Today I'm going to just reflect on the weekend at Divisions that we just had. No discussion of points, or PBs or individual races. No recitation of endless statistics (that I like so much!). Instead, I'll let my mind wander over scenes and instances that stood out for me. Now bear in mind that I… Continue reading Reflections on a Division 3 Championship
Category: Coaching
Anything related to the profession of coaching that I care enough to comment upon.
Hey Coach, Are We Tapering For Divisions?
Yes, I've heard that question a lot this last few weeks. And it's not that easy to answer. But first, let's talk about what a competitive swim taper is, and why we do it. My readers will know by now that I love to tell stories. So let's start off this blog with one. The… Continue reading Hey Coach, Are We Tapering For Divisions?
More Than You Want to Know About Practice and Competition Swim Suits
WARNING: This is long. If you just want to know about modern practice and competition swim suits, skip down to near the end. I'm going to tackle this subject chronologically, since the road to the present has had its share of strange activities. There has been swimming as far ago as the Greeks and Romans. … Continue reading More Than You Want to Know About Practice and Competition Swim Suits
Coach Rick on Swim Training Toys
The swimming community has a bewildering array of training toys available for swimmers and coaches to use during practices. Some are useful for certain situations, some are rarely useful, and some are the source of a lot of debate. Here are the most common of these toys Kickboards - these are the floating boards swimmers… Continue reading Coach Rick on Swim Training Toys
Guest Blog: Coach Caillin on the Use of Fins with Developing Swimmers
Many parents have asked me recently why we don't use fins for the Entry level groups, and why we use them so minimally for Novice. Those are good questions. Every team has their own viewpoint on this, so it is a very debatable topic, and a very confusing one for parents. Here is our team's… Continue reading Guest Blog: Coach Caillin on the Use of Fins with Developing Swimmers
Essential Swimming Links
Every coach has their list of favourite sites for following the world of swimming. In order to get the most enjoyment and satisfaction with the sport, parents and swimmers may want to develop their own lists as well. Below are some of my suggestions to help you keep in touch with the Tritons and the… Continue reading Essential Swimming Links
Thoughts on Our First Meet
We've finished our first meet, and what a meet! First off, thanks to everyone who helped in any capacity. It took a great team effort to make this happen - coordination with the town, with Lakeshore Swim Club, and with Swim Ontario. Then a tremendous amount of work to get the timing system running properly… Continue reading Thoughts on Our First Meet
Update to Divisions 3 Post
A few people have been asking me some more questions about Division 3. I'll answer them here in this update. But keep in mind that we will also hold a meeting soon with all Division families invited. That's when the organizing and planning can really start. Where will we be staying? Do we have to… Continue reading Update to Divisions 3 Post
Why Division Team Championships are Different
Division Team Championships are different. There is no doubt about that. There are three basic types of meets that a swim team gets involved in over the course of a year. Meets without qualifying times - these make up most of our meets Meets with qualifying times - these are big invitational meets, as well… Continue reading Why Division Team Championships are Different
Early Season Meets – An Interview with Myself
Below is an interview carried out with myself following our second meet of the season. Q. How have the first two meets gone? A. If you look at the results, they've been pretty spectacular. Our Personal Best rate [PB] in our first meet in Hamilton was an impressive 87%. The second meet in Guelph has… Continue reading Early Season Meets – An Interview with Myself
Coach Rick - Mighty Tritons Swimming 