in – July-August 2002

CONTENTS SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA is published six times annually.

Working with Children Check for Volunteers (The Fast Copy Deadline January-February 15th January Lane) ...... 1 th Keeping the Boys in Swimming (Greg Cronauer) ...... 5 March-April 15 March May-June 15th May Train Harder – Recover Faster (Rick Curl & Edmund th Burke)...... 7 July-August 15 July September-October 15th September Qualifications Procedures – Swimming: Athens 2004 th ...... 11 November-December 15 November Improve Your CORE Strength ( Weil) 12 Advertising Rates (inc. GST) The Great Debate: Overload or Underload? (Ron Johnson) ...... 17 1 Issue 3 Issues 6 Issues The Torch is Ours (George Block) ...... 20 $ $ $ Swimming Psychology (Craig Townsend)...... 25 Full Page 600 1,300 1,850 Recovery Based Training – An Alternate Method of ¾ Page 500 1,100 1,500 Athlete Preparation (Wayne Goldsmith)...... 33 ½ Page 300 750 1,200 Hydration (Martin Mackay) ...... 40 ¼ Page 200 500 900 Believe You Can ACHIEVE (Pamela LeBlanc)...... 41 Banner 4cm x 1col 55 Learn to Swim...... 43 Overuse Injury (Martin Mackay)...... 48 NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS Cramps (Martin Mackay) ...... 48 T.T.T. What is it? (Martin Mackay)...... 49 All copy is subject to acceptance by the publisher. All Setting & Achieving Specific Goals (Martin Mackay) .. 50 advertisers must ensure that their advertisements Letters to the Editor...... 50 comply strictly with the requirements of all Federal Do we produce winners at too young an age? (Peter Legislation. The publisher reserves the right to reject Ruddock) ...... 51 copy without giving any reason or explanation. Do we train our young swimmers the correct way? (Peter Ruddock) ...... 51 COPYRIGHT ISSUE FROM THE PUBLISHER Oceania Championships (Chris Guesdon) ...... 52 As more and more articles with invaluable technical The Creation of Velocity with Recovery on Freestyle and research data have and will be published through (Mark Creswell) ...... 53 our Magazine for our Members to read and use, it is FINA News ...... 55 timely to mention Copyright infringements. AUSSI Masters Swimming Rules ...... 61 Common Threads of Successful Swimming Technique The ASCTA Magazine (SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA) (Marshall Adams)...... 65 Publisher strongly advises all concerned that any The Croc’s on the top of OZ (Mark Davies) ...... 75 attempts to reprint articles or excerpts from contents Short Medley Concept (Shev Gul)...... 77 is prohibited without the written permission of the Breakthrough Swimming Book Review (Peter Ruddock)78 publisher and author. Any infringements of copyright WSCA Newsletter...... 79 will be dealt with accordingly.

Views expressed in articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or the Board of ASCTA.

Mailing Address ASCTA, PO Box 824, Lavington NSW 2641 Email [email protected] Web Site www.ascta.com Membership Enquiries Phone: 02 6041 6077 or Fax: 02 6041 4282 ASCTA Insurance Brokers 1300 300 511 SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – July-August 2002

DEFINITION OF ‘PARENT’ WORKING WITH CHILDREN A ‘parent’ of a child is the child’s mother, father CHECK FOR VOLUNTEERS or other adult with parental responsibility for the Reproduced from The Fast Lane: child. Queensland Swimming Newsletter A person standing in the place of a parent of a child on a temporary basis is not the parent of the The Commission for Children and Young People child. is committed to protecting children from harm and A parent of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander promoting their wellbeing. child includes a person who, under Aboriginal An important child protection initiative of the tradition or Torres Strait Islander custom, is regarded Commission is the Working with Children Check. as the parent of the child. The Working with Children Check is a detailed HOW DO I APPLY? assessment of a person’s suitability to work with The organisation … i.e. the volunteer children under the age of 18, based on the person’s coordinator/manager … is responsible for applying to criminal history. the Commission for a suitability check for volunteers From 1st May 2002, the Commission for Children before their appointment or engagement. and Young People Act 2000 (Qld) requires all The volunteer coordinator must see original volunteers working in specific child related documents proving the applicant’s identity. employment to undergo a criminal history check. Documents, which can be used as proof of People who fail to comply with the Act can be identification, are on the application form. One of the penalised. documents sighted must show the applicant’s signature … e.g. driver’s licence, passport. WHO NEEDS TO APPLY? Volunteers working with children must be Volunteers must complete their personal details checked if they work in… on the application form and consent to the criminal history check. • Out of home residential facilities When the Commission receives the application, a • School boarding facilities criminal history check is sought from the Queensland • Schools Police Service and other Police Services in Australia. • Churches, clubs and associations providing This includes a check for any charges and services or conducting activities mainly convictions occurring in Australia no matter when directed towards children they occurred. • Child counselling and support services Additional information about the person’s • Private teaching, coaching or tutoring. criminal history may also be sought from the courts, WHO IS EXEMPT? police and prosecuting authorities. The following volunteers are not required to under On the basis of the person’s criminal history, the the check… Commission will assess the person’s suitability for • Children under 18 who are volunteers working with children. • Parents who volunteer to provide services or If an applicant is suitable, a notice is issued to conduct activities at their child’s school them in the form of a blue plastic suitability card. • Parents who volunteer to provide services or The suitability card is valid for two years and is conduct activities through a church, club or transferable across certain child-related employment, association, if their child is involved in the whether as a volunteer, paid employee or self- same or similar service or activity. employed. Once people have a ‘blue card’, they are MINIMUM LENGTH OF SERVICE not required to undergo employment screening for Volunteers must have a criminal history check if another two years, unless there is a change in their they work within a 12-month period… criminal history. • At least once a week over one month, or If an applicant is deemed unsuitable, a negative • At least once a fortnight over two months, or notice is issued by the Commission. This prohibits • At least once a month over six months. the applicant from working in the listed child-related Volunteers working on a “short term” or “one- employment. off” basis are not required to have a criminal history If an applicant has a criminal history, it does not check. necessarily mean he or she will be deemed unsuitable. Before a negative (unsuitable) notice is issued, the applicant may provide a submission

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addressing the criminal history and suitability for they work. After being told, the organisation must not child-related employment. continue to engage that person without applying to The Commissioner assesses the submission and the Commission for a further suitability notice. the nature and circumstances around the offence/s Failure to do so will result in an offence. The only before making a final decision. information the volunteer is obliged to tell the If an applicant is considered unsuitable, that organisation is that a change in criminal history has person is given notice of the decision and reasons for occurred. the decision. He or she has a right to have the OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE Commissioner’s decision reviewed by the Children WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK Services Tribunal. For more information about the Working with A notice that a person is unsuitable is valid Children Check for paid employees and people indefinitely unless it is cancelled by the Commission carrying on child related businesses see one of the or on successful review by the Children Services sources below. Tribunal (administered by the Department of Justice Commission for Children & Young People and Attorney-General). Queensland Government The volunteer organisation also will be notified by PO Box 12671 Brisbane George Street Qld 4003 the Commission of the applicant’s suitability status. Phone: 07 3247 5145 HOW MUCH DOES THE ‘WORKING WITH Freecall: 1800 113611 (employment screening hotline) CHILDREN CHECK’ COST? Fax: 07 3247 5200 A Working with Children Check is free of charge Website: www.childcomm.qld.gov.au Email: [email protected] for volunteers. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES AND OFFENCES? Penalties apply to volunteers who are engaged in Volunteers’ Working with Children Check child related work without a suitability card. Who is considered a volunteer? It is an offence if a volunteer organisation… A volunteer is a person who performs work for no • Engages or continues to engage a person in financial reward. Reimbursement for out-of-pocket voluntary child-related employment without expenses does not constitute financial reward. applying for a suitability card Is there a fee for volunteers seeking a check? • Engages or continues to engage a person No. The Commission for Children and Young deemed unsuitable People’s Working with Children Check is free for • Has applied for a suitability card for the volunteers. volunteer, and has been notified by the Is there a minimum age at which people should Commission that the person has withdrawn be checked? consent to the criminal history check and Employment screening does not apply to children and engages or continues to engage that volunteer young people (under 18) in unpaid employment. is aware that the volunteer has been convicted However, there is no minimum age at which checks of a serious offence and the volunteer should be conducted for those in paid employment. coordinator has not received a suitability notice Do volunteers need a criminal history check if for that person knowingly provides false or they were engaged before 1 May 2002? misleading information for the criminal history Yes. From 1 May 2002, volunteers in specific types check. of child-related employment must undergo a criminal It is an offence if the volunteer… history check if, over 12 months, they work… • Holds a current suitability notice and is • At least once a week over one month, or subsequently convicted of a serious offence • At least once a fortnight over two months, or and continues to work with, applies for, or • At least once a month over six months. starts work as a volunteer with children or This includes volunteers who only work for part of a young people day. However, if a volunteer entered an agreement • Does not notify their organisation of a change with an organisation to provide services for a set in their criminal history period before 1 May 2002, they will not need to have • Provides false or misleading information for a criminal history check until they enter into a new the criminal history check. agreement. In these cases, an employer can apply to CHANGE IN CRIMINAL HISTORY the Commission for a criminal history check if they Volunteers must immediately disclose any change ‘know or reasonably suspect’ the volunteer has a in their criminal history to the organisation for which criminal history that may make them unsuitable for

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child-related employment. An application form is Yes. If registered teachers are not employed as available from the Commission for this purpose. teachers … e.g. If they volunteer for a church group Do parents who volunteer at their children’s involving children, they will have to undergo schools need a criminal history check? employment screening. Where registered teachers are Parents who volunteer to help with activities at their employed in their capacity as teachers they are not child’s school do not have to undergo a criminal required to undergo a criminal history check through history check, even if the activities they participate in the Commission. do not include their child. As long as the child is If I am screened as a volunteer, then get paid enrolled at the school and is under 18, the exemption work; do I need to have another check? applies. No – not until your current suitability card expires Parents who volunteer at a church, club, or after two years. People who are checked as association volunteers are not required to pay the $40 fee. Must my child be on the team I coach before I am However, if they are in paid work when they reapply, exempted from having to undergo a criminal history they will have to pay the $40 application fee. check? No. Volunteer parents do not have to be Do ‘Work for the Dole’ participants have to screened if their child is involved in ‘the same or undergo a check if they are working with similar activity’ as the one in which they are children or young people? involved. As long as their child is also taking part in Yes. Participants in the ‘Work for the Dole’ scheme the activity for which the parent is providing services are regarded as volunteers and must undergo a (e.g. that particular sport) the parent is not required to criminal history check if their contact with children is have a criminal history check. frequent enough. The frequency of contact requiring Do I need a criminal history check if I coach a team volunteers to have a check is listed on page 1. and my child is not involved in the activity? Yes. In I have a criminal history. Will I be considered this instance, you require a criminal history check, as unsuitable? your child is not taking part in .the same as or similar Not necessarily. A person who has a criminal history, activity as the one for which you are volunteering. or who has been charged with an offence, will not Do members of voluntary management or necessarily be deemed unsuitable by the advisory committees require a check? Commission. Any criminal history will be considered Yes. If members of the committees are in child in terms of… related employment and they… • Whether it is a conviction or charge • Provide services directed mainly towards • Whether an offence is serious children, or • When the offence was committed or alleged to • Conduct activities mainly involving children. have been committed I’m a Uni student and am required to work in • The nature of the offence and its relevance to child-related employment as part of my child-related employment, and studies. Do I have to be checked? • Any additional information that is relevant to your Yes. University students required to work in child- suitability. related employment as part of a university course are A negative (i.e. unsuitable) notice will be issued if a required to undergo the Working with Children person has been convicted of a serious offence, Check. The person responsible for the agency at unless the Commissioner is satisfied the offence does which the student is placed (e.g. the Principal of a not pose any risk to the interests of children. A list of school) is responsible for applying to the serious offences can be obtained from the Commission for a suitability card on behalf of the Commission’s website at student. www.childcomm.qld.gov.au. If an applicant is However, if a placement is considered a “vocational considered unsuitable and they want to appeal the placement” under the Training and Employment Act Commissioner’s decision, they have the right to have 2000, the student and the agency (or person) they are the decision reviewed by the Children Services placed with are not considered to have an employer Tribunal. employee relationship. In this instance, the students In what circumstances would the Commissioner will not have to have a Working with Children issue a suitability card if I have a criminal Check. history? I’m a registered teacher but do volunteer work Exceptional circumstances are determined on a case in a church, club or association. Do I require a by case basis and may include… check?

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• The age of the applicant at the time of the offence submitted. Volunteer organisations are advised to • How long ago the offence was committed keep a record of their volunteers’ suitability card • The number and types of offences numbers and expiry dates to ensure their ‘blue cards’ • Personal circumstances of the applicant at the are current. time Can I be sure someone who has passed a • Whether the applicant has re-offended or breached suitability check is safe to work with children? an order Although employment screening is vital, it is Before being issued with a negative or unsuitable important employers understand a suitability card is notice, the person will be advised of the decision and no substitute for an appropriate range of risk invited to provide a submission on why the criminal management strategies. Organisations must ensure history does not preclude him or her from child- they effectively monitor the behaviour of staff or related employment. The person’s submission will be volunteers where children are concerned. considered by the Commissioner before an unsuitable Can I ensure that my details will be kept notice is issued. confidential? Can I engage a volunteer while I’m waiting for There are strict confidentiality provisions within the the result of their Working with Children Act to protect the privacy of people being checked. It Check? is an offence to disclose information collected about Yes. A volunteer without a current suitability card a person’s criminal history other than for can work, provided… employment screening purposes. • You have forwarded their application to the Volunteer organisations will not have access to Commission information about a person’s criminal history. The • You are not aware the applicant has a conviction organisation will only be informed as to whether a for a serious offence volunteer is “suitable” or “not suitable”. • You have not been advised by the Commission that the volunteer has withdrawn his or her CHECK LIST FOR A VOLUNTEER consent to the ‘working with children check’, and ORGANISATION • You are not aware that the volunteer has a current unsuitable notice issued against him or her. Application by volunteer organisation for suitability Are checks conducted through other authorities notice for a volunteer accepted … e.g. local police station? No. A criminal history check arranged through the • Has the form been completed in full (all Parts A Queensland Police Service may not provide a full to D)? criminal history. The Commission’s Act overrides • Has the applicant (volunteer) completed the time limits which apply to police checks under the Applicant’s Details section listing all former Criminal Law (Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act 1986 names? and allows the Commissioner to access a person’s • Have you confirmed with the applicant that he or full criminal history and any charges pending. This she has read the Applicant’s Declaration means the Commission has access to juvenile records carefully? in addition to other offences, regardless of when the • Has the applicant signed the Applicant’s offence was committed or how it was finalised. Declaration once only, completely inside the box, Can a volunteer be dismissed if found to be using a black pen? unsuitable? • Have you sighted two original documents Yes. A volunteer must not be employed in child supporting the applicant’s identity, one from List related employment if the organisation is aware the 1 and one from List 2, including one with the Commission has issued a current negative or applicant’s signature on it? unsuitable notice to the volunteer. Penalties apply if • Have you indicated which original documents you an organisation fails to comply with the legislation. sighted and recorded the document identification number in List 1? How long is a suitability card, or ‘blue card’ • Have you carefully read and signed the valid for? Two years from the date of issue, unless there is a Organisation’s Declaration? change to the cardholder’s criminal history in that time. The Commission will notify you when your The application will not be processed without all the card is due to expire so a new application can be details being completed.

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develop that fire. (Boys seem to be later bloomers Keeping the Boys than girls.) In colder areas of the country or areas where the in Swimming sport of swimming isn’t popular, the fear of having to By Greg Cronauer, Portsmouth Pool, NH wear tiny, skin-hugging underwear (racing suit) is Reproduced from American Swimming Magazine one of the major reasons why young boys don’t want Issue 6, 2001 to join a swim team. Or they will reluctantly join but quit before their first swim Meet. And they will never e want to maintain at least 40% boys on our tell their parents or swim teachers this is the real team. How we develop and retain them? reason! They think they have to wear that skimpy WW This is a problem nationally. What can you racing suit yet are embarrassed to tell anyone. So do on your club? The following has been very they stubbornly refuse to join or swim, no matter how successful for us. much their parents coax or prod them. This is First of all, recruit the boys! Go to all the local probably the single biggest obstacle in getting young pools and give team brochures to all the male boys to join. Here are some ideas that will help. swimmers, all the boys in Red Cross swim lessons, • Make it a point to tell boys in swim lessons “You and offer McDonald’s Gift Certificates to teachers or don’t need a racing suit. Those trunks you’re lifeguards that get boys to join the team. Girls (and wearing now are just fine.” (You know that by the their parents) are more likely to have their interest end of the first season they’ll be sleeping in their perked by a swim team than boys. Boys are focused racing suit. It will be cool to wear. And if it takes on big sports like basketball, baseball, soccer, etc., or them longer than that to get comfortable, so be it. sports that their fathers talk about or watch on TV. At least they joined.) This means you have to talk about and promote your • In your team recruiting brochure or the photos you swim team to double or triple the number of boys to submit to the newspaper try not to show male get the same response as the girls. Reach out to 10- team members in their racing suits. (Unless it’s an under boys, especially 8-under boys, before they have action shot in the water.) When you take a picture a chance to get hooked on the popular school sports. of a male swimmer holding a medal or trophy for When you get a few boys, and they have fun on the the paper have them put on some trunks. This way team, they will get their buddies to join, too. the photo in the paper doesn’t raise a red flag to Does this mean we are choosing boys over girls? the 10-under that sees it. In a certain way, yes. We will still accept any new Fact: There are fewer 8-under boys who can swimmer that wants to join, boy or girl, but we swim 25 yards in a crawl stroke with rotary breathing advertise more for boys. Our team goal is 50% Boys, than girls. (This being the standard test for joining 50% Girls. If we have a male and female swimmer many swim teams.) We have offered a Pre-Team for both do well at a local Meet, and we have a stock boys only to bridge this ability gap. We pay a good photo of each, we will submit the male photo to the swim lesson instructor or one of the team coaches to newspaper. This is because girls in the community run an 8 or 10 session set of lessons to teach 8-under will see the photo and think, “Wow, ... swimming. boys who can swim the width (18 yards) with an That looks fun.” They don’t care that it’s a boy. But a over-arm stroke but haven’t quite mastered the rotary boy (or his parents) who would simply skim over a breathing. We advertise it as a high quality set of girl’s photo would stop and think when they see a lessons, not the swim team. We teach mainly the boy... “Wow, ... this boy is the same age as you. Does Freestyle breathing and technique with a little he go to your school? You could make some friends and . We demonstrate all the on this team.” If a 10-under boy knows there will be strokes, turns and dives however, and talk about how a bunch of boys on the team he can buddy around fun it is to join the team and learn all that neat stuff with, he is a hundred times more likely to join. How about Butterfly and pace clocks and pull buoys and many 8 or 9 year old boys want to hang around with diving off the blocks, etc. If they pass the swim test a bunch of girls? (25 yards, rotary breathing) at the last class they are You will always lose boys to other sports, as they invited to join the team. This whets their appetite and get older. The trick is to start out with lots of 10- we usually get 5 to 10 excited 8-under boys join each unders so they make friends to hang around with. Use season. all the tricks in this article to get boys to join and It can be easy coaching girls. Compared to boys, make swimming as fun for them as possible. Even if girls wear their emotions on their sleeves a little you lose 50% of them by age 14 there are enough that more. They seek out attention more too, .so they tend have hung around long enough to get motivated and to receive it a little more from many coaches. We

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need to try harder to recognise effort from the boys. strong and deep relays in the 13-14 and 15-18 age And not with flowery praise that may be effective groups. with girls... like, “Great job honey! That was just Think about the practice groups on your team super!” Try comments like “Great set Todd! I’m right now. How many lanes have four or five girls for going to have to start calling you Superman. Let me every one adolescent boy? Probably more than you draw a big 5 on your chest.” think. As we said before, most boys would rather sit Also, boys won’t gush over your praise as much on the bench as a part-time player on the basketball as girls will. They may even seem a bit put off or team than be the fastest swimmer in a lane full of embarrassed by the attention, making you less likely girls. to give it in the future. Don’t be fooled! Boys won’t Keep giving the boys praise – even if they don’t overtly acknowledge the praise but believe me; seem to acknowledge it as much as the girls. Praise they’re soaking it up. Also, challenge the boys. They and recognition of effort is the single most important love being challenged, whether by a tough set or in thing you can do to retain swimmers – especially learning the flip turn. Example: “Steve, I’ll buy you boys. If there is a team in your area or region that an ice cream cone (or soda, etc.) if you can get two seems to have a great number of boys, you should kicks into your Butterfly rhythm by the Springfield talk to their coach(es) and pick their brains. They Meet.” must be doing something right. Make lots of funny references to muscles, and In today’s world it may not be the most politically speed, and toughness. Tell knock-knock jokes. Draw correct thing to believe but society still treats boys hairs on their chest when they do a really tough, and girls somewhat differently and I am not going to manly set ... Boys need these guy things that coaches try and fight it all by myself. A long time ago I tend to forget about when 8 out of 10 swimmers in studied under a well-known coach who told me their lane are girls. If those two boys are coached the “Love the girls and challenge the buys (with plenty of same as girls they would rather be riding the pine praise)”. Some of that still rings true today. with their buddies on the school basketball team than winning seven events at championships with no one to swim a relay with. HEAD SWIM COACH I have found that 10-under boys don’t seem to sink their teeth into tough or long practice sets like BANGKOK, THAILAND the girls do. Trying to please the coach isn’t a big The Bangkok Patana School, Thailand, wishes motivating factor. Boys perhaps need more reminders to appoint a Head Swim Coach to lead the about what their effort will get them later on in the coaching and development of the schools’ season. If you have just a few boys, try to put them ambitious swim program. BPS is a large together. They may goof off a tad more but that’s International School (1900 students) situated on a better than putting them each in a lane with all girls spacious and attractive site in SE Bangkok. The club, the Tiger Sharks, currently has over where they will goof off less but won’t enjoy it as 200 swimmers on role. Facilities include an 8-lane much and might quit the next season. Boys need their 50M pool, a 6-lane 25M pool, extensive changing buddies even more than girls do but they don’t show and office facilities and a gym for dryland training. it as much. We are specifically looking for an individual with Although newspaper articles and pictures of the strong administrative and organisational skills who swimmers work as motivation for both sexes, I think has the personality to enthuse and retain youth it has a more lasting effect on the boys. They need to swimmers and to lead a team of assistant feel their sport is cool and a photo in the local paper, coaches. Qualifications required are Level 2+ with especially if it is of them, is the best way to do it. It prior experience of working within a large age- will be easier for them to resist their friends’ urgings group program. The post is available from August to join soccer or basketball or school sports. 2002. Boys are later bloomers than girls. Look at every For further details see the school Website, awkward, gangly 9, 10, or 11 year old as a diamond www.patana.ac.th … and subsequent links to the in the rough! Most teams and coaches do not actively Tiger Sharks S.C. site via the Sports Pages. recruit these types of swimmers. If you have enough Please respond via e-mail to… boys on your team, they won’t care how fast or slow Dr Paul Beresford-Hill, The Headmaster they are. They will form friendships that will carry [email protected] them through the tough times and keep them on the Hugh Richards, Director of Sport team. Then, when they finally bloom, you will have [email protected]

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Although everyone is different, here are some TTrraaiinn HHaarrddeerr guidelines. Your muscles normally store about 2000 calories of carbohydrate (glycogen), however you can’t use all of them. Normally you have about 1600 RECOVER calories available for energy. At a VO2 max of between 60-80% you’re burning approximately 400- 500 calories per hour. After an hour, you’re starting to bring your muscle energy reserves down to a level FASTER where they need to be replenished. You should take By Rick Curl & Edmund R Burke, Ph.D. in at least 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour. This Reproduced from American Swimming Magazine additional carbohydrate delays the use of stored Issue 6, 2001 muscle glycogen. Over the last 20 years, it has been shown that Rick Curl is founder and Head Coach of the Curl athletes who consume sports drinks that contain 6-8% Burke Swim Club. The world famous Curl Burke carbohydrate (6-8 grams of carbohydrate per 100ml Swim Club is home to four Olympic Gold Medallists of fluid) can exercise longer and with less fatigue and 12 USA Swimming National Team Championship than athletes who only drink water. There are sports Titles (wwwcubu.org). drinks on the market that have a considerably lower Dr. Edmund Burke is Professor of Exercise percentage. These products may help you replenish Physiology at the University of Colorado at fluid, but they won’t provide your muscles with the Colorado Springs and author of over 16 books necessary carbohydrate they need. (Table 1) including the bestseller, Optimal Muscle Recovery New research now coming out of the University (www.optimalmusclerecovery.com). of Texas may dramatically change our view of what FUELLING MUSCLES DURING constitutes an ideal sports drink. Previously, WORKOUTS AND researchers showed that a sports drink that contained both carbohydrate and protein in a 4-to-1 ratio could COMPETITIONS speed muscle recovery and deliver the benefits of How much water and carbohydrate should a protein without negatively impacting fluid and swimmer consume during a workout of, at least, 5000 carbohydrate replenishment. yards? We’ve come a long way in understanding the Extending endurance importance of rehydrating and re-supplying muscle Dr John Ivy and his co-workers at the University energy stores during exercise. Your ability to of Texas speculated that a carbohydrate-protein maintain workout intensity is directly impacted by sports drink consumed during exercise might provide how well you restore body fluids and replenish more immediate energy and greater endurance than a muscle carbohydrate stores. conventional sports drink This assumption was put to As little as a 2% loss in body fluids will the test. Athletes on three different occasions were negatively impact cardiovascular performance. For a either given water, a 7.75% carbohydrate sports drink 160 lb swimmer, that’s only 3 lbs. The problem or a 7.75% carbohydrate and 1.9% protein sports becomes even more complicated because we can’t drink (ACCELERADE) during an exercise bout of depend on our normal thirst mechanism to replace the varying intensities. The results were quite dramatic. fluid we lose during exercise. Exercise physiologists The athletes consuming the carbohydrate protein call this involuntary dehydration. That’s one reason drink in the 4-to-1 ratio had a 24% improvement in why sports drinks that contain electrolytes are endurance when compared to the 7.75% carbohydrate beneficial. Not only do they restore electrolytes lost drink and a 54% improvement when compared to during exercise, but salt also makes us thirsty water. resulting in continual consumption of fluids. It’s best, The study shows the addition of protein improves however, to drink on a schedule. the muscle’s fuel efficiency by speeding The primary fuel carbohydrate uptake thereby sparing muscle The second aspect is carbohydrate intake. glycogen. The result – an improvement in endurance Carbohydrate is the primary fuel that powers the capacity. muscle during moderate to high intensity exercise. At the Curl Burke Swim Club, we make sure that However, if you consume too much carbohydrate our swimmers consume carbohydrate and fluids during a workout, you may feel bloated and can even during workouts and competition. And, we clearly become nauseous. Too much carbohydrate delays see the benefits. Our swimmers have more endurance gastric emptying. What’s the correct amount? and they feel stronger at the end of their workouts.

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This summer was one of our most successful ones. The key to maximising recovery is to consume the We dominated every local championship competition right nutrients in the right proportions to ensure your (age group, junior and senior), won the combined and muscles’ health and to improve performance the next men’s titles at the Eastern Sectionals, placed fourth at day. The latest research on muscle performance and the Senior National Championship in Combined recovery shows that carbohydrate replacement 30-60 Team and Men’s. As well, won the Combined minutes after exercise can have an enormous impact National Team SK Water Title, while placing second upon your next day’s performance. This is called the in the men’s competition. Many of the swimmers, “glycogen window”. Ideally, the post exercise who competed at the National levels, used recovery drink should be high in simple ACCELERADE during their training (or preparation) carbohydrates. Swimmers, who wait more than one phase for the summer season. In addition, several hour to consume carbohydrates, restore about 50 made the consumption of ACCELERADE, a regular percent less muscle glycogen than those who pre-race routine. There is no question that using a consumed carbohydrates during the one-hour period. sports drink that combines carbohydrate and protein Insulin-the recovery hormone provided an additional benefit to my swimmers. As The difference relates to insulin, a hormone we begin the fall 2001 season, ACCELERADE will released by the pancreas that is essential for the be an integral component of our quest for another transport of carbohydrate into the muscle cell and the championship season. manufacture of muscle glycogen. Not surprisingly, The bottom line researchers have focused on enhancing insulin If you are serious about swimming, use a sports release during recovery. Increasing carbohydrate drink during your workout that helps you rehydrate consumption is one way to stimulate insulin, but the and also contains protein in the correct proportion to effect of carbohydrate on glycogen storage reaches a carbohydrate so that you don’t compromise the plateau. Exciting new research is showing that ability of your muscles to perform at optimal levels. protein, when added to carbohydrate, can further A sports drink that combines carbohydrate and stimulate insulin. But here more is less. Too much protein in a 4-to-1 ratio spares muscle glycogen so protein taken after a swimming workout slows you can train at a higher level of intensity. rehydration and glycogen replenishment, which is the Recovery: the Key to Improved last thing a swimmer wants. However, when the ratio of carbohydrate to Swimming Performance protein in your recovery drink is 4-to-1 (4 grams of In the last decade, research coming out of leading carbohydrate to 1 gram of protein), there is a greater exercise physiology laboratories, has given us a stimulation of insulin leading to a faster and more greater understanding of how nutrition and recovery complete replenishment of muscle glycogen with no can improve exercise performance. Recovery is an adverse effects on rehydration. issue for all swimmers because it is in the interval Researchers at the University of Texas have between training sessions that most of the adaptations shown a recovery drink that has the 4-to-1 ratio of for increased muscle strength and endurance occur. carb to protein combined with antioxidants (Endurox The ability of swimmers to perform at peak levels is R4) doubled muscle glycogen levels after exercise. limited by how quickly their muscles recover and Not surprising, there was a 55% improvement in repair themselves after strenuous training. Although endurance capacity in the next workout. many factors contribute to recovery, nutrition, which It is not always easy for swimmers to consume a may be the most important, is often neglected, carbohydrate supplement within hour after a workout. misunderstood or surrounded by many Intense workouts decrease appetite, which is why a misconceptions. sports drink may offer an advantage. It helps in Window for Recovery rehydration and can easily deliver the proper nutrition Because muscles are working at such high levels to speed recovery and swimmers find it easy to take. during intense interval sessions in the pool, your Free radicals and muscle damage muscle glycogen stores (stored carbohydrate) are The muscle cell undergoes considerable trauma greatly depleted and muscle cells are also traumatised during exercise. This trauma leads to soreness and the by the high stress placed on the them, which leads to need to rebuild protein. It is only recently that the muscle fatigue and soreness. The ability to train at a causes of muscle stress have been better defined. high level several days per week is limited by how During exercise there is a build-up of free radicals. well the body recovers its glycogen stores and repairs Free radicals are largely responsible for damage to muscle tissues after strenuous training. the muscle cell membrane. Because antioxidants such as Vitamin C and E have been shown to reduce free

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radical build-up, a recovery drink that contains the Following the swim, Endurox R4 was taken and, in necessary amounts of these vitamins should reduce less than 24 hours, each swimmer was effectively muscle damage. And that is what researchers found. training in a regular anaerobic cycle. They found that when athletes consumed Endurox R4, If you pay more attention to rest and post-exercise which contains Vitamins E and C, there was a nutrition to aid your body’s building and repair significantly reduction in free radical formation and a processes, you’ll reach levels of performance that 36% decrease in post exercise muscle damage. you never thought possible. The secret is knowing Exercise also stimulates cortisol, the body’s stress that rest is important and that the timing of the right hormone, which increases protein breakdown. Insulin nutrients will also optimise your recovery time. has been shown to blunt the cortisol rise normally seen during exercise thereby helping maintain muscle 5 WAYS TO SPEED RECOVERY AND IMPROVE protein. Products that stimulate insulin may also AEROBIC PERFORMANCE reduce the rise in cortisol thereby reducing protein 1. Make sure you begin to replenish depleted breakdown. Because insulin plays so many important muscle glycogen stores with high glycemic roles in accelerating muscle recovery it is termed the carbohydrates within one hour after a workout to optimise recovery. “master recovery hormone”. 4 2. Select a sports drink that will maximally stimulate At the Curl Burke Swim Club, Endurox R has insulin to speed glycogen replenishment and become an essential part of our training program. rebuild protein. One of our Olympic champions who uses 3. Limit the amount of protein and fat consumed in Endurox R4, in only his fourth week of training, after the immediate post exercise period. Too much recovering from a three-month “lay off” due to protein post exercise slows recovery by slowing rehydration and carbohydrate replenishment. The injury, was able to train a 30,000 metre Saturday – optimum ratio is 4 grams of carbohydrate to one very effectively. It was truly an awesome gram of protein. This ratio stimulates insulin and accomplishment. More amazing – 48 hours later he provides the protein necessary to rebuild was able to negotiate an intense workout without damaged muscle proteins without slowing gastric soreness or fatigue from the Saturday 30k. emptying. On October 11, at our UNITED WE SWIM relay, 4. Incorporate antioxidants into your nutrition we swam 206 miles to raise money for the victims program. Antioxidants can help protect against post exercise muscle damage thereby reducing families of the September 11 attacks. We had several soreness. swimmers swim between 6 and 20 miles. Regular 5. Drink fluids containing sodium, potassium and supplementation with ACCELERADE allowed the magnesium. swimmers to complete the challenge effectively. Table 1 – Sports Drink Comparison Carbohydrate Carbo- Ingredients Protein hydrate Sodium Potassium Magnesium Vitamin C Vitamin E Glutamine Calories Per 12oz (%) (gram) Type (gram) Protein (mg) (mg) (mg) (mg) (I.U.) (mg) Ratio Sucrose ACCEL- Malto- 140 7.75 26 6.5 4:1 190 64 128 120 60 972 ERADE dextrin Fructose High Fructose Corn Cytomax 75 6 20 Syrup 0 0 60 112 0 60 0 0 Malto- dextrin Lactate Malto- dextrin G Push 105 7.5 27 0 0 285 60 5 45 0.9 0 Galactose Fructose Malto- GU20 75 5.7 20 dextrin 0 0 189 30 0 0 0 0 Fructose Sucrose Gatorade 75 6 21 Glucose 0 0 165 45 0 0 0 0 Fructose High Fructose Corn Powerade 108 8 28 0 0 79 49 0 0 0 0 Syrup Glucose Polymers Malto- Revenge dextrin 90 7 23 0 0 100 110 20 60 60 — Sport Fructose Glucose

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Malto- Ultima 24 1.7 6 0 0 12 24 — 240 0 0 dextrin

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provided that the swimmer(s) participated in the 10th QUALIFICATIONS PROCEDURES FINA World Championships – Barcelona 2003. SWIMMING FINA will decide which swimmers will be invited to ATHENS 2004 OLYMPIC GAMES take part at the Olympic Games based on their 13-29 AUGUST 2004 performance”. NFs/NOCs without qualified entries must submit their applications for entries to FINA for approval by 30th June 2004. The rules referred to in the following qualification 3. Relay teams FINA Rule BL 6.3.6.2 – “Each system will be published in the FINA Handbook Member may enter only one team in each relay event. 2002-2005. The FINA BL Rules included in this th All swimmers entered in individual events can be document are in effect starting from 10 November used in relays. In the Olympic Games, not more than 2001. sixteen (16) teams can be entered in each relay EVENTS competition. The top twelve (12) finishers at the 10th Men Women FINA World Championships – Barcelona 2003 shall 50m Freestyle 50m Freestyle 100m Freestyle 100m Freestyle be qualified based upon the results achieved. The 200m Freestyle 200m Freestyle four (4) other teams shall be selected by FINA on the 400m Freestyle 400m Freestyle basis of the fastest times achieved in the fifteen- 1500m Freestyle 800m Freestyle month period before the Olympic Games in 100m Backstroke 100m Backstroke 200m Backstroke 200m Backstroke competitions approved for that purpose by FINA. 100m Breaststroke 100m Breaststroke The NFs/NOCs must confirm to FINA the 200m Breaststroke 200m Breaststroke participation of their qualified relay team by no later 100m Butterfly 100m Butterfly than 31st May 2004. Each NF/NOC may enter 200m Butterfly 200m Butterfly 200m Individual Medley 200m Individual Medley additional swimmers for the relays only, provided 400m Individual Medley 400m Individual Medley that they have achieved the ‘B’ standard for the 4x100m Freestyle Relay 4x100m Freestyle Relay stroke and distance. 4x200m Freestyle Relay 4x200m Freestyle Relay 4x100m Medley Relay 4x100m Medley Relay The following formula shall apply… ATHLETE/NF/NOC QUOTA One (1) relay Two (2) extra swimmers Athlete Numbers Two (2) relays Four (4) extra swimmers The target for swimming is 800 athletes. Three (3) relays Six (6) extra swimmers Maximum per NF/NOC Four (4) relays Ten (10) extra swimmers Individual events – An NF/NOC may enter a Five (5) relays Twelve (12) extra swimmers maximum of two (2) qualified athletes in each Six (6) relays Sixteen (16) extra swimmers individual event if both entered athletes meet the ‘A’ FINA A & B QUALIFYING TIME STANDARDS qualification standard for the respective event, or one A – 2 Entries B – 1 Entry (1) athlete per event if they have met the ‘B’ M S 1/100 M S 1/100 qualification standard only. 50 Freestyle 00 22 51 00 23 64 Relay events – For relay events an NF/NOC may 100 Freestyle 00 49 66 00 52 14 enter a maximum of one (1) qualified relay team. 200 Freestyle 01 49 60 01 55 08 400 Freestyle 03 52 01 04 03 61 NFs/NOCs without qualified athletes – NFs/NOCs 800 Freestyle without qualified athletes may enter a maximum of 1500 Freestyle 15 14 43 16 00 15 one (1) male and one (1) female in accordance with 100 Backstroke 00 55 63 00 58 41 the specifications of the qualification system. 200 Backstroke 02 00 20 02 06 21 QUALIFICATION SYSTEM 100 Breaststroke 01 01 92 01 05 02 1. ‘A’ and ‘B’ qualifying standard – individuals 200 Breaststroke 02 14 20 02 20 91 MEN’S STANDARD 100 Butterfly 00 53 49 00 56 16 FINA Rule BL 6.3.6.1 – “For each individual event 200 Butterfly 01 58 63 02 04 56 at the Olympic Games the FINA Bureau will 200 IM 02 02 54 02 08 67 establish Standard Entry Times on two levels: A and 400 IM 04 20 17 04 33 18 B, of which B shall be easier to achieve. If a National 50 Freestyle 00 25 64 00 26 92 Federation/NOC enters only one swimmer per event 100 Freestyle 00 55 58 00 58 36 200 Freestyle 02 00 07 02 06 07 all swimmers entered must meet the qualifying ‘B’ 400 Freestyle 04 11 60 04 24 18 standard time. If two swimmers are entered in the 800 Freestyle 08 36 94 09 02 79 same event, both of them must meet the qualifying 1500 Freestyle ‘A’ standard time. Standard entry times can only be 100 Backstroke 01 02 42 01 05 54 achieved in competitions approved for that purpose 200 Backstroke 02 13 58 02 20 26 100 Breaststroke 01 09 85 01 13 34 by FINA”. 200 Breaststroke 02 28 21 02 35 62 2. NFs/NOCs without qualified athletes FINA Rule 100 Butterfly 00 59 67 01 02 65 BL 6.3.6.1 – “All National Federations/NOCs having WOMEN’S STANDARD 200 Butterfly 02 11 20 02 17 76 no swimmers qualified for the Olympic Games may 200 IM 02 15 27 02 22 03 enter one man and one woman regardless of time 400 IM 04 46 42 05 00 74 standard in one competition each of their choice

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Qualification period – The qualifying time Improve Your CORE Strength standards must be obtained at any of the specified By Wendy Weinberg Weil competitions held in the period 1st April 2003 to 21st Photos by James Kegley July 2004. Reproduced from SWIMMING TECHNIQUE

April-June 2002 Qualification events – Qualifying time standards must be met be obtained at any of the following The best way to develop and maintain your flexibility competitions – Continental Championships … and core strength is with a series of exercises using National Olympic Trials, approved in advance by an over-sized ball, known by various names such as FINA … International Competitions, to be approved stability, yoga, gymnic, exercise, physio and balance in advance by FINA. balls.

