VISUALIZATION--BREAKFAST--and more

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"The wishbone will never replace the backbone.

NUTRITIONAL TIP OF THE WEEK

Last week we talked about the importance of putting a little something into your tanks as you walk out the door for that morning practice, swim meet or school.  Did you know that while your getting your 8-10 hours of sleep during the night, your body is hard at work fasting while your snoozing.  Eating something at breakfast (BIG or small) raises your blood sugar levels and sends energy to the brain and other cells in your body. 

Here is an exercise look at dads mower and locate the little button plunger.  Before starting that engine you need to push that a few time signal the mowers engine that it's time to get too work.  Guess what that little breakfast is the signal to your body that it's time to go to work in the same way.  That breakfast sends an injection of energy to your brain and body, which means attention, focus and memory are heightened and you body is energized for motion.

Young swimmers often say they feel too sick and nauseous after waking up to eat anything, but eating might help.  Sometimes stomach acids collect as your sleeping and the food you eat acts like a sponge, scopping up stomach acids and fueling that sick feeling.

What you do outside the pool is just as important as what you do in the pool for your overall success.  But, remember it takes work, experimenting and practice until you figure out what works for you.  One solution does not fit all.  Talk to each other and figure it out.

BANANA SUPER SHAKE 

Vanilla almond milk will make this a great protein shake.  It promotes mass growth without unbalancing your diet.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 banana 
• dash of cinnamon
• 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

Mix in a blender/ shake and enjoy

MENTAL TIP #3 

Let’s dive a little deeper into this visualization exercise this week.  You may be asking how will visualization help me swim faster?  Visualizing on a regular basis can have a very positive effect on your daily life but most importantly for us on our swimming performance.    Just like life there are no guarantees to this process, but what I do believe is that if you fill your head with positive thoughts and outcomes you will be in a better place to be successful.

I believe that it's important to work hard physically and preparing the body for the grind and stress of competition but like all athletes in any sport, the mind comes first. WHY? Good question and glad you asked. 

 

I truly believe that most swimmers come up short because they were not mentally prepared.  You can put in all the work in the pool but if you walk into a meet focusing in on how tired you are, or what you are missing, or what you are afraid of then your success may have already been determined.  If you have visualized success beforehand your brain will work towards helping you achieve it no matter what obstacles you encounter on the way.  On the other hand if you do the opposite and you fill your head with negatives you make your path to success much harder, you may get there but the road you have taken will be harder.

When you can start to feel your environment and seeing it at the same time--what the water will feel like?--Who's beside you?--What's it going to be like as you touch the wall?--you can start to prepare yourself for every situation and that my friends is a huge advantage.

The key to this is that just like practice you need to be consistent with the process.  You can do it on the way to practice (yes you can use it for practice also), in between events and of course you can always put that phone down for a few minutes each day and close your eyes  and go to town.  

LAST WEEK WRAP UP

Our three groups (PREP/GOLD/BLUE) had a real good week of workouts, as we continued working on our streamlines (lock thumbs--squeeze ears--look down--off both our dives  and turns.  We had an especially good end of practice working on our dives a reason I like being over there on Saturday mornings.  Parents I know sometimes it may look as if the kids are just swimming back and forth but be assured that they have one or two things that they are working on during those swims.  Its very easy to do things perfect when doing them slow, but at some point the swimmer needs to perform the same action under stressful conditions when they are tired.

On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons the prep group is doing very well on those long swims at intervals that are dropping each week.  The purpose goes back to working on the mental side.  Those 2 sets are designed to help your swimmer feel like they doing the same set at a faster interval and they feel strong at the conclusion.

MOVING FORWARD

We have a few meets coming up that we need to touch base on.  First off is the distance meet which these three groups should not enter.  The other 2 meets are the Mako Gobble meet and the swim and rock meet (trails and final on Friday and Saturday). Unless we have a good reason we should be only swimming in the Swim and Rock and we should be doing our best events.  If there is a strong desire to swim the Gobble meet have your swimmer talk to me or e-mail.  If we decide to swim it we only want to do one day and events that we don't normally do.

