TIME FOR A REST

 

So now what?  The last, meet, the last cheer, the last race is over for this season.  The times are recorded and in the books and the medals and ribbons have all been passed out. 

The season that you've just completed was not only about the races-- it was about much more even thou you may not realize it at this exact moment.  It was all about building relationships and creating memories long after the races fade with time.

It's was also about building the swimmer and person you want to become.  You learned how to train hard and trust that training in competition.  It was about learning how to celebrate your wins (big or small) and how to bounce back after suffering setbacks.   It was about showing up with a purpose.

What You Should Be Proud Of:

• Your Consistency-- showing up on those days you were tired.  Going hard during sets when you were exhausted.
• Your Courage-- going outside your comfort zone and racing an event that struck fear in your heart.  Pushing past your comfort zone and trying new skills.
• Your Growth--stronger streamlines, stronger and faster turns, improved race strategies with better pacing.

I know it is hard sometimes to step back and take a break from activities.  Now is the time to be proud of everything you accomplished this year and treat yourself to a small break.  Enjoy your vacations with your family and enjoying hanging out with friends.  Reflect on the past year and how far you have come not only as a swimmer but a young person.  Celebrate that.

Use the next few weeks to start preparing for the upcoming academic year.  It will be here before you know it.  Don't wait until that Sunday night.  Success starts with preparation.

As for your swimming start looking at setting up some goals for the upcoming season both time base and non-time base.  Ask yourself these two questions' 

1) What areas do I want to work on?

2) What is my major weakness?

In a couple of weeks we will post some things here to help you prepare for that next season.

As for now rest. Recharge. Enjoy your break.  And when you get back, we'll build something stronger and better--together. 

BEHIND THE BEST TIMES

 "Swim your own race.  Be in competition with no one but yourself."

The best times in swimming come from a mix of physical, technical, and  mental factors working together.  There's no magic ingredient-- you hit your peak performance when all these systems align.

Let's dive into what actually drives best times;

• Stroke efficiency-- DPS is one of the strongest predictors of your race performance.  You must be able to hold that DPS at high stroke rates and when fatigue.  This comes from consistency in practice.  Pretty simple stuff. Right.
• Stroke rate-- Speed= stroke rate+ distance per stroke.  Learn to push your stroke rate up without losing DPS.  Critical for sprinters.
• Starts and turns-- Explosive starts and turns are where you can outperform your competition in races.  You might not be able to win races here but you can definitely lose a race or swim harder to come from behind.
• Lower body power-- Don't be lazy in your kick sets in practice.  Strong legs drive starts, turns and that sprint to the wall.
• Swimming velocity-- faster top end speed is a key factor in your race performance.  This all means you need several race strategies depending on the event you are swimming.

MAKING PROGRESS TOWARDS YOUR BEST TIMES

Progress is not magical its takes commitment, dedication and focus.  Focusing on the drills and your technique during workout is critical especially at a young age.  The reason is simple because progress towards those best times will begin as you get faster and older.  Performing each set and repeat with a purpose will keep you on track for those best times.

Know how to pace the event your racing in and don't be afraid to challenge yourself somewhere in the race.  Have the confidence in the event your racing and be the swimmer you've trained to be.  Focus on the the execution of your race.

SET OF THE WEEK: DIVISIONALS  this was Tuesday 

meet warm up

4x50 free @1:00 descend to fast

4x25 kick @40 descend to fast

4x50 @1:10 (IMO/free or stroke /free)

SPEED DRILL 16X25 (4SETS OF 4)  swim the stroke your swimming Saturday and stay with each stroke thru each round

 3x25 spin drills @45

1x25 fast stroke @45

rest 15 between each round.

Back shoulders up arm tempo

Breast and Fly with free kick

Free head up and steady

swim down

IM SWIMMERS 3 rounds on me

25 fly

50 fly to back

25 breast

50 back to breast

25 free

50 breast to free

swim down

TRIVIA TIME

Last week’s answer: When the league started the first difference from today and then was that the 8 and under's did not swim fly.   There were also only 12 swimmers who qualified in each event.  The 13-14 and 15 -17 age group (yes it was 17) all swam 100's at divisional's and all stars.  And yes I had to do those 100's.

