Last week we had our first meet of the year. It may not seem that early for most teams, but it is for us. Most of our swimmers had their last meet of the year in late June, and we could only get back into the pool in mid-September. This meant we had just 5… Continue reading Reflections on the Value of an Early First Meet
Tag: Tritons
Strength & Conditioning for Swimmers
Not too long ago I wrote about Mount Stupid (you can read it here), and how I and so many other coaches apparently. Well this year I climbed partway down from Mount Stupid and decided to ask a real strength and conditioning expert to handle what I’d been so confidently messing up for years. Wow,… Continue reading Strength & Conditioning for Swimmers
Athletes and Their Dislike of Stretching
Having been involved in quite a few different sports, I can state that athletes generally dislike stretching after practice. Others may disagree and say that athletes don't dislike stretching, they HATE stretching, but you get my point. (I should point out that many athletes appear to love stretching before practice, but I think that's just… Continue reading Athletes and Their Dislike of Stretching
6 Rules For Becoming a Better Swim 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 swim parent. Before I start, I should point out that most swim parents are actually pretty good when it comes to interacting with their kid’s competitors, officials and coaches, at least… Continue reading 6 Rules For Becoming a Better Swim Parent
A Glimpse Into the Future: Comparisons of Junior and Senior World Championships
A few weeks ago I wrote about US dominance and international parity in swimming, and how it has changed over the years (here). For the last decade or so we've pretty much had status quo, with 30-35 countries typically making finals, and the US only slipping slightly in terms of percentage of swimmers making finals.… Continue reading A Glimpse Into the Future: Comparisons of Junior and Senior World Championships
Deconstructing Lochte’s Underwater, and FINA’s Rush To Disallow It
Although it’s not officially called the Lochte Rule, it might as well be. Ryan Lochte’s now famous dolphin kicking on his back on the freestyle leg of the 200 IM final at the World Championships is the only possible reason for FINA’s announcement that it will soon disallow it. You can see the race HERE… Continue reading Deconstructing Lochte’s Underwater, and FINA’s Rush To Disallow It
My Favourite Swim Race Videos of 2014-2015 (and Some Earlier Years)
The 2014-2015 season is basically behind us now. Below are some of my favourite racing videos from the year. Since this is my first time doing this annual review, I've also added some of my favourites from the past as well. Unfortunately, some of the races I watched during the World Championships feed are not… Continue reading My Favourite Swim Race Videos of 2014-2015 (and Some Earlier Years)
Is the Swimming World Catching Up to the US?
Those of you who watched the recent World Championships results were probably as shocked as I was with the Day 1 news that both the US and Australian Men's teams missed making finals in the 4x100 Freestyle relays. Both did as they always do – swam 4 slower swimmers in the heats to rest up… Continue reading Is the Swimming World Catching Up to the US?
Chasing the Dream: The Pros and Cons of Professional Swimming
Professional team sports are known for their incredibly high-paid stars. Just look at the money thrown at the top names in the big team sports, such as soccer, baseball, football, basketball, hockey and cycling. And not just for the top tier leagues. Many good players in lower leagues can make decent money. There are only… Continue reading Chasing the Dream: The Pros and Cons of Professional Swimming
The View From Mount Stupid
As coaches we are often expected to act as mentors, technical experts, motivators, physical diagnosticians, nutritionists, strength trainers, statistical analysts, etc. There are an incredible number of roles we play, and there is no conceivable way we can be experts in all of them. And yet, we have to take on these roles to do… Continue reading The View From Mount Stupid
Coach Rick - Mighty Tritons Swimming 