If you're aware of my series on the analyzing how the elite swim the 200s, you'll know that I've collected a lot of data on elite swimmers. So it seemed natural for me to use this data to answer (at least to myself) an age-old question. Is the 200 Freestyle more sprint-oriented or more distance-oriented?… Continue reading 200 Freestyle: Sprint or Distance?
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)
9 Things to Keep in Mind Before the Big Meets
This is Championship Meet season, and many swimmers are gearing up for the year's big races. We know from experience that some will do amazing, some will be disappointed, and many will be in between. Here are a few things you should keep in mind to get those amazing swims. 1. Sleep, eat properly,… Continue reading 9 Things to Keep in Mind Before the Big Meets
Swimming By the Numbers: How Elite Men Swim the 200 Breaststroke
This is the next installment in a series that looks at how the elite swim the 200 by looking at their race splits. This time we're analyzing the 200 breaststroke for men. The first set of analyses involved the long axis strokes for men and women (here, here and here). We found clear indications of… Continue reading Swimming By the Numbers: How Elite Men Swim the 200 Breaststroke
Swimming By the Numbers: How Elite Women Swim the 200 Breaststroke
This is the next instalment in a series that looks at how the elite swim the 200 by looking at their race splits. This time we're analyzing the 200 breaststroke for women. The first set of analyses involved the long axis strokes for men and women (here, here and here). We found clear indications of… Continue reading Swimming By the Numbers: How Elite Women Swim the 200 Breaststroke
Visualization, Adrenaline and Sleep Problems
Visualization is amazing; there's no question about it. And there is a phenomenal amount of information available about visualization on the internet (Google "visualization" and you get 19.3 million hits). However, there seems to be absolutely no information about a crucial way in which visualization can go bad. It can steal your sleep. As you… Continue reading Visualization, Adrenaline and Sleep Problems
Swimming By the Numbers: How Elite Men Swim the 200 Butterfly
This time up: 200 Butterfly for Men. The first set of analyses involved the long axis strokes for men and women (here, here and here). We found clear indications of specific race profiles (Sprinter, Distance and Hybrid - see below) that made sense given the efficient nature of the strokes. The women's freestyle and backstroke… Continue reading Swimming By the Numbers: How Elite Men Swim the 200 Butterfly
Wandering Minds, Unhappiness, and Lack of Improvement
I was driving home today, listening to a TED Talk Radio Hour podcast called Simply Happy. One of the speakers, Matt Killingsworth, has spent years studying happiness as part of his Ph.D. research at Harvard, and this includes a project involving 35,000 interactions with participants (see here). He has arrived at 2 fundamental conclusions. 1)… Continue reading Wandering Minds, Unhappiness, and Lack of Improvement
Swimming By the Numbers: How Elite Women Swim the 200 Butterfly
This is the next instalment in a series that looks at how the elite swim the 200 by looking at their race splits. This time we're analyzing the 200 butterfly for women. In the 200 freestyle and backstroke analyses (here, here and here) we found a number of surprises, or at least things that surprised… Continue reading Swimming By the Numbers: How Elite Women Swim the 200 Butterfly
Swimming By the Numbers: How Elite Men Swim the 200 Backstroke
This is the next installment in a series that looks at how the elite swim the 200 by looking at their race splits. This time we're analyzing the 200 backstroke for men. In the 200 free analysis (link) we found that the men and women swam remarkably different races. The top women generally had the… Continue reading Swimming By the Numbers: How Elite Men Swim the 200 Backstroke
Swimming By the Numbers: How Elite Women Swim the 200 Backstroke
This is the 2nd instalment in a series that looks at how the elite swim the 200. This time we're analyzing the 200 backstroke for women. Thanks to a lot of suggestions, and some renewed thinking about the data, I've focussed this a little differently than the 200 Free analysis (link). First off, I've completely… Continue reading Swimming By the Numbers: How Elite Women Swim the 200 Backstroke
Coach Rick - Mighty Tritons Swimming 