STREAMLINES AND THE 5 SECOND RULE

Now that we have gotten a few workouts in, we hope you have gotten rid of those late summer cobwebs settled into a regular routine that hopefully will take you to the place you envision yourself being in when March and April roll around.  

 The first week was spent on perfecting our techniques in the sport and this will be our focus for a couple of more weeks for all three groups.  The senior prep and junior gold groups will see increasingly harder sets that will focus on building that aerobic base towards the end of this week.  The junior blue group will be working on a lot of technical aspects of their strokes that will help them as they grow in the sport.

  The major areas that we have been working on in our swimming is how to properly leave the wall.  Tight streamlines and what I refer to as our  "5 second rule”.  Let’s look at these two areas a little closer.  The Streamline, I have seen all of you working on this aspect really hard during the first few practices and that is Great. You hear all your coaches emphasize streamlines, but do you really know why it is so important? The streamline off the start and the turn will help propel you through the water with the least amount resistance.  The better the streamline the less resistance and the less resistance means the less energy used during this part of your race.  Let’s focus on not only having our hands on top of each other but wrapping that thumb and squeezing our elbows together with our chins tucked to our chest.  Do not lift that head too soon, we have to work on timing it with our breakout stroke.

 

The “5 second rule” involves our underwater dolphin kick off the starts and turns.  Yes I know that a lot of you can probably go the whole 25 on a good day and if you do that your day will go from good to bad with a disqualification maybe even by mom or dad who may be that stroke and turn.  The rule is you have to be up at the 15 meter mark (those different colored buoys in the lane lines.  Oh and by the way the 15 meter mark are the ones furthest from the wall you are leaving from.). For our purposes we are going to use 5 seconds as a bench mark.  The reasons are that I have timed swimmers in actual races and the average time spent underwater is 2.5 to 4.0 seconds.  But wait you say, that’s not very long at all but ladies and gents that is actually pretty good in race conditions for your ages.  Yes we want to increase our distance underwater but not if we have to sacrifice speed. If you lose all your speed off the start and the turns before that first stroke, What happens?  You have to use a lot more energy to get back up to race speed.  All of this involves muscle memory and that’s why it is important to do it off every wall in your workouts and not only when you feel like doing it.

 

Instead of focusing on how far you can go, let’s look at it from a different angle, How fast and how far can I go in 5 seconds.  Do this and you are on your way to seeing some amazing results.

A LETTER TO MYSELF

Now that we have the first part of your year off to a GREAT start ( school) it’s time to get started in the pool

  All our groups will start off their journeys in the pool on Monday, and unfortunately due to prior commitments I will be absent but we will have guest coaches on hand with the workout plans to help guide you through that first day in the pool.

What I would like to ask from each of you  this weekend is to think about the upcoming season and after giving it some thought, sit down and write a letter (no computer ) to yourself.  Yes that’s right you are actually going to use pen/pencil and paper.  Date it up top and address it to Dear Ben/Mackenzie (use your name). In this letter be yourself and include how you would like this year to go.

Let me go over a few things that you may want to include in this letter.  

GOALS:  Dream big.  Have some realistic goals especially for early in the season to keep your confidence high, and write these goal on an index card and post it on your mirrors so you see them through the year.  Include a plan for how you will reach these goal.  Be specific with details.  Don’t just write “ go to practice and work hard”. Showing up in just the first step, there is so much more involved for the swimmer as well as the coach.  Be specific!

PRACTICE:  What are you going to do during practice to help you reach these goals, and make no mistake about it “ the way you practice is the way you are going to race”.  Think about the things that you do during practice that help you, but also the things that you do ( and we all do them) that sabotage your progress.   Be aware of those speed bumps and how they detour your journey.

MEETS:  Yes let’s not forget the racing part of our journey and be ready to dust off the cobwebs from those “tech” suits when you come calling.  Have an action plan or simply put an action plan for the meet.  Things you may want to include are;  breakfast, meet warmup positive word affirmations, visualization techniques, race strategies for particular events.  Lastly learn to deal with the stresses and anxieties you will face.  Do not try to run away from them as this will create more problems.  They are part of the process and understanding them will go a long way in making you a better athlete/swimmer.  Don’t forget winning races is fun but don’t get so wrapped up with others that you neglect to focus on yourself and the success you have such as a best time.

TIME AWAY FROM THE POOL:  Don’t forget to include things away from the pool that will help you. Also include things that you would like to read that make you a better all around person in society.

After you write this letter to yourself fold it neatly and put it in a envelope and address it to yourself ( do not seal it) and bring it in to me at practice. 

STARTING AGAIN

Hope you all were ready for your first day and everything went smoothly for you.  Lots of new friends, classes and exciting new assignments.

 

As we are about to launch into our journey in the pool, lets lay some groundwork.  As you start this journey you may find yourself in a new group that will provide new challenges as you move along.  You will find some of the challenges easy, and some will probably push you to limits that you thought were impossible.  All of this is meant to put you in a good position come championship season come March and April.  The first part of our journey will involve building a strong foundation which will allow you to become a better swimmer and put you in a great position to attain your goals.  Although this may seem easy, we want you to focus in on all the little things as this will build a good base as we enter into the harder works.  What are the little things you may ask?

