I've long wondered about the strategies elite swimmers use for the 200s. It is perhaps the toughest distance to swim, as it involves a good mix of sprint speed and endurance. I've wondered as to how hard they take it out, or how hard the middle 100 should be? Are there appreciable differences between how… Continue reading Swimming By the Numbers: How Elite Swimmers Swim the 200 Free
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)
How Has Swimming Changed? Swimming in the 70s
One of the nice things about being a both a swim coach and former swimmer is that I have a perspective on swimming that was not available to me when I was a just a swimmer. Two things stand out for me as significantly different back in the 1970s as compared to now. Swimmer Longevity… Continue reading How Has Swimming Changed? Swimming in the 70s
Swimming By the Numbers: The Unfairness of Short Course – Long Course Conversion Rates, especially for Backstrokers!
I'll start off with the teaser. Existing one-size-fits-all course conversion rates are not remotely accurate, especially for backstroke, and there exists a sizable difference in accurate conversion rates between men and women. Finally, any swim governing body that uses a single, artificially low conversion rate is doing a great disservice to its members. Now, on… Continue reading Swimming By the Numbers: The Unfairness of Short Course – Long Course Conversion Rates, especially for Backstrokers!
Faster, Better, Stronger Swimmers?
In March 2014, David Epstein, a sports science reporter, gave a brilliant TED talk, "Are athletes really getting faster, better, stronger?", in which he explores some of the principal reasons behind the assault on the record books. I strongly advise you watch it. It's just under 15 minutes, and you can find it here .… Continue reading Faster, Better, Stronger Swimmers?
Why Swimmers Need to Be On Time and Ready For Practice
Swimmers need to be on time for practices and meets, and ready to swim when they get there. Coaches have been telling swimmers this ever since swim practices started. In fact, it's so obvious its a truism. So there isn't much that bothers a coach more than swimmers who are repeatedly late for practice for… Continue reading Why Swimmers Need to Be On Time and Ready For Practice
Should Swim Practices be Open or Closed to Spectators?
I was following an online forum discussion among swim coaches about whether practices should be open or closed, and I was surprised at the diversity of opinion. It reminded me that coaching is not just about training swimmers, but requires a lot of interpersonal skills supplemented with education and experience. Closed Practices I was a… Continue reading Should Swim Practices be Open or Closed to Spectators?
The Case Against KickBoards
There are few pieces of swim equipment that seem are more synonymous with swimming than a kickboard. Perhaps goggles. But kickboards have actually been around longer, about 20 years longer, as they were first introduced as a swim aid in the late 1940s. So what do kickboards accomplish, and why do swimmers like them? Technically,… Continue reading The Case Against KickBoards
More Than You Want to Know About Swim Goggles
There is perhaps nothing more closely associated with swimming than a bathing suit and goggles. But what many people may not realize is that this is only a recent thing. The first time someone wore goggles in an international swim meet was only in 1970. Goggles for practice only showed up around 1968. But once… Continue reading More Than You Want to Know About Swim Goggles
Is Meet-Free March a Good Idea?
Ontario and a few other provinces have a policy of no swim meets in March, other than possibly provincial championships at the very start of the month. The reasons come from the nature of swimming in Canada. Most teams in Canada train in a short course (25 metre or even 25 yard) pool. This leads… Continue reading Is Meet-Free March a Good Idea?
The Athlete-Coach Debriefings after Competition
I just came back from watching the Canadian Wrestling Championships, and the wrestling was fantastic. But I have to admit I also spent quite a bit of time watching the country's top coaches interact with their athletes after matches. Now, I should point out that wrestling and swimming are about as different as you can… Continue reading The Athlete-Coach Debriefings after Competition
Coach Rick - Mighty Tritons Swimming 