In recent years, it has been determined that one of Only times achieved at FINA recognised the most important keys to preventing shoulder competitions can be accepted as entry times for the injuries is developing and maintaining your core Athens 2004 Olympic Games. strength. The core refers to your trunk muscles –

specifically, the back, abdominals and hips. QUALIFICATION TIMELINE Most dryland exercises work on the rotator cuff,

1 April 2003 Start of the qualifying time period shoulder and anterior muscles, which are rarely weak. 13-27 July 2003 10th FINA World Championships, Barcelona Lower extremity strengthening using weights, (ESP) plyometric drills and cross-training with running or 1-17 August 2003 Pan American Games, Santo Domingo (DOM) biking can be quite beneficial in building explosive TBC, 2003 Asian Games, site to be confirmed power for starts, turns, sprints and Breaststroke. TBC, 2003 All Africa Games, Lagos (NGR) However, the majority of the force produced in TBC, 2003 Oceania Championships, site to be confirmed swimming is done with the trunk and shoulders. TBC, 2004 European Swimming Championships, site to Most swimmers rely too much on their shoulders, be confirmed 31 May 2004 NFs/NOCs to confirm to FINA the which can lead to problems with capsular laxity and participation of their qualified relay teams rotator cuff tendinitis, more commonly known as 30 June 2004 NFs/NOCs without qualified entries to swimmer’s shoulder. submit their application to FINA for approval 21 July 2004 Conclusion of the qualifying time period Other factors such as poor posture, lack of 21 July 2004 Deadline for Athens 2004 Organising flexibility, poor stroke mechanics, breathing only to Committee to receive final entry forms by one side, and especially lack of upper back strength name submitted by NOCs contribute to shoulder problems. DATES/PROCESS OF CONFIRMATION OF The best way to strengthen the core is with a PLACES series of exercises using an oversized ball. These balls are known by various names (stability, yoga, NFs/NOCs must confirm to FINA the participation of gymnic, exercise, physio, balance) and originated in their qualified relay team by no later than 31 May the physical therapy profession. The unstable contour 2004. forces the body to use the postural and core muscles. Strengthening the hip, back, abdominal and NFs/NOCs shall submit the entry forms for their posterior shoulder muscles can help prevent shoulder qualified athletes and teams to ATHOC by the injuries, as you achieve better alignment in the water deadline of 21 July 2004. These entries shall be and rely less on the rotator cuff muscles. For those verified and approved by ATHOC in liaison with swimmers who have trouble getting their arms in a FINA. streamlined position, there are several stretches that can increase flexibility in the shoulders without REALLOCATION OF UNUSED QUOTA causing laxity. POSITIONS Stability Balls Stability balls are sized according to your height, If a qualified relay team will not participate at the and are sold in metric measurements. They are Athens 2004 Olympic Games, FINA will select the available at most sporting goods stores and can also next relay team on the basis of the fastest time be ordered by mail or through the Internet. The achieved in the period of 1 April 2003 to 21 July following sizing chart shows the three main sizes… 2004. • 55 cm (22-23 inches) for 5 feet to 5 feet 5 inches

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• 65 cm (25-26 inches) for 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet As the exercises become easier, you can add wrist 10 inches (1-2 pounds) and ankle (2-4 pounds) weights to • 75 cm (29-3 0 inches) for 5 feet 11 inches and increase the intensity of the program. taller Balls are best inflated with an air compressor or Wendy Weinberg Weil won a bronze medal in the 800 high-pressure inflator, and sometimes take two metres Freestyle at the 1976 Olympics. She has been inflations over 24 hours to reach full size, They a physical therapist and athletic trainer for over 20 should be moderately firm, but should give 2-3 years, and currently has her own practice in McLean, inches with knee pressure, Va. She also coaches part-time with the FISH swim Stability balls should not lose air, but they will team, and swims Masters. stretch out slightly and soften over time. They should be used indoors on a smooth or carpeted area, or a Exercise #1 (three positions) yoga mat. If you use the balls on hard surfaces, such Supine Shoulder and Back Stretch A. Flexion as wood or ceramic, the balls will slide and it will be much harder to stabilize your feet. You should certainly not use the balls on a rough or concrete surface for the simple reason that the ball could pop! Also, do not store the balls in direct sunlight or near a heat or light source. And if stored in a cold area, the balls could lose air. Preparing to Exercise When using the stability balls, be sure to wear a Sit on the ball and walk your legs forward as you lean T-shirt – if not, your bare skin will stick to the ball back until your back and head are resting on the ball. and hinder movement. You should also wear good, Raise your arms until your hands are pointing toward stable athletic shoes – you’ll have a difficult time the ceiling, then push your shoulder blades down into doing the exercises if you’re barefoot or wearing the ball. Keeping your shoulder blades flat, continue to bring your arms over your head until you feel a sandals! stretch in your shoulders (and lower back). Your Some other helpful hints … never have keys or thumbs should point down and the elbows should be sharp objects in your pockets when you are on the straight. Increase the stretch by bringing in one arm ball … also, remove your belt from your pants, as the at a time toward your ear. Hold 20-60 seconds. (You buckle could puncture the ball! may experience some discomfort initially with this Stretches on the ball can be done daily. If your stretch.) shoulders are tight, I would recommend doing the stretches two to three times a day. Strengthening and B. Pectorals core stabilisation exercises should be done no more than once a day, three to five times a week. They should be done as part of a dry-land program prior to swim practices. Full body stretches should also be done before using the ball. The stretches done on the ball are primarily for shoulder flexion, the chest and pectoral muscles, and the back. Start with 8-10 repetitions of each exercise (that’s on each side if it is an alternating arm/leg exercise). Progress to 15-20 repetitions of each.

Don’t rush the movements, and hold at least 1-2 After you have stretched out in flexion, slide your seconds in the finish position. elbows down toward the ball until they are almost If you start substituting with muscles other than level with your shoulders, and with elbows bent at 90 the target muscles, you are either cheating or fatigued degrees. Let your upper arms drop down toward the – or both! The most common substitution muscles are floor to stretch your chest muscles. You don’t have to the biceps, triceps, deltoid and neck muscles. These keep the arms in a static position, and you may move muscles are not targeted in any of the exercises the elbows slightly up and down toward your waist shown, except the push-ups, and are usually very and head. Hold 15-30 seconds or longer. strong among swimmers.

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C. Pectorals

Exercise #3 Swimmer – Lower Trapezius & Latissimus Dorsi

After Position “B” has loosened you up, straighten out your elbows to increase the stretch. Again, you may move your arms up and down slightly in line with the floor to find the optimal stretch. Hold until the Start in Superman finish position. Holding one arm muscles have released, or about 20-40 seconds. up, bring the other arm back along your body. Keep elbows straight. Your thumb should point up when in CORE STRENGTHENING front of you and down when behind you. Lift both arms up in finish position and rotate slightly toward Exercise #2 the back (recovery) arm. You should be looking Superman – Lower Trapezius down, not rotating or lifting your head. Alternate. Start: no weight. Goal: 1-3 pounds.

Exercise #4 Prone Flys – Middle Trapezius

Start kneeling on the floor with the ball in front of you, feet Lie on your stomach with your head and upper chest flexed, so the toes are on the surface. Your arms are off the ball and your legs straight behind you extended to the front of the ball. Push out with your legs, straightening your knees as you reach forward and up with (balanced on your toes). Bring your arms out to the your arms. In the finish position, your elbows are straight, side at or slightly lower than shoulder level. Rotate the arms are in line with the body, and your head is your shoulders so the palms are facing forward. Lift between your arms. Thumbs are angled up slightly. If you your arms up past shoulder height, pulling your bend your head to the side, your ear should touch your shoulder blades together. Lower to start position. arm. You are in a streamlined position, and you should feel Start: no weight. Goal: 1-4 pounds. this just below your shoulder blades. Return to a kneeling position before you start the next repetition. Start: no weight. Goal: 1-2 pounds.

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Exercise #5 Prone Rows - Rhomboids Exercise #7 Prone Opposite Arm & Leg Raise – Lower Trapezius & Gluteals

Lie on your stomach over the ball so it is centred at about waist level. Your hands rest down on the ground in front of you and your toes are on the floor behind you. Lift one arm out in front into streamlined position (thumb up, elbow straight), and the opposite leg behind you. Keep knee straight and lift from the hip but not past the plane of the body. If you feel it in your low back, or start to rotate, you are lifting the leg too high. Try to “make your body longer” as you lift. Hold, then repeat on opposite sides. Start: no weight. Goal: 1-2 pounds arms and 2-4 pounds legs.

Start in same position as Prone Flys. Dumbbell weights are needed for this exercise. Start with arms hanging off ball Exercise #8 and perpendicular to floor, palms facing in. Bring elbows up Prone Push-up from Knees – Deltoid & toward the ceiling. Hold two seconds and lower slowly. Abdominals Start weight: 2-3 pounds. Goal: 5-10 pounds.

Exercise #6 Prone Back Extension – Spinal Extensors

Don’t do this exercise if you have active tendinitis or bursitis in your shoulders. Lie on your stomach on the ball and walk your hands forward until the ball is

This exercise helps with starts, turns, Breaststroke and under your lower thighs and knees. Keep your back Butterfly. Lie on your stomach over the ball and roll a little straight and tighten your abdominals. Hands should forward so you are slightly upside down. Place hands be wider than shoulder-width apart. Bend elbows and behind your head but don’t interlace them. Lift elbows up touch forehead, keeping your back straight. Your legs and out to the side in start position. Lift your upper body up will pivot up. off the ball, stabilising with your feet. Hold and slowly return to the start position. Keep your head in line with your body and avoid using your head or arms to lift.

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Exercise #9 Same Side Arm & Leg Extension with Hip Exercise #11 Rotation – Lats, Gluteals, Spinal & Hip Rotators Sit-Ups - Abdominals

Lie balanced on your stomach on the ball. Fingertips and toes should rest on the floor. Stabilise with one side of your body as you extend one arm behind you, keeping elbow straight (one-armed swimmer exercise). Then lift the leg up on the same side, and finally roll your hip up on the same side until it is almost pointing toward the ceiling. Hold, return to start position and repeat on opposite side. If you flip and roll off the ball, then you are lifting the leg too high or crossing it behind you. The hand reaches toward the foot and you are in a streamlined position. Sit on ball and walk feet forward until just your lower The ball should not move. To make this exercise back is supported on the ball. Start from an almost more difficult, lift the arm and leg at the same time. flat position with hands resting behind head and An even more advanced progression is to do the elbows out to the sides. Tuck chin down to avoid swimmer exercise with both arms while you lift the using your neck muscles. Curl up halfway, hold 1-2 leg and rotate the hip (you are balanced on one foot). seconds and return to start position. Start: no weight. Goal: 2-plus pounds wrists and 2-5 pounds legs. Exercise 12 Diagonal Sit-Ups – Abdominal Obliques Exercise #10 Ball Walk to Shins – Deltoid & Abdominals

Start in same position as Exercise #11, but instead of This is more difficult than the push-up. Lie on your coming straight up, rotate one shoulder toward the stomach and roll forward on the ball as you walk your opposite knee until you are almost halfway to vertical. hands forward. Keep your back and legs straight. Return and repeat on opposite side. Do not rotate the This requires a tremendous amount of abdominal elbow forward or twist your spine. strength to make sure your back does not arch. Walk your hands backward and return to start position.

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THE GREAT DEBATE: Over Exercise #13 load or load? Bridging with Marching Legs – Gluteals Under While overloading and base training work are still

very important, underloading is, perhaps, just as important in achieving super results. By Ron Johnson

In swimming, there is no simple recipe for success. There are as many ways to prepare for championship performance, as there are programs that produce champions. There is no one right or

wrong way. However, some long-held assumptions about training have been challenged in astonishing ways over the last few years. One of these is the widely held belief that one has to train so hard as to be broken down before a taper can produce the best possible performance. Intelligent and progressive programs worldwide are showing us that it is possible to swim very fast several times each year. One only has to look at Ian

Start sitting on the ball and walk your legs forward Thorpe and , the two most outstanding until just your head and shoulders are resting on the competitive swimmers in the world today, and their ball. Your feet should be slightly spread and directly excellent pre-Olympic performances. Then we under your knees. Your arms should be dropped witnessed another dramatic drop in times at the 2000 down so your fingertips are resting lightly on the floor. Olympics. This has been the pattern with the top Keep a straight line between your shoulders and competitors in all events over the last few seasons. knees so that your hips do not sag. Keeping your It’s crystal clear … if you swim fast in workouts, pelvis level, lift one knee at a time to repeat on you can step up and swim fast in Meets, even while opposite side. Start: no weights on legs. Goal: 2-5 competing tired. On the other hand, a well-planned pounds. taper will produce an even higher level of

achievement. One of the main ingredients to great

racing is an enthusiastic mindset and decisiveness.

At the recent World Cup tour, virtually all the top Exercise #14 swimmers became progressively faster as the tour Bridging with Opposite Arm & Leg Raise – Gluteals wore on. It culminated with world records by , , Thomas Rupprath, Martina Moravcova, Zoe Baker and Oleg Lisogor, and American records by on the tour’s final stop in Berlin. All the ideas that follow are as true for age groupers and Masters swimmers as they are for top- level, world-class athletes. Focus on the Long Term To train very hard, be broken down for months at a time, and then to miss your taper is an explicit Start in the same position as Exercise #13. formula for major de-motivation. Do it a couple of Straighten out one leg, keeping your pelvis level. The times, and you’ve probably lost an athlete. Burnout opposite arm raises above your head at the same should be a major concern of swimmers and coaches time. Hold, return to start position and repeat on who wish to have their athletes enjoy a complete and opposite sides. successful evolution over the long term of their sporting life.

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I don’t believe that most athletes reach their full How Do We Overload? capability until their late 20s or even the early 30s. • Use drag suits for more resistance and to make We see this happening in all sports, as a general swimming sets more difficult. trend, as professionalism, wise training methods plus Use pull tubes – small wheelbarrow tyre-size patience have allowed men and women to continue • tubes interlaced at the ankles for more drag. pushing forward for well past what we formerly thought was their prime. • Use oversized hand paddles for specific strength Recently, we are seeing amazing progress in the training in the water for upper body development. 50s, 100s and 200s of all the strokes, while seeing • Do training sets designed to make achieving a set only limited progress in the 400s, 800s and 1500s goal more difficult – i.e., shorter rest intervals, (with the extraordinary exceptions of and etc. ). Depth and quality in the shorter • Kick vertically, holding a weight. speed events is greatly improved, and depth in the • Kick hard against the wall. distance events has languished. • Kick with the kickboard inverted vertically to There are several reasons for such great strides in make it more difficult. the more speed-oriented events – far too many to • Swim with shorts, panty hose, T-shirts or tennis cover in this article. However, I believe that one of shoes. the principal reasons for this trend in the 200- Do general long aerobic base training sets in most yard/metre events and down is that skilful coaches • of their forms, to the exclusion of other forms of are rotating the more traditional overload training training. with liberal doses of underload training methods with surprising results. • Swim in a flume or against a current. Let’s discuss the terms, overloading and • Use wrist weights to make the arm recovery more underloading. difficult. The long-held theory on the overload principle • Swim against stretch cords or surgical tubing or was that, whether we are concerned with strength, do stationary swimming. muscular endurance or circuli-respiratory factors, • Train in very turbulent water, improvement in function occurs only when the • Do all sorts of breath-limiting or hypoxic sets. system involved is challenged. Improvement occurs • Train with short-bladed/heavy fins. when – and only when – the workload is greater than • Use weight-resistive training devices such as that to which an individual is accustomed. buckets or weight racks. For many decades, most of us in our sport took this to mean one would only improve with more, • Do tension drills or contrast drills, where the tougher and harder sets. The old paradigm was that swimmer purposely tenses all muscles in the body the more we depress a spring, the greater it will to make the stroke more difficult, then on the next bounce back once we release it. repeat, relaxes as much as possible while still That has turned out to be pretty simplistic. maintaining good form. Sometimes we overload and overtrain to the point of • Do most types of land-based strength training, breaking the proverbial spring, and it just lies there, especially traditional weight room work. so to speak, never to bounce back even to normal • In short … do or use most anything to make levels. training more difficult. In recent times, many innovative coaches have introduced a greater percentage of underloading An example of overload training is swimming in a flume or elements into their training schemes – i.e., ways of against a current. training very fast – at race speed or even faster – that add variety, novelty and real value to the overall program). There are too many excellent coaches to name in this country who have come to realise that while overloading and base training work are still very, very important, underloading is, perhaps, just as important in achieving super results.

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How Do We Underload? • In short – do anything that makes efficiency, • Use pull buoys to improve balance and speed, technique and recovery easier. floatability. An example of underload training is to do short sprints after • Swim with medium-bladed, lightweight or surfing a running dive from the deck or a dive from the one-metre fins for easy speed, diving board. • Vary the size of the training course – swim the width of the pool, move the bulkhead or swim in the diving well. • Extend the rest period on training sets – for more recovery time, look for faster pace times in a given set. • Add variety with cross training – this can result in a psychological and/or a physiological underloading. • Do speed-aided sprints with long bands and belts

or pulley machines to achieve speeds faster than racing speeds. Practical Application • Do centre-fixed snorkel training to make Both overloading and underloading are essential breathing and balance easier. This also helps with in a complete training program, and an overemphasis streamlining. on one or the other will not permit an athlete to realise his or her full potential. Do training sets designed to achieve fast times • easier rather than harder. It is this writer’s opinion that many excellent • Do short-sprint diving (from the one-metre diving coaches in the United States, as well as around the board or from the deck). world, are realising the importance of underloading • Do pace-line swimming (like a pace line in for the speed events and are blending overload and biking), where the swimmers follow each other underload into ideal training systems for the shorter very closely and purposely try to draft. A new events. There is much innovation and change among leader takes over on each repeat, with the previous coaches and swimmers who are creative and not leader dropping to the end of the line after his or afraid to break away from the commonly accepted her turn at pulling the line. Very fast repeat sets ways of conditioning. can be achieved this way for the whole group, as long as the swimmers in each lane are of similar Great strides are being made in the shorter events ability. as a result of experimentation – primarily in • Draft off other swimmers, in general this should underloading, which allows the athlete to train more occasionally be encouraged especially with frequently at or near racing speeds, without breaking swimmers who are slightly injured. down physically. • Perform broken swims of all sorts – broken in multiple ways. However, I believe that underloading in all its • Use monofins (for core strength and speed multiple guises could and should be employed to a development). much greater extent in training for races of longer • Train in racing suits in order to get used to the feel duration. Base work is important in training for all of the suit and to increase speed in training. distances, but I believe we are still bound by traditional training concepts in preparing athletes in Swim with a current (artificially made or natural). • the more distance-oriented events. • Shave down (multiple times during a season). • Use anti-paddles or closed-fist training to improve One must train fast in order to race fast. You must tempo and take pressure off the shoulders. be able to maintain your race pace frequently in • Do tempo drills-priority on R.P.M. and on practice to be able to duplicate it in competition. learning to stroke at a quicker rate (purposely not holding a lot of water, or spinning). In order to learn about more advanced racing • Try tai chi swimming – swimming with perfect paces, they must be done with greater frequency in form but at a very slow rate, like a slow-motion workouts. The desired race pace must become easy film. speed … i.e., one that can be maintained without

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undue anaerobic distress. For most advanced athletes, that usually is a pace that can be carried at a pulse rate in the range of 160-170 beats per minute (every The Torch is Ours person has a specific anaerobic threshold, of course, By George Block and age adjustments should be made). Then in the latter portion of a race, the swimmer rockets up to Reproduced from SWIMMING TECHNIQUE near-maximum pulse rate during the final sprint. April-June 2002

A much greater percentage of the training should ometimes, I’m not so sure email is a blessing. No be done in the underload mode to allow easy speed sooner was my address listed in some fine print to be learned. One must constantly rehearse what he Ssomewhere (as a member of the USA Swimming wants to happen during the race for the body to Governance Task Force) than I was flooded with accommodate new demands. That doesn’t mean we opinions and questions! The opinions were pretty are training easier by underloading – only easy. I just clicked my forward button and passed differently. We are teaching the body to swim at them on to our consultants. The questions were a faster paces with lower pulse rates. In general, the little trickier. swimmer who is in contention at the three-quarter mark of a race – and who has a lower pulse rate than What struck me was that most (all?) of them his competitors – will win. Sprinters have learned, or asked really one thing – something like, “With all of are learning, that they have to achieve desired racing the problems up there at USA Swimming (insert any speed many times per week. In contrast, most number of problems), why did you guys decide that distance-oriented athletes are doing an abundance of governance was the one that had be fixed first?” To base work, but are short-changing themselves on all of you who sent in some variation of that question, underloading techniques that teach speed at all I say, “Thanks!” That is a really insightful question. distances. Governance is just a fancy word for the way non- In every race, one’s greatest limitation for profits make decisions – our internal politics. Some continued improvement is raw speed. There are no coaches hear that and say, “We don’t want to deal pure endurance races in the pool. If you can’t swim with politics. We just want to coach.” I don’t blame fast for 100 metres, you can’t swim fast for 200 them, but here is the truth … every human interaction metres, 400 metres, 800 metres or even 1500 metres. is inherently political. Do you have a family? Put them all in one car and start driving. Now, try to Look at the best swimmers in the world at 800 acquire a consensus on where to eat. That’s politics. metres and 1500 metres. They all can achieve sprint times that are at or near world-class. Training in the So, why start with governance? Because if we pure overload mode – or with an overemphasis on want to make better decisions, we have to improve overloading – likely will result in very bored athletes the way we make those decisions. How many times who probably would be best at the 25K open water have we told swimmers that to do the same thing and races. expect different results is one of the symptoms of insanity? We can’t keep making decisions the same To swim fast in practice is exciting, motivating, way and suddenly expect significantly better fun and difficult, but never boring. decisions.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both Do we need better decisions? underloading and overloading. What we need to develop is a more intelligent way of incorporating Should we expand to three Junior Championships these two principles to produce better results. The or cancel them altogether? One of those was probably mix is part of the art of the sport. a poor decision. We made both of them. Should we expand the Resident Team well past the original Ron Johnson, former head men’s swimming coach at intent or terminate it once it proved to be successful? Arizona State University from 1975-92 and co-coach One of those was probably a poor decision. Again, of the women’s team in 1977-78, currently coaches we made both of them. I don’t need to continue. the Sun Devils Masters Swim Club in Tempe, Ariz. Probably everyone can name quite a few more examples. We clearly need to improve the process by which we make decisions – governance.

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Dr. Gary Hamel is a professor of strategic What a great question! Is USA Swimming, as it is management at the London School of Business and currently constructed, the vehicle for our dreams? the author of “Leading the Revolution” (Harvard Stop laughing. Nightmares? But it absolutely should Business School Press, 2000). In “Revolution”, he be the vehicle for our dreams! That is what we are makes the following point… selling to kids and their families – dreams. That is why most of us are still in it – dreams. So it makes “You can’t have innovation in business models perfect sense that it must be or must become the without innovation in political models. Every vehicle for our dreams. And until it is, we may just company is comprised of four distinct models. On the have to upend some deeply cherished beliefs. bottom is the operating model- what people actually do on a day-to-day basis. Sitting atop the operating The consultants that USA Swimming hired to run model is the business model. This represents all the our governance study wrote an excellent article, choices – conscious and unconscious – the company “Some Blunt Talk About Governance”. In it, Perlov has made. On top of the business model is the mental and Shinn point us to three trends that will lead us to model – all the beliefs that individuals hold about the ideal model for us. These three trends fly what drives success in their industry. It is the directly in the face of everything USA Swimming prevailing set of dogmas. On top of everything else is currently has as its governance (decision-making) the political model- the way power is distributed in model. an organisation – in particular, the power to enforce mental models. So ask yourself, “Who in your According to Perlov and Shinn, the trends needed organisation has the power to kill an idea and keep it in our ideal model are as follows… dead?” “Geography will no longer be a significant factor Business models don’t last forever … ultimately, in board selection. Rather, quality and diversity will you need to invent new business concepts or be ... Members who represent small [clubs] or large dramatically reinvent those you already have. Yet [clubs] have much more in common than those who there is no way of innovating around the business live west of the Continental Divide or in the concept unless you can first move your company’s Southeast. Having [zones] choose their mental model off dead centre. You have to upend representatives seldom guarantees a high-quality deeply cherished beliefs – but there’s a hitch. You board. Rather, it often produces a board won’t succeed in changing your company’s mental embarrassingly similar to the US Congress – model unless you first push the political model off- incapable of acting because it has no overall strategic kilter and temporarily redistribute the power to make objective and is consumed with parochial interests. strategy. If the power to create strategy and enforce mental models is narrowly distributed, you may find “The board will lead the organisation ... but will it difficult to be heard.” not attempt to manage the journey. In other words, [board members] will determine what is worth doing, Vehicle for Your Dreams not how to do it.

Anyone ever found it hard to be heard? Put your “[NGBs] will limit the true cost of governance to hands down. Hamel challenges us all to become six percent, or less, of the total expense budget. activists in upending our political models… Determining the true cost requires figuring all expenses, including staff time spent before, during “You deserve more … individuals become and after meetings; plus all supporting committee and activists because they know that their self-worth is task force costs. Studies have uncovered actual costs determined by the causes they serve. The of governance that run as high as 35-40% of the organisation is not them … it’s you. Start thinking of expense budget. This is unconscionable and [USA Swimming] as the vehicle for your dreams … unethical.” you owe it to your friends and colleagues. Like you, these people deserve the chance to make a very cool How true! Geographic representation no longer difference in the world. creates a representative board, and gripes have gone on for years about the board’s lack of strategic You are doing it to give ordinary people the objectives and its focus on parochial interests. And chance to accomplish extraordinary things.” how many times have we “not had the money” for an

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important program, but always had the money for Theoretically, we should be good at this. Every committee meetings? day we ask people to change. We ask them to change Needed Modifications their attitudes, change their stroke mechanics, change Why do we have a convention every year? If their goals and aspirations, and change their FINA only changes its rules once every four years, relationships. We ask them to change their diets, their why do we have to change our rules every year? And sleeping habits and their strength training. And we why don’t we elect our volunteer leadership a year or know it will get worse before it gets better. We tell two before the Olympics (to learn) and have their them to be willing to take one step backward in order terms run from Olympics to Olympics? to take ten steps forward. Unfortunately, Perlov and Shinn have answers for We know change is difficult, risky and those questions, and they are frighteningly similar to uncomfortable. Now, however, we have to change those offered by Dr. Hamel: ourselves. Even worse, we (coaches) have to lead this “We overwhelmingly find that the more important change. changes are in culture – how [USA Swimming] really In 1976, the U.S. Olympic swimming teams put does its business. Among the needed modifications… on the greatest, most dominating performance of all “The board should be composed of leaders and time. The men were recognised immediately, but it rising stars as diverse as the [sport] it represents. took two decades before the world acknowledged that These leaders should be selected nationally, which our women had done the same thing. Within two means saying goodbye to the [zone] selection of years after that performance, Doc Counsilman, board members. To ensure representation across the , , Peter Daland and a membership spectrum – by design, not default – a young upstart named were leading nominating committee should be in place year-round, American swimming in tearing apart the very working like an executive search firm to bring structure that produced those results – the old AAU – forward the best and brightest based on carefully and forming a fledgling organisation – US established, widely disseminated and eminently Swimming. defensible criteria. The new organisation was broke. In order to break “Seats on the Board should be allocated for away from the AAU, we had to leave all of our outside Directors who can bring important new money behind. A coach at the top of his game, Ray perspectives to the table. Therefore, the Board Essick, stepped off the pool deck to lead an must… organisation that he knew couldn’t meet its payroll of • Establish clear success measures in every area one. That generation of coaches put the product in the pool and then risked it all to build a better • Provide the resources to achieve success organisation for us. • Hire support and provide for the annual evaluation Twenty-four years later, we saw the greatest of the [executive director] swimming team performance in a generation by the • Serve as the eyes and ears by staying in touch US Olympic Team in . , Eddie with the grass roots.” Reese, Mark Schubert, David Marsh and some young Obviously, we are a long way from the ideal upstarts with names such as Bottom and Salo and described by Perlov and Shinn. We’re locked in by Bowman put the product in the pool for this all of the deficits that they tell us are inherent in generation – our generation – of coaches. geography-based board selection. Micro-management Now the torch is ours. Will we have the same of the day-to-day and lack of commitment to the courage a previous generation had to tear apart the overall goals are historic descriptions of generations organisation that produced those results in order to of board members. We constantly debate the fairness hand a better organisation to the young upstarts who of using age group money to support the national will come after us? team, but the real issue is cost of governance. Or, George Block is past president of she American perhaps, the real issue is efficacy of governance. Swimming Coaches Association (1997-98). Time to Change As USA Swimming, we are not set up to think. We are set up to legislate, and we legislate every Check out the ASCTA Website year. We substitute opinion for data and anecdote for for the latest releases in the big picture. We have replaced reflection with reflexes and long-range strategy with short-term self- Books and Videos interest. Worse yet, we all know we have to change.

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Performance news…

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Aquapacer™ Medallists… Gold – 35% of winners Silver – 28% Bronze – 22%

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SETTING THE PACE IN SPORT

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The Aquapacer™ is a durable hand held programmer that has a cordless RF link to a Pacer, which is worn by the swimmer. The coach or swimmer can program it for up to 120 laps per swimmer, including rest periods, plus there is the facility for memorising 16 different swimmer Aquapacer™ programs. The programs are then downloaded, at poolside, to the Pacers, which the swimmers then take with them into the water. The Pacer provides the swimmer with a ‘beep’ for stroke rate and can also provide different sounds for pace per lap and rest periods. The combination of Aquapacer™ enables coaches and teachers to give individual training programs for up to 16 different swimmers for a 1-2 hour training session, or more. While some swimmers are on the Aquapacer™ training sessions they can… • Improve stroke rate – consistency as well as achieve a higher rate on sprint sets • Develop stroke technique while closely tracking competitive stroke rates – every stroke • Increase stroke length using ‘Stepping Training Technique – STT’ • Improve turns – maintain stroke rate into and out of turns • Practice starts using random start program • Practice race simulation • Control aerobic and anaerobic training, plus heart rate sets • Introduce fun and realism – create random programs to keep swimmer sharp! • Use in conjunction with heart rate training protocols for more accurate control By having some swimmers on Aquapacer™, training coaches/teachers have found they can give more time to individual training and/or studying specific swimmers. Aquapacer™ swimmers have found the Pacer to be a great motivational and performance feedback tool in the water, which has helped to make their training more focused and rewarding. To quote Ian Thorpe, Olympic Gold Medallist … ”Aquapacer™ somehow makes the sets seem easier.”

SOLO incorporates the features and benefits of the Olympian but in a compact self- contained Pacer where the programmability is integral within the device. Set your individual programs for training, race simulation or just company as your ‘Training Partner in the water’. Aquapacer™ SOLO keeps you challenged and on the pace every stroke, whether it is the precision repeats for race pace or those tedious long distance sessions. SOLO is totally portable and can be used by active sportsmen, not just in swimming, SOLO but any sport where there is a rhythmic cyclical rate. SOLO features include… $199.00 • Program up to 63 laps with 99 repeats (Includes GST) • Stroke rates in Seconds per Stroke (SPS) or Strokes per Minute (SPM) • Lap pace and elapsed time + $11 P&H Some of the benefits of SOLO… • Complete control for any swim set • Training to improve stroke rate and stroke length • Even pace swimming over long distance • Stroke rate that can be varied to simulate race tactics or aerobic/anaerobic training • As a teaching tool, which is fun for Age Group swimmers • A source of motivation for any swimmer whether able bodied or disabled • Training partner for pacing ‘dry training’ – e.g. VASA or rowing machines Other sports applications where Aquapacer™ SOLO is providing performance enhancement for competitors – Triathlons, Track & Field Athletics, Rowing, Kayaking, Cycling, Rehabilitation from sports and other injuries.