 THE CROSSOVER TURN.  ( some people have asked). 

B

Before you use this remember on race day be the swimmer you’ve trained to be.  

WHEN THE LIGHTS COME ON

 "Keep your face always toward the sunshine--and shadows will fall behind you."

You ever had one of those days where everything lines up or a swim meet where every race it seems like everything just seems to go off without a hitch.  My little swimmers that’s when the lights go off in your head and you begin to believe that when you work hard, pay attention to the little things during practice the process will come together on race day. 

As you begin to head into the last weeks of your season begin to lock in to the little things during practice that will pay big dividends during championship week.  You know what they are;

• starts

• streamlines
• strong breakouts
• strong kick
• fast turns 
• big finishes 

Coaches say when the lights on it refers to that mental shift from preparation to performance.  It's the moment the meet begins, your name is called, and it's time to trust your training instead of thinking about every detail.

• TRUST THE WORK.  You've already done the hard training.  Race day is about executing, not overanalyzing.
• EMBRACE THE PRESSURE.  The "lights" aren't something to fear--they're an opportunity to show what you've prepared for.
• STAY IN THE PRESENT.  Focus on your race plan and what you need to accomplish: the start, underwater kicks, turns, finish.  Don't worry about times until your fingers touch the wall and the task at hand is complete.
• RACE WITH CONFIDENCE.  The goal is to be aggressive and enjoy the challenge.

When those lights go on, don’t try to become a different swimmer.  Be the swimmer you’ve trained to be.  Trust your preparation, race with confidence, and let your hard work shine.   The lights do not make the swimmer they only reveal the swimmer that’s already there. 

SWIM SET OF THE WEEK

FRIDAY JULY 3. Annual dolphin triathlon 

500 swim (rules no flip turns. Odd lengths breathe head up)

2.0 run

500 kick (replaces the bike)

TRIVIA CORNER

LAST WEEKS QUESTION WAS: how was swimming different 250 years ago?

Most people could not swim and those that did swam out of necessity rather than for leisure or sport.  In the colonies swimming was done as a vital combat skill for scouting or retrieving equipment.  However, Native Americans were know for their aquatic skills.

This weeks question. How did NVSL DIVISIONAL meets differ in the 1970’s from today?

YOUR PATH

" Everything you've ever wanted is on the other side of fear."

 What is your swimming path?  What are your goals?  Your aspirations?  Your dreams?  Your practice habits?  Your work ethic?

Your swimming comes down to writing your own story and not someone else's story.  The story you write on your curiosity, experience, goals and aspirations which may be different from swimmer to swimmer.

There are many "WINS" involved with swimming and these wins differ from swimmer to swimmer.  A lifetime personal best may be a huge win for most swimmers while just winning a heat or event might be huge for others depending on their path for that race.  Then their are swimmers who try a new event/distance and finishing with good technique under fatigue.  A big win might also come in practice with a great set with great effort all the way through.  Then there are those wins when you walk away feeling good about the improvements/strides your making in starts, turns, breakouts, kick, finishes and race strategies.

Swimmers also thrive on many things.  It could be the thrill of competition and racing that they are looking forward to or it may be all the fun things that happen in swimming.  It could be the joy of jumping

into that water and letting it engulf where you feel like you have super powers as you move through that quiet atmosphere.

Your mindset will also have a direct impact on your journey down the path in your swimming.  You have probably already discovered that competition brings with it the "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" and you need to grow emotionally and confident as you go down your path.  

These paths aren't separate, they're parallel paths and need to move in the same direction on the way to your destination.

