Disqualifications. They're a common and necessary part of swimming. They lurk behind every start, turn and stroke. They can generate tears, anger, outrage, swearing and sometimes even acceptance. And they occur at local developmental meets, the Olympics, and everything in between. But what amazes me about them it the incredible diversity of attitudes towards them.… Continue reading Disqualifications: Fight Them or Accept Them?
Month: January 2015
More Than You Want to Know About Swimming Disqualifications
Disqualifications are an essential part of swimming. It's there lurking in the background of every race in every meet. But what's the real purpose of disqualifications? It might not be what you think. Disqualifications are not there to punish cheaters. The purpose of a disqualification is to prohibit certain movements or actions which have the… Continue reading More Than You Want to Know About Swimming Disqualifications
5 Bad Habits of Good Swimmers
We all know that great swimmers have very few bad habits. And this makes sense, as bad habits in practice become mistakes in competition, and great swimmers don't make a lot of mistakes in competition. On the flip side, poor swimmers often make uncountable numbers of mistakes. So I'm going to focus here on the… Continue reading 5 Bad Habits of Good Swimmers
Christmas Camp versus Christmas Break
The idea of a Christmas Camp versus a Christmas Break should really be a hot topic. After all, it's a pretty clear tradeoff: use the holidays to train swimmers extra hard; or give swimmers a rest and a chance to enjoy the holidays with their family. Unfortunately, it's not a hot topic. In fact, it… Continue reading Christmas Camp versus Christmas Break
Some Honest New Year’s Resolutions for Swimmers and Coaches
The problem with most (all?) New Year's Resolutions is that they tend to be forced, vague and impractical. As an example, Get Fit is a common one, and so in early January we see gyms and pools filled with eager and resolute individuals. And as little as 2 weeks later we're back to the same… Continue reading Some Honest New Year’s Resolutions for Swimmers and Coaches
Coach Rick - Mighty Tritons Swimming 