REMEMBERING

 

So what does today mean to all of you?  Do you really understand or is it all about a day off from school, your pools open up, good barbecue 🍖maybe a movie day with friends.  Those of you from a military family certainly know it’s about so much more with all your sacrifices.

My father served in the NAVY during WW II and Korea and yes Josh Helms they did give those Marines rides to all those islands in the Pacific as America pushed Japan back.

Last night I spent the day at 

Arlington  cemetery where my parents are interned in the wall, and then stuck around for some of the concert.

As you stop and give a moment of remembrance to anyone who has put on a uniform I want to share a short piece from a book my father wrote to each of his 7 kids (yes molly we had 7 also). “ On December 7 when pear harbor was attacked I was a sophomore at Gonzaga High School in Washington DC. The majority of the class ended up enlisting but could not sign until the day of graduation.  I was assigned to

the USS Kitkhun Bay (CVE71) which was an escort carrier ship.  Following orders we headed westward for an assault on Peleliu.  We provided air cover for this assault and then withdrew to Manaus in the Admiralty islands to make preparations for the invasion of Leyte  and the Philippines.  After preparations we joined Admiral Sprague’s task unit, Taffy 3.

On October 20th we started launching air strikes.  On October 25th Japanese Warships were sighted on the horizon.  This was a sight to behold as it took us completely by surprised, to see those Rising Sun Flags from those warships was frightening. Not designed to exchange gunfire with surface ships, we launched what planes we could and turned southward behind a screen of smoke. The battle lasted over three hours into the night. The final phase of the battle was the retaliatory air strikes by both sides.  We splashed a suicidal Japanese Bomber, but had been hit on the port catwalk by another bomber killing one man, and injuring 16  this was the first time during the war that the Japanese resorted to using kamikaze attack.”

There would be other engagements but the one in Luzon was the most costly when a Japanese plane got through and hit the port side at the waterline and about the same time a five inch shell hit the starboard side.  Many sailors were killed and injured and the boat began listing to one side and the captain order them to abandon ship. My dad and minimum crew stayed aboard and were able to save the ship and get her back to port.

For my dad WW II ended with him assigned to Admiral Halsey and the task force off the coast of Japan as America planned for the invasion that was not to come.

Today as you go about your day stop and reflect on the sacrifices that so many have made to allow you the freedoms you have.

THIS WEEK TOPIC

The question that always comes up this time of year is, How many days should I train this upcoming season?  Should you give up other sports and activities?  Should I sacrifice more social time with family and friends?  These are questions have been around for a long time  (longer than myself) and sometimes they are hard to navigate. 

There are no short supplies from coaches regarding this issue and I’m sure that my opinion is different than some other coaches but it is my opinion so it’s not wrong. Other coaches who have different opinions are not wrong either it’s their opinion.    

I will give you reasons for my opinion and what I what you to do is form your own opinion on what works for you and your families. I am help and guide you just reach out. 

First and foremost you need to ask yourself this one question, Why do I want to increase the number of training days?   Are your answers short term reasons or long term reasons?  Are you just adding time to hang out or is the time going to be used wisely?  Lots to think about here.  

I believe burnout is just as important to consider as potential growth here. We will all have those days when it’s hard to go to practice, but when you need to take a step back and look at things is when you start finding yourself too tired to do homework, or are you missing a lot of social activities, or is every single practice a struggle.  It’s all a balancing act like life not much different than a teeter totter .

Something all swimmers will run into is that dreadful plateau that can last anywhere from one meet, to several meets or maybe a season or longer.  Never had a plateau, well than your a lucking one.  As you add more time in the pool before HS you get closer and closer to that plateau.  Stop and 🤔 think how can I get faster if I’ve already maxed out my days?  The answer my friends is supplementing your swimming with strength training (swimming specific).  We can always add more pool time when your older.

I would never want to hold you back, but be smart and specific when making these decisions.  Don’t just throw it at the wall and see what sticks.

No set of the week we will continue this week and throughout the summer.

WINNING THE DAY

 

Make your bed.  

Sometimes human nature takes hold of our swimming and we get caught looking so far ahead that we forget to focus on the task at hand.

All swimmers want a best time as they step up onto the blocks, but how many of those swimmers are willing to put that effort into each set with focus and determination.