For more information, contact… ASCTA, PO Box 824, Lavington NSW 2641 Phone: (02) 6041 6077 Fax: (02) 6041 4282

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This means that you have the ability within you right now to use this natural energy-boost in your Swimming races. Your mind is the control-centre of this function, and so in order for your body to receive an adrenalin boost, it’s dependent upon one thing ... the command Psychology from your subconscious mind. This means that if By Craig Townsend your mind is focused and consumed with thoughts of tiredness and pain, its goal becomes “I can’t wait for Craig Townsend is Director of “It’s Mind this race to end”, and this means that adrenalin is over Matter” in Sydney, Australia, and has regarded as unnecessary and not used. worked in the in the area of mental However, if your thoughts remain totally positive training for swimming, sport and personal during the race, and completely focused upon your development for over a decade. He believes in empowering people and goal (such as winning or swimming a PB), your mind teaching cutting-edge skills to extract the will quickly realise if your body requires an extra utmost from their talent. boost of power to achieve your goal, and it will signal the release of your body’s natural adrenalin. Tip No.61 Your mind also has the ability to release the IS IT POSSIBLE TO natural painkiller ‘morphine’ into the OVERCOME TIREDNESS IN bloodstream in exactly the same way, to reduce or A RACE? completely relieve the pain from the swim! The key is in your mind, to keep your thoughts YES!!! ultra-positive during the race – keeping them directed totally upon the goal (and not the obstacles), and Your body is designed to be able to do this. This simply refusing to allow the nagging doubts and is often referred to as getting your second wind. negative thoughts to dominate your mind. When your body is being over-exerted, your immune Your mind and body are together a wondrous, system is designed and often triggered to come to the incredible machine that can do almost anything you rescue, by releasing powerful, natural adrenalin into ask it to do, as long as you give it the right the bloodstream, which boosts energy and instructions. So look after them, and they’ll look after performance. you. Adrenalin gives the body an incredible ‘turbo- charge’ and is simply life’s natural form of ‘fuel Tip No.62 injection’ for human beings, very much like a fuel NEVER FOCUS ON YOUR injection for a car. COMPETITORS An adrenalin release is one of our body’s naturally-occurring functions which humans have What motivates you to swim well in a race? used throughout the ages for self defence – for The answer to this may reveal more than you think. instance, if we need to move very rapidly to escape A common trap some swimmers fall into mortal danger, we’re able to access instant energy (especially young swimmers) is to focus upon and strength – because of adrenalin being released beating their competitors instead of trying to instantly into our system. This is triggered by the achieve their own personal best time. This approach mind. takes your mind’s focus off your true goal (which is There’s a famous story of a mother who saw her excellence in the pool) and changes it into more of a injured son pinned under the wheel of a car. Without personal vendetta. any thought whatsoever, she instinctively ran over to This is often called negative motivation; an the accident, and using nothing but her bare hands attitude that generally creates pretty average results! she raised one end of the automobile and released her Negative motivation is rarely seen at the elite level of injured son. She broke several ribs in the process, but swimming, it’s mostly common amongst the fact remained that she accessed an amazing level intermediate swimmers, and unfortunately those of power and strength, right at the time when it was swimmers generally don’t go very far. needed most. (By the way, I highly recommend you This is because negative motivation is mostly DON’T go out and try this!). emotion-based – and negative emotions such as jealousy, envy, anger, revenge, etc., are renowned for

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creating bad performances in the pool. Negative Tip No.63 thoughts create negative emotions, and we already TAILOR YOUR know what direction negative thoughts take you in – VISUALISATION the wrong direction. This is a simple case of focusing upon the obstacle instead of the goal. Visualisation is the most powerful Some overly-competitive swimmers may even use transformational tool on the planet. If you want to this to their advantage by purposely trying to get you make great strides forward in your swimming, you emotionally angry before a race, by making must visualise the perfect swim regularly. But you comments such as “you’re going down!” right before must also tailor your race visualisation. the race is to start. But first, to visualise means to vividly imagine a Never, ever fall for this! A good swimmer would flawless swim in your mind, each and every day. just laugh, disregard the comment, and then get on But there is much, much more to it than that. You with the real job at hand. Focus purely upon your must become an expert at this. You need to become own swim, do not let your thoughts leave your own as strong mentally as you are physically – by going lane. Because otherwise you may often find that you to the inner gym every day to work out for 10 may in fact beat that particular swimmer, but find th minutes. Mental muscles need just as much regular you came 7 overall in the race, and this is not what exercise as physical muscles, or they will become you want. Or even worse, you wind up coming last lazy and undisciplined, just as normal muscles can. AND losing to your archrival … not pretty! However, in order to make your visualisation However, if you focus purely on your own race, you totally effective, you must tailor it to suit your may swim a PB, win the race, AND beat your needs perfectly, and the most important aspect of competitor as well! Now that’s what I call a win/win this is your next meet. During the weeks before each situation! meet, vividly imagine swimming a fabulous time in If you get caught up in the emotional way of that very pool, seeing it all as if it was truly thinking, such as “I have to beat that #@#!!” then happening right here and now. This is also known as you have fallen into their emotional web of deception mental rehearsal – and this sets up a mental – and your powerful subconscious mind suddenly blueprint for your body to follow, as soon it dives loses its clarity and becomes clouded. Your mind into the pool (that you have been visualising). suddenly thinks, “OK, I have a NEW goal, I must Susie O’Neill knew she would be back at the throw away the thought of swimming a good time or Atlanta pool for the 1996 Olympics, and so when she winning the race – my new goal is to beat the goofy- was there a few years before, she took a photo of the looking guy over in that lane!” pool to hang on her bedroom wall. She used this Focus only on your own swim, and your own photo to help her constantly visualise winning gold in lane. This is positive motivation, which is proven to that pool two years later. work by every champion swimmer. Anything else If possible, always try and get a look at the pool will only bring mediocre results. Revenge is not only you are going to be competing in – so that you can stupid … it doesn’t work!! It’s far better to be the imagine yourself being successful there in a few cool intelligent swimmer who keeps their mind weeks’ time. If this is not possible, just imagine being focused on the job, not on other swimmers’ successful there without using any specific details performances that you have no control over about the pool’s appearance. Then, try and arrive whatsoever. early for the meet, so you can get a good look at the Winning and swimming PB’s is much cooler than pool before the race – and then go out to the car and beating a nobody. Be a winner and keep your mind do another visualisation session for 10 minutes. on the job. You have the most powerful computer in Though most of them will never tell you, the world at your disposal – your mind, so make sure champion swimmers are usually masters of it is programmed correctly if you want a good visualising their future swims. They generally don’t printout in the pool. want their competitors to know this, and that’s why you don’t hear much about it – though Remember that no one can stop you unless you often spoke of using this technique. stop yourself – keep your mind focused, positive and More and more nowadays, coaches all over the powerful at all times. world are taking their swimmers through a group visualisation exercise as well as the routine training session. This is because it is now fully recognised that the mind is the control centre of swimming, and

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so training the body alone simply doesn’t make an So here are some questions to ponder: Are you sense in these enlightened times of the 21st century. visualising images of success, or horror movies of So remember to tailor your visualisation to suit failure? Are you constantly boosting yourself up, or your schedule, and this means when one meet tearing yourself down? Do you always focus on the finishes, immediately begin visualising the next one. upside, or worry about uncontrollables that you have no power over? Do you worry about your Tip No.64 competitors, or imagine that they are worried about THE POWER OF ONE you? Are you intending to attack and further a lead you may have, or worry about defending it? It’s important for you to know that you have a Always remember that YOU are the one in control mind as powerful as a Ferrari just waiting for your of it all. Don’t worry about other lanes or instructions. competitors; focus your power upon your own lane This unbelievable computer mechanism you and your own swim. You have more power within possess has the ability to create huge personal best you to realise your dreams than you could possibly times (through a mental state known as the zone), imagine – you just have to know it is there. overcome pain instantly, and create an immense burst of energy (through natural adrenalin-release) at a Tip No.65 time when you may feel that you can’t swim another UNCONSCIOUS SABOTAGE stroke. The fuel for your mind is your thoughts. Your One of the most frustratingly powerful negative thoughts are made up of pictures (or images), words forces in swimming (to avoid) is unconscious and feelings, and these are the data you put into your sabotage. This is definitely the one to avoid at all mental computer every single day, and especially the costs! days of the meets. To put it simply, your results are Unconscious sabotage causes a swimmer to self- determined by the data you are putting into your destruct during the pressure of a race, through computer. Why? Because the mind controls the body making a host of major and uncharacteristic errors … not the other way around. that were simply never there during training. This is Positive thoughts affect your performance in the certainly not fun, as there’s absolutely nothing you same way a Ferrari reacts to premium high-grade can consciously do at the time to change the fuel, but be very careful because on the other side of situation, as the problem is not conscious, it’s sub- the coin, your body also reacts to negative thoughts conscious (or below our normal conscious the way a Ferrari would run with water in its tank. awareness). The thing to remember is that your mind is a The only way to stop it is to prevent it computer, which is constantly being programmed by happening in the first place. Self-sabotage occurs you every moment of the day – and it is always when your subconscious mind has accepted a listening to your thoughts! So be careful what you powerful negative thought, which creates a mental choose to think, and keep those thoughts (and your program for your body to follow during the race. For language) positive at all times if you want to be instance, a mental program such as “I can’t beat running a positive program through your mind on big (John/Sarah)” – one such as this can cause a race days. swimmer to completely lose rhythm right at the vital Remember that human beings use only 1% of time when they may have been on the brink of their mind’s potential – and this means that there is victory. more untapped potential within you than you could This is unconscious sabotage, and it can become a possibly imagine! In swimming, this means that if recurring habit over time if not watched carefully. I you put your mind to it, there are no situations that have seen swimmers who had been going through cannot be turned around, no races that cannot be won, this for years, before they made the mental changes and no competitors you cannot beat, assuming you necessary to break the pattern. have the same level of training as they do. Classic signs of this can also be a severe lack of You are basically unlimited, the only limits we faith in your own ability, a major obsession with have are the ones we put on ourselves. worrying about the uncontrollables before races, and The key lies in the quality of your thoughts – and of course, losing from a winning position. This this means the pictures you fill your mind with all sabotage is generally brought about if you allow your week, and the constantly talking inner dialogue that mind to focus for too long upon failure and all the goes on in your mind all day, every day. things that could go wrong – as this sets up a

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powerful blueprint for the body to follow on the day building its total group energy, otherwise they may of the meet. begin (knowingly or unknowingly) to pull other team The good news is that your subconscious mind is members down with them. programmed by your everyday conscious thoughts Negative energy and jealousy within a team do – so this mean that you actually have control over not bring out great performances in any of its what goes IN to your subconscious. You have the swimmers (long term) – in fact, each and every team right to CHOOSE whether you are going to think member will perform far better if they support, about success in your next race, or how you are going encourage and praise the rest of their team, because to bomb out – and this choice separates the winners when the team increases its overall power, so do you. from the wannabees. Team power is far stronger than individual power, If you experience self-sabotage it takes a steady and you can use this to your advantage. There’s an diet of daily visualisation, affirmations and positive old saying that says, “A champion team will always thoughts on a daily basis until the results begin to beat a team of champions”. turn around. Basically, the better your team does, the better Probably the most effective way to avoid sabotage you will do (and also the other way around) – that’s is to generally avoid negative thoughts in the first how it works. This may seem a strange concept as place. Choose to disregard momentary doubts and few people talk about it, but one reason for this negative comments from others, and focus purely on phenomenon is simply because you are surrounded what you want to do – or better still, what you are by successful people. You may have noticed that GOING to do. successful people always seem to hang around Remember – what you choose to focus upon together, and a sure-fire way of being successful is to expands. Ensure you choose every thought wisely, be on a successful team! especially leading up to a meet – choose thoughts of However, some people just never seem to get this power, strength, confidence, energy, fun and concept of team-power – they often think that if they motivation. Your thoughts become your habits, and boost their teammates up, then they will be doing your habits become your results. themselves a disservice and wind up further behind, but this is NOT how it works. In fact, it empowers Tip No.66 and raises the group energy of the team – and as a YOUR TEAM’S ENORMOUS chain reaction, your performances will improve INFLUENCE ON YOUR considerably due to your increased levels of TRAINING & inspiration and motivation. PERFORMANCES But what do you (as an individual swimmer) do if you are training in a lane next to a slacker? You keep

your focus purely upon your own lane and your The atmosphere at training can have a huge effect own swim, and refuse to notice anything outside of upon your future results at meets. your lane. Possibly you could also imagine that you Jeremy Tillman from Holyoke YMCA Vikings in are actually trying to catch up to a swimmer who is Massachusetts wrote to me as he noticed that in the out in front of you (yes, even if they don’t exist!) and past he was greatly affected if a swimmer in the lane generally ensuring you keep your motivation strong next to him was not trying as hard as he was. This and fired up. touches on a subject that is highly under-estimated So never under-estimate the importance of the and rarely discussed – the huge influence your team atmosphere at training – it will have a major effect on has on your performance. your future results, so make sure you are a part of a Each team or squad possesses its own collective powerful, positive, motivated team. group attitude or mindset which has the capability to either raise each swimmer to the greatest heights of their ability, or pull them all down to the depths of Tip No.67 despair if not watched carefully. NERVOUSNESS IS GOOD!!! A positive group attitude is something that must be cultivated by each and every swimmer belonging Probably the most powerful and under-rated ally to a team, as even just one slacker can have an that you possess during your races is your own amazingly detrimental effect upon the team as a nervousness! whole. Any swimmers who do not try as hard as the Almost every swimmer I speak to seems to regard others should be encouraged by the rest of the team nervousness as a sign of weakness, something bad to join the positive team attitude and contribute to and which they are often ashamed to admit. This is the exact opposite of what it really is!

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Nervousness creates great performances. If you Tip No.68 are not the slightest bit nervous before a really big HOW DO I COPE IF I DON’T ACHIEVE MY race, it’s quite possible that you are not truly psyched GOAL? for the event, and this may not provide you with your best possible swim on the day. One of the toughest experiences is for a swimmer This is not to say that you should worry if you to physically and mentally build up for a big race or aren’t nervous! (Boy, some people will look for event, only to discover that they don’t achieve their anything to worry about!). This is to say that when goal. you ARE nervous, know that this is exactly how you This is something every swimmer must learn to SHOULD be feeling right before a good swim, and overcome, as even the world’s best do not achieve learn to enjoy this feeling, and use it to its best every single goal in their lifetime. But the hardest advantage. part is to emotionally detach from the goal and Nervousness is a sign that your energy is ready to move on to new goals, as often the swimmer can go. It is literally a huge reservoir of potential energy, experience huge disappointment and a letdown after just waiting to explode into a huge swimming the event is over. performance. This nervousness (that you may have Probably the most important thing to remember is hated in the past) is probably the very thing that has that you will forever be changing your short-term helped you to win races and earn all the PB’s you goals – as once these events are passed, you will then have achieved in the past! go on to create new ones. So it’s important not to fall The point I am really trying to make today is that in love with your goals too much, because regardless the last thing you want to do is waste your energy of how you fare, no doubt you will be moving past hating the nervousness. Instead, embrace it; regard it those goals and onto new ones. as a good friend who will look after you during your This means that there will always be another race. And here’s a really good reason why … day, and even though that one race might seem swimmers who hate their nervousness tend to become hugely important to you, when you look back in overly nervous – a completely different physical and years to come, you will see that it was much less mental state, which does not produce strong important than it actually appears to be right now. performances. This is the mindset of champions – each goal is So just know that when you feel nervous before important, but then once it is over, they take that an event, it is perfectly natural. Don’t worry about it experience and immediately re-focus their energies at all – instead, smile and know that it means you’re upon the next goal. ready. This is not to say you must rush out and begin Actually, nervousness is really not the correct working at your next goal immediately, especially if word for this state at all. The fact is, when you feel you’re feeling a bit flat. If you feel you need, take a this way before a race, you are actually full of little time off and then come back refreshed and anticipation, not nervousness. ready to embark upon your next grand quest. This is Anticipation basically means to be absolutely all part of the bouncing back process that is an ready and raring to go (and yes, fear can also be essential part of every great swimmer. You simply mixed in with this emotion as well, which is can’t afford to take losses too hard, because you must absolutely fine). This anticipation is what brings on quickly move forward and focus upon the next goal; the physical shivers associated with nervousness, as otherwise you will be left behind. You must learn the actual nerves in your body are twitching in from the experience, rekindle your energy and eagerness and getting ready to perform. enthusiasm, and then move forward boldly into the So if the word nervous conjures up negative future. feelings for you, ditch it – get rid of it completely. It’s natural to feel a letdown when you don’t Instead, if someone asks you how you’re feeling achieve a large goal – that’s absolutely OK and don’t before a race, tell them you are full of anticipation. beat yourself up about that. But learn from, get over it, and move forward. This sounds far more positive as well as being The world will continue to turn – so put the race technically the truth, and it also reminds yourself that into its proper perspective, and file the race into your you’re truly ready to go. ancient history folder. Then, draft out your new goals on paper, and plan your next moves – ensuring your focus remains 100% on the new goal and that you do not flashback to the old one any longer.

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Clean the slate completely, and then draft out a Of course, mental energy should never be wasted new plan of attack. Move powerfully into the future, upon worrying about anything these swimmers say or twice as strong, eager and hungry to succeed at your do, as that is exactly what they want you to do – new goal – and then the next goal, and the next, and focus upon problems instead of the race! so on. But you must be on the lookout to ensure you are Refuse to dwell on the race and the things that did not being mentally influenced without your not go right. This can’t be changed (not in reality knowledge. anyway, but if the race bothers you too much you So what kind of subtle tricks should you watch may wish to change the result of the race in your out for? First of all, there’s the swimmer who tells daily visualisation, which works quite effectively). you they “haven’t trained much at all and they don’t Also, know that after a bad race, you are now a expect to do well”. They may even follow this completely different and more formidable swimmer statement by saying, “but you should do well, you’ve to the swimmer you were before the race, as you are been training heaps lately!” This is a subtle way of now armed with experience that you will use to your taking all the pressure off themselves, whilst placing advantage in future. it firmly upon your own shoulders! Never fall for So if you achieve your goals, celebrate them – this one – either ignore the comment completely or and then move on. If you don’t achieve your goal – put the pressure back onto them somehow … e.g. just move on, and plan the next. Make a concerted “But you always do well in this event, I think you’ll effort to boost yourself up mentally with some upbeat be tough to beat today!” positive music, movies, videos, books or friends, Body language is another subtle way of psyching anything (healthy) that will lift your spirits and keep others out. Some swimmers strut around as if they you from focusing upon the past. Write down your own the pool, and this outward display is designed to new goals and begin to get yourself fired up about place a small amount of fear into their competitors’ them until the old goal is erased from your mind minds, making them wonder why they don’t possess forever. the same level of confidence, as this swimmer seems Remember that if two swimmers are of the same to have. Any swimmers who may be low in strength, talent and training, then only mental confidence would then feed that fear with their own strength will separate them – so work at being the negative thoughts, until they eventually become mentally strongest in the pool and it will always take mental monsters! By this stage, they would be out of care of you. Of course, you may come across the race before it even began. swimmers who are mentally stronger than you, so Body language is one of the most powerful mental learn from them, and move further forward. influences, and if you find that a swimmer’s body Champions are known for their powerful response language is somewhat psyching you out, then simply to temporary setbacks – they learn from them and refuse to look at them – in fact, you can then come back stronger than ever. Keep this is mind and mentally reverse the situation, and imagine the springboard into future success. swimmer actually being intimidated by you. Or otherwise you might wish to display some strong Tip No.69 body language of your own – as not only does this HANDLING PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE affect other swimmers, it also mentally boosts up the swimmer who uses it. Races are often won and lost before they even Then there’s the more obvious approach – a begin. swimmer who says to you right before the race Some swimmers who know this often try playing “you’re going down!” Your response mentally subtle mental tricks on their competitors – designed should be to totally ignore these comments and to give them a mental advantage without you even continue to focus upon your own swim. knowing it is happening. Occasionally these can However your outward response might vary, backfire on the swimmer by taking their focus off according to how you feel at the time. You might their own race, but it is also important to be ready to choose to ignore them completely with a totally handle these unexpected attacks. expressionless face, as if you didn’t hear them – and I These tactics can only affect you if… think this is a powerful response as it makes the swimmer wonder whether you heard them or not, or a) You allow them to, and whether you are simply ignoring them! b) If you do not realise what these swimmers are Alternatively you might choose to retaliate with a trying to do. very short comment such as “no, I’m on the way up” – and then pay them no more attention. Always keep

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it short though so it doesn’t get your emotions the race – which means you should not be over-awed involved – very important. by the feelings you will experience on the big day. Then there is the reverse psychology tactic to the Secondly, by the time the actual race does come swimmer who tells you you’re going down. This around, you’ll feel like you have already swum it approach means you might respond with “yes, I 20 or 30 times (which you have!) Last of all, it probably will” – as this can take the pressure off vastly increases the quality of your practices or yourself and put it right back onto them! It also stops training sets, as you will find you take them far more them in their tracks, as there is really nothing they seriously when you feel like it counts. can say in response to that. But beware, if you use This MUST be done very, very convincingly this approach, make sure that you mentally re-affirm however, or else your subconscious mind will to yourself that you don’t really believe what you instantly dismiss it as a trick – and it won’t work. It said at all, but in fact you are going to swim requires a quiet moment of ‘psyching’ yourself powerfully and brilliantly. into it, and also some on-the-block visualization – Many races are won and lost even before the race where you must momentarily block out reality and starts, never forget this. The key is to ensure your mentally project yourself forward (in time) to the big mind always remains focused upon the goal, not the race. obstacle. As long as you do this, you will never allow Luckily you have the use of one of the most anyone to psych you out. powerful human forces available, your imagination – which can mentally put you in the experience of Tip No.70 your next race quite easily once you begin to practice LEARNING TO PROJECT IN YOUR this. TRAINING This technique is probably best used once or twice a day, as there will often be other sets where your Most swimmers work hard physically in training – coach will want you to work on specific things, but this is not enough, not if you really want to be which is difficult to do when you are swimming a successful. You must also practice your mental race. So pick a particular set, and then use this preparation at training as well. projection tool to move successful towards your next One of the most powerful ways to practice for big goal. This is similar to the powerful method of meets is through learning to project your mind bending reality. towards your goal. What I am talking about is So begin developing your powers of projection to mentally rehearsing (during your actual training) achieve your goals far more easily. Like any exercise, the exact experience you wish to occur at your next it must be practiced regularly if you want it to meet. Let me explain. develop and bring you results. When you are on the block, getting ready to begin a set of training, your mind realises quite clearly that there is absolutely nothing to get hyped about here – Do not take this technique lightly, it is it thinks, “this is not a race, it’s only training”. one of the mind’s greatest abilities, and as Which means you swim relaxed and unconcerned – you know.... which is not the way you probably swim big races!

This approach does not bring future excellence.

A powerful habit often used by several top swimmers (and also track and field stars) is this; when they are about to do a particular practice set, ‘The Mind they mentally project themselves forward to their next big race, and imagine that they are now there – controls the about to race, and that this is the real thing. Doing this (properly) will even bring on the butterflies in the stomach or nervousness, which happens with any body, and the big race – which is exactly what you want to happen. Then, they swim the following set absolutely mind is convinced that this IS the big race, treating it with exactly the same importance they have attached to unlimited.’ their current goal. Using this method does three very important things. First of all, it emotionally prepares you for

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RECOVERY BASED TRAINING A NEW WAY OF THINKING –RECOVERY BASED TRAINING (R.B.T.) An Alternate Method of Athlete Preparation The traditional methods of training, planning, By Wayne Goldsmith periodisation and programming are based on WORK. The capacity to do work be it training or There are no short cuts to the top. The attributes competition has been and still is the focus of most of success are now, as they always have been, training programs. determination, innovation, commitment, a positive The basic premise for WORK BASED attitude, the desire to achieve and old-fashioned hard TRAINING is… work. • Train (work) … usually the most work that can However, traditional ways of looking at training be done in a given training session. have revolved around … WORK BASED • Rest (recover) … allowing the athlete’s body TRAINING … how much work an athlete can do and mind time to recover and adapt to the and the intensity level of that work. training stress (overcompensation or super Recovery has become an increasingly important compensation). aspect of athlete preparation. The demands of • Do more training. training schedules, competition programs and other related activities have necessitated athletes and • Rest again ... allow their body time to recover coaches becoming more aware of the use of recovery and adapt to the training stress. techniques in planning and programming. • Continue the process until target or goal is The process of recovery is still very much that of achieved. catch up – i.e. the recovery techniques are generally But the work-based approach had several holes in utilised after the fact (after the athlete is fatigued) and it. are a peripheral aspect of training and competition. • Swimmers with other commitments in sport, In some ways this is an ineffective use of recovery school and other areas of life may attend training principles as the athlete could be exposed to sessions fatigued. significant stress before a recovery activity may be • Residual fatigue from previous swimming utilised. workouts may restrict an athlete’s ability to In addition, there is a significant amount of perform at high speeds or to sustain hard efforts. research that has identified the link between training • Not all swimmers are able to recover at the same and stress on the body’s immune system leading to rate. illness and disease. Ideally the athlete and coach • With the focus on competitive swimming being would take a preventative approach to illness and be technical excellence at times of fatigue and proactive with recovery and restoration practices to pressure, constantly fatigued swimmers are avoid or reduce the incidence of these problems. unable to develop and fine tune technique and The challenge is to find ways to train athletes to skills. achieve their maximum potential without pushing The biggest flaw however in the work based them over the edge into an overtrained or over approach to training is that ALL SWIMMERS ARE reached situation with the subsequent health issues. INDIVIDUALS. This paper proposes an alternate model to the The basic training principle of individualisation contemporary training methodologies, which are suggests that to make a maximum impact, training WORK BASED by suggesting that programs can be programs need to be tailored to each individual RECOVERY BASED – i.e. based on the individual athlete in the program. athlete’s recovery abilities rather than on the volume This is particularly true when working with large and intensity workloads that an athlete can endure in numbers of swimmers in a squad-training a specific time. environment. Whilst swimmers of the same age with This model proposes that RECOVERY be similar personal best times may appear to have considered as one of the central aspects of athlete similar abilities, their individual capacity to recover development. The key to this approach is the largely determines the quality and quantity of training philosophy… they are able to maintain. THE INTELLIGENT COACH BASES THEIR THE WORK BASED TRAINING SPIRAL TRAINING AND COMPETITION PROGRAM One of the pitfalls with the traditional training AROUND THEIR ATHLETE’S ABILITY TO approach where work is the central factor of training RECOVER is that coaches and athletes can be misguided into believing that work alone is the secret to success.

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This is characterised by the classic work based Even though regular, consistent, technique training spiral… focussed training is vital to achieving swimming • Train – improve. success, more work should not be the first answer to • Train harder – improve more. every performance question. • Train even harder – improve even more. People are different. They adapt to change • Train even harder again – improve further. differently. Some adapt quickly while others take And so it goes on. longer to adapt to new stimuli. But performance is a multi disciplinary, multi Why plan programs based on how much work an faceted thing. It is made up of many factors athlete can do? including… Why not turn it around and base training on the • Speed recovery ability of the athlete? • Endurance KEY CONCEPTS IN RECOVERY BASED TRAINING • Technique There are several intelligent alternatives to work • Skills based training that coaches and athletes should • Tactics consider. It is built on these three concepts that… • Flexibility 1. The program is designed around the athlete’s • Control ability to recover. • The Ability to relax 2. An athlete with an effective recovery program • Pacing ability in place can actually train harder and train • Rhythm more often as the natural process of recovery is • Motor Learning ability enhanced. • General health and well being 3. By basing training on recovery rather than • Intelligence work, training variables such as technique and • Skills learning ability speed development can be incorporated into • Core stability the program at times which allow the • Genetic characteristics maximum possible opportunity for them to • Strength make an impact. • The ability to deal with pressure and stress WORK BASED TRAINING (AND WHY IT To try and solve performance challenges by DOESN’T WORK FOR THE MAJORITY OF simply doing more training is not logical. It does not ATHLETES) make sense. Every coach has a story about an athlete who got Working hard is crucial to achieving success, but to the top by training harder, more often and with so is the ability to maintain technical skill and more intensity than anyone else. swimming technique under the effects of fatigue and There is no doubt that to achieve success in pressure in competition. swimming, athletes need to commit to hard work, to However, the traditional approach of making be consistent with their efforts in training and work to time or making the cycle is questionable. From a the limit of their talent and potential. There are no skill development perspective, one must ask what short cuts. benefit is a workout where an athlete “makes time” But for every story about the no guts – no glory but to do so has sacrificed stroke mechanics, approach to training, there are hundreds of stories breathing control, good skills in turns and finishes about swimmers not making it because of illness and just to make the predetermined work intensity. injury due to inappropriate training loads. It may be a matter of simply reinforcing bad The most popular coaching theory texts available technique, which if it is trained to fall apart in lead to programming and planning using traditional training, will inevitably fall apart under competition methods of work-based periodisation. conditions where the additional element of However, this approach assumes that athletes can competition pressure is added. adapt to training loads and recover at similar rates. If coaches embrace the concept that swimming In reality, long term planning and periodisation fast is largely determined by the swimmer’s ability to should be a sensible and logical approach to maintain great technique in a competitive coaching effectively. By planning how much work environment, then a more balanced approach to can be done well in advance of the actual session, the performance improvement other than just do more individual’s ability to complete the session as training needs to be developed. prescribed is often compromised as it does not take into account their daily fluctuations in recovery level.

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Heart rate training is a good example. 3. Revise and review the program in light of the There are literally thousands of articles and athlete’s ability to recover numerous books on using heart rate as the For example … the coach has determined that a determinant of exercise intensity and training load. training set of 30x100 on 2:00 minutes at a speed of What we know about heart rate… personal best time plus 20 seconds is the main • It is extremely volatile and changeable. session goal. • It is sensitive to hydration levels. How does the coach know that the athlete is • It is sensitive to nutritional variables. capable of completing the set to the required • It is sensitive to psychological variables. standard? … i.e. required standard is making the time • It is sensitive to chemical variables like caffeine. throughout the set with technical excellence Recent studies have revealed that an athlete’s maintained in every stroke, every turn and finish. capacity to achieve their own personal maximum Step 1 – Measure the recovery level of each heart rate varies day-to-day and session-to-session. individual athlete. This can be done using traditional Therefore to prescribe training sessions well in passive methods (self monitoring using heart rate, advance, based on a predetermined heart rate quality of sleep, etc.) and active methods including maximum or base rate, without somehow measuring INDIVIDUAL CHECKING SPEED. and monitoring the individuals recovery level on a Step 2 – An athlete whose recovery level has been daily basis (and with it their ability to work in that measured as low may still be able to complete the session), athletes may be working too hard or too workout, but at a much lower intensity level than easy at any given session. prescribed. Alternately, an athlete who has recovered In addition using a single discipline sports science well from the previous workout may complete the approach … i.e. heart rate physiology is not effective workout at an intensity level equal to or even harder when one considers that swimming fast is a than that prescribed. combination of issues and perspectives including Step 3 – Review the progress of the athlete during physiology, biomechanics, psychology, nutrition, and after the workout and if necessary modify the skills and motor learning and so on. session and program to match the athlete’s recovery RECOVERY BASED TRAINING – A GENTLE capacity. INTRODUCTION Why recovery? RBT allows training programs to be An athlete has three basic priorities… individualised based on each person’s ability to adapt 1. Do the training session to the best of their ability. to the stresses and strains of training. 2. Immediately the training session ceases, help RBT takes into consideration the genetic variation their body recover from the training session. (such as muscle fibre type distribution – fast 3. Help their body prepare for the next session. twitch/slow twitch) of the athlete by allowing an … or … athlete’s recovery ability to determine training loads. TRAIN FAIR then REPAIR and RBT allows for each individual athlete to be set PREPARE training loads that are appropriate to their ability to The aim of every swimmer and every coach adapt to them. should be to maximise the impact and effectiveness RBT is situation sensitive. When an athlete is of every training session: to maximise the unable to recover between sessions due to work opportunities presented at every training session to commitments, study commitments, personal life help the athlete achieve his or her goals. issues and their ability to work in the pool is With performance being such a multi disciplinary compromised, RBT allows the coach to prescribe activity, where physiological, psychological and training loads appropriate to the athlete at each point biomechanical variables all need to be considered in time. when developing an effective training program, it is RBT allows training to be modified to meet their essential that the coach focus on the individual’s situation on a session-by-session basis. ability to achieve the training objectives every In other words, Recovery based training workout. maximises the impact of training activities as it The traditional no guts – no glory approach – individualises training loads. which focuses on the athlete’s ability to deal with RBT requires three basic steps… pain and the onset of fatigue any way they can does 1. Measure the recovery level/recovery capacity of not take into consideration technique, skills, stroke the athlete length and other crucial factors. 2. Base training programs on the athlete’s individual recovery level

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THE APPLICATION OF RECOVERY BASED The swimmer completes a repetition with the aim TRAINING TO SWIMMING of achieving their GOAL HEART RATE … i.e. an HOW IT WORKS intensity level of 20 beats below maximum. Swimming coaches have traditionally based The rest interval is based on the swimmer’s ability training programs on one or a combination of the to recover. following factors… In this example, when the individual swimmer’s Faster swimmers in one lane – Swimming Speed heart rate drops to 60 beats below maximum … i.e. it slower swimmers in another. has recovered by 40 beats per minute … the swimmer 100-metre swimmers in one Event Distance lane – distance swimmers in pushes off for another repetition. another. THE ADVANTAGES OF USING GOAL AND Younger swimmers together in GO HEART RATE IN RECOVERY BASED Age one lane – older swimmers in TRAINING another. • Swimmers do as much training (volume) as they Males in one lane – females in Gender another. are able to recover from on that particular day Freestyle swimmers in one lane • Tired, unfit or injured swimmers do as much Stroke Specialisation – Breaststroke swimmers in training as they can recover from another. • Sprint swimmers who arguably will have a lower RECOVERY BASED TRAINING MODEL recovery ability because of the nature of their In the RBT model, swimmers are divided into skeletal muscle fibres and other factors and will training groups based on their individual recovery do as much training as they can effectively ability. recover from Determine the swimmer’s individual recovery • Fitter swimmers can do more volume of training ability by completing an INDIVIDUAL if the situation dictates CHECKING SPEED swim in warm up. This • Aerobic based, distance orientated swimmers can concept developed by Australian Coaches Bill do more training volume in the same time Sweetenham and John Atkinson attempts to identify the athlete’s individual recovery level and hence their For example… ability and capacity to work in the particular session.

Swimmers are then divided into lanes based on Distance Freestylers and other well Lane 1 their individual ability to recover. conditioned aerobic swimmers. In the 45 FAST Practical Example minute main set time they complete 12- RECOVERY Lane 1 – Fast recovering athletes 14 x 200 at the GOAL pace with GO LANE Lane 2 – Medium recovering athletes rest. Lane 3 – Slow recovering athletes Lane 2 Medley swimmers, form strokers. In the ESTABLISH THE TRAINING INTENSITY MEDIUM 45 minute main set time they complete USING GOAL AND GO HEART RATE RECOVERY 10-12 x 200 at the GOAL pace with GO Identify two target heart rates for each LANE rest. Lane 3 Sprinter, injured or fatigued swimmers. individual… SLOW In the 45 minute main set time they HEART RATE 1 is called the GOAL HEART RATE RECOVERY complete 8-10 x 200 at the GOAL pace HEART RATE 2 is called the GO HEART RATE LANE with GO rest. For example… Swimmers with the capacity to do more work do Training Workout 200-metre intervals Distance it: those with a compromised capacity to work on this 45 minutes of work within particular day do less. Training is individualised Training Set Duration the GOAL AND GOAL within the squad-training environment. training zone It is determined that the TESTING FOR RECOVERY GOAL HEART RATE for the training session is 20 For RBT to be effective, it is important that beats below maximum … simple effective methods of measuring recovery are i.e. for each 200-metre utilised in every training session. Training Pace swim a target heart rate of Passive Tests of Recovery 20 beats below the Traditional methods of recovery have been… swimmer’s maximum heart rate needs to be achieved 1. Smiley Faces … the GO HEART RATE is Athletes recording basic self-monitoring 60 beats below maximum information in a training diary or on a training chart.

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4. Sleep Tired athletes for some reason often sleep poorly. ☺ Draw this face if you feel great. The short answer might be that the bodies of tired athletes are still working even when they are resting … i.e. their bodies are using rest time to repair, Draw this face if you feel OK – just average. rebuild and regenerate and constantly stay in an active state. Rate the QUALITY of their sleep out of five. Draw this face if you feel really low, One is a terrible sleep – one of those terrible nights slow, tired and fatigued. where athletes tossed and turned and struggled to get any sleep. A five sleep means athletes fell asleep 2. Taking resting heart rate (RHR) quickly and slept soundly most of the night. Just as the heart is an excellent indicator of how Rating the quality of their sleep rather than the hard their body is working, it is also a good indicator quantity makes sense as it is virtually impossible to of how well their body is recovering from hard remember exactly WHEN athletes fell asleep. training and a tough competition schedule. Resting Heart rate is a concept that has been 5. Weight around for over 20 years. Athletes take their heart Athletes should get in the habit of weighing rate every morning just after they wake up. themselves – usually in the morning after going to By placing two fingers lightly on the outside of the toilet but before eating or drinking anything. The their wrist near the base of their thumb, athletes will main reason for doing this is to make sure athletes are feel a little pulse rhythmically beating away. This is not LOSING weight. Fit, healthy, growing called their RHR – Resting Heart Rate. swimmers generally keep a fairly even, constant Teach the athletes to count the number of beats weight. However, sudden weight loss over a 24-hour they feel for 30 seconds then double that number to period can mean one of three things… get BPM – Beats per minute. • Athletes are dehydrated As athletes get fitter and stronger from training, • Athletes are fatigued and their body is struggling their RHR should get lower and slower. This to maintain normal functions basically means their heart is getting more efficient at • Both of the above doing what it has to do. Fit swimmers will have a Get in the habit of aiming to weigh the same just consistent RHR every morning that will not vary before going to bed as athletes did just after waking more than a beat or two. that same morning. Weight loss over the time athletes However, if athletes are training too hard and not are awake is generally just water loss – water loss getting enough rest, their resting heart rate will that needs to be replaced. actually increase. It is not uncommon for a swimmer It is crucial that the coach sell this concept training too hard to experience increases in their positively to all athletes as a practice, which is resting heart rate of 5-15 beats per minute. designed to assist in the measurement of recovery, It is important that coaches and athletes do not put and not as a daily obsession with body fat and body all their eggs in one basket and make variations to image. training based on RHR alone. There are many other issues that need to be taken into consideration. 6. Muscle Soreness When muscles work hard, sometimes they feel 3. Mood tight and sore. Sometimes this soreness will not Being moody is also a good indicator of how an become obvious until a day or two after a tough athlete’s body and mind are adapting to training and training session or following hard racing. This competition. soreness is called D.O.M.S. (Delayed Onset of Use the mood scale – a rating scale of 1-5 where Muscle Soreness) and can literally be a pain in the one is feeling really low and in a bad mood and five neck (or butt or arms or legs or somewhere else). is feeling great and fully charged – ready to take on In their diary, athletes should record muscle the world. soreness. A rating of 5 means their muscles are Athletes who are in a bad mood, feeling flat, feeling strong, loose and relaxed and a 1 means their negative and angry are often just showing the signs of muscles feel like athletes have gone ten rounds with over training and over straining in the pursuit of the world heavy weight boxing champion (and lost). excellence.