 

• Leaving the wall correctly EVERY time ( on your sides with tight streamlines)
• Finishing at wall correctly EVERY time (fingers/hand on the wall
• No breath off first stroke every time
• Underwater dolphin/fish kicks every push off a wall (fast past the 10m and near the 12.5)
• Deep arm off free turns (arm near the bottom and no breath)
• Drilling properly 
• Hydrating during practice 
• Showing up both physically and MENTALLY

 

MEETS

 

Are meets a necessity?  What can be gained by swimming in a meet?  As a swimmer we spend countless hours training in a pool and at certain points it is important to go out and race and measure our progress.  It is important to realize that the progress your making is not always measured on the scoreboard.  It could be something new you have been practicing and now you are going to see what it feels like in a meet/racing situation.  The meets allow you to prepare a plan for each event and then go out and excuse it.  Here is an example of what some of you may think a plan involves,  my goal is to break a 2:00 in a 200 free.  I hear things like that all the time. That is a goal but not a plan on how to do it.  I want you to be smarter and more invested in your goals.  I want you to give me specifics on how we are going to break that 2:00 and by doing that you become not only a better swimmer but a more successful one at that.

 

The meets not only allow you to experience success, but at the same time will also teach you to cope with failure.  As you go through a swimming career there will always be up and downs. All athletes in all sports experience this.  As a 10 and under yo will experience many best times, and then as you move into the 11-12 age group you will still see lots of best time but fewer than before.  Now we enter into those teen years13-15 where the distances change and you see far less best times.  Plateaus will happen and they may happen this year, but then you have that massive growth spurt and will see ridiculous results.  Understand that plateaus do happen and may indeed occur more than once, but We will work through them together and will come out the other side.  

 

With all that said lets take a look at the first few meets so we have an understanding of what we are doing

 

Senior Prep group

 Mako Invite. This meet is early in our training period so I am asking you if you want to swim just pick one day and do not swim ANY of your best events.  Pick off events and distances.

October Open. Again stay away from your best events and try ev ends different from Mako Invite. You have a  choice of one or two days here

Marlin Invite will be discussed later

Swim and Rock will be are first big meet.

 

Junior Gold

Mako Invite You May swim both days but I would like you to swim only a 50 100 200 each day, and only swim one of your best events.

October Open  Same as above but choose different events

 

Junior Blue

Both meets swim a couple of the 50’s if you wish but we would like to see the 100 free 100 back and 100 IM done by November 1.

 

What ever you decide please don’t limit yourself to just the events your comfortable with.  Try some scary things they will help you become a better swimmer.

 Step outside yourself and realize the endless possibilities within yourself and this sport!    

 

PREPARING NOW

The sound of school bells are not that distant away as your headed into your last free weekend.  What all that means is that the start of the swim season and our journey cannot be too far behind. 

Last week we spent time on how to start preparing for that first day of school and so I thought we should take a little time this week on how to prepare for the upcoming season.  We already mentioned that 2 or 3 times in the next couple of weeks it might be a good ideal to find your old summer pool (remember that watering hole) and go for a few swims to help with that heavy feeling the first week

 

One of the key areas for all athletes is the core, and this is also true for swimmers.  Your core will effect your explosiveness in your turns, your hip rotation in your strokes, and it will help in your kicking.  The other area to focus in on the next few weeks are your legs.

 

Here are some drylands tips to work through a couple of times the next three weeks.

 

CORE

 

Basic plank (keep the back straight and head in swimming specific position) 20 on 20 rest x4

Basic leg lifts (don’t strain the neck. Use a towel  under open space of neck). 12x5

Hip Roll (arms on floor palms down extended to side) bend knees up to a  90  degree angle and swing slowly from side to side.  Do 10 to each side for 20 x2

Mountain climbers 30 on 30 off x2

 

Legs 

 

Controlled squats 3 sets of 6 perfect squats

Flutter kicks 20 seconds on 20seconds restx3

 

All this should take 10-15 minutes and it will do wonders that first week of practice

 

Next week we will talk about the season, meets, events and goals for this journey we are about to undertake.  Until then

"Hakuna Matata"

 

 

WELCOME BACK

Hope all of you are enjoying the last few days of your summer vacation.  We hope your summer season went well and you were able to reach some of your goals that you had laid out.  

As the days start getting shorter and the nights a little longer, with the leaves beginning to drop it must be time to turn the page on the past year and look forward to the future with anticipation of the possibilities in and out of the pool.

In about a week you will face the first step in the new season, and it has nothing to do with the pool.  Yes it’s the new school year with all the challenges that will come with it.  Everyone will be starting a new grade level, some may be attending a new schoo, all will have new teachers, and yes we will all be reacquainted with old friends, and will make some new ones.  There will be new lessons to be learned, homework and projects to be completed, an exciting time to look forward to.

