I know this is a provocative title, but it's a serious question. I often get approached by parents asking if their relatively short child has a future as a swimmer. And of course I say yes, because every swimmer should strive to reach their potential. But there is a deeper question buried in there. Can… Continue reading Can Short Swimmers Compete at the Highest Levels?
Tag: coaching
Some Useful Sports Nutrition Information for Swimmers
Last week I wrote about the apparent lack of interest in sports nutrition in the swimming world (here). It surprised me that I received far more than the usual number of comments (in person, on various discussion forums, email, etc.) about this post. Most were agreeing with the situation, while a couple were providing me… Continue reading Some Useful Sports Nutrition Information for Swimmers
Swimming’s Incredibly Backward Approach to Sports Nutrition
I'll start off right away by saying that I'm not a nutritionist, dietician or an expert in food in any sense other than I've been eating my whole life. Clearly that is NOT enough to make my nutrition opinions count. That's why we have a team sports nutritionist. And to tell the truth, our team… Continue reading Swimming’s Incredibly Backward Approach to Sports Nutrition
What is a Swim Team?
Every year, usually once or twice, I have to sit one of our groups of swimmers down and explain to them what it means to be on a swim team. Many times it's because the aggressive and cliquish attitudes from school migrate over to the pool, but often it's just that swimmers don't understand what… Continue reading What is a Swim Team?
Michael Phelps, and the Star – Role Model Problem
Everybody inside and outside of the swimming world will have probably heard of Michael Phelps' latest DUI problem. I'm not going to talk about that other than point out that Phelps is just another example of a star who is also a flawed human. And now, a dangerously flawed one. This raises the whole issue… Continue reading Michael Phelps, and the Star – Role Model Problem
6 Rules For Becoming a Better Swimming Parent
The start of a season is a good time to review some of the basics. And the first one is the role of a swimming parent. I should warn you here that I'll be repeating some points I made in a similar post almost exactly one year ago. Before I start, I should point out… Continue reading 6 Rules For Becoming a Better Swimming Parent
Teens, Sleep Deprivation and Morning Swim Practices – Revisited
Very early last year I wrote a blog post about the above topic. Specifically, that research at the time showed some pretty bad effects on kids, and especially teens, of not getting enough sleep. You can read that blog post here. Basically, it referred to many studies that say teens need between 8.5 and 9+… Continue reading Teens, Sleep Deprivation and Morning Swim Practices – Revisited
How Hard Should We Push our Young Swimmers?
How many hours of training should we put our youngest swimmers through? How intense should training be? When should we ask them to give up other sports and specialize in swimming? These are questions that have been around for a long, long time. And while the swimming world claims to divided on this topic, in… Continue reading How Hard Should We Push our Young Swimmers?
What’s the Best Way to Start Off a Swim Season?
A new swim season is about to start, and in the process of preparing my annual training plan I decided to investigate how other swim teams and other sports team start off their seasons. After all, I've borrowed enough ideas from cycling and other sports that its possible they have some good ideas in this… Continue reading What’s the Best Way to Start Off a Swim Season?
A Look at Slower Second Swims
Slower second (or third) swims in an event seems to be a topic that nobody wants to discuss. After all, since these swims usually only happen at bigger meets, swimming slower isn't something that people want to draw a lot of attention to. But it's part of the process and needs to be looked at.For… Continue reading A Look at Slower Second Swims
Coach Rick - Mighty Tritons Swimming 