Reach Long, Kick Strong

Awesome/Inspirational Story of the Day - The Claw

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 23:12:00 -0500

This evening I took a break from work and studying to have dinner with my good friend Briggette. We’ve been sitting in a local Me-n-Ed’s enjoying some pizza when a family comes in with two girls. The family sits down in the booth next to us.

The younger girl, who looks to be about 8 years old and is dressed in what looks like a tutu, goes with her father to try their luck at one of the plush toy crane machines. After a little persistence, the claw pulls the bear up and away from its friends. (I could almost hear the other toys chanting in unison, “The Clawww.”). The little girl begins to jump excitedly with delight. She watches closely in anticipation as the claw comes to rest over the chute. For a moment everything stands still as the world holds its breath - and stays that way. Nothing happens. The bear continues to dangle tantalizingly over the chute as the puzzled little girl stares on.

Her father decides to get some help and soon returns with one of the red-and-black clad workers. Each of them takes a turn trying to shake the machine. Another worker comes up and also tries to shake the bear loose to no avail. The claw maintains its steadfast grip on the toy. Discouraged, the workers give up and move to turn off the machine. The dad and his little girl despondently return to their booth as one of the workers places an “Out of Order” sign on the machine.

I like kids, I work with them, and I hate to see them sad. The solution at this point becomes very clear to me: place a couple of quarters in the machine and see if the claw will release the bear. I share this with Briggette and lament that I have no cash and none of the workers thought of this solution. She reminds me that I have a quarter on me then promptly produces a cash dollar and reminds me that I should stand up for something I feel so strongly about.

I get up to go get a box for the leftover pizza. While I’m at the counter I ask the worker if he will turn the machine back on so I can get the bear. He looks at me quizzically and asks, “Are you going to give it to the kid?”

“Yeah, that’s the idea,” I respond. The worker continues to stand there. “So, are you going to give me some quarters and turn it on?”

“Oh, yeah!” He says and goes to turn the machine on.

I’m walking back to my booth to leave the box when the father moves to get out of their booth. I would rather the dad be the hero, so I stop him and tell him that I have a couple of quarters if he’d like to use them to get the toy. Behind her father, the girl in the tutu lights up and stares expectantly at us. As we’re talking, disaster strikes.

The worker turns the machine back on, the claw comes to life and moves back over the sea of toys where it unceremoniously drops the bear back amongst its brethren. Everyone groans. All is lost. Defeated again, the man and I retire to our respective booths. I pack up the leftover pizza. Out of the corner of my eye, I see that the little girl convinces her mother to try the machine again. Sure enough, the claw grasps the bear, pulls it up and away, moves over the chute, and drops the bear into the waiting hands of the little girl. Her roller coaster ride of emotion now over, she is the happiest girl in the world after obtaining her prized bear.

Briggette and I grin victoriously at each other before getting up to leave the pizza place. So, the moral of the story is: always try to impress the girl.

But in all seriousness. Today I was reminded that life is about people: people who think outside the box, people who find solutions not excuses, people who seek to create harmony and happiness, not discord. And it’s about the people around you. Always surround yourself with good people who will be willing to pitch in a couple of quarters to support you in something you believe in.

Dan the 10,000 Hour Man shows us how to live a life following...

Sun, 27 May 2012 16:26:00 -0400

Dan the 10,000 Hour Man shows us how to live a life following the four “P”s of success: persistence (staying focused on one’s goals), positivity (believing even in the face of adversity), passion (loving what you do), and patience (understanding that achievement is a process that takes time).

As you watch this video use the following questions to reflect on his actions.

One of the strategies employed by Dan and his team was starting with mastering the skill of putting and moving further and further away from the hole over time. How does this demonstrate his persistence?
Find a quote from Dan that demonstrates how he is staying positive to help him achieve his goal.
What is Dan’s true passion? How does this motivate him?
What lessons in patience can you take from Dan?

For more on Dan read the following article:

http://www.tampabay.com/features/can-a-complete-novice-become-a-golf-pro-with-10000-hours-of-practice/1159357

Philosophy: Warm Up the Way You Want to Race

Sat, 26 May 2012 14:32:25 -0400

We use the same warm up every day of practice and transfer that to meet days as well. I believe warm up is a time to get the brain primed for peak performance, so I place less of a premium on distance and intensity in the strict sense and focus instead on developing functional behavior. The base warm up is always 250 yards (100 Free, 100 Reverse IM) followed by two starts and two repeats of each type of turn. They build through the 250 and perform starts and turns at high intensity they way they will attack them in the race. This has several psychological skills benefits.

1) It helps the swimmers develop a routine which improves focus.

Each swimmer is encouraged to develop their own routine to incorporate into the team’s routine. We work a lot on race-context focus. They warm up every day with the same focus they would have at a meet.

2) It serves to mediate arousal.