PREP--on Monday morning you will get the next 3 week cycle of strength conditioning to put in your folders.   Don't miss a session.

Blue Group if there are some of you who want to swim in the swim and rock you need to send me an email so we can discuss.

Remember that these 2 meets are back to back weekends and being on the deck that much is hard for your swimmers.

SET OF THE WEEK

WORKING OUR IM. ALL RACE SPEED OR THE SHARK WILL GET YOU

• 6 rounds
• 25 fly strong @1:00 (keep chin on water and forward when breathing)
• 50 back to breast @1:00 (keep tempo fast through back and fast to full extension during breast)
• 75 free @1:00
• ALL RACE PACE
• 50 easy kick boards @2:00

Make sure you stay on top of your school work this week, take care of yourselves away from the pool, wrap up after practice it's starting to get cold.  Help out around the house and thank your parents.

Looking forward to a good week of workouts.

“If it’s important to you, you will find a way.  If not, you will find an excuse.”

FEEDING YOUR MUSCLES 

Having trouble with those early morning workouts or competition?  Not sure what to eat or how much so that you can perform at an optimal level and get through it?

Understanding the process and how to get there is not an easy one.Waking up early to jump into a cold pool for either swim practice or  a swim meet is no easy feat.  For sure one of the biggest advantage is you get to see the sun rise and you have a jump on everyone else.  One of the first things that you have to do to survive a early workout/swim meet is to fuel your vessel.

By the time you wake up your body is already starving.  You need to figure out a way to fuel it that works for you.  It's not something that you can ignore because the consequences will affect your success.  I was amaze or maybe not that so many of you have nothing to eat before arriving at the pool in the morning.  This is an area of your training that we need to work on moving forward.

While the idea of a full-course heavy breakfast may not be on your menu you need to find something to eat that works for you.  You don't need to fill your tank all the way but you do need to get it off the empty mark where the light is blinking (that's a red flag that says your going to shut down).

Some suggestions for you to start with are a banana, a slice of toast with peanut butter, honey or anything

you might like on it, sone yogurt with granola.  The point is to find something that agrees with your taste buds and get it into your tanks, give your body the fuel it needs before you ask it to work for you.  This make take some time through trail and error but we have to start somewhere ladies and gents, so let's get started so we can HIT THE POOL WITH DETERMINATION.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Some thoughts on our performance from last weekends meet.  First and foremost I truly believe we are at a good point with just two weeks of workouts under our belt.  Try to remember that we are early in the season and as I tell you over and over it's a marathon not  a sprint.  Yes we are always aiming for best times but don't forget that you can have a good swim without a best time..  Too many of you came back and said "I did bad".  When I ask why you answer comes back "because of the time" You can't always look at the results especially early in the season, try and look at the process also.

THE GOOD-- A lot of us got in some new events in this first meet and it was good to see you put yourselves out there.  Going outside of your comfort zones will definitely help you down the road.  There was a good effort with our UWK (that fifth stroke) during your races.

THE BAD--  our streamlines can be better.  Our 3 rules 1. lock the thumbs.  2. squeeze the ears.  3. look down.  ?We are very soft in and out of turns.  The walls in a short course pool offer a great opportunity to gain an advantage over your competitors if you choose to use it.  Be aggressive in and out of those walls.  Stop looking at it as a rest area along the highway.   THIS BEGINS AT PRACTICE WITH consistency during workouts on the wall, don't forget "WIN"

THE UGLY-- Within our 3 groups we suffered 4 DQ's and while any DQ's are bad they will happen, it’s human nature.  We had a DQ in backstroke with a delay in a turn, another in backstroke coming off on our stomach.  One in fly with an underwater recovery on the finish and another in fly on not finishing.   Notice that 3 of these DQ's involved the walls so that should send a red ⛳️ to all of us that we need more attention to our walls at practice.  The positive is that all 4 of these can be corrected it just takes a little more attention to detail.  If you want me off your back, then focus on the walls and do the turns correctly.  That easy.