Swimmers know the "RIGHT" way to practice but because it is uncomfortable they choose to take shortcuts such as;

THE BAKERS DOZEN 

1. Not being prepared when you walk onto the deck.
2. Breathing off the walls.
3. Weak streamlines or none at all.
4. No underwater dolphins
5. Leaving the wall on your stomach instead of the ready position. (your practicing 5 turns here)
6. Weak turns.m
7. Coasting to the wall.  Not finishing strong.
8. Making excuses.  (all they are is a made up reason to fail to make you FEEL better)
9. Laziness
10. Carelessness
11. Lack of interest in the details of the set
12. Improper warm up/warm down
13. Lack of respect for the coach and teammates

To WIN that big race at the end of the year, you first have to win the day and each day after that.  Winning the day is about having the right mindset and being focused on the task at hand and putting forth your best effort in completing the task properly with no shortcuts.  It's about accomplishing all those small daily goals and by accomplishing that you are investing in your swimming and that Big Meet.

Have the mindset to do every set/repeat regardless of how hard it is, to the best of your ability.  Excellence occurs when you take care of all the small things practice after practice.  Excellence is in the details.  "Be invested, because when you love the process, you'll love what the process does for you."  But remember "make your bed and you've accomplished the first task of the day

SET OF THE WEEK

Breaststroke stroke count

16x25 strong pull out take 1 breaststroke pull finish free. Add a stroke on the 2nd and keep adding on each  25 until you reach the wall.  Once you reach the wall you have to hold that stroke count on each 25 remaining.  

4x50 alternating 50 back/breast and 50 breast/free. You must hold your stroke counts on the odd ones and try to reduce it by one on the even ones.

1x00 50 kick with boards/ 50 free

AM I COACHABLE

 

So, what does it mean to be coachable and what does that mean?  All swimmers out there want to be GREAT, have good races with fast times, but in retrospect do they approach every practice with that same thought.     I am not going to use percentages here, but I suspect that more swimmers fall into the category of not practicing in such a way as to be successful.

The numbers of swimmers out there that come to practice day after day with this singular goal in their heads, "I will be the best version of

myself today" sadly is very small.  In other words they "talk the talk, but don't walk the walk.

"It doesn't matter how talented you are, if you don't work hard, welcome feedback, and LISTEN to your coaches you will never reach your true potential.  To be a coachable swimmer you walk onto the pool deck with a purpose, you are committed to your own progress and development.  Listening is a big part of being coachable and no matter how good you think you are, you can always be better but sometimes we let our EGOS get in the way.  We think we are to good to learn anything from anyone.

Coaches want the best for you and are working with you so that you can be successful and reach your true potential in the sport.  The feedback that they give you is important for your development and it is not meant to be criticism and it is important that you see it for what it is and don't take it personally.  never assume that you are perfect and know better.  

10 TRAITS OF A COACHABLE ATHLETE: (Allistair McCaw from habits that make a champion)

1. You take responsibility for your progress.
2. You are open-minded and curious
3. You continually want to improve
4. You listen and welcome feedback
5. You have humility
6. You have self-awareness 
7. You are respectful of others
8. You are not afraid to try new things
9. You are grateful for the help
10. You are committed to your progress

The choice is your to what type of swimmer you want to be.

SET OF THE WEEK. (This was a challenge set that we will keep doing until we master it.)

Challenge sets are used during practice to simulate the intensity of a race.  The three BIG things to do during a challenge set are;

• REMAIN CALM--above all this can Uber your best friend.
• THE END IS IN SIGHT--this set will end eventually.  Don't worry about what is ahead and instead focus on the task ahead.
• KEEP TRACK OF YOUR SPLITS--keeping pace is a great way to push through the pain.  Keep tally off your splits.  Seeing the repeated time on a clock allows you to fall into a rhythm and making the set easier.

THE SET 4 ROUNDS (800 meters/15 minutes)

3X50'S @45

1x50 @1:30 active recovery swim

Each round represents one 50 of a 200 swim.  On round 1 we wanted to get out strong and controlled and be consistent with our time on all 3 50's.  The second and third round we wanted to hold the same time about 2 seconds off the first round.  The 4th round we are trying to have the same time or faster and hold all 3.

WHAT NOW

 

This is the time of year where we are transiting between a lot of things in all of our lives.  In our academics we are getting ready for that final push towards our final exams which I am sure will go well since we have been preparing all year, right ?

Swimming also brings new possibilities with some of you getting ready for long course competition and others looking forward to going back to your summer watering holes and renewing those relationships and where it all began.

As we wrap up our journey during this short course season I would like to thank all of you for showing up each and every day, making the sacrifices throughout the season, and for the hard work you put in during our training sessions and also at our competitions.  I hope that all of you achieved some if not all of your goals and expectations during the year.  Remember that your journey is long and there are always new things to learn, new goals to set and always fast times ahead.  See you down the lane.