FAVORITE SET FROM LAST WEEK 

MEET WARM UP (THE USUAL)

4x50 free @1:00

4x25 kick @40 descend 

4x50 stroke/free @1:10

BREATH CONTROL SET on coaches whistles 

 

3x25 free (breathe every 2/ every 3 and every 4) + 1x25 fly fast from a start

3x25 free (breathe every 3/ every 4/ and every 5) + 1x25 fly fast from a start

3x25 free (breathe every 4/ every 5/ and every 6) + 1x 25 fly fast from a start 

HUMP DAY SET (back and fliers stay in competition pool. Breaststrokes go to trap pool)

200 of stroke you picked (focus on smooth and long + strong turns

3x25 sprint stroke from a start walk around

150 of your stroke same as above but more effort

2x25 sprint stroke from a start walk around

100 of your stroke same as above but get I to race speed on back 50

1x25 sprint stroke from a start walk around 

Everyone to competition pool deep end for a 5 minute treading water

NUTRITION CORNER--"THE BREAKFAST of CHAMPIONS"

• THE CLASSSIC--A plain bagel or slice of white toast with a thin layer of peanut butter or almond butter topped with sliced bananas.
• THE WARM BOWL--Instant oatmeal or low-fiber cereal made with low-fat milk, topped with some kind of fruit.
• THE POWER COMBO-- Scrambled eggs with a side of fruit and a slice of whole wheat or white toast.
• FOR NERVOUS SWIMMERS-- A fruit and yogurt smoothie with a handful of oats blended in.

TRIVIA CORNER 

Last week’s answer— the average strong swimmer can swim at a 1.0–1.2 miles per hour which is equivalent to 2000-3000 meters an hour.

In honor of AMERICA 250 this week’s question is, how was swimming different in 1776 than it is today in 2026? 

WE GOT OUR FEET WET

 "Summer is about to get funner; just add water."

First week jitters are out of the way and now we can really focus on this short summer season.  Hopefully most of your races went well last week although I’m sure a few of us probably got punched in the face with a little reality.  It’s okay because if your reading this you got back up and you live on to race another day.   One day, one meet, one race does not define you.

Summer league warmups are like a roaring stampede for 20 minutes and what are we really accomplishing during this madness.  First off as our swimmers started we told them to make sure there is water in the pool, the lane lines are in, the flags are up and lets not forget two walls (start and turns) and at the end end of warmups if we have all that, we can race with anyone.  

where there mis-steps once the meet started, absolutely, but hey that's life throwing us a lesson to learn from.  One of the best lines from yesterday was, "My Goggles Betrayed Me".  Coach Mike they were fine and all I had was "until the beep."  Another one was "My Turn" and I said was it was the turn that wasn't.  We know what we did so lets work on it this week.  The very last one was that "the water felt extra thick" well than that was a truly awesome effort because you moved through it with relative ease.

Every athlete has low and high points and the best part of just being an athlete is the fact that your glow-up meet is coming and your revenge race is loading as we speak, your moment is imminent and yes we still have practice tomorrow with all those kick sets.

Summer league is a very short season but the lessons and the memories will last you a lifetime.  Keep showing up and encouraging your teammates because your next breakthrough might be waiting with the next race and one encouraging word to a teammate may help them breakthrough on their next week. 

NUTRITION CORNER 

As you are running around and making memories at your summer meets always remember to fuel your body and hydrate to keep your energy up and wear sunscreen.    

SPEED TECHNIQUE SET FROM LAST WEEK

3 rounds of 4

12x25 (dolphin turn 25)

4 cones are at all 10 meter marks from each wall

Swim into wall turn. Fast turn +3 fast strokes smooth to next cone. Stay with same stroke for a set of 4 than you may switch strokes.  Into the wall is fast always.

MOVE TO OTHER POOL AND SPREAD OUT

LOCK IN YOUR STREAMLINES AND ON WHISTLE  GO DOWN AND EXPLODE OFF THE BOTTOM.  HOW HIGH CAN YOU GO? Let? Do 5 good ones. Rest 20 seconds.  We go thru this 5 times

Move to other pool in deep end lanes 1  and 6 

3 running steps and explode into a dive and swim fast free.  FEEL THE BODY MOVEMENT OFF THE DIVE.

TRIVIA ANSWER:  A NVSL meet has 420 total points up for grab.  First place =5.  Second place =3  

Third place =1.  Relay =5 points for the win.  Every team sets out in the morning to get to the magic number of 210.5 which will give them the win.

TRIVIA QUESTION FOR THE WEEK: How fast (MPH) does the average strong swimmer swim?

