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May 26, 2012

Philosophy: Warm Up the Way You Want to Race

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.

Tags: swimming philosophy coaching sport psychology warm up starts turns races

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May 15, 2012
3 notes
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.

Tags: swimming natalie coughlin focus goals process

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September 13, 2011
27 notes
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

Tags: swimming breathing mechanics technique

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September 09, 2011
9 notes
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.

Tags: gary hall sr. senior swimming freestyle backstroke butterfly breaststroke pulling hands hold water

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September 07, 2011
34 notes
USDA Rolls Out First Themed MyPlate Healthy Eating Message: Make Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables

Tags: USDA healthy living diet exercise swimming