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Passive test data can be summarised in a table or March 15th. chart to give an overall perspective of the athlete’s ICS Baseline Swim recovery status… 400 metres at 15 seconds per 100 over PB pace … Self Monitoring Recording Sheet Example e.g. if PB swim is 1:00 for 100 Freestyle, target pace Smiley Heart Muscle Mood Sleep Weight Face Rate Soreness is 5:00 minutes for the 400 being 4 x 1:15. Mon ☺ 54 3 4 54 kg 2 The ICS is performed with an even pace (e.g. Tue ☺ 55 2 4 54 kg 3 Wed 53 3 2 54 kg 3 1:15, 2:30, 3:45, 5:00) and with a push start. Thu 62 2 3 53 kg 3 The coach measures heart rate, stroke count and Fri 64 2 1 52 kg 4 stroke rate at 5:00 pace, (i.e. heart rate at the end of Sat 69 2 2 53 kg 4 Sun 58 4 3 54 kg 3 the swim, stroke count and stroke rate over the final Avg 59.3 2.6 2.7 53.4 3.1 50 metres). It is important to note that one of these signs may In addition, the coach measures heart rate every not mean anything at all. For example, their morning 30 seconds for two minutes and measures how much heart rate can be higher than usual if athletes have the athlete’s heart rate decreases over that period. drunk a little too much caffeine the night before, The ICS baseline swim is completed regularly gone to bed dehydrated or had a scary dream. ideally after a day or two of relatively easy work so However, two or three of the warning signs that the athlete is performing the test relatively happening at the same time, may mean athletes have unfatigued. This speed is then used as the baseline a problem on the way. figure from which to establish training loads – These passive tests provide the coach and athlete volume and intensity: speed or pace is the with an overall general perspective of the athlete’s key/constant from which the other variables are recovery level. measured. For example… However, the key focus for competitive athletes is RECOVERED ATHLETE Heart Stroke Stroke to find ways of measuring their ability and capacity Swim Time to perform training activities in each training session. rate count rate BASELINE ACTIVE TESTS FOR RECOVERY SWIM March 5:00 172 45 47 INDIVIDUAL CHECKING SPEED AND 15th SIMILAR ACTIVE RECOVERY TESTS CHECKING SWIM March 5:00 169 45 46 Individual checking speed (ICS) is a concept th which attempts to evaluate how recovered an athlete 20 is and how prepared they are to complete a set FATIGUED ATHLETE training activity by measuring their responses to a Heart Stroke Stroke Swim Time sub maximal swim. rate Count rate Using PACE as the primary control over BASELINE swimming pace and HEART RATE and STROKE SWIM March 5:00 172 45 47 th VARIABLES at the specific pace as secondary 15 CHECKING measures to set training intensities with SWIM March 5:00 194 56 55 RECOVERY BASED TRAINING is important. 24th The coach is attempting to assess what is the In this example, the athlete has performed an ICS athlete’s physiological capacity to complete the on March 15th. Prior to the commencement of two session or how hard is the athlete working to subsequent sessions, the coach asked the athlete to maintain the target pace (Individual Checking swim the same distance (400 metres) at the same Speed). speed (5:00 minutes even paced). An additional element is that of stroke mechanics. On March 20th, the athlete’s ICS indicated he was By considering stroke rate and stroke count (and relatively unfatigued having matched or bettered the thereby stroke length) in the assessment of an measurements of the baseline swim. athlete’s recovery ability, the coach can in some way The athlete in this case could proceed with the make a practical determination of the athlete’s level training session at the intensity level prescribed by of efficiency. the coach. PROTOCOL On March 24th however, the athlete’s ICS showed Towards the end of the warm up, the athlete signs of fatigue, i.e. heart rate 22 beats higher at the performs a swim at a pre determined pace and heart same speed with a stroke count and stroke rate rate, stroke count and stroke rate are measured as a indicating a less efficient stroke at the same speed. result of swimming at that pace. For example… In this instance, the coach may take several Establishing ICS actions. These include…

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1. Ask the athlete to swim the same volume but at • Gleeson M., McDonald W.A., Cripps A.W., Pyne lower intensity. D.B., Clancy R.L., Fricker P.A., Wlodarczyk J.H. 2. Talk to the athlete about other aspects of their (1995), Exercise, stress and mucosal immunity in elite recovery, eg results of the passive tests. swimmers. Adv Exp Medicine Biology. 1995 3. Ask the athlete to complete a lower volume of 371A:571-4. the workout at the target intensity. • Goldsmith W. (2001), Multi disciplinary approach to performance. Swimming in Australia (Lavington, 4. Break the workout up and allow more rest NSW) 17(1), Jan/Feb 2001, 6-8. between efforts for the fatigued swimmer. • Goldsmith W. (2000), The TUF principle: technique 5. Have the athlete rest from the workout. This under fatigue, Swimnews (Toronto) 27(7), Aug 2000, would be particularly relevant if the athlete 10-11. showed other signs of fatigue from the passive • Goldsmith W. (2000), A multi disciplinary approach to tests. performance: the Integration of the sports Sciences in It has been said that the intelligent coach bases smart coaching, Sports-coach-(Belconnen) 23(3), 2000, their training program around the individual athlete’s 14-15. recovery ability. • Goldsmith W. (1999) Six steps to greatness, American- Whilst there are no short cuts and no easy ways to swimming-(Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)(3), 1999, 4-6. achieve swimming excellence, there is also no point • Goldsmith W. (1998), Science on the deck: Integrating in flogging a dead horse. The old philosophies of the sports Sciences to test for training effects and improve performance, National Coaching and driving a fatigued athlete to achieve a target-training Officiating Conference (1998 Melbourne, Vic.), In, pace regardless of sacrifices in technique, skills and Sports Coach 1998: 1998 National Coaching and other key performance characteristics need to be Officiating. reassessed in terms of the multi disciplinary • Hamer P.W. (1999). Does Massage have the potential performance model. to alleviate Exercise-induced muscle damage caused The advantage of developing a training program by lengthening-contraction muscle actions? Paper in based on the athlete’s ability to recover rather than the Proceedings of The Muscle Symposium, Australian how much work they can do in a specific time is that Institute of Sport, April 1999 pp39-42. every training session becomes an opportunity to • Pope R., Herbert R., Kirwan J., Graham B. (1999). maximise performance through an individualised Does pre-Exercise muscle stretching prevent training prescription. injury? Paper in the Proceedings of The Muscle References Symposium, Australian Institute of Sport, April 1999, pp3-4. • Calder A. (1990) Sports Massage, State of the Art Review, National Sports Research Centre, Australian • Pyne D.B., Gleeson M. (1998), Effects of intensive Sports Commission, Canberra. Exercise training on immunity in athletes, International Journal Sports Medicine. 1998 Jul 19 Suppl 3:S183-91; • Calder A. (1996) Recovery – Revive, Survive and discussion S191-4. Review. Prosper, Chapter 7 in Smart Sport, RWM publishing, Canberra. • Pyne D.B., Gleeson M., McDonald W.A., Clancy R.L., Perry C. Jr, Fricker P.A. (2000), Training strategies to • Gleeson M., Pyne D.B. (2000), Special feature for the maintain immuno-competence in athletes, International Olympics: effects of Exercise on the immune system: Journal Sports Medicine. May 21 Suppl 1:S51-60. Exercise effects on mucosal immunity. Immunology Review. Cell Biology. 2000 Oct 78 (5):536-44. Review. • Pyne D., Maw G., Goldsmith W. (2000) Protocols for • Gleeson M., McDonald W.A., Pyne D.B., Clancy R.L., the physiological assessment of swimmers, In, Gore, C. Cripps A.W., Francis J.L., Fricker P.A. (2000), (ed.), Physiological tests for elite athletes, Champaign, Immune status and respiratory illness for elite IL, Human Kinetics, 2000, p.372-382. swimmers during a 12-week training cycle. International Journal Sports Medicine. 2000 May 21 • Pyne D.B., McDonald W.A., Gleeson M., Flanagan A., (4):302-7. Clancy R.L., Fricker P.A. (2001) Mucosal immunity, respiratory illness, and competitive performance in • Gleeson M., McDonald W.A., Pyne D.B., Cripps elite Swimmers, Medicine Science Sports Exercise Mar A.W., Francis J.L., Fricker P.A., Clancy R.L. (1999) 33(3):348-53. Salivary IgA levels and infection risk in elite swimmers. Medicine Science Sports Exercise. 1999 • Viitasalo J.T., K. Niemela, R. Kaappola, T. Korjus, M. Jan 31 (1):67-73. Levola, H.V. Mononen, H.K. Rusko and T.E.S. Takala, (1995). Warm underwater water-jet massage • Gleeson M., McDonald W.A., Cripps A.W., Pyne improves recovery from Intense physical Exercise, D.B., Clancy R.L., Fricker P.A. (1995) The effect on European Journal of Applied Physiology, 71: 431-428. immunity of long-term intensive training in elite swimmers. Clinical Exp Immunology. 1995 Oct 102 (1):210-6.

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Develop good drinking practices in training so you automatically drink in competition to cope with sweat HYDRATION losses HYDRATION Do not leave your fluid intake to chance. Have a fluid By Martin Mackay, Level 1 Assistant Coach strategy planned before commencing exercise. As a Bateman’s Bay Swim Centre general guide, fluid intake should be 150-250ml at regular FLUID – CAN’T GET ENOUGH intervals (every 15-20 minutes) during exercise. Research at the Australian Institute of Sport found that Remember … TOO LATE IS TOO LATE. very few athletes manage to fully replace sweat lost during In certain sports – such as rowing or football – exercise. Investigating the drinking habits of many athletes circumstances or rules prevent regular hydration – e.g. swimmers, rowers and runners – in training and This can be overcome by placing fluid in strategic competition, researchers found that athletes replaced 35- positions, giving the athletes the opportunity to drink. Pool 75% of their actual sweat losses. Such a mismatch between swimmers have no excuse. Ocean swimmers will need fluid intake and sweat losses during exercise results in support. dehydration … the number one enemy of any athlete or In hot conditions, sweat losses are commonly greater person wishing an on-the-go lifestyle. Exercise than the maximal amount of fluid tolerated by the performance has been shown to decrease as the athlete athletes becomes progressively dehydrated. What it means is that Sweat rates as high as 3.7 litres per hour are generated you commence every subsequent training session with by elite marathon runners. Heavier people will generate fluid debt. more. At swimming carnivals in hot conditions, just sitting Extreme levels of dehydration are potentially life around waiting for your event, there will be high fluid loss. threatening. The following hints help athletes and coaches Sweat rates approaching these levels make it impossible overcome potential barriers in achieving an adequate fluid for athletes to replace sweat losses during exercise and intake and keep pace with sweat losses caused by training highlights the importance of maximising fluid intake and competition. before exercise. Drinking 500-1000ml per hour for 2-3 HINTS FOR INCREASING FLUID INTAKE hours leading into the start of exercise will ensure you are Do not rely on thirst as an indicator of your fluid need well hydrated. You will feel bloated but this extra fluid Thirst is a very poor indicator of fluid needs – will be utilised within the first 10 minutes of high intensity particularly for young athletes. Monitor the colour of your exercise. urine and how often you visit the bathroom throughout the Weight loss in some sports is encouraged during day, as an indicator of daily fluid needs. The clearer the exercise as a means of weight control urine in colour, the better hydrated you are – with dark This is likely to be a problem in weight classed sports urine indicating a negative fluid balance. I am not such as boxing, horse racing and weight class rowing. suggesting you stick your head down the dunny every time Weight loss by fluid denial should not be utilised in most you go to the toilet … but have a look. Aim to maintain a sports as a guide to cardio-vascular fitness. Weight lost clear urine colour during the day and throughout training during exercise simply is an indicator of sweat that has not and competition. been replaced. A kilogram of weight loss during exercise Headaches are another indicator of dehydration is equal to a litre of fluid that has not been replaced. This If you are that stage then it is possibly too late to can be a valuable tool, particularly in sports where sweat rehydrate to maintain effective training or competition. losses are not always obvious – such as swimming, aqua- Rest and rehydration is most appropriate. In other words running and cycling. … Go Home. Water is suitable for exercise lasting 60-90 minutes Have drinks readily available so athletes have every However, fluids containing carbohydrate and chance to meet fluid losses electrolytes such as sport drinks, are perhaps the best For example, it is best for swimmers to place a water choice during extended periods of exercise. These fluids bottle at the end of a pool – rowers in the boat or with the are designed to rapidly replace fluid and electrolytes support crew – aquafit on the side of the pool – runners in (sodium and potassium) lost in sweat. These fluids will a runner’s bottle … rather than rely on a drink fountain in help avoid the onset of cramps. In addition, sports drinks the locker room or water at the end of the session. provide a valuable source of carbohydrate during exercise Avoid drinking excess amounts of caffeine-containing and competition. drinks Coaches should schedule regular drink breaks into These fluids have a moderate diuretic effect and result training sessions to ensure the athletes have adequate in fluid loss from the body. Especially avoid these fluids in opportunity to keep pace with sweat losses competition. They should be limited to four cups per day. In warmer conditions, drink breaks may be needed Excess amounts may lead to dehydration. Alcohol is every 10 or 15 minutes so athletes minimise fluid losses. another fluid with diuretic properties and should be Swimmers and aqua runners should have a sip every break avoided after exercise as it makes it harder to replace of intensity. The coach, a parent or a designated athlete sweat loss during exercise. It is important to note that these may be rostered to organise water for the entire squad. beverages cause urine to become clear and copious, giving Remember, if it is a 50-metre sprint or a marathon … false sense of true urine balance. TOO LATE IS TOO LATE … and you will not perform.

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Believe You Can bridge where they jumped into fast-moving water and swam. It was Reese’s way of teaching his athletes about water resistance. Under his guidance, the swim ACHIEVE teams he coached at the University of Florida won By Pamela LeBlanc two men’s and two women’s national championships Reproduced from Swimming World and Junior and more than a dozen of his swimmers went on to Swimmer, April 2002 win Olympic gold. Then he had a falling-out with the university’s administration and left the sport. But coaching, it seems, is something Reese could not leave behind for long. “I enjoy it”, he says. “It’s one of the few things that changes every lap, depending on who you are looking at”. So he came to Austin to be near his brother and he Coach Randy Reese tells his eventually started the Circle C Swimming program swimmers at Circle C to set lofty goals then he helps with half a dozen swimmers, ages 9 to 14. This them train to that level. In just two years, the Austin, summer, that number will swell to more than 200. Texas club of nearly 200 swimmers appears set to Some have moved to Austin with their families run circles around its competition. just to train with Reese, drawn by his reputation and Two years ago, most of the swimming world had the knack he has for making young swimmers believe not heard of Circle C Swimming. they can achieve. People did not know about the high-calibre group “The kids respect him, fear him, love him”, says of swimmers that Randy Reese was quietly team manager Jonna Axtell, who moved to Austin assembling in Austin, across town from the from Las Vegas two years ago so her daughter, University of Texas, where his brother was coaching Andrea, now 15, could join the program. “They come the men’s swim team. They had not heard about the in and he makes them believe they can achieve – and unique weight-pulley system he was using to they do. He tells them, ‘It’s not a dream, it’s a goal – strengthen his swimmers’ muscles and improve their now get busy’.” technique. And they certainly did not expect a swim Reese has coached more than 70 Olympians, club formed in August 1999 to be contending for a including and . He has national title just two years later. worked with members of the U.S. national team and That all changed last summer when the club national junior team, as well as world, American, grabbed the combined and men’s titles at the Phillips national age group and state record holders. 66 USA Swimming National Championships. “He’s one of the best in the world”, claims Axtell, Suddenly, the team – named for a community pool in and few would disagree. Austin, Texas – had secured its position as one of the In Austin, the swimmers on his team can tick off country’s swimming powerhouses. accomplishments of their own … some have Olympic Respected, Feared and Loved medals, others are hoping for them. One competed in It’s Saturday morning and the water is churning at the Goodwill Games. There are national age group Circle C pool in southwest Austin. The wind is also record holders, national junior champions, veterans whipping and Randy Reese, clad in a blue tracksuit, of the World University Games, state high school his white hair ruffled and moustache twitching, is record holders and even someone who swam the pacing back and forth along one end of the 50-metre English Channel. pool. The team roster includes U.S. Olympians Josh He is not shouting … but he is in charge. Davis and ; Mexican Olympian Josh Reese, 55, had been out of swimming for almost a Ilika; Green Olympic hopeful Kostaki Chiligiris; U.S. decade when he launched his swim club with the national team swimmers Monica Williams, Tobie support of Gary Bradley, the developer who built Smith and Alexi Spann; and national junior team Circle C Ranch, an upscale subdivision in southwest swimmers Andrea Axtell and Lindsay Voyles. And Austin. Even so, Reese still retained his reputation as during the summer, members of the University of a top-flight swim coach. Texas men’s team share the pool for a change of His techniques were not always traditional but pace. they usually were successful. Part of his training But Reese is just as proud of the swimmers whose regimen once included taking his swimmers to a names are not recognisable.

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Already, the team’s accomplishments have drawn the attention of Dennis Pursley, national team director for USA Swimming, who says he is “absolutely very impressed and not a bit surprised”. “The Reese brothers are, each in their own right, two of our most accomplished coaches in the country”, believes Pursley. “I know Randy is head coach of Circle C, but he has also had the opportunity to take advantage of some of Eddie’s swimmers from the University of Texas. Add that to the job he is doing with the up-and-coming age group swimmers in the program and it is a pretty powerful combination”. Reese has long been considered one of the most innovative and accomplished coaches in the country so it should come as no surprise that Circle C

Swimming took overall top honours at the 2001 At Circle C, two black towers serve as a Summer Nationals, or that the men’s team placed framework for a line that supports 24 pulley systems. first and the women placed sixth. Each is attached to a basket that can be filled with Pursley added, “Austin has a population area to plastic-coated cement weights. The swimmer attaches draw from and a strong swimming tradition there. a belt to his waist – the belt is connected to a line that When you give them enough pool time and goes up to the pulley and down the other side to the population to draw from, they are going to be able to basket. The system provides constant resistance. do something special and I think that is what has According to Reese, it works wonders … “As happened there.” long as you are moving forward, it helps correct Train to Win stroke and, if anything, that teaches better technique”. Ask Reese about goals and he chuckles. “My Before, when a swimmer came into the program goals are so far out”, he says. out of shape, it took several months to get back in He trains his swimmers to try to win every gold condition. “With the baskets it takes a couple of medal. “If you have goals like that, you don’t slough weeks”, Reese says. “It gets you tired quickly”. off”, he says. “They need to set lofty goals and train Mexican Olympian Josh Ilika, who swims with to that level. I don’t think it is bad to dream in this the team, is legendary among Circle C swimmers. He sport. You need to dream and do that training.” once swam 20 yards Butterfly, with fins and paddles, And Reese, who has coached more than 70 hauling 100 pounds in one of the baskets! Olympic swimmers, believes he now has the talent on Reese also believes in placing swimmers in lanes this team to pursue that dream. Some of the according to ability … not age. swimmers are capable of making the 2004 Olympic At one end of the pool, Kostaki Chiligiris, the team – and performing well once they get to the Greek Olympic team hopeful, shares a lane with a Games. 13-year-old age group swimmer. A few lanes down, a “If we train them to that physical and mental swimmer who competed in the Goodwill Games level, I think we have people who can win gold plugs away. And not far from either, the 15-year-old medals”, admits Reese. holder of numerous state titles practices his To get to that point he has to keep his swimmers technique. motivated and to do that he mixes up workouts. Some The way Reese sees it, all these swimmers have days, practice might include kicking with tennis something to gain from each other. “I put them in a shoes. Other days, it might mean working with the lane where they can handle the work, rather than weighted pulley system that he designed. assign lanes according to age. If a 10-year-old can do “We do a lot of different things so it is not the it and wants to do it and can handle it, don’t put them same wall tag every day”, he says. in with the 10-year-olds – put them in with the 13- In the early 1970s, Reese used surgical tubing to year-olds. They are accepted by ability, not size or create resistance to strengthen his swimmers’ strokes. age”. But he soon realised that the benefits were limited It is a method his swimmers – young and old – because the tubing gave the right amount of seem to appreciate. resistance for only a few strokes – the rest of the time the cording was too loose or too taut.

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“In my lane today, I was swimming with a 13- year-old”, Chiligiris exclaims. “The next day, it’s a three-time Olympic gold medallist ()”.

Be All You Can Be

With such success so early, what does the future hold for Circle C Swimming? TEACHING By Terry Gulliver Plenty – the way Reese sees it. Butterfly Stroke is easy to teach and, for younger pupils particularly, easy to accomplish. Children as There are the 2004 Olympics in Athens. The team young as five years of age can be taught to swim could be represented there. Then there’s the simple Butterfly Stroke. growing and grooming of the team. Reese wants to It is helped by the fact that younger pupils seem attract and develop more age group swimmers. To do eager to learn and invariably enjoy performing the that he will do what he has always done – emphasise various aspects of the stroke and the stroke in hard work. He cannot stand to hear about swimmers general. who are successful in short distance events but don’t BREAKDOWN OF THE SKILLS do the training they need to perform well in longer When teaching Butterfly Stroke, it is pertinent to distances. He believes that is just wasted potential. break the stroke down into its main components… • The Kick He stresses the basic elements of swimming and • The Arms Circle C swimmers participate in local, regional and • Combining the Arms and Legs national swim meets. They learn about nutrition, • Coordinating the Breathing eating right and sleeping well. • Making it Flow THE K.I.S.S. PRINCIPLE Today, the Circle C Swimming Coaching Staff It’s an easy stroke. Teachers should make it easy includes Maurice Culley, who heads the age group for pupils by keeping it in simplest terms. and Masters programs and Mike Riordan, who THE KICK coaches young developing swimmers. “Good kickers make good swimmers” This is particularly so in Butterfly Stroke where The swim club’s reputation already has lured swimmers are faced with bringing both arms over the swimmers from all over the country. Sharrell Merritt water simultaneously and, at this point, relying moved to Austin from Nebraska so her 14-year-old heavily on help from the legs to make it easier. son, Jerr, could join the team. Why? “(Because of) Pupils learn the initial movements by lying face Coach (Reese) – his ability to just communicate down, hands loosely by the side, and eyes looking without hurting their feelings”, she explains. forward (the latter is the secret to stopping the body Terri Smalley of Houston moved to Austin with hydroplaning to the bottom when practising the her son, Maverick, 14, who holds numerous national following kick drills). age group records. “We looked all over the country”, HOLDING THE BREATH AND LOOKING FORWARD BEGIN UNDULATING MOVEMENTS she says. “Randy’s so much a hands-on coach on the OF THE HIPS deck. It doesn’t matter if you are fastest or slowest. “Bounce the bottom and flap the feet” He knows what you can do and he expects you to do The kicking movement starts at the hips and it”. And he knows how to inspire his swimmers. works down through the thighs, knees and ankles and “They want to do what he tells them”, says Jonna feet in the same way you shake one end of a piece of Axtell, Andrea’s mother. “They have seen that the rope vertically and watch the undulation work its way expectations are high. They are going places they to the other end. didn’t think they could go. They all want to be Exaggerated movements with legs are better than Olympians and get college scholarships. But Randy small or no movements at all. Pupils should make a tells them all they could be.” splash down on the water with both feet at the same time (and, hopefully) continue the movements well Pamela LeBlanc of Austin, Texas is a staff writer below the depth of the body underwater. for the Austin American-Statesman. She also swims As the skill is learned and forward progress results with Team Texas Masters. the movement can be refined until eventually the feet

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just rise slightly above water level before starting the in the water mirroring the teacher’s movements. kick downwards. Teachers should remember to keep instructions THE KICKING MOVEMENT IS INITIATED AND simple. CONTROLLED BY THE HIP MOVEMENT “Stretch out the arms in front, shoulder width Hips must rise to start the movement, which apart. Pull the hands back under the body past the results in the downward action of the feet. Just as hips and recover with straight arms.” importantly, the hips must drop to start the rising Once the standing arms movements are mastered, movement of the feet. pupils should progress to trying the movement with a THE KNEES are encouraged to bend and small sized pool buoy (large ones will unbalance the straighten in symphony, with the natural undulating pupils and make the task more difficult than it needs movement of the body. to be). THE ANKLES AND FEET AND EVEN THE Several arm movements should be performed in TOES should be loose and work like flippers, with succession without breathing. Initially, movements pupils encouraged to keep them reasonably together should be done slowly – but eventually done with … and, as they get better, turn the toes inwards — more speed and rhythm. pigeon-toed. Stroking faster generally makes it easier. When GOOD BUTTERFLY KICKS PRODUCE A faster strokes can be performed proficiently, pupils SATISFYING “WHOOSH WHOOSH” rhythmical should grab a breath about every second or third sound. The sounds produced should be equi-distant stroke by pushing their chin forward to clear the apart and in definite rhythm. water as the arms pull back. As proficiency improves, the chin can be pushed Teachers should not get too complicated with forward and just out of the water every now and their instructions. again to enable breathing movements to the swimmer COMBINING THE ARMS & LEGS … AND THE can cover some distance without stopping. STOP KICK DRILL Eventually, swimmers will breathe at the time of Pupils are told … every fourth kick just as they will do later in the more “There are two kicks in Butterfly Stroke — one as advanced stages of the stroke. the hands start the stroke in front — and one as they When not breathing, the face should stay finish the stroke at the back.” underwater but looking more or less in a forward Most pupils tend to overlook the second kick. So, direction -–for reasons mentioned earlier. in teaching, we start with that one first. As reasonable proficiency is achieved, kicking is Lying face down (looking forward), pupils performed on the board … initially with the face in produce the first kick and recover arms around the (because it is easier and a similar position to that in side over the water to the shoulder width apart which the kick was initially mastered, except the position AND STOP. arms are in front) and eventually, with the face From here, they produce another kick and pull looking forward and kept out of the water. back to the thighs AND STOP. THE ARMS Then another kick and recovery AND STOP in For teaching purposes, the arm stroke starts at front. shoulder width apart at full extension in front of the The STOP KICK DRILL is designed to make body and pulls through in more or less parallel pupils aware of the need for THE TWO KICKS and fashion to the thighs. No effort is made to teach an their timing. “S” pull or anything fancy at this level. As proficiency improves, THE STOPS ARE Arms are kept fairly straight in the recovery but ELIMINATED and the movement becomes free relaxed with thumbs to the front as they sweep flowing. around just above the water from the thighs to the All the above drill is done WITHOUT frontal position. BREATHING so as to allow full concentration on WHATEVER WORKS … WORKS the timing of the kicks. With reference to the above, teachers may enjoy COORDINATING THE BREATHING … AND SOFT more success teaching a recovery with the knuckles ARMS down and little finger leading. Experimentation and Breathing movements have been practised experience over a period of time will help teachers incidental to earlier skills. decide the best way for them. Assuming pupils have achieved fair proficiency at Pupils will learn the arm movement best by all earlier skills, we are ready to coordinate the standing up and bending over in shallow water and breathing. practising the pull and recovery actions with the face

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Starting with hands in front and face down, pupils Schools Butterfly Title and I cannot ever remember make the first kick and start the pull simultaneously him swimming more than 25 metres at a time in reaching the completion of the arm pull in training. synchronisation with the second kick. IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE TEACHER Still with the face down, the arms recover to the When pupils feel ‘fly’ is hard to do, or impossible front where the third kick is performed as the hands to learn, it is usually a reflection on the teacher … or start to pull back. the teaching practice. As the hands pull under the chin, the chin starts My pupils have always loved ‘fly’ because I have the push forward in preparation for the breathing always loved it (although I never raced it) and have movement, which is performed at the time of the loved teaching it and have transmitted this feeling to fourth kick and the hands completing the push back. my pupils. My method of teaching it has been based This particular phase of the stroke is the crucial on the premise that key to performing the stroke successfully. “SIMPLE IS BEST” AND KEEPING IT SIMPLE Pupils are encouraged to breathe every two ENABLES PUPILS, PARTICULARLY THREE AND strokes. Therefore, every fourth kick. FOUR YEAR OLDS, TO UNDERSTAND During this phase of teaching the stroke, … and this helps them learn it. encourage pupils to concentrate more on the legs If there was any secret to my success with than the arms. Get pupils to pull with “soft arms” teaching butterfly over the 35 years I have been and merely bring the arms under the water coaching it, is in a series of slow motion without any real pressure on the water. A teacher demonstrations I perform each and every time I teach demonstration will go a long way to helping pupils it. Every time I do them my pupils improve quite understand the concept. dramatically. Too often teachers try to teach the fly FLY MUST FLOW without demonstrating it. Good Butterflyers (and this includes good TEACHERS SHOULD REMEMBER TWO THINGS beginner Butterflyers) will make the stroke flow with … “A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS” everything in symmetry. There must be no stopping and “THERE ARE NO DUMB KIDS – JUST DUMB of the movements, although, having said this, there is TEACHERS” a definite slowing down of the arm movements in midpull as the hands tend to change direction and LEARN-TO-SWIM WITH RON gather for an accelerated push back. At the lower COLEMAN level of the teaching scale, we tend not to teach this PREPARING FOR THE WORST but let it develop naturally as pupils develop their When was the last time you went swimming with own feel for the stroke in conjunction with teachers’ your clothes on? Jumping into the water fully clothed demonstrations, which may feature this anyway. is not something you plan on doing very much, yet PRACTICE … PRACTICE … PRACTICE – THE it’s a vital aspect of training at the Ron Coleman KEY TO LEARNING THE “FLY” Swim School. Even the infant classes, the youngest Once the above skills are mastered, “fly” will class in the program, include a course on entering the improve with constant practice and refinement. All water fully clothed and reaching the side safely. practices should be done over a short distance – e.g. Why? Ron can explain quite simply. “Eighty per 12.5 metres. cent of people who drown do so with their clothes Allow plenty of rest between the short swims so on,” he said. So he considers it wise for people to be pupils are swimming fresh (and not tired) for the full familiar with the water when they’re fully dressed. distance. and floating is also instructed. “Many If pupils cannot make the distance with reasonable swim instructors don’t even consider teaching people proficiency, shorten the distance of the swims. to tread water,” he said. Initially, the stroke will look cumbersome and Statistics show that the most vulnerable age to awkward but as the pupil perseveres, so will the drowning is from 12 months to five years. Yet even proficiency in the stroke improve. children of less than a year have managed to crawl up The strength necessary to accomplish the stroke to a pool and fall in. And adults, too, have drowned. will grow with practice and the movements will Many of them were in boating or fishing accidents refine themselves … resulting in the swimmer “rising where they fell into the water fully clothed. in the water” to flow like a butterfly. SWIMMING OR SURVIVING In ‘Fly’ it is not the distance you swim but how When does a person know how to swim? Ask you swim the distance that makes the difference. I around many swimming schools and you’ll hear as coached my son, Damien, to win a National Primary many answers as there are teachers. Is it when they’re

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able to cross a pool without drowning? Or when they He said that without parental follow-up it is more can take part in a medley relay? difficult to teach a child to swim. At the Ron Coleman Swim School it’s different. “It’s like asking a child to learn to walk with just “In setting up the Living Swimming program it was two half-hour practice sessions a week,” Mr necessary to establish a base level of skills built Coleman said. around the natural development of the child, rather “Classes should be followed up by parental than adult ideas of what a child ought to be able to participation. We like children to have fun in the achieve,” Ron Coleman said. water with their parents and family, taking advantage “These should be the skills that allow the student of the work done in class to build the child’s to continue on into any form of water sport … be it confidence and experience. The child comes to water polo, octopush, competitive swimming, associate the water as a happy family experience and synchronised swimming, scuba … or something else. it is left up to the teacher to introduce the new But because there are differences in age groups — a demands. The Ron Coleman Swim School has even toddler can’t handle some of things a school-age drawn up a guide for parents, making comments and child can — there are different achievement levels. suggestions to help the child along. It encourages For example, to achieve the infant certificate a child visits to the water as often as possible, and contains must be able to roll from the side of the pool fully advice such as … Criticism; belittling or physical clothed and return, swim one metre and back float. A punishment has no place in the learning situation. pre-schooler, however, needs to swim 25 metres, Praise loudly, sincerely and often for any little tread water for two minutes, and retrieve objects success or improvement, or even a good try.” from under the surface … among other skills.” IT’S BEST TO START EARLY In developing the program, Ron Coleman studied (Ron believes the ideal age to enter the water is three children and talked to teachers and the program he months.) developed complements a child’s phases of natural “At that age a child is beginning to expand development. For example, as a child comes up to outwards and notice the world around it,” he said. crawling age, it begins to develop a series of kicks – “This is the ideal time to introduce it to a new starting to use leg movements that are natural in environment and start its adaptation to that swimming. environment. Development in the water should be “This is something totally natural and untaught, treated the same to land-based development. A child and when it happens you’re watching the beginning may not start to crawl until around six months, of mobility,” Mr Coleman said. “You can then start however it is developing the crawling movement well to introduce mobility in the water. While every child before this age. It’s the same in the water — it’s just reaches such stages at a different time, there is very a matter of recognising the developmental signs and little variation in the stages they reach. But it’s most synchronising the child’s own natural learning unwise to introduce new demands before the child’s process. The skill of the instructor lies in putting the development is ready for them. You don’t channel child in a position to learn.” pre-school children into highly structured tasks He said that a child’s introduction to the water because they are not ready for them. It could cause needed to be careful and slow, giving it time to frustration and often a sense of failure. In the same become comfortable in the water and learn to enjoy way you don’t make a blanket statement that all it. Only then could new things be introduced, such as children should be able to learn to swim in a certain rolling the child on its back or showing it what it was set period. Some are fast learners – while others have like to go underwater. The involvement of a parent in access to a private pool and can practise a lot. Such this process was vital with toddlers, Mr Coleman kids can be well ahead of any set schedule and so the said. swim school is only holding them up and taking their “You are showing the child that water has money.” different properties. It learns that it won’t come to PARENTS PLAY A VITAL ROLE harm if let go. It learns buoyancy. It also learns Reputable swimming schools welcome respect for the water. There is no such person as the involvement of parents in their children’s swim drown proof person,” he said. “Even after a child classes. In a Ron Coleman class it can be very has passed through classes, a common sense attitude important. Before any parent enrols a child in a swim must be taken. But after graduation, and often well class, the class should be observed in action, before, a Ron Coleman student will be able to survive according to Ron Coleman. in situations that would be fatal to an unprepared “Reputable instructors will welcome a parent’s person. And as a bonus the student will be introduced interest.”

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to a whole new range of activities that aid in physical If the relationship between the two is positive, and intellectual growth.” then the object/swimmer will float or, conversely, if Although Mr Coleman likes to see students at an negative, then the object/swimmer will sink. early age, he accepts people of all ages – right up to BODY POSITION adults. Determined by … Location of the centre of gravity … Location of the centre of buoyancy … The relationship between the two BIOMECHANICS Age variations occur due to … Change in By David & Julie Speechley distribution of fat … Alterations to bone density … “A science that is concerned with forces Decrease in muscle mass that act on the body and the effect that Other variations due to … Water density … Water these forces produce” temperature OUTCOMES • Define biomechanics • Identify the basic principles of movement • Identify types of propulsion and resistance in the water • Define efficient movement • Identify the factors that limit propulsion in the water for the adult swimmer ASSESSMENT • By completing a worksheet (take home) • Analysing swimming strokes via a worksheet (home activity) ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

• Describe how biomechanics can contribute to The centre of gravity and the centre of buoyancy performance vertically align. This will determine the angle at • List the basic principles of movement which a person floats (or sinks). A person positioned • List types of propulsion and resistance in the water horizontally on the surface is usually considered to be • Analyse a and identify efficient floating better … though this is a misnomer. propulsion and sources of resistance PROPULSION ELEMENTS OF BIOMECHANICS THAT Concepts to understand… AFFECT A MOVING BODY • Body moves forward not the hand back • Balance • Long stroke = distance travelled • Motion • Moving hand into still water – curved pull pathways • Forces and accelerating arm speed • Levers • Blade and curved surface effects – Bernoulli’s lift • Momentum principle • Flexibility • Converting momentum of the stroke into recovery – • Comparative strengths and weaknesses including increasing stroke rating injuries RESISTANCE OTHER FORCES • Frontal • Buoyancy • Eddy (turbulence) • Propulsion • Surface (skin) • Resistance In water, for every increment increase in speed BUOYANCY there is a four-fold increase in resistance. • Things that float … fat … air • Things that sink … bone … muscle70% of the body consists of water which is neutrally buoyantAge variations and changes occur to … lung capacity – bone density – muscle mass – fat distributionBuoyancy is determined by … weight of displaced water – weight of swimmer – the relationship between the above two

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easy. As you become fitter, simply reduce the rest period. OOvveerruussee IInnjjuurryy Now, if you have understood all that, here are By Martin Mackay, Level 1 Assistant Coach some significant factors in overuse injury. Now … Bateman’s Bay Swim Centre pay attention! (a) First year of regular exercise (together with Specified Adaptation to Imposed Demand training after a lay-off) (S.A.I.D.) is a physiological principal of function. (b) Change of duration (kilometres, time) Our bodies will always make this adaptation if it lies (c) Change of intensity (speed) within our physical capability. Sometimes it does not (d) Change in frequency (number of times per and frequently aspiring athletes find a disability week) revealed that stops them altogether or which limits (e) Change of style (gives sudden overuse) their ceiling. (f) Poor quality or worn-out footwear The first rule is to listen to your body … don’t (g) Running on unsuitable surfaces, concrete push it if uncomfortable. Begin with alternate days roads, up and down kerbs, uneven terrain off then progress to two on, one off. For example, (grass), soft sand … dirt or bitumen is best never train beyond 30 minutes at a time at your given (h) Doing the dishes at night (don’t you feel sorry sport in the first year of regular exercise. for me?) Internal changes take place within the body in Remember, fitness is a gradual progression and you response to exercise. Muscle, joints, ligaments, should seek advice before proceeding. tendons and bones all become considerably different HAPPY TRAINING! from exercise. Muscle fibres increase in cross- section, develop more blood vessels and change both microscopically and in biomechanical behaviour, storing more fuel and burning it with greater efficiency. Bone tendon and cartilage become Cramps structurally different with greater tensile or stress- resisting strength. By Martin Mackay, Level 1 Assistant Coach For this adaptation to occur, the tissues must be Bateman’s Bay Swim Centre subjected to overload, but only a small amount at a Cramp is a spasm of a muscle … the muscle suddenly going into contraction and producing very time, lest a maladaptation – i.e. injury – occurs. It is severe pain. This is much more common in the unfit, all rather simple. Become comfortable at one level yet does often affect the fit person. before proceeding to the next. Do not increase It is customary to treat cramp by suddenly over- intensity or duration of exercise by more than 10% stretching the muscle group concerned. Although per week if damage is to be avoided. Stiffness or effective, it is possible to produce a muscle tear with discomfort are indications of micro-damage, this procedure. Just as effective is to relax the muscle resulting from overload and the body must be and to gently massage it. allowed to repair and adapt before a further increase Cramp is best avoided by adequate fitness in the load. This is why progression into exercise training. Generalised cramp in hot conditions MAY should be stepwise and certainly interspersed with occasionally be caused by salt deficiency in those not days off. acclimatised in endurance events – especially if It is important to listen to your coach. The coach repeated on consecutive days – but if there is any will develop you in gentle increments of intensity. suggestion of heart exhaustion … avoid giving salt The coach will plan a program and periodise your tablets, as too much salt (sodium chloride) may make development. things worse. Use a balance supplement instead. In the first year of regular exercise, the injury It has been suggested that cramp can result from a rates for five and seven days per week compared to deficiency of potassium and magnesium and if a three days are double and five-fold. Exercise of 45 sports person gets cramp regularly, it is worth trying medical potassium supplement tablets, or eating more minutes, 30 minutes and 15 minutes duration bananas, which are a good source of potassium (as demonstrated significant injury rates of 60, 24 and well as calories). 10% respectively. In general, to avoid persistent loss of minerals, First year runners should walk before they run. athletes should eat plenty of greens and other When you can walk 3km comfortably in 30 minutes, vegetables that are an excellent source of these increase the intensity at 20 seconds hard, 40 seconds important nutrients.