RACE TIME

 

As you are heading over to the clerk of course this Saturday for your team's first meet of the summer, remember you've already done the hard work and now it's time to kick back hang out with your teammates and friends and cheer for them as they race.  Summer league is always full of surprises, it's fast, fun with cheers, dress ups and of course that team lunch at the end of the day.  Make your first meet unforgettable.

This first meet will help set the tone for your future races.  Remember to control the controllables.  Swim your race not the person next to you.  One race, one stroke at a time.  Stay calm, but sharp and ready to race.  Activate your muscles and get your heart rate up.

While we know times are important remember summer league is about scoring points for the team.  Do your job and have fun this weekend.

NUTRITION CORNER

Your stomach should feel light but not empty.  Fuel your muscles!  Some meet snacks: crackers, pretzels, fruit,  and applesauce.

Don't forget to hydrate early and often.

WORKOUT SET OF THE WEEK:

MEET WARM UP :  (FOR ALL AGE GROUPS)

MAIN SET  (3 rounds )

Focus here is race skills

• starts
• streamlines
• breakouts
• turns
• finishes

4x50 (descend 1-4) start smooth with tight stream and finish fast

4x25 kick race tempo kick

4x25 breakout + 8-10 fast strokes

GET OUT WALK AROUND BOTH POOLS AND TALK WITH EACH OTHER (NO PHONES)

This set helps us with our confidence for the end of the week and the meet on Saturday.

TRIVIA MAIL BOX

Last weeks answer

Freestyle is an official stroke but you may swim it any way you wish.  The exception is in a relay or IM you cannot repeat any previous stroke.

This weeks question:   In the NVSL how many points are available to score and what is the magic number for every team to get to?  

RESETTING

 "Breathe in confidence, breathe out doubt."

As all of you head off to your team time trails this weekend and into your first meets let’s spend this one on how to RESET after a unusually tough outing.

A bad workout or race will happen to all of us at some point and as you age these moments seem to happen more and more.  It happens to all athletes across all the sports and no one is safe from those moments.  It all comes down to how do you respond when those moments smack you down.

The first thing that you need to do is: acknowledge that it will happen and develop a plan to deal with those moments.  Your frustrated and that makes sense.  It was a tough set or race and it's okay to feel the way you do.  Everyone has off days and those moments don't define you and they don't make you a bad swimmer.

The next thing you should do is to redirect your focus on the things you can control (the past is the past).

History teaches us that is important to learn from the past or it will keep repeating itself.  Take one thing from the moment and decide to work on that and make it better such as;

• first three strokes
• stronger streamlines
• breathing
• finishing kick
• pacing strategy

Look at the moment, don't be overwhelmed or get to emotional and make a mental checklist and then get get to work.  It becomes easier to reset when the targets are small and specific.  The smallest success allows you to hit that reset button sooner than later.

Talking to yourself positively  will help you build a resilience to moments like this in your swimming, phrases such as;

• "One race doesn't beat me."
• "I can fix one thing and be better."
• "I can get better by trying again."
• "I'm learning, not losing."

Put these in your self talks with yourself. In closing try this after a tough race.  Go to the swim down pool and come up with a 30 second  Reset Routine before talking to anybody.

1. Breathe ( take a few dep breaths and do a 10 second exhale)
2. Shake it Out (arms-shoulders-legs-neck/head)
3. Choose One Fix (take one thing, don't try to fix everything at one time)
4. Try Once Again ( same event one perfect lap and walk away)

Sometimes your effort means more than the time.  Your always learning so that you may come out stronger at the next opportunity.  Your a good swimmer it was just a tough moment.

NUTRITION CORNER

Strawberry Banana Swim Fuel Shake--It's fun, easy to make, easy on the stomach and great for recovery INGREDIENTS;

• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 cup milk/oat/or almond milk
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon of nuts/almonds or wheat germ (optional)

SET of Week (for our 11-12 year olds)

WARM UP 2x2x2

2x100 mix (50free/50 kick boards/ 50 back/ 50 kick no boards)

2x25 kick fast boards

2x50 (first one build to fast/ 2nd one all fast)

TECHNIQUE BLOCK (20 MINUTES)

2 ROUNDS

8x25 back (odds back focus on rotation/  evens breast 15m corners then 4-5 hard strokes to wall)

4x50 ( odds back  evens breast with 2 hand touches+strong pull outs)

STARTS (back and breast)

BACK- explode and get your rear ends up hold your streamlines +3

BREAST--lock in your streamlines 3-2-1 and explode into those pullouts + 3 stroke

GAME BEAT THE COACH

TRIVIA MAILBOX

Last week answer:  breaststroke

This weeks question: Is freestyle really an official stroke?