SET OF THE WEEK:

We did this little set at the end of each practice as both a swim down set and to work on our UNDERWATER's off the wall with the goal of becoming comfortable while doing something uncomfortable.  I thin k we will make this a staple.

WITH FINS 4 ROUNDS

3x25 @30 fly kick with boards

3x50 @1:00 free to back (#1fast UWD to 10M/. #2 UWD to 15 M. #3UWD all the way.

A good way to swim down while accomplishing something good. 

Senior prep swimmers, how is your strength conditioning program going.  You should be entering the third week of exercises this week which means you should have a minimum of 6 sessions at the end of this week.   It is important to stay consistent as we put in more exercises at a higher volume and intensity in the next session.  

MENTAL TIP #2 VISUALIZATION

No worries, I've swum this race a hundred times in my head.  It's not going to replace your swimming workouts, you will still need to show up at the pool and work hard, you still need to do your strength training, eat healthy, hydrate and get your proper rest. it will however,  supplement and help you maximize the work you are already doing.

Make the environment real as you close your eyes, see the flags (what color), the walls, the bottom of the pool (is it tile or plaster) the swimmers around you and of course your coach standing next to the pool with that crumpled meet sheet in hand.  Make it real.

When you use visualization start getting in touch with all of your senses, the stepping up on the block, the texture of that block under your feet, the smell of chlorine in the air, and the cold water surrounding your body off the start.

Try and hit as many of your senses as you see yourself swimming like a AQUASTORM bigger and badder than your typical hurricane.

Stay on top of your school work.  Help out around the house.  Take care of yourselves away from the pool. And don’t forget, WIN

W-- What's

 I-- Important

                            N-- Now

OBSTACLES

 

Greatness is built on these words, "I can try".

We hope that this issue finds you all well as we head into our third week of workouts and our first competition this coming weekend.  Remember that the season is long and the road will be filled with obstacles and bumps along the way.  A lot of how you do in March and April will depend on how you handle those obstacles and bumps as we wind through the season.

There are no shortcuts through this process although swimmers sometimes will look for those shortcuts or an easier way to do something.  Even today at our race day practice at St. James we were going race pace 50’s relay style off the blocks and we had  a couple of swimmers who were not putting that 100% effort into them.  Sure I know you were tired but what are you going to do at the end of a race or a long day of swimming when you are tired?  You just going to pull back and throw yourself a pity party.  There is always a way to get through those obstacles at practice.  Challenge yourself, find a way, enjoy the process and “WIN”.  ((You know what that stands for.

LAST WEEK TAKE AWAY

STREAMLINES--"LOCK IT DOWN"   Lock your thumbs.  Squeeze your nears.  Look down.  Without this you can never expect that great start or great turn, so "LOCKIT DOWN" off every wall.

MAKO FALL MEET

Some suggestions for this weekend.  Is you do nothing else to prepare at least do this one thing.  Write down each event you’re doing and write one thing for each event you want to accomplish.  BE SPECIFIC.  Don’t just put a time and if you do be specific on how you will get that time.

Remember to warm down after your race if lanes are available and most importantly warm down before you leave the building.  Senior prep at least a 400 and Junior Gold 200-300.  If you don’t your one of the ones taking the easy way out.

Make sure that you see a coach after your race (after warming down).  Remember it's meant to provide one or two positive things to take back to practice to improve on so we are better next time out.

