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Swimming Coaching
A.T. – does it stand for Anaerobic Threshold or A Total Waste of Time?
A.T. – what does it stand for?
Anaerobic Threshold? Yep – for senior athletes, elite swimmers, swimmers 13 years of age and older – absolutely.
For swimmers 12 and under what does A.T. stand for? A Total waste of time. Read more
May 25, 2010 | 4 Comments
Tags: Elite swimming, High Performance Swimming, Mental Skills and Attitudes, Swim, Swimmers, Swimming, Swimming Coaching, Swimming Competition Tips, Swimming Racing Tips, Swimming Science, Swimming Technique, Swimming Training Tips, Training
The Engagement Factor – the essential element in designing training sets and swimming workouts.
In my last post, I introduced the P.A.C.E. system – a simple, easy to use, practical way of managing training intensity in young age group swimmers.
| P.A.C.E. System Level | Description | Feels like | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| P or PACE 1 | Practice and Preparation Pace | Easy, relaxed. | Recovery, drills and skills. |
| A or PACE 2 | Air-robic Pace. | Easy to moderate. | Endurance development. |
| C or PACE 3 | Competition Specific Pace | Hard. | Race specific practices with race specific speeds, skills, techniques and breathing. |
| E or PACE 4 | Electric Pace | Fast - explosive. | Speed development. |
Now, let’s build on the P.A.C.E. system by introducing the Engagement Factor: the first training prescription system which incorporates a mental skills focus in swimming workout design.
Everyone talks about the importance of the mental side of swimming and how important it is for swimmers to train both their bodies and minds in training and preparation.
Talking about it is one thing.
The next step for coaches is to make mental skills and the integration of the mind into every session and the way to achieve this is to incorporate mental skills in the workout design itself.
Introducing the Engagement Factor.
Read more
April 21, 2010 | 4 Comments
Tags: Mental Skills and Attitudes, Swim, Swimmers, Swimming, Swimming Coaching, Swimming Competition Tips, Swimming Racing Tips, Swimming Science, Swimming Technique, Swimming Training Tips, Training
The Swimming Coach Score Card – a must for all coaches (and swimmers and parents).
Coaches – ever wanted to know how you rate as a coach?
Swimmers – ever wanted to know how your coach rates as a coach?
Swimming Parents – ever wanted to know how your kid’s coach rates as a coach?
Then look no further than….the Swimming Coach Score Card. Read more
January 12, 2010 | Comments Off
Tags: Swim, Swimmers, Swimming and Parenting, Swimming Clubs and Swimming Associations, Swimming Coaching
Creating a Winning Swimming Club Culture – excellence, environment, everything, everyday, everybody.
Every swimming team has a unique culture.
Some teams have a culture of fun, enjoyment, family and friends.
Some teams have a culture of hard work, discipline, dedication and training.
Some teams are based at schools, colleges and universities and their culture is a reflection of the culture of the institution.
The culture of some teams comes from their location, the ethnic background of the people in the team, the climate or the city they live and train in.
Every team is unique and every culture is special.
But for many teams, there comes a time when the coaches, swimmers, families and supporters decide they want to become a winning team. They decide to set some serious competitive goals and work together as a team to achieve them.
And to become a winning team requires the development of a winning culture. Read more
September 28, 2009 | 1 Comment
Tags: Swim, Swimming, Swimming and Parenting, Swimming Clubs and Swimming Associations, Swimming Coaching, Swimming Training Tips
Peaking and Tapering Strategies–Getting it right the first time.
There’s Harry Potter.
There’s Star Wars.
There’s Disneyland.
And there’s one other magic and mystery experience……………Peaking and Tapering swimmers.
But what is peaking and tapering?
- PEAK – Preparing Each Athlete’s Kapacity (capacity) to perform at their best.
- TAPER – Training Activities that Provide Excellence after Rest.
Peaking is about training swimmers to swim at their best.
Tapering is ensuring that the swimmer’s can produce their best on a specific day following a period of rest, recovery and regeneration.
Let’s try to unlock the magic and mystery of coaching swimmers to perform at their best……when it matters most. Read more
September 15, 2009 | 6 Comments
Tags: Swim, Swimming, Swimming Coaching, Swimming Science, Swimming Technique, Swimming Training Tips