OWN YOUR TRAINING

 

Are you a passenger in your swimming or are you the driver of your own swimming?  Think about that question for a few minutes and then put your thoughts down on paper where you can actually see what you do during a week in your busy life.  Set up two columns with the headings passenger and driver and start penciling things that you do and which column they fall under.

The magic in your swimming truly occurs when YOU take responsibility for your preparation, attitude, effort and your goals and not because a coach or a parent tells you to, but because YOU choose to.

When you move from being a passenger to the driver you begin to tke charge of the things you control every day, your effort, your habits (in and out of the pool), and your mindset.  You flip that switch from "Coach told me to" to "I choose to."

We've talked about it before but here are five ways that you can take ownership of your swimming.  Here are five things to adjust as you move into that drivers seat to get ready.

*Setting personal goals--You will choose your goals.  They will probably center around times but should also be built around technique targets, race strategies, nutrition, sleep habits, hydration.  Setting goals will build your motivation far more than any pep talk or cheer will.

*Tracking progress--Writing down your goals will hold you accountable to yourself and will help you see improvement as your driving.

*Consistent effort-- The daily grind is where the ownership truly shows up.  Being on time, warmups with a purpose, sets done correctly and hard sets attacked with intention.

*Managing your emotions--Instead of making excuses or playing the blame game, learn to own the situation, reset, refocus, and respond like a true competitive athlete.

*Preparing like a pro--Pack your bags. Have all your equipment pool side. Have your water bottle and use it. Warmup and swim down correctly. Eat properly.  Get adequate sleep and recovery.

The three pillars of owning your swimming are:

1. Responsibility

"I control my choices."
This includes your effort, your attitude and how you respond to your workouts/races and challenges.

2. Curiosity
"What can I learn today?"
Seek feedback after you races and take the feedback back to workouts.  Step outside of your comfort zone during workouts and races and see what happens.

3. Resilience
"I bounce back."
You will encounter pitfalls in your swimming, bad sets, bad races, and bad days happen.  Don't hide from them, learn from them and grow as a swimmer.

Final message to all of you.  Owning your swimming means you decide the kind of swimmer you want to be.  You choose your effort.  You choose your attitude.  You choose how you respond to all the noise.  When you become the driver of your swimming you are deciding on your destination and how your going to arrive at that destination and ultimately the success you will have

Summer swim set we did this week (45 minutes)

4x4x4

4x100 free @2:00/1:50/1:40/2:30

4x25 kick @40 (all fast 10m to walls)

4x50 @1:00 free to back (minimum 3 dolphins off turns) lock in those streamlines

TIME TO FLY WITH FINS 4x4x25 fly @40 (rest extra 20 after each round)

#1 is chest press position 11 with arms

#2 R arm only (this is not free)

#3 L arm only

#4 full stroke fly

do not rush these drills feel the rhythm of your body and the stroke.

Speed set

2x25 kick fast @35

1x50 fast free @1:20 (no more than 3 breaths first 25)

dolphin bonding in shallow end

5:00 minutes streamline jumps (explode off the bottom and Lock in those streamlines)

(20 on/20 rest)

Last week's trivia answer---President Gerald Ford.

This Week's question--- What stroke used to be swum mostly underwater until the rules changed?

WINNING OUT OF THE POOL

"A pool is 25 yards/meters or 50 meters long, but the race is won in that little space between your ears."

 You've just finished your race and your eyes immediately look towards the scoreboard and your time.  If your like a lot of young swimmers you think that time is the result of the work you have done in the pool during practice.  That is only a piece of the total picture you are creating on the canvas.