TIPS FOR  A SUCCESSFUL MEET

• pack your bags the night before
• pack an extra suit/goggles/cap
• pack a sweatshirt to stay warm
• pack small snack and water
• get extra rest
• have a plan with specific goals.  focus on detail more than times early in season
• warmup/swim downs
• be open to constructive criticism
• OWN YOUR SWIMMING/ no excuses/ no tears/ 

After your race go directly to a coach.  Do not pass GO, do not collect $200.00  talk about your race- the good, the bad, the ugly and the good.  We are there to help you for that next race;.

BEST SET FROM LAST WEEK

8 rounds with fins 

• 50@50 UW fly kick--fly sprint x25
• 50 @50 back fast tempo--fly sprint x25
• 50 @50 UW fly kick--breast with dolphin or free kick x25
• 50@50 sprint free--UW fly kick x25

REST 40 SECONDS BETWEEN ROUNDS

FEEDING YOUR MUSCLES

Protein shakes.  Are they good for you? simple answer is yes as they will provide a fresh supply of PROTEIN to repair and rebuild your muscles.  Drinking a protein shake is most effective after workout as it will promote muscle growth and recovery after exercise.  So instead of reaching for your phone try reaching for that protein shake first.  Shake it up a bit!

Do a good job in school this week, get your homework done in a time fashion, and let's have a good week with workouts and don't forget to say thank you to nom and dad.

Westward passage

 

So I’ve made it this far riding south with the Rockies off to my right just need to find the correct route to go up and over, where is Coach Heather and her GPS not that I would listen to her.  

Crossed over into Canada from North Dakota and went west in Canada.to Calgary and turned left south to Billings Montana 

This will be our road west. Sun road in glacier national park.  On another note will be ending in San Diego sometime late week.  Hoping to be back by Friday practice but because of the heat we are riding less miles with more breaks.  Will definitely be there at st James Saturday morning barring any catastrophe.

Make sure for you prep kids you get a good day of rest tomorrow and a good night sleep.  Get your homework done.  That first day will set the tone for the entire year.  The gold and blue groups let’s get some rest, get your homework 📚 done and set the tone for a successful season on day 1.

Remember our motto “WIN”

SUMMER POOLS CLOSED

 

With summer now officially over and with most summer pools shutting their doors it’s time for us to really switch our focus and get ready for our season.

Always a bittersweet moment as I hate to see these outdoor pools closed as I personally will miss seeing our great staff and all of the kids on a daily basis but it’s time as it gets harder to staff these pools especially if you have 2 front desk and snack bar.  Tuesday will be spent putting furniture away but no covers as I hope to swim outdoors until October.

As you all start your 3rd week of school now is the time to make sure we all have established good routines like getting our proper amount of rest, setting good nutritional habits, drinking lots of water and keeping up with our school work.  Why is this important?  Next week you are going to throw swimming into your routine so let’s make good choices so we don’t get behind.   Don’t forget “WIN”.

MAKO FALL INVITATIONAL MEET

Our first meet is just around the corners so let’s set up your plans now.  As you sign up you should have your list of events that you want to get done and a target date as when to do them.

Here are my thoughts as to what to swim which you may agree with or not but I will give them to you anyway.  First off hydrate before you arrive and during the meet.  12 and under’s pick one 50 and then a couple of 100’s for the first day. Second day same thing but throw in a 200 preferably free or back since we haven’t been in that long.  Whatever you do do something that scares you which will allow you to become comfortable while being uncomfortable.  But what ever you do believe me on the hydration. I believe entries are due on September 15 and when I get back we will have time to adjust entries.

RIPPLES

 

Have you ever thought about how everything that you do in practice has a ripple effect on your races in competition?  This ripple effect has a direct relationship on all of your competitions starting with the first day of practice.  Are you ready to commit and take your swimming to a new level beginning on that first day of practice.

As you begin to think about the start of our season put some thought into the skill set that is holding you back and creating that ripple effect.  It a could something as simple as a streamline off a start or a turn.  What about your breakouts off the walls?   Is the momentum into and out of your turns holding you back? how is your finishing kick Ito the wall?

"LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED THIS SEASON".  As I said last Saturday everything that you do from that first day of practice will have a direct impact on all your races throughout this season.  I know I';m getting ahead of myself but it happens every year, swimmers wait until the February qualifier meets to start thinking about events and championship season and I always think to myself it's too late now.  Don't make that mistake.  Leave no stone unturned each day as you walk onto the pool deck.  

Know your season plan.  Know the ripples that you need to work on every day to improve.  

We talked some last week about how you should be thinking about setting some goals for the upcoming season and we will sit down the first two weeks of the season and talk about them.

Use this chart on the left as you start thinking about your goals.  Have some big goals but at the same time set some smaller ones that you can hit as you work through the season.  This will accomplish a couple of things, first they keep you on track for that big goal and at the same time they will help you mentally because you will see you can do this,

Goals can always be adjusted as we work through the season.

Aim high and don’t forget to WIN

WORKOUTS FOR THE WEEK

It may be hard this week but see if you can get in a pool once or twice. 

Here are a couple of workouts.

WORKOUT #1 1

WARM UP (600)

3x100 @2:00 or 10 seconds rest) (50 free/50 back)

4x50 @1:00 (25 breast with dolphin kick 25 build free)

4x25 IM KICK @40 (fly hold board at end with face in water. Back hold board on tummy Breast same as fly free hold board stretched out)

PRE SET WITH FINS (500)

20 x25 @30/40 (1-4 breast with free kick fast hands #5 fast free 4xthrough no rest between rounds

MAIN SET (some longer swims here) 900

9x100 with 20 seconds rest between each. #1=70% #2 =80% #3 = 90% get HR REST 1:00  repeat 

Goes like this first one 25 major race 75 free. Second one 50 major race 50 free third one 100 free

SWIM DOWN 

8x10 meter in and out (1 breathing to turn no breathing out. Focus on fast feet to wall swim easy)

WORKOUT #2

WARM UP (600)

3x100 @2:00 (#1 free #2 back #3 free)

PRE SET (600)

4 rounds

4x25 kick @40 position 11 each 25 faster snorkels 

1x50 free @1:00 

NO REST BETWEEN ROUNDS

MAIN SET  (1200)

4rounds

2x100 free second one faster than first

4x25 UWK AS FAR AS YOU CAN HOLDING PERFECT STREAMLINES COME UP SWIM IM ORDER @40

Rest 30

Swim down easy 50

I will be missing the first few days of practice as I will be taking a road trip beginning on Wednesday.  On this trip I have chosen a motorcycle so there will be no room for Coach Heather as I head out for a cross country trip to Oregon and down the pacific coast to LA.  I will be off the grid for this trip so I will try and do an update on Tuesday before I head ou to discuss that first meet.

"WIN" what's Important Now

 

Welcome to the New Season (23-24). It was great seeing all of you this past Saturday as we had a chance to dip our toes into the water and get back to a little swimming.

We hope that your first week of school went well and that you are starting to settle into a routine so that you can throw your swimming into the mix in a couple of weeks. This is an exciting time for you all as you may be settling I not new schools, new classrooms, new teachers, and maybe even some new friends.  Most of all your starting a new year ready for all the new knowledge that you will be absorbing as you go along.  Take advantage of it and remember that you are a student-athlete (notice that although it is a compound noun, which noun comes first).  Keep up with your school work.

For those of you who missed Saturday let's take a moment and re-cap some information we went over so that we are all starting on the same page.

GOLD and PREP GROUP MOTTO THIS SEASON--"WIN". What's Important Now. We want you to stay in the moment and avoid the outside noise this year.  This means the turn coming up is what's important, the set we are working on is the only thing important right then.  You get the message. 