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… what happens when your period in your chosen sport finishes? Because we are at the pool, we will for this exercise, concentrate on competitive swimmers. Imagine this diagram is your torso or body.

By Martin Mackay, Level 1 Assistant Coach “MARTIN” Bateman’s Bay Swim Centre

T.T.T. or Total Torso Tuning (training) is a term given to the effective conditioning of the whole musculoskeletal system. Many of us a sports specific – i.e. we specialist in one particular sport and direct our training to the accomplishment of that sport. The trouble with this is that we neglect other areas of the Upper Torso torso of which can be non-productive and physically damaging. Pectoralis Major How do we achieve the balance and avoid Rhomboids Back Front musculoskeletal trauma? A common and effective or or approach is cross-training. Posterior Anterior External Cross-training is a tool for overall fitness. If you Rectus Oblique Abdominus are training for overall fitness, cross-training will Gluteus benefit you most – conditioning you from head to Maximus toe. If you are a cyclist or runner and concentrate solely on the lower body, your body will not gain balanced conditioning. You will have a well- developed lower torso with the upper body as firm as Hamstring Lower Torso Quadriceps salt-water taffy. Body sculpting will require more attention. Toss in some swimming and some upper body weight work and … presto! … you are looking better. Cycling and running can help improve leg strength of swimmers who spend most of their time dragging their legs along in the pool. Running, of course, will improve cardiovascular strength, which For swimmers, most of the muscular will make for a stronger cyclist or swimmer. Just as development is concentrated on the upper front side important … cross-training will be an invaluable of the body. In the diagram, this would be shown in break in the routine. Swimmers should have the top right hand quarter. With swimmers, they conditioning alternatives away from the black line on develop the upper anterial lode and largely forget the bottom of the pool. No one can train hard all the about the rest of the body. How many of us have seen time. If your training is concentrated in a specific adolescent swimmers who have been swimming for area you are assured to be injured or burned out. many years with sports induced kyphosis … i.e. Most athletes today alternate hard training days with lateral curvature of the thoracic spine? How does this easy ones ... many do this by simply cross-training or happen? At school we learnt about the laws of alternate sport. By doing this, you will approach your relativity where we were taught that for every action, hard day mentally and physically recharged. there is an opposite and equal reaction. In swimmers, Cross-training’s role in preventing injuries cannot the pectoralis major is so well developed it pulls the be overlooked either. If you are swimming more than shoulders around to compensate for its contractual 30-second events, you are considered an endurance strength. What has happened is that the athlete. Endurance athletes have a tendency to rhomboids/trapezius have been neglected and do not overtrain in the first place. Cross-training gives the have the counter strength to pull the shoulders back. muscles that are usually pounded into oblivion, a There has been neglect of total torso training. Ask a break. group of 10 swimmers to hold their arms out and Total torso training should be a consideration for relax. In that group, nine will have strong biceps and every coach and athlete. A preferred sport may be weak triceps, which will be flabby. This is just short lived and if the rest of the torso is disregarded another example of total torso neglect.

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SETTING & ACHIEVING SPECIFIC GOALS By Martin Mackay, Level 1 Assistant Coach Bateman’s Bay Swim Centre

How many of us have – on impulse or after a rather unhealthy weekend – decided to get fit or imagined achieving in the sporting arena? Come on now, put your hands up and be honest. The problem with this is that the goal we have set is generally unachievable. From this we become disenchanted and can actually retrogress from our original starting point. The first step to achieving your goal – whether, for example, in sport or losing weight – is to set st realistic goals. The emotional gratification of 21 June 2002 reaching your individual goals is satisfying and encourages you to pursue your next level. From: John Kilpatrick The second step is to seek the help of someone Dear Michael, who has achieved a goal in the particular area in which you are trying to achieve. It is more helpful to I received the following message from Jarrod seek the advice from someone who has been there. Anthony who completed an application for RPL, For example, when coaching athletes in demanding following a discussion at the ASCTA Conference. sports, the coach has to understand the emotional and I though it was positive and may be included in physical fatigue that encumbers the athlete when the “Letters to the Editor” section. glycogen supplies are low or the demands of tissue tension on growing bodies is increased … when extra John, demands are placed on the individual. Also, the Just a quick note to say thankyou for processing emotional letdown when goals are not met. Only a certificate 3 and 4 in Sports Coaching and the coach who has been there can really understand this. Recreation & Community Certificate. This has been The third step is to set yourself time frames of able to settle down a few of the knockers we have had gradual increments. Accelerate slowly and your car to deal with. will last longer … it is the same with goals. Don’t go Once again, thankyou very much and I look for the apple at the top of the tree … taste the ones on forward to seeing you in the near future. the way up. In going for the apple at the top of the Jarrod tree, it may not meet all your expectations and there is a good chance you will fall on the way up.

Draw yourself a goal ladder. Use the rungs on the st ladder as you set step-by-step realistic goals. The top 1 July 2002 of your goal ladder should be your ultimate goal. However, before you write that down, seek the From: Al Dodson advice of a person of experience who is honest Michael, enough to tell you if your goal is realistic. I have no hesitation in saying that the emotional Thank you for placing my “Kiss Shoulder Pain and psychological high in the finalisation in Goodbye” article on the Internet and in the ASCTA achieving your individual goal is very rewarding. Journal. You enter your own zone of immortality that only I am currently working with a Physical Therapist you as the participant can understand and appreciate. on a joint article about preventative and rehabilitation Good luck in achieving your goal! exercises related to “swimmer’s shoulder”. I will Your six-part plan should be as follows… forward a copy to you as soon as it is completed. 1. Make hour goals achievable. I am confident that, combined with this recent 2. Be realistic. article, it will assist coaches in preventing and 3. Make your goals definable. relieving shoulder problems in their swimmers. 4. Make your goals renewable. Thank you again. As usual, you and your staff 5. Make your goals incremental. have done a fine job. 6. Give yourself a break.

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DO WE PRODUCE WINNERS Leonard says you can get young swimmers to swim fast by… AT TOO YOUNG AN AGE?? By Peter Ruddock • Accelerating the training volume of a 10 year old to 13-14 year old volume. From research in America about the drop out of • Accelerating the speed component of young young swimmers and from an article in the athletes. That is, you can train the nervous system Queensland Swimming Association Newsletter (Why to better speeds with ease at an early age. Do Kids Quit? July/August ‘99 – Swimming in Australia) and now from research in Victoria it would However, as noted, these all have long-term appear this is an issue that needs to be addressed. problems.

The American study by the USA Swimming Club 1. “Age Group rankings reward the wrong thing.” Service Director Rose Snyder looked at why kids quit 2. “If the coach, parent, and athlete chooses to swimming. Of the 180,000 young athletes involved in achieve fast times with an overemphasis on US swimming each year 60,000 drop out annually. volume, inappropriate use of speed training and overly accelerated training methods (like Terry Gathercole stated, “The disappointing part weight training), then most coaches would of our equation shows a drop out rate of 20-30%. If judge that fast swimming is not in the best we have this great drawing capacity, why do we not long-term interest of the athlete.” keep new members in the sport?” Leonard also gives some excellent ways to keep Research was conducted in Victoria two years ago the young champion going. and indicated the drop out rate could be much higher. (The results have been published in previous Ken’s article highlights the importance of early newsletters.)] development by ensuring that it is a fun oriented and positive atmosphere and that swimmers perceive an DO WE TRAIN OUR YOUNG enjoyable team orientated experience. SWIMMERS THE CORRECT WAY?? (This is a follow-up article to DO WE PRODUCE James Cook University of North Queensland WINNERS AT TOO YOUNG AN AGE?) conducted research with Ken’s squad. Results By Peter Ruddock identified that in his squad there were many talented swimmers staying in the sport and succeeding, within I read with great interest two articles on coaching a program with a positive direction including young swimmers in the September-October 2001 swimming with their own age and ability, resulted in Journal of the Australian Swimming Coaches and the tendency to continue swimming for a longer Teachers Association. period.

1. It is never too early – but often too late … Ken Due to limited research in Victoria, questions Wood. need to be asked with regard to training methods. 2. Age group swimmers swimming fast – John Perhaps the Institute of Sport (State and National) Leonard (Executive Director American and our Coaching Director could look at how to Swimming Coaches Association, Board of implement programs to maintain the numbers of directors World Swimming Coaches swimmers within Victoria or we may lose … and Association) continue to lose … champion swimmers.

Leonard states, it is not whether an Age Group Perhaps the new young coaches need extra in- athlete swims fast that determines if he will drop out, service training? burn out, or stagnate out. It is how he/she gets to swim fast. What did they do to get there?

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Brookes-Petersen. However, as the early pace of OCEANIA OPEN trying to stay with the men started to tell on her, the two Australians made up some ground during the WATER SWIMMING next two circuits and finished strongly over the final stages of the event. The New Zealand swimmer was still an easy winner, with Arndt eventually finishing CHAMPIONSHIPS in 2nd place with Benson in 3rd. Noumea, New Caledonia, June 2002 By Chris Guesdon Results for Men

Australia and New Zealand headed the medal 1st Jarrad Nederpelt, Australia – 2h 29m 06s table at the completion of the Oceania Open Water 2nd Brendan Capell, Australia – 2h 30m 31s Swimming Championships conducted at Noumea in 3rd Maxence Perrin, New Caledonia – 3h 05m 47s New Caledonia. Australia just edged out New Zealand in a close-run contest to take the unofficial Results for Women Continental Team Championship. The competition was conducted over 5,000 and 10,000 metre 1st Kate Brookes-Petersen, NZ – 2h 38m 24s distances for both men and women. 2nd Lauren Arndt, Australia – 2h 46m 23s 3rd Natalie Benson, Australia – 2h 47m 46s 10km Championships Anse Vata Beach, Noumea 5km Championships Citron Bay, Noumea The first event on the OWS program was the 10km swim held off the picturesque beach of Anse A five circuit rectangular course was set up for the Vata. A very long, four circuit triangular course was 5km swim in the more sheltered Baie des Citrons. set between the mainland and the Ile aux Canards, Again, clear and warm water conditions were the approximately 1km off shore. The waters off this order of the day. beach were very clean and a warm 24C with the This time, the two Australian male competitors in competitors seeing a variety of fish, turtles and Nederpelt and Capell had another NZ swimmer on starfish while they made their way around the course. their tails in Tom MacDonald. These three swimmers The event was a race in three until halfway with put on a great race for the whole 5km, each taking Kate Brookes-Petersen from New Zealand keeping turns to lead as they came past the start line and it the men honest. At this point she was only eight was not until the final 400-500m of the race did seconds behind the two male Australian competitors Nederpelt finally get a small break on MacDonald (Jarrad Nederpelt and Brendan Capell) and in fact and Capell to take out the championship in a good shot to the lead at one point as the men took a time of 58m 25s. After nearly one hour of hard refreshment stop once rounding the 5km mark. This swimming, MacDonald and Capell were only four was to be the big change in the race as the two and six seconds behind Nederpelt at the finish. These Australians, suitably refuelled, made their break to were the biggest margins for the whole of the event re-establish the lead and shake her off their feet … so close were the three competitors. during the next circuit. By lap three Brookes-Petersen The women’s race was again a one-woman show was nearly four minutes behind the men. as Brookes-Petersen was never really pressed by the With approximately 1km to go, Nederpelt made a two Australian competitors in Benson and Arndt but, break for the last buoy over his Australian teammate to give them their due, the two Australians had a and was never headed from that point on, going on to better race by comparison to their 10km effort to win by 1m 25s from Capell. While the New finish approximately one and two minutes behind her Caledonian competitor Maxence Perrin was in 2nd and 3rd places respectively. obviously lacking the experience of his two The New Caledonian swimmers in the field, while Australian competitors, he still finished well to come out classed by their international competitors, still home strongly for the bronze medal place. showed great courage to swim strongly through to the The two Australian women in the event (Lauren finish and should not be too disappointed by their Arndt and Natalie Benson) were meantime staging a efforts. race of their own having been left well and truly in the wake of their New Zealand competitor. At the half way stage they were nearly nine minutes behind

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Results for Men 1st Jarrad Nederpelt, Australia – 58m 25s The Creation of Velocity 2nd Tom MacDonald, New Zealand – 58m 29s 3rd Brendan Capell, Australia – 58m 31s with RECOVERY on Freestyle 4th Olivier Bargibant, New Caledonia – 73m 41s By Mark Creswell ASCA Fellowship Program Results for Women Reproduced from Australian Swimming Magazine 1st Kate Brookes-Petersen, New Zealand – 60m 55s Issue 6, 2001 2nd Natalie Benson, Australia – 62m 02s 3rd Lauren Arndt, Australia – 63m 01s In September of 2000, after leaving the ASCA 4th Yolaine Gosse, New Caledonia – 74m 51s Clinic, my intent was to write a paper on the merit of 5th Ingrid Douarche, New Caledonia – 76m 31s a straight-arm recovery for Freestyle. In short, this paper would contain a scientific explanation of why a straight-arm recovery would indeed create velocity and simultaneously provide more power to the anchor arm. This would be followed by guidelines, based again on mathematical models and physical laws, outlining when a straight-arm recovery would be most beneficial. And perhaps conclude with a suggestion of the steps necessary to teach this new concept.

The aforementioned scientific explanation was to be a crucial part of the successful presentation of this revolutionary concept. My reasoning was two-fold. First, I was under the assumption I had come up with something new. I began considering the idea of Back Row straight-arm recovery as a means to create velocity in 2nd place Tom MacDonald, New Zealand August of 1997 while attending a USA Swimming 1st place Jarrad Nederpelt Australia Clinic presented by Bill Boomer. My idea was 3rd place Brendan Capell Australia spawned from one of Bill’s many epiphanies. While Front he spoke of potential and kinetic energy and the John West, FINA OWS Referee transfer of energy, my mind wandered to engineering

physics 101, a class I had done nearly everything to forget! If this transfer of energy is possible, as first my physics professor and now Bill Boomer professed it was, I had just had an epiphany of my own. The more potential energy to transfer to kinetic energy, assuming the correct body posture and balance, the faster one could swim! As the lecture neared an end, excitement built as I decided to discuss this idea with Bill. After a brief discussion, he did indeed confirm my concept was correct. So that was it! I had just come up with something revolutionary, a new recovery for the Freestyle. Almost four years later, Back Row nd and after much research and discussion, I am now 2 place Lauren Arndt, Australia closer to understanding the statement … “Ignorance 1st place Kate Brookes-Petersen New Zealand rd is bliss”. 3 place Natalie Benson Australia Front Not until and Pieter Van Den Dennis Miller, Member TOWS Committee and Hoogenband established themselves and their FINA OWS Referee swimming styles did I realise any other coaches were onto my new discovery. But that was OK, because those guys were not in the USA. At that point I still felt this new recovery was progressive enough that I

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would have something of significance to offer to the swimmer. This conclusion is reached from coaching community in the USA. Then in the 2000 hydrodynamics and shipbuilding. From these two ASCA program I noticed Nort Thornton was to give areas of study we know a longer body will better a talk on a type of Freestyle recovery that sounded maintain velocity while travelling through the water very similar to my revolutionary idea. But that was than a shorter body. This fact, combined with the still all right. After all, there are worse things than lower stroke rates used in distance Freestyle races being in the same company as Coach Thornton. He force the swimmer to have more of an overlap in the has been at the forefront of Freestyle since coaching recovery arm versus the pulling arm. This overlap throughout the 80s and again with minimises the ability to gain an advantage from a some 20 years later. straight-arm recovery. The greatest advantage from a straight-arm recovery is when the arms are at a 180- After briefly speaking with Coach Thornton in degree angle. This allows for the maximum transfer Cincinnati and reading his lecture notes, I realised the of potential energy from the recovery arm to kinetic concept of a straight-arm recovery was not as energy in the pulling arm. As the angle between the revolutionary as I first believed. Further discussion, recovery arm and the pulling arm decrease the observation and research only confirmed my now amount of energy transferred from potential energy in growing suspicion. What seemed revolutionary and the recovery arm to kinetic energy in the pulling arm unique to me in 1997 was nothing new at all. The also decreases. The conservation of energy during the idea of a straight-arm recovery was at least over 50 recovery phase and the minimisation of energy years old. Red Silvia had taught a straight-arm transfer due to a smaller angle between the recovery to his swimmers as early as the 1940s. So swimmer’s arms have led the world’s best distance now with the new realisation it seemed my project swimmers to use the traditional recovery. was sinking before it ever really began. A sprint Freestyle swimmer will find much more At this point it looked as though my choices were benefit than a distance Freestyle swimmer from the to either proceed with a report on the straight-arm use of a straight-arm recovery. This is in part due to recovery or I could go back to the drawing board the sprint Freestyle swimmer’s ability to maintain a again. Then it hit me! After watching countless tapes higher stroke rate. A higher stroke rate throughout the of world-class Freestyle swimmers, I realised I had race allows the focus to shift from conserving observed three different types of recovery. The best velocity to creating velocity. This shift is distance Freestyle swimmers (Eric Vendt, Chris accomplished by using a greater angle between the Thompson, Kieren Perkins, Grant Hackett, Ian recovery arm and the pulling arm. The greater angle Thorpe) all used the traditional bent-arm recovery between the recovery and pulling arms allow for while the most dominant sprint Freestyle swimmers greater transfer of power from potential energy in the (Michael Klim, VanDenHoogenband) used the recovery arm to kinetic energy in the pulling arm. straight-arm recovery. However, a third type of Furthermore, due to the duration of time, a sprint Freestyle recovery was observed at the 2001 Men’s Freestyle swimmer will race relative to a distance NCAA Swimming Championships. Used by Anthony Freestyle swimmer (19 to 41 seconds versus 14 to 15 Ervin, it is a cross between the traditional bent-arm minutes), the conservation of energy on the recovery recovery and the straight-arm recovery. For a point of phase of the stroke is much less significant versus the reference, I will refer to it as the high-arm recovery. creation of velocity. The increased potential for The remainder of the paper will consider the merits energy transfer from the recovery arm to the pulling of these three types of recoveries, where they are best arm, coupled with the focus on creation of velocity used and why, and finally present a concern in the have led the world’s fastest sprint Freestyle use of the straight-arm and high-arm recoveries. swimmers to use the straight-arm recovery.

The traditional recovery works very well with The final type of Freestyle recovery observed was distance Freestyle events. It is no accident the the high-arm recovery. This recovery was observed at world’s top distance swimmers all use this type of the 2001 Men’s NCAA Swimming Championships. recovery. First, the bent-elbow recovery allows the Anthony Ervin used the high-arm recovery to tie the swimmer to relax the arm and conserve energy American record in the 100-yard Freestyle. Similar to during the recovery phase of the stroke. Second, and the straight-arm recovery, the high-arm recovery still perhaps more important, is the fact a distance allows for the transfer of power from the recovery Freestyle swimmer must maintain a longer body arm to the pulling arm and may address many posture in the water relative to a sprint Freestyle

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swimmers’ and coaches’ biggest concern relating to the straight-arm recovery.

Neil Walker first mentioned this concern during a discussion on the merits of the straight-arm recovery. Reproduced from Vol. XXIX, No.5 His concern was … “What about the entry and the 25th May 2002 catch? Won’t a straight-arm recovery mess this up?” This is a very genuine and real concern. Neil felt he FINA Swimming World Cup 2002/2003 would not get a smooth entry and good catch using a RULES & REGULATIONS straight-arm recovery and a straight-arm entry. It is important to note the transfer of power in both the 1. GENERAL PRINCIPLES straight-arm and high-arm recoveries occur when the 1.1 The FINA SWIMMING WORLD CUP will recovery arm is above the swimmer’s head. Once the consist of nine (9) events. swimmer’s recovery arm is past his head, the transfer 1.2 The FINA SWIMMING WORLD CUP will be of energy has happened and the elbow may be bent to open to all FINA affiliated Federations. All the assure a smooth entry a valid concern. However, the events included in the FINA SWIMMING transfer of potential energy into kinetic energy has WORLD CUP will be conducted according to already occurred when the recovery arm has passed FINA Rules. the swimmer’s head, and this allows the swimmer 1.3 The designation should be made by the FINA and coach to use the entry position they feel will give Bureau. the smoothest entry and best catch. 1.4 The Meet Organiser must be the National Federation or Member of the National The swimming world has many different Freestyle Federation and must agree to abide by the events, ranging from the 50m and 50-yard sprint to Rules of FINA. the 25,000k open water swim. The concepts and the 1.5 Each FINA SWIMMING WORLD CUP Meet three different recoveries discussed here bring Organiser must sign a Contract with FINA in together ideas used by different swimmers and which duties and rights of all parties are listed. coaches dating back to the 1940s. Each recovery has its place in the swimming world. While each type of 2. PRINCIPLES OF DISTRIBUTION recovery is best suited to a particular distance, no one 2.1 The FINA SWIMMING WORLD CUP should type of recovery is right or wrong. Every swimmer consist of a minimum six (6) meets and a is unique and will eventually find the style they are maximum of nine (9) meets in three zones most comfortable using. There have been numerous (Zone 1 – Americas, Zone 2 – Asia/Oceania, World-class Freestyle sprinters who use the Zone 3 – Europe) as follows… traditional bent-arm recovery (Matt Biondi, Alex Popov) and perhaps the greatest woman ever to swim ZONE 1 – AMERICAS a distance Freestyle race used the straight-arm (BRA) 15-17 November 2002 recover (). New York (USA) 22-23 November 2002 Montreal (CAN) 26-27 November 2002 Take these ideas into consideration and ZONE 2 – ASIA/OCEANIA (CHN) 1-2 December 2002 experiment with your swimmers to find Melbourne (AUS) 6-8 December 2002 the style that is best fit. ZONE 3 – EUROPE Imperia (ITA) 13-14 January 2003 Paris (FRA) 17-18 January 2003 (SWE) 21-22 January 2003 Check out the Berlin (GER) 25-26 January 2002

ASCTA Website for 3. VENUE REQUIREMENTS 3.1 The Venue capacity should be a minimum of 2,000 seats. the latest releases in 3.2 The Meets will be organised in 25-metre swimming pools with minimum eight (8) Books and Videos lanes.

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3.3 Seating for athletes in accordance with FINA 6. COMPETITION-PROGRAM Rules. Seating positions along the side of the 6.1 The FINA Bureau will designate the venue and pool shall be provided for all competitors, team dates of the FINA SWIMMING WORLD CUP officials and unassigned technical officials, Meets. from which they may properly observe training 6.2 The program of the FINA SWIMMING and competitions. WORLD CUP will consist of the following 3.4 At each venue there must be an additional individual events for both men and women… warm-up pool. Freestyle 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m (W), 1500m (M) 3.5 Timing … Automatic Officiating Equipment Backstroke 50m, 100m, 200m should be available together with semi- Breaststroke 50m, 100m, 200m automatic back-up timing. Butterfly 50m, 100m, 200m Individual Medley 100m, 200m, 400m 3.6 Equipment … Scoreboard control unit with a In the events of 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m there scoreboard of a minimum of 10 lines shall be Heats and Finals. The 400m Individual containing 32 digits (or scoreboard as Medley, the 800m and/or 1500m Freestyle, may be described in Rule FR 4.6.1). The scoreboard swum as Timed Finals, with the slow Heats in the must be able to display all recorded preliminaries session and the fastest Heat in the finals information and the running time. session. 3.7 Media facilities and procedures for press and The one start rule will apply for all events. photographers should comply with the FINA Media Guide. 7. TECHNICAL MEETING 3.8 Doping control tests shall be conducted by a On the day before the first competition of each Event, FINA Representative and analyses must be a Technical Meeting has to be held at an appropriate performed at an IOC Accredited Laboratory. timing (between 6pm and 8pm). This will be the only The cost of the control, the dispatch of samples opportunity for last-minute entry changes (any and their analyses will be borne by each Meet withdrawals, but additional entries only for duly Organiser. FINA will inform each Meet entered members of national teams – no additions for Organiser of the minimum number of doping club representatives). control tests to be conducted. 3.9 Liability insurance must be provided by the In case of withdrawals, the FINA Rules will be Meet Organiser for event, venue, swimmers, applied. officials and spectators. 8. MEET ORGANISERS FINANCIAL & 4. PARTICIPANTS ORGANISATIONAL ARRANGEMENTS For all the Meets included in the FINA SWIMMING 8.1 Bid Fee WORLD CUP entries will be accepted only from A non-refundable bid fee of US$25,000 will be paid National Federations affiliated to FINA. National by the Federation to FINA. This amount will be used Federations may choose to send a National Team or for the payment of the overall FINA SWIMMING Club Representatives, not both. Exception … the WORLD CUP prize money. Host Federation may accept club entries from within 8.2 Prize Money its own Federation. Each Meet Organiser of a FINA SWIMMING WORLD CUP Meet will provide prize money of 5. ENTRIES minimum US$60,000. 5.1 Preliminary entries Per Meet (Local Races Winners) Each participating Federation or Club must send its At each Meet, there are 34 races. For each race… preliminary entries at least six (6) weeks before the Winner US$1,000 event (number of male swimmers, number of female Second US$500 Third US$250 swimmers, number of officials). Total US$1,750 5.2 Named entries Total per Meet US$1,750 x 34 = US$59,500 The named entries must be made on the official Plus a reserve of US$500 for local awards (each LOC FINA SWIMMING WORLD CUP entry forms and – Local Organising Committee – to decide – best must reach each Meet Organiser no later than 15 days coach/swimmer/journalist prize … or whatsoever), before the beginning of the relevant Event. making a total of US$60,000 per Meet. The Meet Organiser must present to FINA the necessary document concerning this payment.

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In case of ties, the prize monies will be shared … e.g. ranked once only, event if he/she swims several two winners = US$750 each, etc. races. This must be the same at each of the nine (9) Meets. Only swimmers participating at one Meet in each Any other additional award can be offered on top by zone will be eligible for the FINA SWC overall prize the LOC (best swim, best local swimmer, etc.). money. 8.3 Financial Statement In case of tie, the second best swim is taken as a tie- Each Meet Organiser must provide FINA with a breaker (any other swim during the whole series at financial statement of the World Cup Meet, any Meet, finals only). especially with regard to the use of the minimum 10.2 World Record Bonus required amount of US$60,000 – for prize money A MAXIMUM PRIZE FUND OF US$40,000 IS and/or other distribution they may choose. The MADE AVAILABLE. For a top limit of 10 World financial statement must be submitted to the FINA Records, there will be a US$4,000 bonus for each Office no later than 10 days after the completion of New World Record. Should more than 10 World the Meet. Records be broken, these US$40,000 would be shared equally – i.e. 11 World Records: US$3,640 9. BUDGETS each … 12 World Records: US$3,332 each, etc. 9.1 Local Budgets If in one same race (heat or final) two or more Each Organising Federation or LOC to provide swimmers better the World Record, only the winner US$60,000 in cash for the races top three. There are of that race will receive the bonus. 9 Meets, meaning a total of local prize money of World Records achieved at a split will not be US$540,000. considered for this bonus – i.e. World Record for a 9.2 FINA Budgets 50m achieved at the 50m Split of a 100m race. Any For the overall winners US$200,000, plus for the World Record bonuses will be paid for performances world records a maximum of US$40,000, making a over the actual event distance. No bonus is due if a total of overall prize money of US$240,000. World Record is equalled. Funding: (a) US$25,000 from each Organising Federation FINA Development Program 2002 (non-refundable bid fee) x 9 = US$225,000 PRINCIPLES FOR THE ORGANISATION OF (b) Sponsorships US$70,000 CLINICS Total = US$295,000 Reserve for further activities = US$30,000 + 1. REGULATIONS FOR ORGANISING A left over from previous years CLINIC (c) FINA = US$25,000 1.1 There may be no more than one (1) clinic per 9.3 Grand Total discipline, either for coaches, judges, or The grand total of prize money for the FINA referees, organised per member Federation, per SWIMMING WORLD CUP 2002/2003 amounts to year, as part of the FINA Development US$780,000. Program. 1.2 Once a year, at the occasion of a Regional or 10. PRIZES Continental Competition, no more than four 10.1 World Cup Awards (4) clinics, either for coaches, judges or 10.1.1 Overall Prizes (World Cup Winners) referees, may be organised. These clinics must US$200,000 will be used for the winners and be proposed by a Continental Organisation. US$40,000 maximum for world record 1.3 The minimum duration of a Clinic will be 5 breakers (five) days. 10.1.2 FINA Swimming World Cup overall winners (Men and Women – two separate 2. ECONOMICAL SUPPORT rankings) 2.1 LECTURER: Winner US$50,000 Only One (1) lecturer per clinic. Second US$30,000 2.1.1 Travel: Third US$20,000 Total US$100,000 FINA will provide the lecturers travel expenses Men + Women + US$200,000 (economy fare) if the Organising Federation For this scoring, the FINA points table will be used does not. as reference. The best swim achieved by a swimmer 2.1.2 Per Diem: will be counted. Only the swims performed during FINA will provide a per diem of US$50.00 per the finals will be considered. Each swimmer will be day including travel days as pocket money.

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2.1.3 Accommodation: of the synthetic hormone erythropoietin (rEPO), FINA will provide full board, including three darbopoietin (dEPO) and/or related substances as part (3) meals, up to US$100.00 per day if the of its unannounced out-of-competition doping control Organising Federation does not. program. This important step forward in FINA’s fight 2.2 PARTICIPANTS against doping is a direct consequence of the 2.2.1 Travel: approval of these testing procedures by the FINA Each National Federation must cover the Extraordinary Congress in Moscow (RUS) on April participants travel expenses. 2, 2002. 2.2.2 Accommodation: FINA will provide US$30.00 per day, per National Doping Cases person for a maximum of seven (7) days, for • The Chinese swimmers Ying Shan and Jiawei up to 20 foreign participants coming from Zhou were temporarily suspended by the Chinese outside of the country where the clinic is held, Swimming Association after they tested positive to assist with lodging expenses. Please note for clenbuterol in a doping control carried out on that these participants must provide a letter January 31, 2002. The Chinese Swimming from their respective National Federation Association is now proceeding to a further confirming their nomination to attend the clinic investigation on these two cases in order to decide and the hosting federation must provide a list the sanctions in accordance with the FINA Rules. of clinic participants with their signatures as • The Greek swimmer Georgios Kalogeropoulos proof of attendance. was found positive for cannabis on a doping 2.3 CLINIC ORGANISATION control test held on January 22, 2002 and was 2.3.1 FINA may support up to two (2) clinics, with a sanctioned by the Greek Swimming Federation maximum of US$500.00 for the following… with a two (2) months suspension. • Production of booklets or pamphlets • The Amateur Swimming Federation of Great • Room rental Britain imposed a sanction of one (1) month • Rental of audio and visual equipment suspension to the swimmer Gemma Howells after • Other necessary materials for the clinic a positive test on pseudoephedrine carried out in 2.4 REIMBURSEMENT PROCEDURE December 2001. In order to be reimbursed for the expenses mentioned • Due to a mistake in the wording of the decision above, the original receipt(s) as well as the bank taken by the Disciplinary Body of the French details where the transfer should be deposited MUST Swimming Federation, it was stated that the be sent to the FINA Office in Lausanne, Switzerland. swimmer Sebastien Louveau was suspended for Only original receipts received within 60 days from 18 months (with six months on probation), when the conclusion of the clinic will be reimbursed. in fact he was suspended for 18 months with 12 Expenses for the participants from other countries months on probation. will be reimbursed upon receipt of the letter from their respective Federation requested under Clause FINA PERSONALITIES 2.2.2. Please note that in the FINA’s auditor ruling there may be no exceptions to the Lifetime Sports Award for Dr Sam Ramsamy Reimbursement Procedure. The FINA Bureau Member and President of the National Olympic Committee of South Africa, Dr DOPING Sam Ramsamy was awarded the highest sport honour in his country, the Lifetime Sports Award, by the DOPING TESTS IN MOSCOW President of South Africa, Mr Thabo Mbeki. All the 154 doping tests conducted in Moscow (RUS) th During the ceremony in Cape Town, the role of Dr with the occasion of the 6 FINA Swimming World Ramsamy in the fight against apartheid in South Championships (25m) were negative. Amongst them African sport during the 70’s and his decisive 98 were blood tests, the first conducted in FINA contribution in rebuilding the sport since democracy competitions to detect the presence of the synthetic arrived in South Africa were cited. “This award hormone erythropoietin (rEPO), darbopoietin and symbolises the high regard that the people of South related substances. Africa have for Dr Ramsamy”, considered Mr Ncgonde Balfour, Minister of Sport and Recreation Combined Urine & Blood Tests from June 2002 in South Africa. FINA will implement from the beginning of June 2002 combined urine and blood tests for the detection

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Dr Sam Ramsamy has been President of the National Jul 13-27 10th FINA WORLD Barcelona ESP CHAMPS Olympic Committee of South Africa since 1991. He 2004 is also Secretary General of the African Swimming TBA 3rd FINA World OWS Lac St-Jean CAN Champs Confederation, FINA Bureau Member and IOC th TBA 10 FINA Masters Riccione ITA Member. In addition, he is a Special Advisor to the World Champs South African Minister of Sport since 2000. Aug 13-29 OLYMPIC GAMES Athens GRE Oct 7-10 7th FINA World Indianapolis USA Swimming Champs Dr Julio Maglione is Honorary President of (25m) CIGEPS 2005 (1) 11th FINA World Montreal CAN The FINA Honorary Treasurer Dr Julio Maglione Swimming Champs (URU) was appointed as Honorary President of the MEETINGS Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education 2002 Nov 18-19 FINA Bureau Meeting Punta del Este URU and Sport (CIGEPS) of UNESCO in a recent session 2004 held in Paris. TBA 15th FINA World Sports Indianapolis USA President of this Committee from 1997 to 2002, Dr Medicine Congress 2005 Maglione’s effort to implement the resolutions taken TBA FINA General Montreal CAN by CIGEPS were highlighted and his nomination as Congress Honorary President is a reward for his commitments TBA FINA Technical Montreal CAN rd Congress in this domain, namely in the organisation of the 3 CONTINENTAL & INTERNATIONAL Conference of Ministers and Governmental COMPETITIONS, GAMES Responsible for Physical Education and Sport in Aug 3-10 IX Central Tegucigalpa HON Punta del Este (URU) in December 1999. American & Mexico Swimming This distinction is another milestone in the brilliant Champs career of Dr Maglione, FINA Honorary Treasurer Aug 12-18 6th African Cairo EGY Swimming since 1992 and IOC Member since 1996. Champs Aug 24-26 2nd Asian Age Zhuhai City CHN Rania Amr Elwani in the IOC Athletes Group Champs Aug 24-29 Pan Pacific Yokohama JPN Commission Champs Rania Amr Elwani (EGY), one of the most prominent Sep 29-Oct 16 14th Asian Games Busan KOR swimmers of her country, was appointed by IOC Nov 23-Dec 7 XIX Central San Salvador ESA American & President Jacques Rogge as member of the IOC Caribbean Sports Athletes Commission. FINA has now four of its most Games Dec 12-15 European Short Reisa GER prestigious athletes in this commission – Elwani joins Course Swimming Alexander Popov (RUS), Manual Estiarte (ESP) and Champs Susie O’Neill (AUS). 2003 Aug 1-17 Pan American Santo Domingo DOM Games CALENDARS OF EVENTS Aug 21-31 Universiade Daegu KOR Aug 24-29 Asian Age Group TBA TPE Champs FINA CHAMPIONSHIPS, WORLD CUPS, GAMES Oct 4-18 8th All Africa Abuja NGR 2002 nd Games Sep 23-28 2 FINA World Sharm El Sheikh EGY Oct 24-Nov 1 1st Afro-Asian New Delhi IND OWS Champs Games Nov 15-17 Swimming World Rio de Janeiro BRA Dec 11-14 European Short TBA Cup No.1 Course Swimming Nov 22-23 Swimming World New York USA Champs Cup No.2 2004 Nov 26-27 Swimming World Montreal CAN May 6-16 27th European Madrid ESP Cup No.3 Swimming Dec 1-2 Swimming World Shanghai CHN Champs Cup No.4 Sep 31-Oct 7 Asian Swimming Doha QAT Dec 6-8 Swimming World Melbourne AUS Champs Cup No.5 Dec 9-12 European Short TBA 2003 Course Swimming Jan 13-14 Swimming World Imperia ITA Champs Cup No.6 2005 Jan 17-18 Swimming World Paris FRA Jun 24-Jul 3 15th Almeria ESP Cup No.7 Mediterranean Jan 21-22 Swimming World Stockholm SWE Games Cup No.8 2006 Jan 25-26 Swimming World Berlin GER Dec 1-15 15th Asian Games Doha QAT Cup No.9

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~~~ 60 ~~~ SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – July-August 2002

Freestyle means any style other than Backstroke, Breaststroke or Butterfly.

Swimming SW 12.2 Some part of the swimmer must break the surface of the water throughout the race, except it shall be permissible for the swimmer to be Rules completely submerged during the turn and for a Variations on ASI and distance of not more than 15 metres after the start and FINA Rules each turn. By that point, the head must have broken the surface.

SW 12.3 Some part of the swimmer must touch the wall upon completion of each length and at the finish.

** SW 12.4 In all Freestyle events, if a swimmer nominates a form stroke or medley for sealed handicap, Top Ten, Award Swims or record attempt purposes; he shall comply with all the rules relating to such stroke or strokes.