Those swimmers who are truly successful are built by what they do outside the pool just as much as what they do in it.  The week has 168 hours in it and most of you are in the pool 8-12 hours a week depending on how many days you swim a week.  That leaves you with anywhere from 156-160 hours away from the pool and those hours are what I refer to as "winning out of the pool."

I like to think of 5 areas where a swimmer can win away from the pool; life habits, character, mindset, nutrition, recovery, and mindset.

LIFE HABITS-- If your organized your life is less chaotic including your swimming.

• school work organized, homework done, projects are being done=less stress
• show up ready and be ready on time to begin
• pack your bag the night before
• keep gear ready/clean/ have extras
• respectful, coachable, consistent

MINDSET--Winning starts before you step up on starting blocks.

• positive thoughts/and self talk
• what's your focus today
• turn mistakes into a learning opportunity
• "strong finishers think strong first"

NUTRITION-- "Fuel your body like you want to perform"

• balanced meals: protein+ carbs+ produce+ healthy fats.
• smart snacks: yogurt + fruit + granola bars + pretzels + trail mix
• limit those sugary drinks/ energy drinks (50/50 mix)
• hydration starts early in the day

RECOVERY--"Fast swimmers aren't tired swimmers."

• proper sleep: 8-10 hours
• bedtime consistency (on weekends too)
• HYDRATE throughout the day
• post workout fuel
• recovery is a skill--practice it

CHARACTER--"Fast is fun.  Character is your true identity."

• honest effort (its a choice)
• discipline over easy/convenience
• own mistakes
• support group/teammates
• lead by example

MAKO SET OF THE WEEK

This set was what  I call a technique reset +speed set to wrap up our short course season.

6x25 @30 fly fins (#1= right arm. #2= left arm. #3 = full stroke strong x2) 

1x50 @1:00 fly fast

Rest 15 hydrate

6x25 back fins @30 (#1 =right arm   #2= left arm. #3= full stroke x2) 

1x50 @1:00 fly to back fast

1x50 @1:00 back fast

Rest 15 fins off hydrate

6x25 breast @35 (#1= pull kick kick. #2= full cycle +3 seconds =3 full breaststroke fast hands forward and get flat before next cycle.

1x50 @1:00 fly to back fast

1x50 @1:00 back to breast fast

1x50 @100 breast fast

Rest 15 hydrate

6x25 free@30 catch up high elbow recovery

4x50 @1:00 IM

TRIVIAL MAILBOX

Last week’s answer— A cannonball 

This week question:  What president had an outdoor pool installed at the White House in 1975?

BODY LANGUAGE SCREAMS

“Body language is more powerful than words.”

 When you walk onto the pool deck your body language says everything about how your workout or competition will unfold a lot of the time.

“Your body language doesn’t talk; it screams.”  We all know how a positive relationship affects our daily lives, so now I want you to take a moment and think about how you can foster a positive relationship between your mind and body and how that will help in your swimming.  Your body language and the way you behave and perform are a direct result of your thinking.

Your thoughts will determine how you feel during workouts and competition and those feelings will go a long way in determining how you perform.  It can either raise your energy and confidence or lower it.

SWIMMERS BODY LANGUAGE + PERFORMANCE CHECKLIST 

LOOK FOR;

• Tall posture vs.slumped shoulders
• Eyes up vs. eyes down
• Ready stance vs. dragging feet
• Engaged face vs. blank/frustrated look open chest/arms vs. closed off posture.

WHY IT MATTERS:

• Confidence: strong posture boosts readiness and self-belief
• Stress Response: closed posture increases tension and negative self-talk
• Learning: engaged posture = better attention and faster skills improvement 
• Team Energy:  body language spreads—good or bad
• Race Posture: opponents read posture behind the blocks

FAST CUES TO USE ON DECK

• Stand tall—show me you’re ready
• Eyes up— stay in the set/race
• Walk like the swimmer you want to be
• Reset your posture—new rep, new set, new race = new mindset
• Strong mind, strong body

Your habits will make you or they will break you.  We talk about controlling what you can control.  Body language is something that is very much in your control.