WIN the Day

COACH MIKE'S GOALS FOR SEASON

• Get your swimmer to enjoy a lifetime sport
• Have fun while they are training (this is possible they just have to open their minds to it)
• Help your swimmer grow in the sport and be ready for the next level, and on to H.S swimming and of course be ready for the summer of 2024.
• Prepare them to race all events and give them the confidence to do it and then sit back and enjoy watching them go out and execute.
• Fast times.  Notice where this falls on my list.  If your swimmer follows the process times will take care of themselves.
• Get as many of these swimmers to 14 and under champs and the Elite Classic in March and April.
• Some will make it. Some will not, but life will go on.

NEEDED FOR PRACTICE

• good attitude as you come onto deck. get excited to get better that day.
• be on time
• water bottle HYDRATE DURING PRACTICE.
• listen to the coaches (if your talking your not listening)
• fins, kick-boards, paddles, buoy

TIME MANAGEMENT--this is so important and more so for each of you because you are student-athletes.  Coaches always here this statement from athletes, I never have any time!  Let's break down your week

• A week has 7 24 hour days which gives you 168 hours to work with.
• Average weekly school hours is 31. You have 137 hours left.
• average sleeping hours based on 9 each night is 63. You have 74 left.
• meals 7 hours  week.  You have 67 hours left
• swimming based on 1.5 4 times a week.  You have 61.5 hours left for your self.

Everything is your choice but then so is everyone else's.

EVENTS

• FREE 50-100-200-500-1000-1650
• BACK 50-100-200
• BREAST 50-100-200
• FLY 50-100-200
• IM- 100-200-400 (this is what we are training for)

Know what is required for each group.  In order to get better and improve we will need to step outside of our comfort zones from time to time.

MEETS

Fall invite 9/30-10/1 training meets

Mako Pumpkin 10/28-10/29 training meet

Mako Gobble 11/1-11/2 training meet

Swim and Rock 11/16-11/19 (Trials and final) mini target meet

Mako Holiday 12/1-12/3 mini target meet

Winter Classic 12/7-12/10. First Target Meet

Mako Polar Plunge 1/6-1/7 training meet

Jump Start Travel Meet-1/12-1/15 target meet

Mako qualifier 2/3-2/4 

Presidents Meet 2/16-2/18 Last shot to qualify for championship meets

14 and Under Champs 3/14-3/17

Mako Spring Champs 3/15-3/17

Elite Classic St. Petersburg 4/;3-4/6

Plan early and start thinking about when you are going to swim your events.  Challenge yourself early in the season.

GOALS

As you start planning the first thing I would like you to do is think about some goals for the season ahead. Include big goals and some smaller ones.  Don't just throw out times I want to know the How.  Its like doing your math and school. They don't want to see the answer they want to know how you got there!

PRESEASON WORKOUTS

we talked about getting in a couple of times this week and next so that you get the feel of the water before that first day.  Here are a couple of workouts this week. I f there is no clock just rest 10 to 20 seconds between repeats. you all know the drill.

WORKOUT #1 

WARMUP (600) 3x100 free/ 4x50 kick/swim (no boards odds free even back) 4x25 IM drill

MAIN SET(750)

3x 1st and 3rd round free 2nd round back. 1:00 rest between rounds

4x50 free (right arm only down left arm only back) arm not using at side
1x50 free long and smooth

FINISH UP SET(400) 

8x50 @1:00/1:10 breast to free to back with a twist. On the breaststroke first 50 pullout 1 stroke get flat free to the wall flip backstroke back. Next 50 add a stroke to breaststroke.  Point here is to see how many strokes of breaststroke it takes you to get to the other end.  Once you hit that number stick with it.

WORKOUT #2 

WARMUP THE SAME (600)

Mini set

• 4 rounds (600)
• 50 free kick no boards position 11
• 50 back kick
• 50 free to back swim

Main set (750)

• 3rounds
• 25 breaststroke using stroke count from last workout
• 50 back to breast using your stroke count
• 75 back breast (using stroke count) free
• 100 free (breathing every 3 or 2-3-2)