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Aug 1, 2023
Easy As 123
As has been touched upon before, coaches are constantly engaged in identifying, engaging with, and solving complex problems. To combat...
Jul 25, 2023
Bleeding to Death Part II
As discussed in PART I, the effects of training can operate at divergent time scales, with the positive and negative impacts of a given...
Jul 18, 2023
Bleeding to Death Part I
One of the biggest challenges in coaching is managing training over long time scales. In other words, the effects of your decisions...
Jul 11, 2023
The Dryside Part III
As discussed in part I, life stress can significantly impact performance and health. In part II, we discussed how coaches can manage...
Jul 4, 2023
The Dryside Part II
As discussed in part I, life can have a tremendous impact on the training program, including the rate of improvement, injury risk, and...
Jun 27, 2023
The Dryside Part I
As coaches, we tend to be very focused on the importance of our training sessions and training plans. We feel that the specifics of the...
Jun 20, 2023
The Coaching Process
At its essence, coaching is a simple process. It is a series of decisions based upon information that is presented to the coach on daily...
Jun 13, 2023
Drilled Down
The use of technical drills has been a central part of teaching movement and skills. As described here, there are more considerations as...
Jun 6, 2023
Beyond The Base
One of the fundamental concepts of swimming training is the critical importance of developing a ‘base’. As the name implies, a great base...
May 30, 2023
OPTIMIZING Performance Part III
In previous articles we explored the impact of autonomy and expectancies on performance. To wrap up the final aspect of the OPTIMAL...
May 23, 2023
OPTIMIZING Performance Part II
In part I, we introduced the OPTIMAL theory of learning, which suggests that emphasizing autonomy, expectancies, and an external focus of...
May 16, 2023
OPTIMIZING Performance Part I
As a coach, I am always looking for different ways to view the training process, new ways to understand how performance emerges, and new...
May 9, 2023
Overload
Improvements in training come from overload followed by recovery from that overload. This process results in an adaptive change* that...
May 2, 2023
Learning to Coach
The craft of coaching requires many skillsets to be effective. Learning to coach effectively is a lifelong process that only ends when...
Apr 25, 2023
Going Dry Part VI- Developmental Considerations
This week’s post will be shorter in length, but no less in importance. We’ve examined the various training components and training...
Apr 18, 2023
How Are You Doing?
As the coaching profession continues to move forward, in conjunction with the expanding presence and efficacy of technology, there has...
Apr 11, 2023
Going Dry Part V- Improve Fitness, Work Capacity, and Body Composition
Once a program has established a sound plan for establishing posture and torso stability, acquiring and strengthening full range of...
Apr 4, 2023
Safety Valves
As coaches, we constantly have to make decisions about any number of training-related issue, and we often have to make these decisions in...
Mar 28, 2023
Going Dry IV- Strengthen the Muscles Required for Propulsion
Having developed a stable torso position and established appropriate range of motion through the joints, it’s time to create force. As...
Mar 21, 2023
Intentions
It’s not uncommon to see articles promising simple advice to help improve our lives, particularly with relationships. They provide...
Mar 14, 2023
Going Dry Part III- Acquire and Strengthen Required Ranges of Motion
As discussed in the introductory article, acquiring and strengthening the range of motions required for successful swimming is a primary...
Mar 7, 2023
Accountability
Accountability is critically important in any high-performance environment. While it is challenging for any one individual to meet or...
Feb 28, 2023
Going Dry Part II- Postural Alignment and Stability
As referenced in the introductory article, maintaining postural alignment and stability is the fundamental skill that supports fast...
Feb 21, 2023
Mentors
The importance of finding a good mentor is often impressed upon young coaches, and rightfully so. It can be a colossal difference maker....
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