SET OF THE WEEK

4 ROUNDS

6x25 @30 (1&2 breakout +3/ 3&4 mid pool speed/ 5&6 finish last 10 strong)

1x50 @1:30 all out sprint ( Put it all together)

This is a set that is all about racing and doing the little things correctly.  We actually do this set every Thursday in the summer as we prepare for our meets.   We typically will split the lanes and work from both ends so everyone can swim hard to the wall.  We always start each round with a dive. 

NUTRITION CORNER

Swimmers burn a lot—spring lunches often need bonus calories.  Below are some suggestions.

• Applesauce pouch
• Banana
• Trail mix
• Greek yogurt
• Pretzels
•  Nut-free granola bar

Always remember to hydrate often and before your thirsty.

TRIVIA MAILBOX

Last week answer—RESILIENCE 

This week’s question: What do swimmers call a giant feet-first splash?

Don’t forget today is the last day for short course practice for the afternoon groups.  They flip the pool tomorrow for the long course part of our season.  I need to find a scooter 🛴.

RECOMMENDATIONS 26-27

 

That time of the year again, where we as coaches need to make recommendations for swimmers next year.  Before I even start let me say that these are only recommendations based on our professional opinion and while you may disagree it is our opinion.   If you disagree let's have that conversation but not through an e-mail.  Contact me and we can meet at any time at Mason and talk through the recommendation.

I'm just going to say this, just because a swimmer thinks they should move up doesn't mean it oughta happen at he end of the year.  There are many factors that are involved and it's not all about speed.  Meet times are important but there are other factors in the process for age group swimming, and let's be clear on this point, Age Group Swimming is 14 and under (14 and under Championships).

Here are some factors that I look at for each swimmer in the Junior Gold and Senior Prep Groups.  These are designed for our top competitive groups for ages 9-14 (15).

ATTENDANCE:  Is the swimmer being consistent with being at practice.  Is the swimmer both physically and mentally at practice or are they just taking up space and causing a distraction within the group.  Other events and things come up which is understandable but when they miss just because they don't want to be there is not acceptable.  

SOLID FOUNDATION:  Are the swimmers strokes and technique sound and if not, do they at least have a clear understanding of where we are trying to get to.  Are they able to follow instructions for drills, sets and intervals.  Are they able to read and understand the pace clock.  

POSITIVE ATTITUDE:  Do the swimmers exhibit a positive behavior within the current group or do they have a negative impact on the environment causing disruptions in the current group.  Does the swimmer resists instruction or do they listen and attempt to correct it in practice.  

OWNERSHIP:  Does the swimmer accept responsibility and ownership for their swimming or are they aways making excuses for everything.  I'm sorry but making excuses is a way for them to shift the blame and allows them a way out.  Just own it and say I'll do better next time out.    It belongs to them and them alone.  

COMPATIBILITY:  Will the swimmer be able to compete a little with the other swimmers in their new group both physically and socially or will they require specialised training and attention from the rest of the group.

In summary I have seen swimmers move up before they are ready or into a group that required more intense training and accountability which resulted in them leaving the sport which is the biggest shame of all.

My goal is to help the swimmer reach their goals be it summer league, championship cuts, high school swimming and maybe beyond if that is their goal.  It's a sport that is lifetime and can be a stepping stone to other things such as triathlons, biathlons and master swimming which are a great social event post college.

Trust the process, it really will work if it's not rushed.

THE PRESENT WILL SOON BE PAST

 “Dear past, I survived you. Dear present, I’m ready for you.  Dear future, I’m coming for you.”

Sometimes it’s hard to let go of the past and in swimming the same can be true from competitions, a bad race, a mistake on the start, a missed turn or a bad finish.  The best thing you the swimmer can do in this situation is to accept it, learn from it, let it go and move on.

The past is the past and all you can do is learn from it.  The present is where you need to focus and be channeling your energy as that will become your past quickly and now we are into the future.  

So how can we move forward in a positive way.  The 4 areas I have observed through the season by all of you at some point in one way or the other are: Confidence, Focus, Resilience, and Emotional Control.

We are going to make this simple and straightforward.

Confidence: Get to the point where you believe in your training and ability to execute.  No matter what.

Focus: Do not let your head go wandering.  Stay present during workouts, warm ups, while racing and during the recovery.