We also will take practice days, use this warm up, and conduct a mini-meet; this helps normalize competition for them. Our swimmers seem to experience less anxiety when they know what to expect first thing every time they are getting ready to swim.

3) They get to transfer the skills we work on in practice to competition more easily.

We rehearse what should be emphasized and focused on during every warm up. “How would an Olympian warm up?” is our cue phrase. This helps them focus on warming up intentionally - they develop habits when warming up in practice and at competitions that they will use when racing later in the day.

When we have more time, I may add another swimming portion depending on the number and distance of events, etc., but I find having something short and sweet to be useful in all situations. They don’t develop a dependence on a certain distance. For example, what if a swimmer is late and only has a few minutes? Our shorter warm up allows them to immediately dive in, focus on functional behavior, and the bonus of familiarity keeps them from getting too worried about something they couldn’t control.

Lessons on Focus from Natalie Coughlin

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:03:00 -0400

Lessons on Focus from Natalie Coughlin:

Great article about Natalie Coughlin, one of the most decorated US women in Olympic history. This quote stuck out to me at the end.

“I would love to know what I’m swimming this summer in terms of training and focus,” she said. But she’s also determined not to get psyched out over something she can’t control, and convinced she can improve on her stellar swims in Beijing — “not necessarily get more medals, but I could swim better,” she said. “I’m stronger and there are things in my technique and things I could do in the water that would be better. I’m a competitor through and through, and I want to see what I can do this summer.”

We can draw some lessons from these short quotes. Perhaps most importantly is to measure yourself against your own goals and the process of getting there. She is not focused on the outcome of the race or the time she will swim. She is focusing on things she can control. “I want to see what I can do,” she says. Nowhere in there is there a reference to other athletes. “There are things in my technique and things I could do in the water that would be better,” she offers. Notice that Natalie’s goals focus on swimming technique and strengths.

To give yourself the best shot at performing at your best:
1) Set clear goals.
2) Focus on the process of getting there (Streamline, Reach Long, Kick Strong, Win the Walls), not the outcome.
3) Focus on what you can control.

"Empty your mind, be formless, shapless - like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the..."

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:45:49 -0500

““Empty your mind, be formless, shapless - like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put water into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash - Be water my friend.””

Breathing Mechanics That Will Help Your Freestyle

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:00:05 -0400

Breathing Mechanics That Will Help Your Freestyle:

Terry Laughlin weighs in on breathing mechanics in swimming.

“Don’t hide your breathing mistakes by not breathing; fix them instead.” -Richard Quick

What do I do with my hands while swimming?

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 12:00:06 -0400

What do I do with my hands while swimming?:

Gary Hall, Sr., weighs in on how to make the most of your pull underwater and in the recovery. The key, he says, is swimming with a relaxed hand.

"The best moment in life is when you start believing in yourself."

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:00:05 -0400

““The best moment in life is when you start believing in yourself.””

- Ranjit Singh Chadha

USDA Rolls Out First Themed MyPlate Healthy Eating Message: Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 18:29:36 -0400

USDA Rolls Out First Themed MyPlate Healthy Eating Message: Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables

What you do when you unwind is KEY.

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 10:00:05 -0400

What you do when you unwind is KEY.:

Engaging your “involuntary attention” by engaging with nature could improve your “direct” attention when studying.

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will."

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:00:05 -0400

““Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.””

- Gandhi

"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:00:05 -0400

““Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.””

- T.S. Eliot

"To obtain balance in your leg strength, alternate between one-legged squats and box step-ups during..."

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:00:05 -0400

“To obtain balance in your leg strength, alternate between one-legged squats and box step-ups during your work week!”

- Chris Carlisle (Strength Coach of Seattle Seahawks)

"If you don’t see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner."

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 12:00:05 -0400

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

- Zig Ziglar

"Good things come to those who wait but great things come to those who work."

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 00:42:20 -0400

“Good things come to those who wait but great things come to those who work.”

- Reach Long, Kick Strong

"Losers quit when they’re tired. Winners quit when they’ve won."

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 07:18:06 -0400

“Losers quit when they’re tired. Winners quit when they’ve won.”

"It is not enough to hear - LISTEN. It is not enough to talk - COMMUNICATE. It is not enough to..."

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:53:05 -0400

“It is not enough to hear - LISTEN. It is not enough to talk - COMMUNICATE. It is not enough to know - UNDERSTAND.”

- Reach Long, Kick Strong

"If you only do what you know you can do- you never do very much."

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 23:34:05 -0400

“If you only do what you know you can do- you never do very much.”

- Tom Krause

"It’s true. Spectacular preparation precedes spectacular performance."

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:00:44 -0400

“It’s true. Spectacular preparation precedes spectacular performance.”

- Zig Ziglar

Natalie Coughlin’s Advice for the 100: Don’t...

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:56:17 -0400

Natalie Coughlin’s Advice for the 100: Don’t overswim the first 50