FREESTYLE

• Similar to FINA in most respects An effective Masters Coach understands… • Any stroke, but results on Freestyle only • In own choice can specify another stroke and • Rules relating to strokes be eligible for records in any stroke subject to • Rules relating to starts obeying rules of the nominated stroke • Rules relating to turns and finishes • No disability dispensation • Rules relating to relays • Same as FINA for Medley Relays and IM • Protocols of competition • Modified competitions SW 13 BACKSTROKE • Medical disability dispensations SW 13.1 Swimmers shall line up in the water ASSESSMENT criteria for this section… facing the starting end, with both hands holding the starting grips or the end of the pool. The feet, • Relate the importance of AUSSI rules including the toes, shall he under the surface of the • Show understanding of stroke modifications water. Standing in or on the gutter or bending the toes that are permissible over the lip of the gutter is prohibited. • List the differences between FINA and AUSSI Masters Swimming Rules SW 13.2 At the signal for starting and after turning the swimmer shall push off and swim upon HOW? his back throughout the race. He must be on his back at all times except when executing a turn (Refer to • Complete worksheet Rule SW 9.3) The normal position on the back can include a roll movement of the body up to but not • Comply with rules during prac hours including 90 degrees from the horizontal. The • Modify coaching programmes to suit position of the head is not relevant individuals within the parameters

SW 13.3 During the turn, the shoulders may be SW 12 FREESTYLE turned over the vertical to the breast after which a continuous single arm pull or a continuous SW 12.1 Freestyle means that in an event so simultaneous double arm pull may be used to initiate designated, the swimmer may swim any style, except the turn. Once the body has left the position on the that in Individual Medley or Medley Relay events,

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back, any kick or arm pull must be part of the SW 14.2 All movements of the arms shall be continuous turning action. The swimmer must have simultaneous and in the same horizontal plane returned to the position on the back upon leaving the without alternating movement. wall. When executing the turn there must be a touch of the wall with some part of the swimmer's body. SW 14.3 The hands shall be pushed forward together from the breast on, under, or over the water, Clarification: and shall be brought back on or under the surface of the water. The elbows shall be under the water except The swimmer who turns past vertical and, in a for the final stroke before the turn, during the turn, continuous motion, touches the wall with any part of and at the finish. The hands shall not be brought back the body … e.g. grabs the wall before pushing off beyond the hip line, except during the first stroke with the feet while on the back, is deemed to have after the start and each turn. executed a continuous turning action. ** SW 14.4 The feet should be turned outward When off the back, a glide is permissible without any during the propulsive part of the kick. A scissors, forward propulsive action (from either arms or legs) flutter or downward dolphin kick is not permitted. until the swimmer is deemed to be executing a Breaking the surface of the water with the feet is continuous turning action. allowed unless followed by a downward dolphin kick. All movements of the legs shall be If a swimmer applies to have his intermediate simultaneous during the propulsive part of the kick. distance especially timed, (refer to SW 19.3), he must complete that distance in accordance with the finish SW 14.5 At each turn and at the finish of the race, rule for Backstroke as in SW 13.5. the touch shall be made with both hands simultaneously at, above, or below the water level. SW 13.4 Some part of the swimmer must break The head may be submerged after the last arm pull the surface of the water throughout the race, except it prior to the touch, provided it breaks the surface of shall be permissible for the swimmer to be the water at some point during the last complete or completely submerged during the turn, at the finish, incomplete cycle preceding the touch. and for a distance of not more than 15 metres after the start and each turn. By that point the head must SW 14.6 During each complete cycle of one arm have broken the surface. stroke and one leg kick, in that order, some part of the swimmer’s head shall break the surface of the SW 13.5 During the finish the swimmer may be water, except that after the start and after each turn completely submerged. The swimmer must touch the the swimmer may take one arm stroke completely wall while on his back. back to the legs and one leg kick while wholly submerged. The head must break the surface of the BACKSTROKE water before the hands turn inward at the widest part of the second stroke. • Double arm Backstroke is common with older swimmers BREASTSTROKE • Double arm Backstroke often combined with Breaststroke kick on the back • Non-manifest dispensations can be applied for. • No dispensations … virtually do anything you Manifest disabilities can be considered, like on your back! however the swimmer must comply with rules to the extent possible SW 14 BREASTSTROKE • Similar to FINA in other aspects

SW 14.1 From the beginning of the first arm SW 15 BUTTERFLY stroke after the start and after each turn, the body shall be kept on the breast. It is not permitted to roll SW 15.1 From the beginning of the first arm onto the back at any time. stroke after the start and after each turn, the body shall be kept on the breast. Underwater kicking on the side is allowed. It is not permitted to roll onto the back at any time.

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• Arms must be at least on the surface with SW 15.2 Both arms must be brought forward elbows visibly on top of the surface of the together over the water and brought backward water simultaneously throughout the race, subject to SW 15.5. SW 16

Clarification: SW 16.1 In Individual Medley events, the swimmer covers the four swimming styles in the Both arms must be brought forward together over the following order … Butterfly, Backstroke, general surface of the water with the elbows being Breaststroke and Freestyle. visible on the top of the water and the arms being brought back simultaneously. This is the minimum SW 16.2 In Medley Relay events, swimmers will requirement in accordance with this rule. cover the four swimming styles in the following order … Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly and SW 15.3 All movements of the feet must be Freestyle. executed in a simultaneous manner. Simultaneous up and down movements of the legs and feet in the Clarification: vertical plane &~ permitted. The legs or feet need not be at the same level, but no alternating movements Each stroke in a Medley (both Individual and Relay) are permitted. must be finished in accordance with the Finish rule for that stroke ... e.g. in the case of the change from Clarification: Backstroke to Breaststroke, the swimmer must touch the wall while still on the back, before the shoulder Either a dolphin or Breaststroke leg action may be has rotated beyond the vertical. used with the Butterfly arm action. A mixture of these types of leg action may be used during the SW 16.3 In Individual Medley events and Medley performance of Butterfly. Relays an equal distance of each stroke must be swum. SW 15.4 At each turn and at the finish of the race, the touch shall be made with both hands Clarification: simultaneously, at, above or below the water surface. It shall be permissible for a swimmer to be A swimmer who commences with the wrong stroke in completely submerged for a distance of not more any leg cannot negate the error by stopping and than 15 metres after the start and each turn. By that returning to the pool end and recommence using the point, the head must have broken the surface. The correct stroke. swimmer must remain on the surface until the next turn or finish. SW 17 THE RACE

SW 15.5 At the start and at turns, a swimmer is SW 17.1 A swimmer, swimming over the course permitted one or more leg kicks and one arm pull alone, shall cover the whole distance to be eligible under the water, which must bring him to the surface. for points, records and awards. It shall be permissible for a swimmer to be completely submerged for a distance of not more SW 17.2 A swimmer must finish the race in the than 15 metres after the start and each turn. By that same lane in which he started. point, the head must have broken the surface. The swimmer must remain on the surface until the next SW 17.3 In all events, a swimmer when turning turn or finish. shall make physical contact with the end of the pool

or course. The turn must be made from the wall and it BUTTERFLY is not permitted to take a stride or step from the

bottom of the pool. • Breaststroke or Butterfly kick allowed ...

swimmers may change from one to the other at SW 17.4 Standing on the bottom during a race any time shall not disqualify a swimmer but he shall not walk • At least one arm stroke per length must be or push off to resume the swim. In like manner, completed

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holding on to the lane rope during a race shall not disqualify a swimmer but he shall not propel himself SW 17.13 Swimmers in individual events shall forward by pulling on the lane rope. If a swimmer has remain in the water in their lane until all swimmers in to stop during a race (to adjust goggles, swimming the race have finished, unless instructed to leave the costume or has swallowed water), he may resume water by the Referee. without penalty. ** SW 17.14 The Meet Director and/or Referee shall SW 17.5 Obstructing another swimmer by be allowed, in the interests of saving time, to instruct swimming across another lane or otherwise swimmers to remain in the water until after the start interfering shall disqualify the offender. Should the of the next heat. foul be intentional, the Referee shall report the matter to the body promoting the meet, and to the Club of SW 17.15 The Referee shall be empowered to the offending swimmer. allow a swimmer to remain in the water while the next heat starts, to enable him to recover before SW 17.6 No swimmer shall be permitted to use or leaving the water. wear any device that may aid his speed, buoyancy or endurance during a competition (such as webbed MEDICAL DISPENSATIONS gloves, flippers, fins, heart rate monitor, etc.). Goggles may be worn. • Primarily for non manifest (not apparent) impairments SW 17.7 A swimmer not entered in a race, who • Must be assessed by Doctor or Exercise enters the water in which an event is being conducted Physiologist before all swimmers therein have completed the race, • Can be re-assessed by a referee shall be disqualified from his next scheduled race in • Must be consistent and not intermittent the meet. • Must be applied for and registered • Dispensation automatic for apparent SW 17.8 Relays shall consist of four swimmers disabilities … e.g. loss of limb, palsy, each registered with the same Club. No swimmer is contusions allowed to represent more than one Club. The order • Can be permanent or short term of the swimmers is optional in mixed relays.

STARTS SW 17.9 In relay events, the team of a swimmer whose feet lose touch with the starting platform • One Start only before the preceding team mate touches the wall shall • Freestyle, Breaststroke, Butterfly and Relay be disqualified, unless the swimmer in default returns starts can be made from… to the starting point at the wall. It shall not be The blocks – either standing or necessary to return to the starting platform. o sitting

The side of pool – either standing or SW 17.10 Any relay team shall be disqualified o sitting from a race if a team member, other than the In the water swimmer designated to swim that length, enters the o water when the race is being conducted, before all • Backstroke as per the rules swimmers of all teams have finished the race. OTHER RULES SW 17.11 Any relay swimmer having finished his leg must leave the pool as soon as possible without • Protests obstructing any other swimmer who has not yet • Open Water swimming finished his leg. Otherwise the relay team at fault • Age determination may be disqualified. • FINA (International) versus AUSSI (National, Branch and local) meets SW 17.12 Should a foul endanger the chance of success of a swimmer, the Referee shall have the power to allow the swimmer to compete in the next or a later heat or the Referee may order the heat to be re-swum.

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Introduction Common Threads of Discussions presented in this paper are centred on the importance of the adductor muscles of the shoulder in Successful all competitive strokes. The majority of examples Swimming Technique cited are from the Crawl Stroke and Butterfly, but the threads of common factors to success run through By Marshall Adams every stroke. The paper draws it conclusions from

discussions of the core muscles of technique, the MARSHALL ADAMS BIO nervous system organisation that provides the conscious and unconscious control of these muscles, the water that compounds the problem of movement within an unfamiliar medium, and the peculiarities of the shoulder joint that limits our movements. This unique view of human swimming propulsion draws upon principals, when analysed in their entirety that have profound implications for swimming instruction.

The progression of swimming since the beginning of the modern Olympic era has resulted in a variety of • Swimming Coach and teacher, Cincinnati Country successful techniques performed within the Day School 1983-Present parameters provided by the rules governing each • Interim Coach Wesleyan University 1982 competitive stroke. Much research and analysis has • Interim Woman’s Coach Springfield College 1981 been conducted in order to explain the successes of • Assistant Men’s Coach Springfield College 1980 the techniques used by the most successful • Head Coach Fort Bliss Sharks, El Paso, Texas 1977 swimmers. Yet, the search goes on to find the stroke • Assistant Coach New Mexico State University 1976 techniques and scientific explanations that explain • Assistant Coach New Mexico Aquatic Club 1976 why one technique is superior to another. The • Education: BS Physical Education, Springfield College 1976 … MAT New Mexico State University variables involved with this analysis make the 1978 endeavour a difficult task. It is one thing to know the Michael swam as an Age Grouper growing up in Arizona concept such as the potential of the shoulder’s third at the Phoenix YMCA and the Dolphin Swim Club. He class lever in human motion, but it is difficult to rate swam under Charles Silvia at Springfield College and this factor, or any one factor, with all the other worked and taught at his Pine Knoll Swim School. He was variables involved in swimming success. an Assistant Coach to Dr Jack Welch at New Mexico State and Charles Smith at Springfield College. Michael toured A common approach for success has been to try to the Far East with a group of Springfield swimmers and emulate the techniques used by the worlds best. It is Coach Smith in the Spring of 1986, giving clinics at the in the techniques of the athletes that have broken the Osaka YMCA, Shanghai Sports Institute, Institute of PE, Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Korean mould, and had success, that much insight into the National Swimming team in Seoul. He published two technical truths is often revealed. This paper will articles in Swimming Technique Magazine ‘Thoughts on discuss the factors that form common threads in the Crawlstroke’ Summer 2000 and ‘More Thoughts on successful technique and explore the truths revealed the Crawlstroke’ Spring 2001. in the variables of success. It is understood that there More informative than this modest résumé, are the is no magic bullet of technique perfection that results influences of the writer’s teacher and coach Charles E. in success. However, superior technique is a key Silvia, his mentors Charles Smith and Jack Welch, his component in a champion’s design for success. association and contact with William Yorzyk, and the very fruitful exchanges and encouragement from The performances of Mary T. Maher in the late 70’s over the last year as this project took shape. The writer’s membership in the American Swim Coaches Association and early 80’s in the 100 and 200 metre Butterfly, since 1977 has allowed a constant stream of contact with Janet Evan’s 400 metres in the 1988 Olympics, the great coaches of the world. And lastly, but most Kieren Perkins’ 1500 meters in the 1992 Olympics, assuredly not the least, the performances and remarkable Grant Hackett’s 1500 metres in the 2001 World swimming techniques of Kieren Perkins, Grant Hackett Championships as well as Ian Thorpe’s 200, 400 and and Ian Thorpe are the open text books for the analysis of 800 metre performances at the 2001 World efficient modern technique. Championships are examples of swims that have

~~~ 65 ~~~ SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – July-August 2002

broken the mould. In all of these performances the importance is an updating of old ideas, albeit not as competition and old records were left way back in the accurate as first described. This is in reference to rear view mirror and shattered well beyond what Silvia’s identification of the primary muscles of could reasonably be expected. These people have shoulder adduction used in effective competitive broken the mould. swimming. No one can argue that the general conditioning of the body’s core is detrimental. It can It is obvious to the casual observer that all the be argued, though, that general conditioning of the participants in the Olympic Finals possess superior body’s core is not the magic pill for success. Core athletic body types and are highly trained and conditioning is one piece of a training program motivated. What may not be as obvious are the puzzle, but without the specifics of muscle emphasis technique peculiarities that happen too quickly to be peculiar to the sport of swimming, no program of apparent or are obscured because they happen under general body core conditioning will produce the water. It is apparent to this observer that the desired swimming improvement. peculiarities of technique exhibited by the swimmers that have broken the mould and shattered records are The lack of precise definition of Body Core as it observable and are significant components in these relates to the effective muscles of shoulder adduction notable swims. is not helpful to an athlete trying to learn how to use his strength effectively for a particular stroke. A good The Body Core analogy would be the advice to a young child to use a utensil to eat ice cream when the spoon is what is The Body Core is the most current phrase used to most effective. An instruction to swim with the Body describe what was written more than three decades Core is too general to have meaningful effect. ago by Charles E. Silvia to describe the importance General conditioning can never replace the exercise of the large trunk muscles to producing efficient physiological law of Specificity of Training. swimming motion. All body movement comes from Recruitment of efficient muscle motor units is the contraction of muscle, but obviously, some specific to the task. The most important part of muscles are more effective than others in producing swimming training is the swimming and nothing can efficient motion specific to a particular swimming replace it. The so-called feel for the water is actually stroke. The large muscles of the trunk are anchored to the efficient recruitment of muscle fibres specific for the central core of the body and thus, the term body the task. Over recruitment of muscles by inefficient core has some basis for its origin. The use of the term swimmers could be the result of non-specific training body core however, means little without defining the and/or the lack of specific training. particular muscles involved with its application to technique. The body core could easily be defined as Muscles of the Body Core the body’s trunk excluding the extremities and would include all the muscles both large and small attached The effective core muscles for shoulder adduction to the trunk. Emphasis of the Body Core that used in all swimming strokes are the great trunk includes all of the muscles of the trunk for swimming muscles that originate from the chest and back of the would not be an efficient use of the most important body (core) and have their insertions on the upper muscles of the trunk. Thus, the use of the term Body arm (humerus) bone. Many muscles originate from Core does not do justice to the particular muscles the chest and back but these muscles are the major needed for emphasis, but rather loosely defines the adductors that work to bring the arm (humerus) in important area from which these muscles originate. toward the mid-line of the body (adduction). The At least the coiners of the term Body Core are in the muscles include the latissimus dorsi, and teres major right area to note where the most power originates for on the back (posterior) and the pectoralis major on effective swimming propulsion. the front (anterior). The teres major originates along the lateral boarder of the scapula, thus this important The proliferation of materials and programs directed adductor muscle does not completely follow the at the strengthening the body Core has brought the definition of a core muscle since it does not arise area to the attention of swimming enthusiasts. from the trunk but arises from a bone that is close to However, the programs and exercises that are being the trunk. The scapula glides on the surface of the promoted are not new and they are no more or less body’s rib cage. effective than they were 50 years ago. The use of medicine balls and callisthenics are a recycling of old Why are these major muscles that for the most part methods, just as the knowledge of the Core’s originate from the body core so important for

~~~ 66 ~~~ SWIMMING in AUSTRALIA – July-August 2002

effective swimming technique over and above other muscles, which are also capable of producing or Stroke patterns that emphasise more refined assisting in shoulder adduction? The answer can be movements of the arm, forearm and hand add an found in the structure of the shoulder joint and the increased energy cost for their application. A stroke nature of these major core muscles. These muscles with exaggerated out-sweeps, in-sweeps, up-sweeps are large, relatively powerful and are served well by and S patterns during the propulsive phase must rely the proximity of the heart’s fresh blood supply. The upon muscles other than the great shoulder adductors use of the description relatively has to do with of the trunk. The inefficiency of these small muscle comparing these muscles to the other muscles in the actions is readily apparent to those who try to swim body. The shoulder joint itself is not a joint designed with these techniques. Any repetitive action that does for strong movements in a relative sense. The not rely for the most part upon major muscle groups shoulder joint serves as the fulcrum for a third class produces quick fatigue. lever system designed for mobility and speed of movement, not for strength. The latissimus dorsi, The challenge for the swimmer is to find the right teres major and the pectoralis major muscles are the synergistic applications of all the muscles involved in most powerful muscles associated with the joint. All a stroke. The ideal stroke emphasises the great three muscles work to pull the humerus toward the adductors of the shoulder during the propulsive phase mid-line of the body as well as to rotate the humerus coupled with the optimum use of the small muscles medially (internally). In all four competitive strokes of the arm, forearm and hand. The small muscles are the action of shoulder adduction is associated with used to position the extremity in its most the most propulsive phases of the stroke. Thus, the advantageous propulsive position as it moves through over simplified coaching instruction to swim with the water in a particular stroke. The skilled swimmer your core has some basis in truth (relatively makes this task appear to be easy because they do not speaking). over recruit muscles at inappropriate times and rely as much as possible upon the moving inertia of their The emphasis of certain muscles implies an unstated repetitive and explosive propulsive phases to carry understanding that other muscles are not emphasised the stoke during the recovery and initial catch phases. but are involved in an action. Fluid motion demands They let the stroke carry them instead of working the a synergy of action from all the parts that are moved. stroke at the expense of their limited energy. This Very rarely does a muscle act alone and never in inertial and ‘easy’ stroke does require great muscular swimming. The large adductors of the shoulder have effort. Even the most natural of athletes requires to work in synergy with the muscles of the arm, time to acquire the skill of an inertial stroke. The forearm and hand because the action of the shoulder learning curve is different from athlete to athlete and adductors will move these segments whether their the quality of the individual’s nervous systems that muscles are contracted or not contracted. Efficiency determines the ultimate degree of success in the in a skill such as swimming demands that during the acquisition of swimming skill. Michelangelo’s ideal propulsive phase of the stroke the large muscles of David would not be a successful swimmer if he did the trunk be emphasised over the smaller muscles or not spend the specific time to learn the motor skill of the arm, forearm and hand. The larger muscles of the swimming. trunk are well supplied with blood, are involved with large movements and by their nature (relative sizes) Importance of Nervous System able to tolerate large and repetitive workloads. The Organisation smaller muscles of the arm, forearm and hand are harder to supply with blood due to their distance from Efficient use of the body core adductors of the the heart and their relatively small sizes. It is shoulder joint during the propulsive phase of apparent that if a movement can emphasise the larger swimming is directly related to the organisation of and more vascular muscles for a repetitive the human nervous system. Charles Silvia of movement, the more efficient the movement will be Springfield College wrote about the difference from both a strength and endurance standpoint. The between good and poor motor performance being only draw back to this idealistic technique description determined by the quality of the sensory input. (18) lies in the mechanical necessities of a particular Successful competitive performance, as stated in the stroke. This would include espoused techniques that last paragraph, is not possible without the ability to require the fine manipulation of the smaller muscles translate input (feel, touch, kinaesthetic awareness) of the arm, forearm and hand to produce stroke into effective motor output (recruitment of muscular patterns deemed necessary for efficient propulsion.

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force by the most appropriate muscles at the most essentially neutralised. Down feels like up and back appropriate times). feels like any other direction. The sense of pressure exerted against the body is the same in all directions. There is a paradox to this equation for the successful Internal cues for successful technique are muted by acquisition of swimming skill. It lies in the the medium. Even the most sensitive areas for understanding of the importance of the major core sensory feedback located in the hands and feet have adductors of the shoulder and the difficulties no external reference point to base effective motor involved with the tapping into their power. The output. There is no cue of solid resistance indicating nervous system is not organised to receive extensive where and when to apply effective force. The lever sensory input from the major muscles of the trunk. systems of the shoulder and arm provide an increased The quality of sensory input from this area is limited sense of resistance at the most inefficient positions in in everyone. The organisation of the cerebral cortex the stroke. An outstretched arm in the water is in its of the brain (motor and sensory homunculi) puts a weakest mechanical position. Yet, without a solid distorted emphasis upon sensory input originating reference point, a novice swimmer interprets the from the extremities and specifically from the hands vigorous downward application of force, with the and feet. The majority of the sensory nerve endings arm stretched out straight, as a helpful movement due give input for motor control in the hands and feet, not to the added resistance caused by the weak lever in the muscles of the trunk. The sensitivity of the position. The result is a bracing action with little extremities is easily understood when comparing the propulsive component. The bracing movement feels results of injuries. A cut on the hand hurts much more forceful to the swimmer when, in reality, it is a weak than a similar cut on the shoulder. This lack of and inefficient movement. sensation from the area of the body core illustrates the paradox of body core emphasis. It is almost a It is obvious that the world-class athlete has blind move. The sensory information that arrives discovered the correct synergistic mix to produce the from the extremities is much more distinct to the most efficient techniques. An analysis of the processing brain than the information arriving from peculiarities of their individual techniques can reveal the body’s core muscles at the same time. The much about what is humanly possible. It is difficult synergy of shoulder and arm/hand movement must to compare athletes of different eras beyond their rely upon sensory input coming from an area not inherent human qualities. But, as techniques have directly associated with the muscles, which produce evolved there are similarities of technique that are the desired movement. The hands must provide the universal because of the limits of movement defined feel while the major core adductors of the shoulder by the rules of the sport. provide the propulsive power. Outstanding Performance The relative lack of sensory input from of the body Examples core, and more specifically the major adductors of the shoulder, could be used to explain the great The effective use of the body core and specifically variety of individual techniques. (Even by swimmers the adductors of the shoulder joint has been a trait of taught by the same instructors.) It also points to the many great Freestylers in the recent historic past. One difficulties in teaching and learning swimming skills. remarkable swim was the World Record and Olympic Man’s presumptuous brain allows for creativity and gold medal performance of Kieren Perkins in the variety regardless of a technique’s relative merits. 1500 metres at the 1992 Barcelona Games. The Trout don’t vary their swimming technique; humans underwater television shots of the performance have the choice to decide their course of action. exposed Perkins’ superior positioning of both arms as Humans, also, don’t have the experience of spending they assumed the initial catch position. This their whole existence in the water. The organisation positioning movement put the forearm and hand in a of the human nervous system makes it hard to learn position almost perpendicular to the surface of the how to emphasise the core in an efficient manner, water very early in the stroke. From this position and water compounds the problem. Perkins maintained the forearm and hand in position perpendicular to the direction of travel throughout the Challenges of Performance in most propulsive phase of the stroke as the shoulder Water adductors brought the humerus toward the mid-line of the body. The performance followed the Water immerses a swimmer in a liquid that envelops kinesiological description of the ideal stroke first the body and gives no point of reference. Gravity is described by Charles Silvia in his 1970 book (19).

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Silvia’s description was inspired by his study of 1956 variety of successful Crawl Stroke techniques used at and 1960 Olympic Freestyle Champion . the world-class level. Careful analysis reveal Crawl It was in the technique of Murray Rose that Silvia Stroke variations in current champions do not exist to saw the potential of the shoulder joint to produce its any great degree during the most important most efficient swimming motion. Perkins’ stroke, propulsive phase of their strokes. The variations in while not a mirror image of Rose’s technique, clearly technique come at times that are not critical to the followed the same mechanical principles. Perkins’ ultimate propulsive efficiency of the stroke and can coach John Carew, in an article for American include the timing of the stroke; balanced recoveries, Swimming magazine the following year identified loping actions, catch up recoveries, straight elbow Murray Roses’ stroke as the model for Perkins’ recoveries and kicking frequency. Olympic champion technique (2). This technique has to be considered has been very successful without one of the key factors in Perkins’ dominating extending her elbows at the entry. Olympic champion performance in 1992. Grant Hackett has been successful doing the opposite. Michael Klim exhibits a straight elbow Identifying the Core’s recovery, as does Inge de Bruin. Ian Thorpe and Importance within a Stroke Kieren Perkins can be observed using a bent elbow recovery. These non-critical variations come at times Silvia’s description of superior Crawl Stroke in the stroke that allow for differences. An efficient mechanics included four key parts upon which an propulsive phase does not allow for great variation of efficient stroke depend… action and thus, the discovery of the importance of the core and specifically the great shoulder adductors 1. Inertial shoulder girdle elevation and upward is crucial. All of the aforementioned Crawl Stroke scapular rotation champions exhibit a vigorous and well-defined 2. Shoulder joint medial rotation and elbow adduction and downward rotation of the shoulder that flexion follows closely along the frontal plane of the body 3. Shoulder joint adduction and downward during the propulsive phases of their strokes. It scapular rotation should be noted that the total stroke must be 4. Inertial round off and release (partial considered in any evaluation of stroke proficiency. supination of the forearm and hand and There is no efficient long and vigorous adduction of shoulder joint lateral rotation) (19) the shoulder without the accompanying and synergistic action of the other phases of the stroke. The synergistic blend of all four parts of Silvia’s The three phases that comprise the release, recovery description is what the viewer sees in the and catch leave room for individual variations due to performance of superior . The their non-propulsive nature. There are however, application of Part 3, shoulder joint adduction and kinesiological and mechanical parameters that must downward scapular rotation, is the most propulsive be followed during these stages that can affect the phase. It is during this most propulsive phase that the short-term efficiency of the stroke and the long-term core adductors of the shoulder joint contract integrity of the shoulder. vigorously against the resistance of the water to bring the humerus bone toward the midline of the body. A The shoulder can be put into a precarious position coach who instructs his swimmers to swim with during the recovery and entry periods of the Crawl your cores is telling his swimmers to emphasise and Butterfly strokes. A straight elbow recovery that point number 3 of Silvia’s 4-part Crawl Stroke does not externally rotate the humerus as the description. However, the emphasis of the core recovery progresses will result in an impingement adductors is only effective during the propulsive between the coraco-acromial arch of the shoulder and phase of the stroke and any undue tension of theses the head of the humerus. Standing and trying to do a muscles at different times in the stroke is detrimental Butterfly recovery with the palms of the hand facing to efficiency. Thus, the admonition of a coach for a backward limits the extent to which the hands can be swimmer to swim with his core is too general to have raised above the head without encountering great positive effect if shoulder adductor muscle resistance. An impingement can also occur in the involvement is emphasised beyond the propulsive front of the shoulder upon the re-entry of the hand phase of the stroke. into the water after the recovery. This re-entry shoulder impingement can occur if a swimmer uses a The critical nature of Silvia’s 3rd point of emphasis straight elbow entry with the shoulder fully flexed also might be used in the explanation of the great and abducted against the resistance of the water.

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rotation of the humerus and spends no time flexing The identification of the proper application of the the elbow because it is never extended in front. core strength of the body and the associated implications of nervous system sensory organisation Ian Thorpe takes a much greater time setting up the is a positive step for anyone attempting to improve propulsive phase of his stroke. From the point of their swimming skill. It is within a synergistic hand entry until the hand releases and exits the water, application of stroke technique that the so-called Thorpe spends one half of that time with the hand sweet spot and zone is revealed. World-class and arm barely moving relative to his body. This performance reveals to the observer the appearance huge inertial lag is more than compensated for by of effortless grace. This apparent effortless grace is Thorpe’s efficient completion of the shoulder often misinterpreted as relaxation. An all out adduction movement of the opposite arm, complete performance requires and demands vigorous shoulder girdle elevation of the arm entering the muscular effort, but only during the most propulsive catch phase to insure a long stroke, and the increased phase of a stroke. The other phases require a propulsive emphasis attributed to his kick. Thorpe’s dependence upon the moving inertia generated by the strong kick and the completion of the strong propulsive phase and as little vigorous muscular adduction movement of the opposite arm allow him action as possible to facilitate blood flow and to assume the catch position inertially with very little recovery. A relaxed swimmer will go nowhere. The shoulder muscular effort. Thorpe, also, has the added zone has been attained when the results appear to be anatomical advantage of extra large and flexible feet. greater than the effort exerted. It is a familiar site to It is from the stretched out straight hand entry see an Olympic gold medallist appear to have more position that Thorpe begins the catch and propulsive energy during the celebration immediately after their phases by flexing his elbow to about 90 degrees all out performance. All four competitive strokes can while internally rotating the humerus bone. No be explored for the optimum use of the core shoulder downward push at the beginning of the stroke is adductors and the sweet spot their proper application exhibited. The elbow remains shallow relative to the expose. water surface even as the body rotates to promote breathing and/or the recovery of the opposite hand. It It is obvious to the informed coach that there are could be agued that Thorpe’s added time of apparent many factors which contribute to the ultimate arm inaction promotes a more efficient blood flow, outcome of efficient competitive swimming. thus adding another positive factor to balance the Successful manipulation of the controllable variables lack of propulsion during one half of the in-water is the greatest challenge for coach and athlete and phase of his stroke. Thorpe’s nearly stationary allows for creativity from both the coach and the position during the entry phase accounts for athlete. However, the almost overwhelming number approximately one-third of the total stroke cycle of factors governing success demands that a coach time. Thorpe does not rush his stroke and his and swimmer filter out the trivial from the important. vigorous adduction of the shoulder does not begin Successful swimming demands an economy of until the hand and forearm have been positioned for motion and the understanding of mechanics for the optimal use of the shoulder adductors during the efficient human swimming propulsion. Knowledge of propulsive phase. the important role the shoulder joint adductors play in efficient swimming is useful for anyone attempting to The idea that world-class swimmers take the time to increase his swimming skill. Shoulder joint adductors fine tune the pitch of the hand, search for still waters, are at the core of a champion’s success. sweep down, sweep out, sweep in, or sweep up during the propulsive phase of their strokes is not an The differences in the approach to the entry and catch accurate description of the stroke. These descriptive positions in two recent Olympic Freestyle champions words suggest motions that will increase fine muscle illustrate the successful variances in the non- involvement of the arm and forearm and deviate from propulsive phases. Brooke Bennett does not the economically powerful adduction movement of straighten out her elbows as the hand enters the water the stroke’s propulsive phase. These small muscle after the recovery phase. This action reduces the refinements are not the feature of the gross motor inertial lag time at the front end on the stroke and shoulder adduction movements exhibited by world- minimises the possibility of shoulder impingement class swimmers during their propulsive phases. caused by the mistaken downward motion with the Adduction of the shoulder during the propulsive arm stretched out straight that was described earlier. phase will appear to cause an outward and inward Bennett quickly assumes the position of internal sweep of the arm as the arm rotates around the

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fulcrum of the shoulder joint. The vigorous and unsuccessful iron cross. This would be a stroke that economic shoulder adduction movement only allows allows the hand to pull under the body. time for the maintenance of limb angles, and for the feel of water pressure against the hands during the The most important point to both Bennett’s and propulsive phase. The sequence is true for both Thorpe’s strokes is the position they both assume sprinting and distance swimming. Ideal shoulder with their arms that allows for a mechanically mechanics are the same for both distances. Only the superior propulsive phase. This superior position rhythm of the stroke (stroke frequency) separates the maintains the forearm and hand in a position difference between efficient sprinting and distance perpendicular to the line of travel for the longest technique. Ultimate competitive success at any possible time given the limitations of the shoulder distance using an efficient technique is limited by the joint. other variables involved with success, not the least of which is the nature of the athlete’s muscular makeup, Teaching Feel for the Core fast twitch or slow twitch muscle predominance. The example of Ian Thorpe’s successful world-class A program to help identify the motion and feel for performance at distances covering the 100 to the 800 the effective use of these important muscles is the metres illustrates the universal effectiveness of one logical next step in the quest for improved particular technique. swimming. The primary muscles of shoulder adduction don’t have the superior nervous input The strength and efficiency of shoulder adduction can associated with the hands. It is thus, very helpful to be illustrated through the movement of the iron cross give the area added focus through artificial means. on the still rings in gymnastics. Although the iron The power of the shoulder adductors can be cross position is a static gymnastic position, it demonstrated through the use of an imagined or real demonstrates the most powerful and effective use of prop. The object is an inflated balloon placed in the the shoulder adductors. All of the muscles of the armpit. The objective of the demonstration is to pop shoulder, forearm, arm and hand are involved in the the balloon. By popping the balloon in the armpit the performance of an iron cross but it is the shoulder swimmer can demonstrate the vigorous use of the adductors that are the key to providing the support of primary adductors of the shoulder joint in a way that the body’s weight. In swimming, it is the contraction is similar to their action used against water resistance of the great shoulder adductors that contribute most during the propulsive phase of the swimming stroke. to moving the body’s mass. Thus, the importance of the shoulder adductors in both of these activities is in Completion of vigorous adduction effectively the strength they provide for support and movement finishes the propulsive phase of the stroke because of the body’s mass. Half way through the vigorous the major adductors are no longer in play at the end adduction movement in the crawl and butterfly of adduction. Once the balloon is popped, the stroke strokes the action of the adductors is in a position should be redirected to enable an inertial recovery. similar to the mechanically superior position of the Further pushing after the balloon is popped would not iron cross. The difference between the two activities involve the prime movers of adduction. (The muscles is found in the difference between the static position used to pop the balloon.) After the balloon is popped of the iron cross and the ballistic results of the any extra effort to effect propulsion would necessitate propulsive phase of the swimming stroke. Both the use of the smaller muscles of the arm and activities use the most mechanically advantageous forearm. This action would add to the expenditure of position of the shoulder joint to perform their skill. energy at an inopportune time in the stroke and with Swimmers also flex their elbows to increase the inefficient muscles. rd mechanical advantage of the shoulder’s 3 class lever system. Deviation from the plane of the movements The illustration of the popping balloon underscores just described will result in the failure to hold an iron the concept of swimming with the body’s core and cross, or inefficiency of the swimming movement emphasis of the major muscles used to adduct the due to ineffective muscle angles of pull. An iron shoulder. In order to pop the balloon, it is the major cross cannot be held with the arms held out straight muscles of the body’s core that are used to in front of the body because the pectoralis major accomplish the task. The athlete can envision and feel muscle is not at an effective angle to pull down on the importance of adduction and the power of that the humerus from this position. Adduction of the movement. It is also easy to see the futility and shoulder in swimming is not effective if the stroke ineffective nature of S curves and sweeping actions follows a path that passes the same way as the that use the smaller muscles of the arm and forearm

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to accomplish the task. A sweep or S curve stroke is not an effective way to pop the balloon. After the The peculiarities of technique exhibited by world balloon is popped, effort to continue propulsion is record holder and Olympic gold medallist ineffective because the major muscles of shoulder in the 400 IM in Sydney 2000 punctuate the adduction are no longer involved. The so named long importance of arm action over any other propulsive stroke is the result of the completion of adduction effort in his Butterfly and Backstroke legs of his that is set up by an early and efficient catch. performance. Dolan took only one kick per arm cycle Descriptions of long strokes that emphasise a push at during his Butterfly leg of this swim and used a two the end of the propulsive phase and a finish with the beat kick throughout his Backstroke leg. Clearly, the hand past the hip risk the use of inefficient muscles arm action is the key part of Dolan’s propulsive effort of the arm and forearm and precarious shoulder in these two strokes. mechanics. Mechanical Risks of Shoulder Economy of an Effective Rotation Propulsive Phase The strength and efficiency of adduction of the The beauty of world-class swimming performance shoulder in swimming is not without its risks even in can be found in the economy of the movements the the most proficient of strokes. The vigorous athletes exhibit. Extraneous and wasteful effort and adduction and shoulder rotation of the swimming movement are minimised. While the underlying movement can put the shoulder into a precarious mechanisms, physiology, and fluid dynamics are position at the completion of the stroke and at the complex, the expression of the activity at the world- beginning of the stroke. As mentioned previously, the class level appears to be effortless and easy. shoulder and the arm comprise a third class lever that Identifying the major propulsive muscles and is noted for its wide range of motion, not for its demonstrating when they are most effective is a key strength. Precarious positions that can result in injury step to efficient swimming. Prioritising and focus can easily be assumed in the fast and repetitive reduces the complexity of a movement to a motions of swimming. manageable state for conscience creativity. The most notable precarious position of the shoulder Prioritising the adduction movement is a key element during the Crawl Stroke is assumed during the hand in any stroke because the adduction of the shoulder is entry. An impingement can occur in the front of the the most efficient movement of the shoulder during shoulder when the arm enters the water with the the propulsive phase. Adduction also sets up the other shoulder fully abducted, flexed and humerus phases of the stroke by generating momentum that internally rotated. From this hand entry position, if can be carried inertially through to the other phases. the swimmer’s first action is to push down, the result Stroke descriptions that emphasise movements that is a bracing action that is non-propulsive and serves distract from the power of shoulder adduction and to lift the body out of the water. If the body is rotated movements that occur at times in the stroke that on its long axis at the same time the hand enters the occur during the non-propulsive phase are not water, the result is an increase in the potential for helpful. Illustrations of such descriptions include impingement of the long head of the biceps and sweeps, hip roll, and balance (to some degree). Body supraspinatus tendons. The result of this repetitive balance could be used to improve streamlining and action is inflammation and pain as well as stroke resistance, but is a fine tuning event that follows well inefficiency. The world-class swimmers who use a behind the mechanics of propulsion as a teaching straight elbow entry reduce both the bracing priority. Hip roll is a result of an inertial, free- downward push upon hand entry and shoulder swinging stroke, but not an important focal point for impingement problems by internally rotating the propulsion. All strokes require vigorous adduction of humerus while flexing their elbows before any the shoulder during the propulsive phases of the vigorous effort is exerted against the resistance of the stroke and only two of the competitive strokes water (adduction of the shoulder). involve rotation around the long axis of the body (Crawl Stroke and Backstroke). The lack of rotation Another common trait of the straight elbow entry is of the hips along the long axis in the Butterfly and the loping or catch-up nature of these strokes. The Breaststrokes does not compromise the effective opposing and recovering arm is allowed to inertially adduction movement of the shoulder during the catch up to the other arm as time is taken to position propulsive phases of these strokes. the propulsive arm. This catch-up action reduces the