Resilience:  Let’s figure out how to handle your nerves, bad races, mistakes and that unexpected challenge when life throws you a curve.

Emotional Control:   Get off that roller coaster and let’s figure out how to handle your anxiety, excitement, frustrations

To summarize, race with courage not fear.  You don’t have to be perfect (that’s hard to do every time out), you just have to be ready and let the race happen.

SET OF THE WEEK (OUR JUNIOR BLUE GROUP)

WARM UP

• 300 swim free (no rushing or sprinting.  Feel the stroke. Slow down)
• 4x50 free to back (fast feet over the top)
• 8x25 kick boards (odds breast with a glide.  Hold end of board face in. Breath +strong kick and ride the wave

MAIN SET (focus middle of IM)

2 rounds

• 4x25 breast kick 00-40-20-00 ( get to full extension after breath and deliver strong kick)
• 4x50back to breast with glide swim  ( work that turn)

1 round

• 4x25 breast kick (same as above) 00-40-20-00
• 4x50 breast to free swim

POST SET WITH FINS working on our fly

 

2rounds

• 4x25 fly drill (2r 1 cycle 2l 1 cycle)
• 4x50 fly to back swim

NUTRITION CORNER 

Workouts are done for the week and you find yourself away from the pool and are looking for a snack, what’s a swimmer to do without jeopardizing all their hard work.

First off always hydrate and do it early before your body starts feeling the effects of dehydration. 

Apple slices, watermelon wedges and orange wedges are a good source of nutrients and they help to keep you hydrated.

Trail mixes and whole grain crackers are easy to keep on hand so that you don’t have to grab surgery junk food.   Smoothie pops are excellent on those hot days after workouts.  Here is one that will try, frozen grapes or bananas dipped in yogurt.

TRIVIA MAILBOX 

Last week answer:  proteins will repair your damaged muscle tissue after workouts and competition.

Next question: What’s the term for bouncing back after a tough race?

NO MATTER WHAT

 “If you don’t see yourself as a winner, than you cannot perform as a winner”

Good races start with great self belief.  The swimmers who have the greatest success are the swimmers who are disciplined have great confidence and an unshakable self-belief in themselves, no matter what.

You may have all the talent and be the greatest worker during practice, but without the belief in your work and talent, your chance of success will always be limited in some degree.  

The bottom line is it comes down to your mindset (sound familiar) which is critical to your success, without it you often sabotage all your hard work in the pool.  When you step onto the blocks you should have the mindset that you can win anything no matter the distance or the event.  No matter what.  Probably not realistic but that’s what your mindset should be.

The truth is no one is born a winner however no one is born a loser either.  Everyone is born a chooser, so what is your choice going to be.  There will e both good and bad days, it’s normal.  This Is why journalling your workouts and competitions good or bad is so important when working on your mindset.  

It serves as your swimming resume that you can refer to and remind yourself that you have done this before which will motivate you to keep moving forward.

THE SEAL SET

Focus is to keep it moving at a fast pace and keeping your heart rate up on all the 25’s.  The 50’s are an active recovery swim.  There is no stopping for any reason until we get to the swim down set.

40x25 @25 free

50 back @2:00 drill/swim (active recovery)

30x25 @30 back (hit all UW off walls between flags and 10m)

50 breast@2:00 drill swim (active recovery)

20x25 @35 breast with fins (with a free kick set your corners hard

50 fly @2:00 drill swim (active recovery)

10x25 @25 fly with fins

Fins off

SWIM DOWN

6x75 @1:20 (50 free to back+25 kick on back)

NUTRITION CORNER

15 minute power pasta bowl

Ingredients 

• Cooked pasta
• Rotisserie chicken, turkey, meatballs or white beans
• Spinach, cheery tomatoes, zucchini, or frozen mixed veggies 
• Light marinara, or olive oil

BENEFITS 

• Carbs restore energy
• Lean protein repairs muscles 
• Veggies add hydration + vitamins 

As always don’t forget your 

TRIVIA MAIL BOX

LAST WEEK ANSWER: B  The temperature of a competitive pool should be 77-82.4 degrees

This weeks question: Which nutrient is important for a swimmer to include in a meal to repair muscles after a swim practice or swim meet?