlines for good 3 seconds than begin that pull out especially in those longer events.
• Backstroke:  Hold onto those streamlines and use that dolphin kick especially on the last turn on the way home.
• Free:   first pull is with deep arm(nearest to the bottom), breathe on the 2nd pull to keep your momentum.

WEEKLY TOPIC: “GOOD👌🏽 versus GREAT🙌🏽"

I was thinking about these two words over the weekend as I watched some of you during your races and have not gotten these words out of my head all weekend so let’s look at them and see how they relate to your swimming. The first thing I would like to point out is that these two words have as much to do about practice as they do when your racing. As I watched the races especially the longer ones I notice that a lot of our swimmers swam next to the swimmers in other lanes, and this thought occurred to me; they are swimming because they are comfortable where they are. I talked to a couple of you about this and my suspicion was right. Since you felt good and your competition was right with you, you decided that you were having a good race. Swimming is filled with incredibly talented swimmers who never have that GREAT race. They show up, do what they do, and if it doesn’t work out, they blame it on everything else because they believe by having talent and showing up for practice/meets should be good enough. If you want to have a shot at that GREAT race, you can’t be content with “pretty good.” You need to find an extra gear and that requires a little ❤️.

It’s always easy to come up with excuses when things don’t work out, for example I took that last breath into the finish which cost me the race and a JO cut because I was tired. It becomes a lot harder when you look into a 🔍at your practice habits and are honest. Ok I breathe into the wall everyday at practice and I don’t kick off my walls, so how do I expect to do it at meets. Having a great race means dealing with reality, facing your demons and making the choice of doing things CORRECTLY during the entire practice, even if it is uncomfortable. It’s time that you make the choice that your not competing with anyone else, ever again. They’re going to have to compete with YOU on your level. You may not win all the time but, this I do know it will be more fun and interesting 😊

See you at the pool. Mike

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