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amount of body rotation on the long axis and further to the rotation of the body along its long axis. In both refutes the need to emphasise the perceived power of straight elbow techniques, (Butterfly and Crawl) risks hip roll. The result of this action is a shallower stroke to the shoulder come at the end of adduction of the with the elbow of the propulsive hand remaining shoulder that result in the ringing out of the relatively close to the surface of the water even as the supraspinatus and bicep tendons, and the shoulder trunk of the body rotates on the long axis. The catch- impingement that will occur if the palms remain up up stroke forces less trunk rotation along the body’s as recovery continues. The success of bent elbow long axis and negates the rotation of the body that swimmers points to the frivolous nature of the push at would further aggravate the shoulder impingement the end of strokes. All actions at the end of the upon hand entry. adduction phase of the stroke that promote a free- swinging and inertial (least muscular) recovery will Other precarious shoulder positions occur in the have success. Muscular actions that promote the use stroke and illustrate the fragile nature of shoulder of smaller muscles of the arm and forearm will have rotation throughout the stroke. A swimmer who does a negative impact on efficiency. Obviously, both the not externally rotate the humerus during the recovery straight and the bent arm recoveries can be performed will limit the recovery due to the impingement of the with minimal effort. An inertial straight elbow greater tuberosity of the humerus with the coraco- recovery requires a release of muscular tension at the acromial arch of the shoulder. Complete adduction of end of the vigorous adduction phase and not an added the shoulder at the end of the propulsive phase will push with the small muscles of the arm. An inertial wring out the long head of the biceps and the flexed elbow recovery is initiated by releasing the supraspinatus tendons. Vigorous extension of the grip on the water by supinating the hand and forearm elbow at the end of adduction forces the palm up and while maintaining the flexed elbow of the propulsive faces the palm away from the body during recovery. phase. This technique facilitates external rotation of This action will result in prolonging the wringing out the humerus by keeping the palm of the hand facing of the long biceps and supraspinatus tendons. While the body during recovery. Thus, the ringing out of the not effecting propulsion, these actions will ultimately supraspinatus and biceps tendons is minimised to the impact the shoulder in a negative manner. The extent that is possible at the end of shoulder wringing out of the supraspinatus and bicep tendons adduction, and shoulder impingement during creates an avascular situation in these tendons that recovery is avoided. Rathburn and Macnab have postulated overtime causes tendon degeneration (15). Couple the The common threads of successful technique revolve wringing out of these muscles at the end of the stroke around the ability of the athlete to exploit his power. and the impingement at the beginning of the stroke This power is found in effective mechanics that and it is no wonder that the syndrome of swimmer’s emphasize the use of the shoulder adductors during shoulder has been reported to be very common the propulsive phase regardless of the stroke. Within among competitive swimmers. It is for these reasons these effective technique parameters are movements that a straight elbow recovery is fraught with danger. that are fraught with danger to the integrity of the World-class Crawl Stroke swimmers have been very shoulder. It is the understanding of these dangers that successful using straight elbow recovery techniques, will allow for adjustments to individual techniques but so have others been successful using a bent elbow and continued exploration of the potential of human recovery. The true key to propulsive success is in the swimming. The future of swimming technique has completion of shoulder adduction that allows for a been exposed in the recent performances that have free-swinging and inertial recovery regardless of the broken the mould. The limits of performance have position of the elbows during non-propulsive phases. been moved into new territory and the exposure of The risk of a straight elbow recovery comes from the the principles involved will allow for more athletes to position in which the shoulder is subjected as experience the sweet spot of outstanding recovery continues as well as extending the time the performance. shoulder remains fully adducted at the finish of the propulsive phase. Selected Bibliography 1. Adams, Marshall E., Thoughts on the Crawl Stroke, Efficient Butterfly stroke recovery demands a straight Swimming Technique, 17-23 July/Sept 2000 elbow recovery because bending of the elbows 2. Carew, John, Distance Freestyle, American requires the shoulders to be lifted out of the water so Swimming Magazine, 10-13 Aug/Sept 1993 3. Counsilman, James E., The Complete Book of the hands can clear the water. Freestyle allows for Swimming, IDG Books Worldwide 1979 both a straight elbow and a bent elbow recovery due

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4. Counsilman, James E. and Counsilman, Brian E., The New Science of Swimming, Prentice Hall Publishing Company 1994 ASCTA COACHES & 5. Cureton, Thomas K. Jr, Factors Governing Success in Competitive Swimming, Spalding’s Intercollegiate TEACHERS Swimming Guide, 48-62, 1934; also, Swimming Pool Data and Reference Annual, 49-55, 1936 PLANNER/DIARY 6. Cureton, Thomas K, Jr., How to Teach Swimming and Diving, Association Press, 1934 $55 (inc. GST) + $12 7. Hannula, Dick, What’s New & What’s Not, The National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches P&H Association Journal, 15-17 November/December 1999 8. Johnson, Jeffrey E., Sim Franklin H., Scott, Steven G., Musculoskeletal Injuries in Competitive Swimmers, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 62:289-304 1987 9. Kendall, Henry O., Kendall, Florence P., Wadsworth, Gladys E., Muscles Testing and Function, Williams and Wilkins Company, 1971 10. Kennedy, John C. and Hawkins, R. J., Swimmer’s Shoulder, The Physician and Sports Medicine, Vol.2 No.4, April 1974 11. Kennedy, John C., Hawkins R. J. and Krissoff W. B. Orthopaedic Manifestations of swimming, The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol.6 No.6, 1978 12. Maglischo, Ernest W., Response To Speculation vs. Science, American Swimming, 12-17 Vol.1999 Issue 4, also 10-17 Vol.1999 Issue 5 13. Maglischo, Ernest W., Swimming Faster: a comprehensive guide to the science of swimming, Mayfield Publishing Company, 1982 14. Maglischo, Ernest W., Swimming Even Faster: a comprehensive Guide to the science of swimming, Mayfield Publishing Company, 1993 15. Rathburn, J.B., and Macnab, I., The Microvascular pattern of the Rotator Cuff, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 52:540-553 1970 16. Richardson, Allen B., Jobe, Frank W., and Collins, H. Royer, The shoulder in competitive swimming, The American Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol.8, No.3, Good quality coaching is a direct result of effective 1980 coaching and at ASCTA our priority is to develop the 17. Rushall, Brent S., Sprigings, Eric J., Holt, Larry E., tools to make coaching more enjoyable for coach and Cappaert, Jane M., Forces in Swimming – A Re- athlete alike. In our profession data collection is all- Evaluation of Current Status, Journal of Swimming important in ensuring the effectiveness of our Research, 6-30, 10-1993 coaching and hence the need for a tool such as the 18. Rushall, Brent S., How Champions Do It, Internet COACHES & TEACHERS PLANNER/DIARY. page www.rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/coachsci/swimming/champi The Planner comprises the following… on/table.htm 1. Coaching Hints 19. Silvia, Charles E., Manual and Lesson Plans for Basic 2. Daily Planner Diary – one day per page Swimming, Water Stunts, Life Saving, Springboard 3. Data Collection via Splits Time Sheets Diving, Skin and Scuba Diving, Privately Published 4. Personal Data by Author, Springfield Massachusetts 1970 5. Writing Pad 20. Smith, Charles J., and Reardon Edward, Springboard Diving Fundamentals, Springfield MA.: Springfield All of these components are replaced in time for the commencement of the new swimming year – May 1st College 1978 th 21. Sprigings, E.J., and Koehler, J.A., The Choice to April 30 . The casing itself has many useful between Bernoulli’s or Newton’s Model in predicting components for your Mobile Phone, Sunglasses, dynamic lift, International Journal of Sports and CD/Floppy Disks, Business Cards, etc., thereby Biomechanics, 235-245 6-1990 enabling coaches to carry everything they need in the one portfolio.

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flights. The in-flight entertainment was the flight attendant trying to demonstrate emergency procedures in a very confined a space. We had a stopover in Gove, which meant we started our descent as soon as we levelled out. We finally made it into Groote with Karen waiting for us in the local school bus to take us to our home for the next four days.

The accommodation was at the school home rec room. I was not sure how this would work as everyone fought for the best beds and sleeping bags. I did well securing the office with a swag and nice sleeping bags. Poor Jeremy and Megan were stuck with the Banana-in-Pyjamas sleeping bags … a little small … but they cuddled up to keep each other warm … how sweet. After we all settled in we THE CROC’S ON THE needed to get a good night’s sleep as we had a 6am calling to go fishing … legendary on Groote Eylandt. TOP OF OZ By Mark Davies At 5.30am we all arose to prepare for the fishing Head Coach Casuarina Swimming Club experience of a lifetime. We have heard all about the huge fish caught here and there was a competition The Casuarina Croc’s Swimming Club has returned between the gang to see who could catch the biggest from its latest adventure. First, we visited Queensland fish. So, down to the wharf to get on the way. We had to take on the Banana Benders, and then we tackled two boats … one for the boys and one for the girls, the best in the country at the Nationals in Sydney. which I got on because the girls were too weak to Now, we visit Groote Eylandt on the top of Australia pull up the anchor … pathetic. I now know why girls to spread the swimming bug. These were all great are bad luck on boats. trips, but this adventure trip to Groote was the best of them all. The boys started well, catching a Red Emperor in the first minutes of the expedition. Well-done Jeremy. Fishing, motorbike riding, jet skiing and a swimming That is when things started to go downhill ... the fish clinic were just part of the fun we had on this tropical were not biting today. Megan caught a fish just big hideaway. Groote Eylandt is a Gemco mining station enough for bait with the boys having a little better on the North East coastal region of the Northern luck with a couple of fair size catches. The girls Territory with a couple of thousand residents in a attacked the boys with the hoses, which was the only town built for the workers. Many of the families have battle they won that day. With the fish not biting, we lived there for 20-30 years. The swimming club has visited one of the lovely beaches so the girls could been set up to look after the kids in the town … collect some shells while the boys continued their Karen Siddle who has done fantastic job now looks it luck with the fish. after. We would like to thank Karen and the families who helped throughout the trip. We returned to Groote after an unsuccessful day but it was still a lot of fun … thanks to the guys for The trip started with getting a crew together to make taking the time to take the kids fishing. We cleaned the trip and run a clinic for the kids of Groote. The up and rested up for a session at the pool to meet the lucky swimmers form the Croc’s were Beth kids and start the clinic. We had over 50 swimmers Harbison, Michael McEwin, Kenny Bower, Jake turn up which was fantastic for the local swimming Chamberlain, Megan Wareham, Jackie Harbison and club. I had a talk to them before introducing the Sarah Henderson. Casuarina Croc’s who took them off with a Starts and Turns Practice Session. The Croc kids did a fantastic We set out late Thursday afternoon in a small plane job and the Groote kids loved every minute of it. with propellers, which seemed like it should have After two hours of training we again cleaned up and been in a museum. The plane was only about one and ventured to the local club for dinner … this was half-hours late … apparently not bad for Groote great. After a feast we retired to our home rec room

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so the kids could again organise their bedding which have been on a rest so these swims were quite tough turned into one large bed … all the swags and for them. sleeping bags became one. Parents do not be concerned … the kids were well behaved and nothing The day was a great success with the kids swimming untoward went on … as far as I could tell anyway. both 50m and 25m of all strokes as well as the Croc kids. There was a lot of fun during the day with the The next day was a big’n. We had the clinic going for kids mixing together chatting away and a lot of body three hours in the morning and three hours in the art painting going on. afternoon. This would really test the Croc coaches, as they have not coached before. However, they did a The swimmers had their PB times called out during fantastic job but got weary by the end of the day. The the day, which I thought was a great idea and the kids Groote kids really enjoyed the sessions and I think got a big buzz out of it. Once the carnival ended, we they learned a lot from the Croc kids. It is a valuable had a few hours rest before the big Presentation experience for swimmers to be involved in a clinic as Dinner. coaches; they learn a lot themselves when coaching other kids. We decided to have a go on the Jet Skis kindly supplied by Mrs Clark. This tested the driving and I think all coaches should give their senior swimmers screaming skills of the Croc kids. the opportunity to do some coaching … it is an invaluable experience. Too many coaches or parents The Jet Ski adventures started calmly until the do not trust or believe enough in their kids to put screaming couple of Sarah and Beth hit the water and them in such a responsible position but I think it is a their screams could be heard in Darwin. However, great learning and character building experience. they arrived back safely with big smiles on their How else can they learn if they are not given the faces. Once again Jeremy, Megan and Michael chance to do things? Even if you make mistakes you showed great skill on the ski and, unlike last year, still learn so give them a go … trust and belief are they stayed on the Jet Ski most of the time. Jake had things we need to teach. the ride of the day with some impressive twists and turns until he came off in the end. Once again thanks We again ventured to the local sports club for another to Cindy and her Mum for letting us use their Jet Ski fine meal. The guys were tired so we got a video to for the afternoon. relax with at our own little recreation room. Beth made a fine selection of video. We also had a go at After returning again to our lovely home we had to motorbike riding. One of the Groote kids kindly shower and change … always a tough assignment offered the boys (the girls were too scared) a go on with four girls and four boys. We also had to organise their smallish motorbike, which we all tried and had a our Awards for the little Groote swimmers. lot of fun with, except for Jeremy who discovered riding a bike up a tree is quite difficult. The guys The Croc coaches had to select swimmers from their were also dissatisfied with their fishing effort so tried groups to give the awards. They have to get up in their luck at the wharf. They almost caught a 3.5m front of a crowed of over 100 people and talk about shark, which unluckily broke the line as it was being the kids which is very intimidating for someone who brought up to the wharf, bad luck men. Jake swears has not done it before. However, the kids handled it this is a true story but some people have their doubts. like true professionals.

The next morning we all enjoyed well deserved We also showed a video we made of the clinic that sleep-in as the Groote Carnival was set for today. We everyone enjoyed and got a good laugh from made it to the pool at around 9am. Karen and the everyone. Groote families were hard at it preparing the pool for competition. The carnival is the end of the clinic for Megan put on a one-woman comedy routine as a rock the weekend and it is a chance for the kids to show star and her own version of the Blair Witch Project. off their new skills and to reward themselves for their The kids loved seeing themselves on the screen. hard efforts throughout the season with their coach Karen. The kids would swim all 50m events then it The Croc swimmers also had to do the signing of the was the Croc kids turn and this was very popular for autographs. It proved so popular we had to set up the Groote kids to see their newfound heroes tables for them to be able to sign their autographs, swimming up and down their pool. The Croc kids

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which took a long time. This was also a good buzz for the kids to receive this sort of attention. SHORT MEDLEY (SM) CONCEPT The final duty of the night was the photo session with all the kids and families. All the attention of SWIMMING autograph and photos from the Groote kids was well deserved and it was good fun. Kenny was a big hit DEVELOPMENT with the young girls wanting many photos that will By Shev Gul – London probably end up on the walls at the kids homes. ASCA, FISTC(CC)

We were flying back to Darwin early the next OBJECTIVE morning so we had to say our sad farewells to all the Groote kids. Introducing a new swimming training and competition category to our sport. I am sure we will get to see these kids in Darwin competing against other kids from the Northern A. Short Medley (SM) – LA category – FC/BC Territory. I was very impressed with the talent and B. Short Medley (SM) – SA category – FLY/BS enthusiasm of these kids. As they say, talent is everywhere; it just needs the opportunity to show Events swum as LA and SA stroke pairs in 25/25, itself. 50/50*, 100/100, 200/200 distances. (*) See the below considerations for the 50/50 energy delivery Well, it has been another successful clinic on Groote system. Eylandt. This was our third clinic and after last year’s huge success, I was concerned that we might not be These new swimming events would bring some fresh able to keep up the high expectations. However, I excitement to our sport and new challenges for the would have to say this was the best clinic yet. competitive athletes. By incorporating more drills and practices with the emphasis on the similar axis We took some new faces over and they did a fantastic stroke grouping (FC/BC-LA, FLY/BS-SA) teaching job. To the new faces in Beth, Jackie, Sarah and Jake stroke technique process would be made more … thanks for a fantastic effort and for making the streamlined, more focused, axis specific, accelerated camp so much fun for the Groote kids. To the old- learning, naturally progressive and more correctly timers in Megan, Michael, Jeremy and Kenny … taught. thanks again for your effort and support over the long weekend. In addition, the muscle memory ingraining and co- ordination transfer would flow naturally from one Special thanks to the Groote Coach, Karen Siddle stroke to the next (these areas well covered at ASCA who works tirelessly for the kids and has great World Clinics 1999 and 2000). support from the close-knit community. There is certainly a message there for bigger clubs In order to provide the above benefits to our with the support and enthusiasm the Groote swimmers, coaches could consider the following community has for the swimming club. They points (as suggested by T. Laughlin in response to continually help each other for the best interest for my article SG/07/01). the club … not what is best for individuals that can sometimes not the best thing for the club or the sport. a) Teach drills so that common – axis strokes Thanks for everyone involved – especially to the compliment each other. Croc’s who will be back in training and ready to take b) Give more sets in which swimmers alternate on the best for the NT and anywhere else. FC/BC in the same set and FLY/BS in the All the best to all clubs around the country. same set. Remember, swimming should be an adventure in life … not just in the pool. c) Have informal team trials or district competitions offering short medley (SM) Beware of the Croc’s … events in these distances.

they will be after you soon!

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A national and international postal competition in the BOOK REVIEW BY PETER RUDDOCK short medley events would be an attractive proposition to be considered.

Can you imagine how exciting and challenging it Breakthrough would be if a competitive swim meet was based Swimming by mainly around short medley, standard IM and relay medley events? I personally think that medley Cecil Colwin exclusive swim meets would contribute a great deal Published by Human to the development of our sport. Kinetics

SHORT MEDLEY (SM)

Summary of training/swimming development benefits and tri- energy system considerations: This is another great book written by Cecil Colwin. He has now written a number of most useful books. Age Group swimmers’ training based around the common-axis strokes approach will speed up the In this very comprehensive book there are correct stroke technique acquisition process. Short informative articles on technique and training that are medley (SM) events can contribute a great deal to most useful for coaches be they novice or that process. Also, SM categories can be used to experienced coaches. enhance 10-14 year olds Age Group training programs by including it as a substitute to 100m Some of the areas covered are the history of sprint events. At this distance, the three energy swimming and the modern way swimmers like systems (ATP, anaerobic and aerobic) overlap. In the Thorpe train while Dr David Pyne contributes a most 10-14 age group the anaerobic component of the informative chapter. energy delivery system is not yet fully developed. Therefore, there is really no logic in our coaches Among the chapters are… continuously trying to over stress and over stretch to its extreme limits an energy system, which is still in • Strokes, starts and turns its biological development phase. • Hydrodynamics

• Propulsive mechanics of speed swimming By delaying the use of 100m events for 10-14 year • Principles of modern training olds, we may even hit the gold! … i.e. by finding a partial answer to the early burning syndrome • Physiological research and application doping associated with our sport. For example, the tri-energy and testing system training associated with 100m events can be Colwin explains some very useful drills to teach the replaced with 25/25 FC/BC, 25/25 FLY/BS, the SM common- axis stroke events. 100/100 and 200/200 feel of water. are other aerobic based SM combinations. The 50/50 SM event (100m event) can still be used (with short After reading the book one can see why Australia has so many world class swimmers – we have been doing intervals between each 50) instead of 100m in sprint what the book talks about and many examples training. throughout the book refer to the Australian way of

I would like to thank J. Leonard and T. Laughlin for swimming and the top Australian coaches such as responding to my original proposal on the short Forbes Carlile. medley concept and for encouraging me to Even after reading Colwin’s other books one can summarise my thoughts with this article. I look learn new ideas from this book. forward to hear ASCA members/coaches valued opinions and their help to fine-tune the above covered short medley concept so that our swimmers This is a book all coaches should and our sport can benefit fully. have in their library.

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FINA has improved to such an extent, partly because of extensive lobbying by ASCTA Executive Director WSCA NEWSLETTER Michael Ursu, that its President, Mustapha Larfaoui, WORLD SWIMMING COACHES initiated a Coaches Commission to advise him in all ASSOCIATION matters concerning Coaches and Teachers of the aquatic sports. Former WSCA Presidents Peter Daland and Alan Thompson have been appointed to lead the commission respectively as Chairman and Secretary. The first positive change has been the improvement of the seating for coaches at all FINA events; Now 8 to 16 coaches may sit at prominent deck level positions during the competition. The 1st Floor, 461 Olive Street, Albury NSW 2640 commission has initiated talks on a World Wide Phone: (02) 6041 6077 – Fax: (02) 6041 4282 Educational System for Swimming Teachers and E-mail: [email protected] Coaches; however in this field we have to come to a greater consensus between existing courses in the The following was reproduced from WSCA various parts of the world. In future we have to see to Newsletter Vol.02 Issue 1 it that the problem of Performance Enhancing Drugs STATEMENT BY WSCA in Aquatic sports, generally, and in swimming, particularly, is not only dealt with through Anti- PRESIDENT NIELS E. BOUWS Doping Tests and Law and Order measures, but also through education (of children and young After the World Championship 2001 in Fukuoka athletes) in clubs and schools, as is already practiced the tenure of my predecessor Alan Thompson from in a few nations around the world. Australia came to an end, and after the new Board of WSCA’s watch dogs, with ASCA Executive Directors was elected, I was selected as your new Director John Leonard in the forefront, have to president for the four years until the end of 2005. remain watchful and bark loudly, if necessary, but – During the next few years I intend to lead WSCA in my opinion – WSCA also has to cooperate with to greater acceptance in the world of swimming, local and regional swimming organisations, FINA particularly in those countries, that are not part of the, and IOC, as equal partners, in finding alternate momentarily dominant, international Anglo-Saxon solutions to problems through increased research and communities. This will not be an easy task, as we improved testing of athletes in and out of know from the difficulties the European Community competition. continues to have with the many languages and GOLD MEDAL CLINIC 2004/5. WSCA will socio-economic differences. However I am continue to organise this successful clinic. The Board convinced, that if we sincerely cooperate, WSCA can of Directors will have to decide, during the second assist in uplifting the standing of our profession in the half of 2002, which WSCA Member Coaches worldwide swimming community. Organisation will get the honour of organising this We will continue on the path taken during Alan major WSCA event. The time of year the clinic will Thompson’s leadership of WSCA: take place depends mainly on the preference of the THREE HEMISPHERES … The WSCA Board Gold Organising Committee. of Directors decided, for practical reasons, to divide MEMBERSHIP DRIVE. During the coming two the world of swimming into three Hemispheres… years WSCA Member Organisations in all three North and South America, under guidance of the hemispheres, but particularly in Europe and Africa, American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA), should support a concerted membership drive for Oceania and Asia, under guidance of the Australian Individual and Coaches Organisation Membership. Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association Particularly in Europe we will have to tackle this (ASCTA) and Europe and Africa, which will be project, as there is momentarily no fund and no guided towards a more homogeneous structure by a working organisation. Depending on the outcome of committee of representatives from various WSCA the membership drive, we will know if WSCA- member countries, initially from Europe, under my Europe has a reason to exist here. chairmanship. EUROPE. Independent coaches organisations are FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE not commonplace in Europe. In most countries, NATATION AMATEUR. Our relationship with particularly, but not only, in Eastern Europe, coaches

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are organised within their national federations and The following article appeared in American their education is in the hands of (semi) government Swimming Magazine Vol. 2001 Issue #5 organisations and/or the national federations. Within the European Union, education, in general, has been coordinated, which means that also the standards of coaches’ educations and certification ““KKeeyyss ttoo SSuucccceessss”” have been laid down at the highest European governmental level. The Ligue Europeenne de Natation (LEN) plays a minor role, organising successful Coaches Clinics at major LEN Championships. WSCA-Europe intends to cooperate with LEN, national swimming federations and coaches’ New England ASCA Clinic – May 5, 2001 organisations to influence (informal) coaches’ By Laura Matusack education. A start will be made with an International Swimming Coaches Clinic in Warendorf/GER from Summary Essay September 13 to 15, 2002. Thanks to the hard work of Guy Edson and Amy AFRICA. In Africa, Swimming Coaches Paratto, New England Swimming hosted a fantastic weekend of ASCA Clinics and Coaches’ Education. Organisations are, with a few exceptions, e.g. South- The highlight of the weekend was the “Keys to Africa, nonexistent. WSCA-Europe will have to go Success” program. As part of this program, four into this matter, after a base is established on its own coaches from the New England LSC and the Maine continent. LSC spoke about the Sydney Olympians from their As you notice we, WSCA, have to do a lot of teams. The program was a very inspirational and work to indeed make ourselves into the worldwide educational one with all of the presenting coaches organisation we set out to be. sharing their honest thoughts and ideas. Each coach brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the group and openly discussed their coaching The following article was reproduced from WSCA philosophies and opinions. What a wonderful idea Newsletter, Vol.02 Issue 2 and what a rewarding experience for all! Coach Mike Paratto, who is the Head Coach of Seacoast Swimming Association and who coached WSCA MEETING AT EUROPEAN , spoke first. Mr Paratto was very CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BERLIN professional and organised in his presentation. He showed this same level of planning and preparation WSCA President Niels Bouws has announced a in his coaching of Jenny Thompson. Throughout WSCA meeting at the Ruopean Championships in Jenny Thompson’s career at Seacoast Swimming Berlin on Sunday, July 28 at 2pm. Association, Mr Paratto maintained a focus on the big picture of competitive swimming and Ms At this meeting there will be an official transfer of Thompson’s competitive career. He knew Ms responsibility from Michael Ursu of Australia, who Thompson’s strengths, weaknesses, preferences, and has served as General Secretary for the past four talents. Additionally, he knew what motivated her to years, to Klaus-Jurgen Ohk, the designated Honorary race and what kinds of racing and training were best General Secretary of WSCW-Europe. for her at different points in her career and her season. He did not get caught up in the frenzy when

Ms Thompson qualified for Nationals at the age of In addition, a general WSCA-Europe meeting for 12. He maintained balance, focus and perspective all European coaches will be held on Friday, July 26 throughout her development and always stressed the at 2pm, also at the competition venue. value of swimming versatility. Most importantly, Mr Paratto acknowledged how lucky he felt to have All European Coaches are asked to attend this coached Jenny Thompson, saying that she had meeting where a variety of topics of importance to taught him a great deal about coaching. WSCA and Coaching in Europe will be discussed. Coach Don Lemieux, the Head Coach of Greenwood Memorial High School and the coach of , spoke next. Mr Lemieux was very straightforward and honest about his coaching style and training approach. I appreciate his

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philosophy that only commitment and excellence Mike Paratto – Head Coach Seacoast should be rewarded. Most impressive was Mr Lemieux’s very thoughtful and unique seasonal plan Swimming Association in New for Samantha Arsenault. His progressive and Hampshire, coached Jenny Thompson periodic training plan promoted change and fun in training. Of particular note were the very challenging weight programs and the emphasis on • State the obvious – Jenny is a sprinter. overall fitness, strength and fun in training. It is • Jenny is so good that even I could not mess her clear that Ms Arsenault was well prepared for up. success thanks to Mr Lemieux’s creative and • Mr Paratto coached Jenny from age 12 to 18. confidence-building training. • Established coaching goals for her and her Coach Sharon Power is the Head Coach of the training. Portland Porpoise Swim Team and the coach of Ian • Jenny came from a place where training was Crocker. Ms Power explained her extensive goal not a priority. setting sessions with her individual athletes, their • Jenny loved to have fun and be with her parents and the team as a whole. Clearly, Ms Power friends. makes a great effort to know all of her athletes very • Jenny needed a lot of work on stroke technique well and to give them great ownership in their swimming and the team. I was very impressed with and turns. her interpersonal focus with her team. Most • Jenny did regular goal cards. impressive, though, is the amount of hard work that • Jenny at age 12, qualified for Nationals. she put into getting to his personal best. • Stroke technique was the priority. Her commitment to the team and to excellence • Aerobic sets were emphasised. shows. • Do aerobic sets before any speed work. Coach Josh Stern, the Head Coach for Ocean • Use the aerobic training so that swimmers State Squid and the coach of finished the can develop into any events. individual coach talks. Mr Stern was passionate • Aerobic sets were difficult for Jenny at about his coaching, his team and his training first. philosophy. Mr Stern promoted an educational approach to coaching and said that coaches should • Jenny had to learn how to race all events. teach their swimmers about the sport. He stressed • Jenny raced and trained for all events, the values of attitude and effort as primary on his especially early in the season. team. With Mr Vendt and all of his swimmers, his • This type of training made her tougher at focus has always been on the attitude with which one the end of the season. approaches swimming and the effort with which one • Dryland training was a big part of Jenny’s works toward their swimming goals. He stressed that training. the focus should be away from the time. Rather, a • Almost out of necessity because of a lack of positive mind-set and a strong work ethic should be pool availability. valued well above fast times. Mr Stern’s enthusiastic • Running and circuit training. message certainly resonates. Coaches who adopt and • Daily, seasonal and long-term goals. foster this philosophy can have a great impact in developing people who can achieve excellence in life. • Maximum of 7,000 yards per practice until the It also begs the question … “If all athletes were age of 13. rewarded for true excellence, a positive attitude and • Trained with seniors, but competed with age a strong work ethic, would we have any problems group until 15. with doping and cheating in our sport?” • Jenny liked winning. The “Keys to Success” program ended with a • Mr Paratto avoided putting her in the 50 wonderful round table discussion moderated by and 100 Freestyle events in the early Coach Tim Murphy of Harvard University. This season, even though Jenny did not like round table discussion really helped create an open, skipping those races. honest, comfortable and fun atmosphere for all. The • Jenny had other girls her age training with her discussion was invaluable in establishing new in the senior group, which was really important connections for the New England coaches. Again, for her development. another fabulous educational experience has been • Jenny had older supportive teammates. fostered by ASCA and its member coaches. • She was well liked on the team. • Mr Paratto had meetings with the older swimmers to help them be more supportive.

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• Jenny ages 12-14. • At age 19, Jenny set a world record in the 50 • Training games and having fun were still Freestyle. important to Jenny. • Training Sets. • Triathlons • Sprint Sets • Relays • 8x10 from the blocks. • She found a way to have fun. • Do it exactly like at a Meet. • 2-2½ hour dryland sessions. • Breathing pattern. • Mr Paratto started the season with just • Goal time. dryland, even when it was not a necessity. • Did not count if not exactly like at a • Tubing, medicine ball, running and circuit Meet. training. • Jenny invariably missed the first one. Mr • No heavy weights. Paratto enjoyed the banter between • At age 14, Jenny did double practice three coach and swimmer that followed the times per week. missed swim. • 1-hour morning practice on Tuesday and • Short low rest sets. Thursday. • 3x 100 Freestyle @ 1:00 • Longer practices on Saturday. 2x50 Butterfly @ :40 • Gradual increase in Jenny’s volume in high 100 IM @ 1:10 school. 2x50 Backstroke @ :40 • The summer of 1991, before Jenny left for 100 Freestyle @ 1:00 Stanford, was her highest volume and best • Tight intervals. training period. • Done as correctly and as fast as possible. • Mr Paratto believes that that summer’s training • Motivation. had long-term carry over. • Poster of Dara Torres on which Mr Paratto • Competitions. wrote “Beat me if you can”. • Jenny qualified for Nationals in the 50 • After age 14, Jenny did not need outside Freestyle at her first Junior National Meet at motivation to train. the age of 12. • Competition was her motivation. • Jenny did not swim at Nationals until she was • Dual Meet with Grace Cornelious’ team. 14. • Jenny really focused on goals and • At age 13, Mr Paratto told Jenny that she had competitions. to make three events in order to attend Junior • At first, “Rookie Award” at Nationals and Nationals. the National Team Trip. • She made the 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle • Now, the money awards keep her and 100 Backstroke. motivated. • At age 14, Mr Paratto told Jenny that she had • Under the age of 14, Jenny was like all the rest to make the 200 Freestyle to attend Junior of the age groupers. Nationals – and she did. • Stopping all the time. • Mr Paratto’s fear was that Jenny would view • Pushing off the bottom. herself as just a sprinter. • Jenny likes to win and hates to lose. • Twice a week, she did race-pace training. • After the age of 14, she understood the • Tuesdays and Thursdays were volume days. connection between training and racing • Monday was a moderate day. well and Mr Paratto never had a problem • Friday was a technique, pull and kick day. getting her to train. • Saturday was volume in the morning and Questions racing in the afternoon. 1. Don Lemieux – “How did you deal with • At age 14, Jenny qualified for her first Jenny’s swimming progression once she international meet. entered college?” • At age 16, Jenny won Nationals. During the first year, Mr Paratto got a call from the • Jenny never set a National Age Group Record coach and from Jenny every week. After Olympic and Mr Paratto never emphasised National Top Trials, there was less communication. Jenny 16 Rankings. represented Seacoast for her first two years in college and then represented Stanford for her last two years

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in college. Mr Paratto was happy to see her having Sharon Power – Head Coach of Portland fun with her teammates, having a lot of success in the sport and receiving more support for her swimming. Porpoise in Maine, Coached Ian Crocker In the summer of 1995, Mr Paratto coached an • Ms Power coached in Canada, Australia, and altitude camp with some Stanford, UCLA and the United States. Seacoast swimmers. Jenny did a lot of yardage at the • She is maximising her situation in Maine. camp. Mr Paratto believes that aerobic training is • Ms Power says, do not be afraid to ask for help. good preparation for a sprinter. Mr Paratto gave little • She has had other coaches talk to Ian. suggestions such as these to Jenny and her college • She owes her success to lots of people. coach. He also gave her coach little ideas about • Ian has his own strength trainer. technique and race strategy. The only time that Mr • Core body strengthening. Paratto was really direct with the advice that he gave • Ian started training in the gym at age 16. Jenny’s college coach was after she broke her arm • Range of motion training, timing, and light and did mostly kick training all summer. He told weights. Richard Quick to convince Jenny to train high • No heavy weight training. yardage at the beginning of the season because she lost the summer of training. She did it and she called • Ian sees a massage therapist about once a week Mr Paratto to ask him what he told Mr Quick about for knots and tight muscles. her training! Mr Paratto acknowledged that it is hard • Ian was not put on a pedestal when he had to give the college coach your suggestions. He often early success. His second time at Junior phrased his comments to Jenny and Mr Quick as Nationals he won the 200 Free and qualified for such: “This is what we did…” so as not to confuse Seniors. anyone in terms of his intentions. • Ms Power’s philosophy. 2. Did Jenny ever suffer any major injuries? • She always told Ian that he could do it and that No. Mr Paratto believes that she avoided injury it just depended on where he put his focus. partially because of her dryland program of core • All of the focus should be on learning and bodywork, tat work, and tubing. In addition, he said improving until you make the finals at the that Jenny did not fall apart in training, she Olympics. occasionally had knots in her back that were easily • Ms Power never cared if Ian won a race; she rubbed out in a matter of minutes. She never missed always emphasised technique over winning. sets and gave grief to those who did. She was also • Ms Power gave Ian small rewards, like going blessed with great male teammates who told others to out to dinner after winning Junior Nationals. “Finish the set, I did.” Jenny’s success is due to a • Ian was great with the younger kids on the combined team effort. team. 3. Coach Tim Murphy commented on the club • Ms Power believes that no one is larger than coach to college coach communication. the team. He said that there is a communication gap between • At the same time, the coach does have to the coaches. There are the gaps of space, time, pride, look after the individual needs of the and different agendas. In an ideal world, the college swimmers. coach calls the club coach. If the college coach does not call, do not be afraid to call the college coach and • USA Swimming gave Ian and Ms Power tell him the way that you trained and raced the money before Olympic Trials for extra pool athlete. It is important to establish and develop the times and meet travel. They really needed it. relationships. It is a difficult bridge to gap on both • Technique, technique, technique. sides. Mr Murphy has all of his first-year swimmers • Strokes and racing skills. write a letter to their club coach. Mr Murphy was also • Ian did not do a lot of yardage; he never did impressed with Mr Paratto’s coaching of Jenny. He garbage yardage. recognised that he had a special kid with special • Early on, Ian trained for the 1650 and the 400 needs and he planned and prepared for her IM. development. Mr Paratto was always two steps ahead • Every season, the goal was to race every of her progression. She was successful because of the event. sound foundation she received from Mr Paratto. • Ms Power focused on aerobic base in training. • Focus on the long-term.