LAST WORKOUT  BEFORE GOING OUTSIDE

WARM UP 

400 MIXER (200free/200 back)

600 Mix done as following

8 rounds

    (50 free to back @1:00. fast turns)

    (25 fast kick @30 with boards)

400 IM mixer done as

4x (round 1&3 IMO. rounds 2&4 reverse IMO) WHY? so we can double up on fly

   4x25 IMO @25 UWD to 10 meter mark on all

   rest :20 between each round and drink

1x100 fast IM

100 social kick smooth

RELAYS. 20 MINUTES

BEAT THE CLOCK.  CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH GOOD NUMBERS

 1X50 ALL OUT FREE (LOOK AT GREEN CLOCK TO GET TIME)

20X50 ALL OUT FREE FAST AND HARD WITH FINS.  BEAT THE TIME FROM ABOVE

(GO WHEN CLOCK RESETS)

SWIM DOWN 100 BACK

Healthy Summer Smoothie 

Ingredients 

• 1 banana 
• 1 cup frozen strawberries 🍓 
• 1 cup frozen blueberries 
• 1 cup frozen cherries 🍒 
• 4 ice cubes
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 3/4 cup vanilla yogurt 

makes 4 servings

• Calories 139
• fat 1g
• carbs 31g
• protein 4 g

enjoy on those hot days 

Something to think about as you prepare for your upcoming season and how you approach the mental side of your swimming which is as important as the work you do in the pool.

How is your mental side of swimming?  Start by answering these questions;

Do you perform consistently better in practice but not at meets?

Does your confidence waver easily from race to race, meet to meet?

Does your  confidence wavier with a bigger "NAME MEET"?  It's only a meet!

Do you get easily distracted at practice or at meets?

Do you get frustrated or self-critical after a bad swim?

Do you feel pressure to swim well for parents, coaches or teammates?

Ha ve your parents print the following survey out.  You fill it out and bring it back to me.  we can help you so much h more if we know where you are mentally.  BE HONEST. There are no wrong or right answers.  All of you are individuals with your own identities.

NAME___________________________.     BIGGEST SWIMMING STRENGTH______________________.     BIGGEST WEAKNESS______________________

Directions: Check off all statements that apply to your situation.

☐ You do not have specific goals to accomplish or goals to help you improve.

☐ You typically perform better in practice than during competition.

☐ You worry too much about what others think about you or your performance.

☐ You have self-doubts (question your ability) about your sport before or during competition. 

☐ You worry about letting down others if you don’t perform to others’ expectations.

☐ You think too much about disappointing your parents or a coach while performing.

☐ You feel anxious, worried, or tight/tense when in competition.

☐ Pre-game “jitters” or butterflies don’t go away after the start of competition.

☐ You are afraid to mess up or lose and it hurts your performance in competition.

☐ You worry about losing friends or other being jealous if you are successful in sports.

☐ You are not sure why you play your sport or you play to please others.

☐ You are motivated by rewards such as trophies, recognition, or praise from others.

☐ You worry that others will not like you as a person if you lose or don’t perform well.

☐ You lose focus or become distracted when under pressure or during a close game.

☐ Your have trouble getting focused and mentally prepared before competition.

☐ You have trouble getting pumped up and focused to perform your best in competition.

☐ You are too excited and feel nervous to perform your best in competition.

☐ You are distracted by things that go on around you when you compete or practice.

☐ You have negative thoughts about your performance before, during, or after competition. ☐ You cannot perform as well as you did after an injury because of loss of confidence.

☐ When performing well, you just try to hold on to the lead and worry about messing up.

☐ You become frustrated easily because you expert to perform great or win all the time.

☐ You cannot perform easily (or trust in your skills) during pressure moments.

☐ You worry about having good form or technique while competing.

☐ You do not concentrate in the moment and focus too much on winning or the score.

☐ You worry about how others will think or say after competition if you lose.

☐ You think too much about how to correct your mistakes after you mess up.

☐ You have low self-confidence or belief in your physical ability or skills.

☐ You call yourself negative names/labels, such as “I am a choker,” which hurts confidence. ☐ You have trouble forgetting or letting go of mistakes or poor performances.

☐ You become angry or frustrated during competition and it hurts your performance.

☐ You are often disappointed with your game or performance and wish it were better.

☐ You want to be the best at your sport or want to know how to improve your mental game.