In about three weeks it will be time to grab the goggles,cap,snorkel,paddles and kick board stuff them into your bags and head off on that new journey in the pool.  There will be great anticipation a new training group, maybe a new coach.  Questions to be answered such as how will I start?  There are no right or wrong answers but what is certain,is that if you show up with the correct attitude and focus on the purpose of each workout the finish will be in forgettable.

What can you do now to help ease into the new school year?  There are things that you can start doing now to make the transition smoother and less stressful. The first is to start adjusting your body clocks now.   Gradually start going to bed a little earlier each night and getting up a little earlier in the morning.  Do this so that two or three days before school is to start you are on a normal cycle.

Next make sure you start fueling your body properly so that it has a chance to function the way it should. Sometimes in the summer our eating habits tend to get away from us, and now is the time to get them back into check, and as always hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.  And let’s not forget to give our minds a jump start with some light reading that you enjoy before you get the books you don’t like

As for preparing for the pool, you need to get wet.  I would suggest heading off to your summer pools, dive in and go for a little swim.   Start with a 500 followed by alternating a 100 swim with 2 50’s kick.x 5.  Do this 2 or three times a week and it will go a long way in helping that heavy out of shape feeling those first few practices.   It will also go a long way in helping you stay stress free and calm as you start back to school

As we move forward both in school in the pool, Embrace each new day, and stack GOOD PRACTICES on top of each other

                                                                                              

WHAT’s NEXT

Hope everyone had a great spring break and enjoyed the time away from school and the pool.  We now have two short weeks left of swimming in a short course pool, as the pool will be switched over to the long course format the first Friday in May.

We will spend these next two weeks going back and looking at our foundations in your swimming, and try to repair any cracks that show up in that foundation.  Everything in your life including friendships, family, houses, and yes, swimming are built on a strong foundation.  To have that strong foundation a lot of attention needs to focus on details.  The next two weeks details are what our practices will center around.

With every new phase of our swimming season it’s a chance to take stock and recommit to building a solid foundation that will carry us to our goals.  With this there will always be new challenges to meet head on as we try to move past the past season.

As we look back on our short course season ask yourself this question, Did I get to the meet that I wanted to?  If not what can you do to get to that meet?  If opportunity doesn’t knock than build a door.  The time to start preparing is now!  Not one month out from the meet.  This is not the time that you want to cut corners or take the easy way out during practice.  You need to put in the work and it begins with the foundation that you build.  If you are not working on building a better foundation than all you are working on is repeating the past.  We talk in practice about detail to the little things but in actuality there are no little things in this sport.  Change your future and it begins now.

SPRING BREAK

Our journey for the 2018-2019 short course season concluded as the last relays touched the wall this past weekend in Saint Petersburg Florida at the TYR Elite Classic.  As you head out for spring break for a much needed break from school and swimming it is also a good time to reflect on both your success and your shortcomings as I will also be doing from a coaches perspective.

It’s a time where you close the book on the past season, all the characters have been identified and the storyline has been revealed.  Maybe the story ended up with a happy ending and maybe not.  Either way another book will be written alas with a new storeline, or are you going to allow the storyline to be the same.  If there is a particular way you want the story to end then you need to become the author and take ownership of your own story.  We, the coaches are like editors who provide the criticism, and yes this can be both positive and negative but either way it should be viewed as
constructive criticism.

Coincidentally the short course season and spring arrive at the same time.  Spring is a time where everything comes out of hibernation and is rejuvenated with life.  Why not take this same approach to your swimming and be totally honest in your self evaluation of this past year.  All swimmers want to
perform well when racing, but the effort must mirror the expectations.  Below are some areas that you
 may want to look at during your evaluation;

• How many times a week did you swim?  Did you make those workouts? How focused were you during those workouts? You know missing a workout is not a deal buster, but missing a few or lack of consistency is a whole other subject.  It is hard to make up a missed workout because your group is on its on cycle and plan.
• Were you taking care of yourself during the season?  How much were you really sleeping?  How well were you fueling yourself? Was it with pizza, soda, chips, and candy?  Were they healthy choices ?
• How well do you hydrate yourself? 
• How well did you handle the meets? Were the warmups and warm downs approached with a 
• purpose?  Was the effort there or did you allow distractions to dictate the results?  Did you 
• make excuses or blame anyone or anything for your lack of success?
• Are you keeping a journal of practices and meets?  Writing down what works and doesn’t work?  Your strong areas? Your weak areas?
• Were lines of communication open with the coaches?
• Do you stay up with your schoolwork or do you let it pile up creating unnecessary stress? Does this lead you to miss workouts?
• Do you create unnecessary conflicts that lead you to miss workouts?
• Do you create mind games even when you go a best time? For instance you had a soda right before you raced and now you believe coach is wrong.  Just maybe you finally nailed that turn, or your streamlines and breakouts were great or maybe you didn’t breathe into the finish, or just maybe you swam smarter and it was your time.
• Do you ride that roller coaster with your races? Really high after a god one, really low after a bad one? It takes a lot more of your energy to ride this roller coasters? Stay in the moment?

I know it’s a lot but these are areas that you need to think about and you need to be honest with yourself as you search for answers.

In closing wherever spring break finds you over the next week we hope you enjoy time away from school and swimming and most importantly enjoy time with family.