Last year I wrote about how the swimming world has an unhealthy obsession with Personal Bests [PBs]. And since then I've seen countless more examples of swimmers treating non-personal bests as if it meant they were a failure. But I've also seen swimmers get unhealthily obsessed with their race times in general. The problem is… Continue reading Our Unhealthy Obsession with Race Times
Author: Rick Madge
Here's my life in a nutshell.
Husband to a beautiful wife
Father of 3 amazing, grown-up children.
Electrical Engineer (hey, it pays the bills and keeps my mind busy)
Swim coach (this is where my passion lies)
Attributes: Ridiculously curious. Introverted. Pretensions of creative abilities. Reader (books not minds. at least, not that you know). Athlete (reduced primarily to swimming and cycling now). Collector (of weird, old and interesting items). Writer (primarily of boring technical reports and overly long About You blurbs)
The Troubled Life of a Drop-Dead Sprinter
If you've spent any time in swimming, you've probably known a drop-dead sprinter or two. Now, I'm not talking about a normal sprinter who can do a fast 50 or 100, but trains pretty much like everyone else. I'm talking about a sprinter who can do a blazing fast 50 or 100 in a meet… Continue reading The Troubled Life of a Drop-Dead Sprinter
Disqualifications: Fight Them or Accept Them?
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?
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
5 Swim Training Tips for Triathletes
At the request of a friend / triathlon coach, I'm writing with my thoughts on how triathletes could improve their swim training. (Thanks Mark!) I should point out that I am not a triathlon coach. I've coached quite a few competitive swimmers who have also been triathletes. I've trained with triathletes in Masters swimming. And… Continue reading 5 Swim Training Tips for Triathletes
The End of the Breaststroke Pullout?
I really don't think I'm overstating this. The breaststroke pullout may be going the way of the dodo bird. On Nov. 29, 2014, FINA issued a ruling (here), in which they change the allowable use of a single dolphin kick following starts and turns. The old version of rule SW 7.1 stated After the… Continue reading The End of the Breaststroke Pullout?
Swimming By the Numbers: Elite Men’s 400 Freestyle Strategies
This is a continuation of my series on how the elite swim various races. In my last instalment in this series I analyzed the women's 400 Free. There is no question that the 400 is a distance-oriented race, and so we can expect distance-oriented strategies. The purpose of this analysis is to determine which strategies… Continue reading Swimming By the Numbers: Elite Men’s 400 Freestyle Strategies
Coach Rick - Mighty Tritons Swimming 