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• Ian was a frustrated, sensitive and artsy • Ms Power says that we must be prepared to young man. He had a tough time when he take risks. was tired. • Try different things when you need to. • It was a challenge for Ms Power to get him • Confidence was a big issue with Ian. focused on pool efforts. • Ms Power had to build him up every day, all of • Mrs Crocker enabled Ian. the time. • Ms Power really worked to get his head in • Ian was a very high maintenance swimmer. the game. • Ms Power emphasised the need to choose the • At age 15, Ian was the youngest American male appropriate levels of competition for to go under 1:50 in the 200 Freestyle. swimmers. • Ian’s teammate, John Steele, really pushed him • Sometimes it is appropriate to win. in workouts. • Sometimes one learns more from not winning. • Ian was terrified when he made the Pan Pac • Always focus on the technique and the tactical Team. aspects of the sport. • He didn’t want to go because he was the • It was important to Ian to find out what was youngest male and he was afraid that no important to him. one would talk to him. • Muscle cars. • He came back from Pan Pac’s so psyched. • 70’s music. • At Trials, Ian became frustrated when he • Ms Power says that it is important to carefully didn’t make the 100 Freestyle. He looked up to define success. his New England buddies (Erik Vendt and • Learn about yourself. Samantha Arsenault) who had already made the • Push yourself to the limit. team and became motivated to make it. • See what you can do. • Ms Power’s athlete education. • Focus on the BIG picture. • This is a very important part of her program. • Ian struggled to have fun. • “If you want to do this, then you have to...” • Ms Power sometimes had to let him go home • Ms Power does goal setting with every in the middle of workouts. swimmer. • It was hard for Ian to enjoy the challenge of • Dream goal, realistic goal, and live with training. goal. • Ms Power took Ian and her team to long course • Outline what you need to do to achieve training with other teams (SSA and others) and these goals. athletes because they have no long course pools • Athlete meeting with the coach followed by in Maine. an athlete, parent and coach meeting. • Test sets for the team every month. • Seasonal plan as a group based on the Meet • T-30 – goal to beat previous distance. Schedule. • Russian test for stroke efficiency. • Kids plan the season. • 170 maximum heat rate. • Kids buy into the program this way. • Time + stroke count = Russian number. • Mental Prep one hour per week. • Keep beating your Russian number. • What’s happening this week on the team? • 10x50 @ 1:30 • “Bitch session” and team goals discussion. • Lactate tolerance 10x50 @ 3:00 ALL out! • Relaxation and visualisation. • Sprints and turns test. • Brainstorming on four key components: • Time turns. technical, tactical, physical and mental. • Time starts. • Team picks the 12 most important goals. • 25 sprints. • Self-evaluation. • 75 sprints, time + stroke count. • Pre-meet race plan cards written up. Ms • Hand and foot touch on wall for Butterfly Power brings their cards to the meet for pre and Breaststroke. and post race discussions. • Challenge 100’s to fail 1:30, 1:29, 1:28, • Put the swimmers in the driver’s seat. • Ian is a super individual.

• Parent education is also a big part of Ms. Coach Tim Murphy praised Ms Power for her Power’s coaching plan. willingness to try different things. • It is not always easy.

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Coach Don Lemieux – Head Coach of • As soon as one can lift the weight for 15 reps without rest, then weight needs to be Greenwood Memorial Swim Club, MA, added. coached Samantha Arsenault • Great way to make strength gains. • Samantha is a unique person and he designed a • This training incorporates 100% of the plan especially for her. muscle fibres. • He trained her for the 200 Freestyle. • Beyond failure – often brought Samantha to • Mr Lemieux wanted to know “What did tears. Samantha need to do to become a world-class • 80 reps with heavy weight for warm-up. swimmer?” • 8 reps that were just killing her. • Once Samantha went 2:02 in the 200 Freestyle, • 8 more reps with assistance. he knew she was on her way to becoming a • Drop the weight and do 8 unassisted reps. world-class swimmer. • 8 more reps with assistance. • Samantha is easily bored in training. • And so on. • She hated 100x100 or 3000 for time. • Samantha loved the atmosphere of the hard- • She does 10x300 instead. core gym. • Mr Lemieux set up periodic training changes. • Circuit training. • Progressive Training. • Stretching was very important. • Mr Lemieux wanted Samantha to continually • Vicious dryland. get better over the entire year. • Nutrition. • He wanted her to get better in every aspect of • High protein – tuna fish from the can, protein the sport. powders. • Mr Lemieux coached Samantha from 14½ • Samantha really planned her daily eating. years old on. • Mr Lemieux never knew Samantha to cheat on • Mr Lemieux determined that Samantha’s her diet. fitness level needed to be improved. • Low fat – chicken, fish, turkey, and no red • To be at the top level in swimming, one must meat because she didn’t like it. have low body fat. • After high school graduation, Samantha • Mr Lemieux used a lot of weight lifting and thought about staying home for the year with circuit training with Samantha. Mr Lemieux to train for the Olympic Trials • Samantha had great technique on one side of rather than attend the University of Michigan. her body, so her overall technique needed to be • Mr Lemieux and Samantha went to dinner to improved. discuss her plans. • She spent at least 20 minutes a day on • He showed her the training plan he had technique. developed for her for the year. • Mr Lemieux with the help of USA Swimming • He gave her the option of doing his training monitored Samantha’s progress in land power plan or going to college. and water power. • There was some discussion and minor • Therefore, he was able to adjust her training as changes. needed. • He insisted that she agree 100% with the • Samantha has 98% swimming efficiency. plan or he would not train her. • Her kick alone and pull alone were not as • She agreed. efficient and needed improvement. • Olympic Trials Training. • Mentally, Mr. Lemieux wanted Samantha to • No long course training, because no long believe that she was the BEST! course pool. • If she did not believe it, she might as well get • Weeks 1 & 2. out. • 10-yard sprints. • Weights and Dryland Training. • Short speed. • Rest/Pause. • Starts. • Lifting maximum weight for 7 reps, rest, 5 • Technique. reps, rest, 3 reps. • Wall drill – hip rotation training followed by 25-yard perfect Freestyle. • Balance drills.

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• Low stress level. • Mr Lemieux was not impressed with the • Everything done perfectly. Olympic Training Camp as a whole. • Beyond failure training four times per • Although was terrific and week. really communicated well with Mr • Weeks 3 & 4. Lemieux. • Strength and power swimming. • Mr Lemieux wanted Samantha to learn to • She loved it. take care of herself. • Pulling bricks and buckets with low stroke • Her fitness level dropped at the camp. count and perfect technique. • She gained 6 pounds. • Pulling with paddles. • Her food choices were not good. • Circuit training to increase the heart rate. • When Samantha went 1:59 at Olympic Trials, • Weeks 5, 6, 7. she was not at her peak fitness level but she did • Increase the aerobic endurance. split well and had good stroke rate. • 5x500 @ 5:30 (Samantha’s best was 4:52). • When Samantha swam the 200 at Olympic • Samantha hated racing yards. Trials in the finals, she got caught up in the • Weeks 8 & 9. moment and did not swim her best. • 2x50 @ 1:30 (holding around 23). • She learned from the experience. • 2x50 @ 1:00 (holding around 23). • Mr Lemieux felt sick when she touched the wall at finals, because he knew she did not • 2x50 @ :50 (holding around 24). swim the way they had planned for her to • All from a dive. swim. • Weights were more maintenance. • Her job after Trials was to show her Week 10. • teammates and the world that she was the • Rest week. top 200 Freestyler. • Samantha really needed the rest. • Samantha idolised Jenny Thompson. It was a • Repeated this cycle three times. great joy for her to be on Jenny’s relay. • After the third round, Mr Lemieux felt that • Samantha really raced for the team at the it was time for a change. Olympics. • He was getting bored with the cycle. Questions • He felt that Samantha was ready for a 1. What percentage of fats, proteins, etc., did change. Samantha eat? • Mr Lemieux really feels that coaching is Mr Lemieux said he never figured out the more artistic. percentages. He feels that every body is different. Mr • Mr Lemieux understands the science but Lemieux can often tell what his swimmers need to do does not coach to the science. and eat based on their strength, how they are feeling, • Mr Lemieux charted and monitored her and their body composition. It is more of an art. progress. • Mr Lemieux documented all of the time that Coach Josh Stern – Head Coach of she did in the workouts. Ocean State Squid in Rhode Island, • Taper – whatever that is! coached Erik Vendt • Mr Lemieux trains his swimmers to have a • Mr Stern coached Erik from ages 11 to 18. work ethic and to race against anyone at anytime. • Erik is very talented. • Olympic Trials. • When Erik was younger, he was developed along the way so that he was successful but not • Sometimes things don’t turn out the way you limited to certain events. want them to. • Mr Stern believes that in training it is • Samantha did not swim as fast as she could or important not to set any limits or standards for should have. racing. • Samantha did not split her swim well in the • When swimmers are young, it is easy to Finals at the Olympic Trials. imagine their endless potential. • She went out way too fast and died. • As swimmers get older, reality sets in with • Olympic Training Camp. training, personal development, and physical development.

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• Mr Stern never set times as a measure of • Trained to race the 3,000 Freestyle and the success. 8,000 IM while focusing on main events. • Used time goals in training. • Mr Stern did not know what Erik was going to • Mr. Stern believes that it is important not to be good at. limit swimmers with times, especially times • USA Swimming and we coaches are too that may potentially never happen. worried with the number one talents and we • Mr Stern stresses ATTITUDE and EFFORT are screwing the No.2 and No.3 talents. with his entire team. • Look for examples of people who exemplify • If coaches only focus on time, only the fastest greatness. kids will get respect. • Those who are not extremely talented yet • We must educate our kids that if someone is are exceeding expectations. working hard in a set, then they deserve • Let kids know what great swimmers are going respect. to be great. Remind them of when they were • Commitment and dedication should be not so great and what they did to become great. encouraged. • The goal in USA Swimming of “building the • Mr Stern educates his swimmers about what it base” seems to be against the other goals of takes to move a human body through a body of USA Swimming. water. • It would be fine to have half the number of • It is important to teach swimmers to be experts swimmers, as long as they work hard. at swimming. • During the ages of 12 through 14 there is a • Be a hard-core artist. huge period of learning how to approach • Be as efficient as possible. training, swimming, and whatever one is doing • Mr Stern encourages teammates to make other in life. teammates responsible for their own effort. • Teach attitude. • Attack poor effort. • Train with passion. • Attack poor technique. • Use technique with passion. • Mr Stern sets a high level of expectation for his • Aerobic training. swimmers. • 8, 9, 10, 11 year old swimmers need aerobic • Work ethic. training. • Physical training. • Create a structured aerobic program. • Technical training. • Force proper technique. • Erik never did a set in practice that was • Mr Stern stays very informed about the latest amazingly fast until after he won nationals. stroke technique. • Developmental focus should be on training • Learning, reading and studying every day and hard with great technique. at every Meet. • Do not cut corners on either. • The New England coaches have been very • Communication. helpful to one another. • Mr Stern believes that he is generally positive • Be efficient! in his communications with his kids. • Erik is a very aggressive competitor. • The Ocean State Squids Team environment is • Erik is friendly and confident. a positive one. • He doesn’t like cocky or arrogant behaviour. • The practices are positive. • Erik needed to race against people faster than • There is no such thing as TRY. him for his long-term mental focus! • Try is an attempt to defend a poor effort. • Know your athletes! • Try is an attempt to deny failure. • When they need sets in which they fail or • Failure is ok as long as one doesn’t make succeed. When they need to swim tired or race excuses. tired. • Fights are good, conflict is good. • Plan the Meet Schedule. • It is ok to create conflict. At least parents will • When they need to race more events or fewer react to their kids and talk to the coach. events at a Meet. • Conflict is a healthy way to create an avenue • Mr Stern wanted Erik to feel invincible. of discussion. • He wanted Erik to keep his mentality. • Training. • Attitude and effort!

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• Time and winning are not as important as • Meet the challenge of the unexpected. attitude and effort. • Mr Lemieux said that taking his swimmers to • Mr Stern believes that swimmers tend to Meets outside of New England was the best thing improve to the highest level of competition that for his team, though not great for New England they experience and then just look for little Swimming. improvements. Josh Stern feels that his responsibility as a coach is to • That is why they don’t make big improvements get kids to swim faster in college. at the elite level. • Therefore, his swimmers will be their fastest with • Coaches need to have more of a blinder on another coach. time and focus more on attitude and effort. • USA Swimming did not help Erik and Josh with • Coaches need to stay focused on the big this goal. They only wanted to put him on posters. picture and the larger frame of events. • Coaches must have a clear vision about the • In order to make improvements, one must do decisions that they are making for the swimmers. more or do things better than before. • USA Swimming does not raise the level of • Add something to the training. training to prepare swimmers for World • Look for ways to improve upon current Championships. position. • Coaches and swimmers need to find ways to • Squid Dryland Training. resolve conflict, make USA Swimming work for • Mr Stern believes that it is the hardest in the them, and not be restricted by the system. country. • Coaches must choose Meets that meet the needs • Circuit training (:40 seconds on :20 seconds of the swimmers. off up to 1:20 seconds on :15 seconds off). • USA Swimming does not make the best decisions • 1½ to 2 hours of dryland. for individuals. • Tubing. Ms Power explained the Maine mentality and the • Medicine ball. need for her to “coach outside of the box”. • Progressive progress. • High school swimming and Zones in Maine are • Erik was the best trainer in New England the most important things and get the most press. Swimming. • In New England Swimming, there is a shared • His goal was to be the toughest kid and the vision among a number of coaches about what to most aggressive trainer. do to get better at the sport of swimming. • His race plans were emotional and physical – • Ian raced every weekend last summer before the not time-oriented. Olympics because he needed the exposure and experience with Long Course pools. He needed to • Compete in weak events until they are not learn how to race in a Long Course pool in order weak any more. to race well in the Olympics. • Failure allows for the best learning experience. • Ian does not have the greatest work ethic. He is Questions not inspired to train. 1. Mr Lemieux asked what the difference was • Ian needed the Meets and the racing in order to between taking a swimmer to Nationals who get the intensity into his swimming. qualified only for the 1650 Freestyle as • Nate Stevens, someone Ian really respected, opposed to taking a swimmer to Nationals who came along for company. qualified only for the 50 Freestyle? • Ms Power and Ian had nothing to lose. Mr Stern responded that those choices are all • Ms Power said that she did it for Ian, but may individual and depend on the swimmer’s individual not do it for every swimmer. development. • Take a risk! Round Table Discussion Mr Paratto said that it is important to keep things Mr Lemieux noted that he does not choose to do a lot fresh. of Meets in the area. • New England Swimming is not going to do • He believes that the quantity of quality swimmers anything for the swimmers to make them better. in New England has decreased. • It would be great for New England Swimming to • He wants his swimmers to compete at the highest offer a National Qualifier Meet. level possible. • USA Swimming is also not going to do anything • Get up and race the top-level kids. for the swimmers to make them better. It is up to you!

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• Do what you can do to make the best of whatever to his training program every year. Mr Lemieux situation you are in. has a hard time with the kids who are not there for • USA Swimming will only offer you help when the same reasons that he is. He tries to let them your swimmer is at the National level. know that he is on their side in order to bring How do the coaches choose to work with the system them over to his way of seeing things. and without the system? A great athlete helps make a coach better. • Mr Stern said that Rhode Island has a very small Mr Murphy noted that said that town mentality and it is dangerous to focus on “Coaching is a series of questions and one’s success these small town values in terms of athletic in coaching is determined by the way in which one success. He chooses to educate the swimmers and answers those questions.” the parents as to what is really out there in terms Mr Lemieux said that he educates the parents by of swimming opportunities. spending 15-20 minutes per month at the Board • Ms Power explained that it is much the same in Meetings discussing one aspect of swimming. He Maine. takes suggestions for these topics. • Mr Lemieux said that in his area, the high school swimmers are looked at and praised as a TEAM. The following articles appeared in WSCA Newsletter By contrast, no one understands what Greenwood Volume 2001 Issue #8 Memorial Swim Club is. USA Swimming is very individualised. 2004 ASCA WORLD CLINIC & FINA WORLD • In Mr Lemieux’s programs, he insists that you SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS do something in order to earn a pat on the By Dale Neuburger back. • He believes that swimmers should go to the I know that 2004 sounds like it is pretty far off, Meet, race their best and enjoy it instead of but a unique opportunity awaits you that is worth receiving all sorts of awards and treats for thinking about and marking on your calendar. racing. In October 2004, through the joint efforts of How can we create a better system and mentality for ASCA and Indiana Sports Corporation, the annual all swimmers? ASCA World Clinic will take place in Indianapolis in • Mr Lemieux said we should stop giving so many conjunction with the FINA World Swimming awards at the lower level so that kids do not come Championships. I hope that you will begin to make to expect constant awards. plans – now – for this extraordinary chance to learn • Mr Stern reminded us that hard work as a way of from the best! life is not promoted. Kids really do like to work The World Swimming Championships have never hard, though, as long as they understand how and previously been held in the United States. We will why they need to work hard. construct a 25-metre pool within Conseco What is your greatest strength in challenging the Fieldhouse, home of the NBA Indiana Pacers, and we athletes and what do you need to work on? will put on a Meet different from anything ever • Mr Stern said that he has a hard time not getting conducted in this country, with an audience of involved with the kids who are “stinking” in 10,000-12,000 spectators in an “electric” atmosphere. workout. He is good at developing kids to swim at Additionally, because this event will occur just six the next level with the next coach. He is great at weeks after the conclusion of the Olympic Games in empowering the kids. Athens, we expect that most of the top athletes in the • Mr Paratto said that he likes the way he plans the world will compete. The most recent world season. He needs to work on not getting caught up championships (short course) were held in Athens in with the negative kids in practice. 2000, with 73 nations represented and 600 athletes. • Ms Power said that she also likes seasonal We expect that more than 100 federations will planning and is pleased with the way she educates compete in 2004. Clearly, the top coaches in the the swimmers and parents. Ms Power said her world will be in Indianapolis, coaching their athletes weakness is coaching girls. and available to form a most unique learning • Mr Lemieux said that he is great at getting the environment at the ASCA World Clinic. kids to believe in the training that he has planned I will work with ASCA volunteer and staff leaders for them. The downside of that is that when they to present an extraordinary package of benefits to go to college, they find out that there are other ASCA members. This will include giving coaches all ways to train. He tries to add something different of the great learning opportunities that the World

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Clinic always provides, plus ... outstanding tickets, will explore several of these answers and also give special social events, and interaction with age group some advice on how our team, the Santa Clara Swim and elite coaches from all over the world. The line-up Club, has managed to make both programs of speakers should be the best and most diverse ever, successfully co-exist. and the program will be tailored to make it a valuable In discussing issues of coaching with other experience for ASCA members at all levels. coaches, it has become an age-old adage that the Because we know that the headquarters hotel for worst problem we face daily is the swim team parent. ASCA and FINA will be more expensive than the After all, the most cherished thing is this world is a norm at the ASCA World Clinic – the rate will be child, therefore parents often act out of character $145.00 per night at the new downtown Marriott – I when it comes to their children’s needs and wants. So hope that you will begin to budget for a greater taking that adage a step further, if the worse thing is lodging expense than you will incur in 2003 or 2005. dealing with parents and their dreams for their I know you will find the experience worth it in every children … imagine dealing with parents themselves way. Most of us do not get a chance to see, in person, who are swimming and creating their own dreams. the best swimmers in the world compete, nor to have Just as a parent can be selfish when it comes to their the formal and informal learning experiences to child, now they get to be even more selfish when it interact with the best coaches in the world. This is a comes to them. A daunting fear that many coaches chance to do both simultaneously. see is how to handle the adult swimmer, when it For the rookie age group coach to those who comes time to talk about whether to run a masters coach Olympians, there is truly something for program or not. Often when I go to camps, clinics, or everyone and you will see and experience it first- meets and the subject of masters’ swimming comes hand. So, plan ahead! You will hear a lot more about up, I can see the cringe in the eyes of many of my this joint event in the coming months – the best clinic fellow coaches. But when I tell them about how in the world conducted concurrently with a world much the program at Santa Clara brings in each year championship in the United States – and how it can and how the potential for even more growth exists, be meaningful to all coaches. I hope you will be in their eyes widen and the questions come forth. Indianapolis for a great show, and I pledge to do Through a successful Master’s program, there is a everything we can to make it enjoyable and tremendous opportunity for financial success that can educational. benefit the swim club. Learning to coach the “grown up” is a small price to pay for the opportunity of THE MARRIAGE OF A SUCCESSFUL MASTERS financial success. I have mentioned those words twice, financial success, but to say that this concept is PROGRAM WITH A SWIM TEAM the only reason to develop Masters program would be By John Bitter to diminish what can truly be a special part of your overall curriculum. John Bitter is the Associate Head Coach of the Santa Clara Swim Club in Santa Clara, California. John has been When I came to Santa Clara Swim Club in 1995, coaching for 16 years at all Levels from college to age we offered an age group program, a senior program, group and has been instrumental in the development and and a small, but regularly attended masters’ program. growth of the Masters program at Santa Clara. John is a My first year at the club, the head coach Dick member of ASCA. Jochums added a learn-to swim program to the mix. The sport of fitness swimming or adult masters We now had a swim program that covered from swimming in this country has experienced toddler to adult, but the strategy about how to market tremendous growth over the last 10 years. Today it and make the entire team a success was the next there are over 38,000 registered adult masters’ step in our development as a club. Santa Clara had its swimmers (numbers from USMS information 2001) name, but in master’s swimming a name is not training, competing, and enjoying the benefits that always the reason to swim at a particular place. the sport of swimming has to offer. In certain parts of Master’s swimmers want a program where they feel the country the registered masters’ swimmers far wanted. They will go to a pool where they feel they outnumber those registered for United States can get a good workout (usually one with variety), a Swimming. Clubs in Texas, and across California, place were the coach to swimmer familiarity is high, are reaping financial profits that were unheard of in where there is a set workout schedule, and finally, previous years. So why would a club not seek out this where there are some social aspects to the pool and opportunity to add a masters program to their already lane structure. In the first two years at Santa Clara, existing curriculum? The answers to this question are our program was one that could best be described as often more complex than they appear. In this article, I disjointed and sparsely populated. To be exact, many

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of those early regulars bemoan to me that they wish established. Each of these plans has been established the old days were here, without the crowded lanes, as a way to attract the adult to try the program. even though they understand the need to grow. We Flexibility also means making sure you create the had no regular coach, the program had no real workout for the group in the water, not just run a structure, and the swimmers who were there came to generic workout to see how many laps they can do in swim because of the convenience the pool had to one hour. Adults understand what is going on; they their work or homes. Something had to change; for want a practice that not only gives them a great the program had the potential to be something the workout, but one that also has some variety and club would be proud of and would benefit the adult purpose to it. Don’t just assume and don’t just send swimming community. In November 1998, I took them back and forth. Listen, create, and provide over the program from top to bottom and I began multiple workouts within the pool if you need to. coaching all of the workouts on a regular basis. At There is nothing worse than having a pool full of Santa Clara we run workouts Monday through Friday swimmers creating their own workouts because your from 6 to 8 am and from 6 to 7:30 p.m. On Saturdays workout shows no concern for them. A master’s the workout is from 9:30 to 11 am and on Sundays workout should not be an open lap swim. Have a few from 9 to 10:30 am. For the last three years I have lap lanes available, but make the workout lanes the been running almost all of those workouts, with the place to be. Also, I make myself available for clinics goal of creating a familiarity in the program and to and for one-on-ones, something that gives me more advance it to where it was standing on its own two contact with the swimmers and their needs. Finally, feet financially. Of course, this is a difficult task to don’t ever pass up an opportunity to speak when ask of any staff member and familiarity or asked. Getting yourself out there as often as you can consistency can be achieved through less extreme helps with the marketing of the program and more measures. Last year we were able to achieve financial than likely it will also help some adult feel more independence, as the program paid for my salary, comfortable about coming to their first Master’s plus pool rent, and was still left with money in a workout. Make everyone feel welcomed and find a reserve account. This year we are already over budget lane for even the slowest beginner to swim and by 125%. In the year 1998-1999 the program had a perform a workout you have given. membership under 135 and brought around $40,000 Something else that I feel is important is into the team. The following year 1999-2000 the participation in a few of the events your swimmers program grew to 240 registered swimmers and the do. This year, and in 1999, I did Masters Nationals program exceeded budget by a little over $30,000. with my team, I have also done a few open water This year the club has continued to grow and our swims, and I have participated in triathlon relays. I registered masters’ swimmer count is approaching am in no shape to do a triathlon, but doing the swim 300. The eventual goal of the program is 400 alone and cheering on the many triathletes who swim registered masters’ swimmers. The financial profit at your pool, helps give you a small perspective of generated at that point will create the ability to what your adult athletes are going through. It is this sponsor our swimmers in competitions, allow listening, watching them compete, and congratulating coaches to go to National Championships, and them for their efforts that you can create that sponsor relay teams at different competitions that are partnership that leads to loyalty to your club’s offered to adult swimmers. Putting our club in such a Master’s program. This is another way to keep your position is another way to support our adult athletes, program a step ahead of the others and a success for while also creating a lasting bond between the adult years to come. swimmer and the club. A masters’ swim program is an excellent way to So what do you do to make this happen? One of create revenue for the club, create more recognition the first ways to develop a successful Masters for the club, and a way to give your club a true place program is to give it structure, but with flexibility. By in the complete development of a swimmer from that I mean set up a working schedule for workouts, infancy to old age. The positives outweigh the but add some flexibility in how members can pay. At negatives if you take the time to create a program and Santa Clara we have created daily, monthly, half- put the time into it to bring it to a level in which yearly, and yearly payment options, with substantial everyone who may participate feels good about what discounts given for the half and yearly payment they experienced. Remember that you only will see options. Also, through agreements with many of the many of these people twice a week for a grand total local triathlete clubs, special discounts have been of 3 hours, what you do and how you do it will leave honoured. Discounts for city residents, students, and a lasting impression for the future. The best former swimmers and parents of the club have been marketing for a master’s program will always be

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word-of-mouth from those who are swimming in it. dearth of US research on Sport Science specifically People talk at work about their exercise or fitness pertaining to swimming. Attempting to fill that void programs and where they do it. Make your club the and to honour Doc Counsilman’s strides in the name that they mention, and enjoy what a science of swimming, Stager and Tanner proposed to successfully run masters’ program can do for your IU ‘The Counsilman Center for the Science of club. Swimming’ with the help of Doc’s vision, enthusiasm, and extensive personal archives. The following articles appeared in WSCA Newsletter The centre, located in the Health, Physical Volume 2001 Issue #9 Education and Recreation (HPER) building, is an independent research facility. Its historic and physical The Counsilman Center for the location – the site of Doc’s more-than 30 years of award-winning coaching, and only 15 feet from the SCIENCE OF SWIMMING Human Performance Labs – make the centre a From HPER Dimensions 2001 celebrated and practical site from which to investigate the science of swimming. Three decades ago, James E. “Doc” Counsilman The centre’s mission, built on Doc’s vision, is to shaped the futures of two men who would later help study new training techniques and the use of new to shape his legacy – the Counsilman Center for technologies in swimming, describe the benefits of the Science of Swimming. As IU students, Dave swimming in terms of health and wellness, and Tanner, currently a doctoral candidate in Human provide assessments for competitive and recreational Performance, and Joel Stager, now Associate athletes, and researchers. Furthermore, the Professor of Kinesiology, Director of the Indiana Counsilman Center will represent a physical site to University Human Performance Laboratories, and train current and future coaches and swim scientists editor of ASCA’s Journal of Swimming Research, from the United States and abroad. both fell victim to Doc’s enthusiasm and curiosity. In addition to inherited vision and enthusiasm, the In the late ‘60s, Doc Counsilman’s poolside chats centre also works to buoy up sport science. The persuaded Dave Tanner to embark on a coaching Counsilman Center fills the research void left by the career. Tanner who swam with Counsilman from International Center for Aquatic Research (ICAR) 1968 to 1972 and became his assistant coach in 1973- when USA Swimming decided to de-emphasise 4, began his undergraduate studies in physics and research and redirect ICAR toward National Team mathematics. He quickly fell under Doc’s spell. “I service. Independently funded, the Counsilman came to Indiana University because it was the best Center serves as a source of unaffiliated, research- swim program in the country at the time. I did not based findings and, therefore, provides the entire intend to coach as a career, but I learned more from swimming community invaluable information based Doc than I ever could have learned in another course solely on objective testing and scientific of study.” measurement. Four years into the next decade and four states The archives, now the core of the Counsilman south of Indiana, Counsilman would convince recent library and donated by Marge and Doc Counsilman, University of Miami graduate Joel Stager to pursue house an era’s . Doc was his doctorate at Indiana University in Medical meticulous about writing down workouts, splits, goal Sciences. “Doc was an enthusiastic guy”, Stager swims, and his own insights in daily logs that cover remembers from that three-hour conversation that nearly 50 years of the sport. They also hope to even changed Stager’s field of interest from diving provide invaluable resources for coaches and mammals to exercise physiology. “He sucked you swimmers at all talent levels and other scholars into his interest. And 25 years later, I’m still at seeking information on the evolution of swimming, Indiana University. All as a result of a short training techniques, competition and ongoing afternoon discussion with Doc on a sunny pool deck research. in southern Florida.” Today, Stager and Tanner admit that they remain In 1989, 15 years after Stager’s conversion, devoted followers of Counsilman’s methods. They Tanner resurfaced on the Indiana University scene, still explore questions Doc proposed nearly 30 years working under Stager’s direction this time, to finish ago about power, training techniques and stroke his doctorate in Human Performance. In 2000, as mechanics. They even follow his training plans with they watched sports science programs in other the 50 young swimmers from rival Bloomington countries provide their Olympic participants a High Schools North and South who, this summer, competitive edge, they realised that there was a

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trade competition for cooperation as together, as one IN MEMORIAM team, they train for the Hoosier State Games. And Stager and Tanner plan to continue Doc’s Coach Yutaka Terao legacy and further his vision with their own questions By Don Gambril – May 15, 2001 about swimming’s appeal to young athletes and its impact on health and wellness of older swimmers. The following tribute to Coach Yutaka Terao, who took his life in May 2001, was written for SwimInfo by his close Currently funded by a USA Swimming grant, they friend, Coach Don Gambril. are exploring the contribution of power and strength I have known Yutaka since 1969. He spent two in performance of swimmers. entire years with me from 1970 to 1972. He drove all “Doc pushed the entire field”, says Stager. “He the way to Boston from Long Beach in an old 1962 always wanted to know how things worked, how fish Chevy to follow me to Harvard. swam, birds flew, how athletes do what they do.” Yutaka coached our age group team to help with Tanner agrees and adds, “His energy and enthusiasm his expenses. He was on deck every workout for the influenced both of us. We try to be as good as he two years including all morning workouts. That was, but it takes two of us.” meant some snowy mornings in Boston. The young As a tribute to Doc’s curiosity and as a means of age group swimmers loved him. He was not only filling the void in the USA’s science of swimming kind, but outgoing and funny as well. He was a fine program, the Counsilman Center seeks to… coach and his young swimmers all improved a great 1. Establish fellowships in Doc’s name to support deal under his coaching. students who wish to study the science of Yutaka was a swimmer himself. He had spent the coaching. Indiana University offers one, two, and early years of his life, during World War II, in three-year graduate degrees in Human Mongolia, where his father was in the Army. Later, Performance and Applied Sport Science. his father became a sumo wrestler. In those days, 2. Continue Doc’s pursuit of coaching innovations sumo wrestlers did not have the extreme weight they by exploring the use of new video and electronic have now. I saw a photo of his father and he was tall, technology to assess the performance of strong and big – but not fat. competitive swimmers during training and Yutaka had one brother who died several years competition. ago of Hodgkin’s Disease, I believe. His mother died 3. Serve as a resource for coaches, swimmers and of breast cancer. His father was not living when I met scholars seeking information on the history of Yutaka. swimming, training techniques and competition. Yutaka was married and divorced and has two Doc has donated his extensive personal archives daughters. The oldest is around 30 years old now – to establish the cornerstone of the Counsilman the other daughter is two to three years younger. Library, from which we will build a unique Yutaka started his coaching career at a swim collection of swimming knowledge. school in Osaka in 1973 – the Rasa Swim School. It 4. Provide a source for unaffiliated independent was not long before he was the owner and, right opinions and perspectives on training techniques away, started a second school. Eventually he built 19. and swimming-related equipment. By remaining The last two or three were also exclusive health independent from restrictive corporate support, we clubs. He expanded into the health club business at hope to provide the swimming community with just the wrong time, in 1989, when the Japanese information obtained solely from objective testing economy went south. Unfortunately, the new and scientific measurements. businesses finally pulled the successful schools 5. Act as a modern testing facility for the down. physiologic, psychologic and biomechanical Prior to that, he was very heavily involved in status of athletes to provide state of the art running clinics and seminars throughout Japan as scientific assessment for athletes of all ages and well as bringing delegations to the U.S. – young abilities. Bloomington is an ideal low-altitude coaches to learn at the top U.S. swim clubs and testing site, centrally located, with outstanding universities. He never missed an ASCA convention. aquatic facilities. Royer Pool, Doc’s lab for over For years he brought the ASCA Coach of the Year to 30 years, is adjacent to the Indiana University Japan for a clinic. He attended all the World Human Performance Lab, making the Counsilman Championships and Olympics and many of the Asian Center the perfect location to investigate the Games. He sponsored swimmers and coaches to Science of Swimming. come to the U.S. to train and learn. Yutaka was always involved in business but took most of the money and put it back into swimming. He

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also sponsored synchronised swimmers. He had both Are we being as successful as we can be? Are you coaches and swimmers, who he sponsored, make the being as successful as you can be? Japanese Olympic Teams. His lifelong dream was to It is Coach Quick’s dream that we be much better restore Japanese swimming as a world power. than we have ever been. We should win the majority He was instrumental in the formation of the World of the races at the Olympics. If we don’t win each Coaches Association (WSCA) and served as that race, we should place a very close second. We should group’s first President, supporting it with personal be able to do this because we have the greatest financial aid to help get it off the ground. number of athletes and the best resources of any team He was always on the scene with a cheerful in the world. When one sets the World Record and “Hello Don-san”. He knew all the top coaches in the can see that there is still room to improve … that is U.S. and Australia and was liked and respected by all exciting! who were fortunate enough to know him. He truly What do we need to change to be fully achieving? was an ambassador for swimming. This talk is incomplete because this is an open-ended Unfortunately, Yutaka suffered from severe question. diabetes and at one time spent an entire month in the WHAT PREVENTS CHANGE? hospital with it. Then, in the fall of 1999, he had a Laziness … it is assumed that no one in this room colon cancer operation that, at first, seemed is lazy. successful. The cancer, however, returned. Fear … I was relatively successful doing it this During all this, he had started a new “comeback way last year. What if I change and am not business”, as he called it. He was putting together a successful. Misty Human took the leadership and the group that would continue to bring the best coaches risk to change her racing technique and take fewer in the world to Japan to lecture and keep raising the underwater dolphin kicks. Be a leader in change for level of Japanese swimming. your athletes … they are looking for it from you. Yutaka had come to Ft. Lauderdale to honour a There is no such thing as easy success. If you are very good friend of his who was being inducted as looking for a change to make things easier, you are Honour Coach into the International Swimming Hall becoming easier to beat. Extraordinary performance of Fame – the multi-time Japanese Olympic Coach, is a result of extraordinary effort! Kouji Katoh. He was thrilled to see his good friend Do not change everything at once – it makes it too being honoured. hard to measure the factors involved in success. We who knew Yutaka – and especially I – will Do not do the same things two years in a row … miss him dearly. I am glad he is not suffering any what if every swimmer could have 3-7% more. improvement every year? His Dear Friend, Don Gambril Seek the advice of experts in and out of the sport … look for expertise – Coach Quick fundraised to bring a support staff to the Sydney Olympics – you cannot know everything about everything – you don’t The following article appeared in WSCA Newsletter know what you don’t know until you ask a lot of Volume 2001 Issue #12 questions – get excited about change. TRAINING & CHANGE CHANGING FOR SUCCESS One coach found that one year, one-a-day workouts for 3-3½ hours helped the boys get stronger By Richard Quick ASCA World Clinic 2001, New Orleans and the girls get leaner. Janet Evans used to do three- September 3-10, 2001 a-day workouts three or four times per week. In 1968, George Haines trained his swimmers three times a day, three days per week. He placed 14 COURAGE TO CHANGE In the 1950’s and 1960’s, the guys who were swimmers on the Olympic Team that year. In 1972, training with Doc Counsilman asked him not to tell Coach Haines suggested a training plan of three times anyone how they were training and what they were a day, three days per week to his swimmers again and doing. Doc said, “I’ll tell them what we are doing, everyone wanted to do it. Evaluate what you are but by the time I tell them, we’ll be doing something doing … experiment with different schedules. else.” Write, email, talk to Genadijus Sokolovas at USA Tiger Woods completely recreated his game even Swimming … his concepts apply to all swimmers … when he was the most successful golfer on the tour. ask about parametric training that incorporates a logical progression of training from week-to-week and year-to-year.

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NUTRITION Strength and conditioning training … technique is important – there are posture characteristics that are We live in a fast-food time of life … our food is detrimental to high velocity swimming – pay processed, even our “natural” food … cutting edge attention to dryland training so swimmers can avoid nutrition is needed for cutting edge athletes … young bad posture habits – pilates and gymnastics – games kids can get away with poor nutrition but it catches and dryland of David Salo are successful for his team up with them and creates bad habits. – athletes can hire their own personal trainer – “The more like guys girls can become, the better they will PSYCHOLOGY OF EXCELLENCE IN be” – female swimmers need to be physically fit, PERFORMANCE with low body fat – they need to be strong and powerful – change routine every 6-8 weeks – holding If you want to change and drop times, then you maximum weight (250 lbs for a female) as a way to must believe in these changes … work on the stimulate better lifting – there are many different psychology that “I must change”. ways to train. Eddie Reese predicted extraordinary times from TECHNIQUE his swimmers and most of them did it! You must believe that there are no limitations! The more a swimmer increases his or her velocity, the more important it is for him or her to decrease Psychologist Richard Diana … the difference resistance. between knowing, awareness and thinking – original state = full potential = relaxed and flowing – learned When visiting teams, Coach Quick sees a sell-out state = not optimum = uptight and unfocused. on technique in training – swimmers are working hard, but their coach is letting them go on technique – at the Olympics needed to get to the flawed technique with great effort is not useful in a original state to swim her best … plan on things race. going wrong and dealing with them well – Misty took control of her day (the day of finals in the 200 Mike Barrowman … training 20x200 Breaststroke Butterfly) – she won the gold medal by swimming in – after the 14th 200, Josef Nagy made him start over her original state. because he messed up on his technique. If you are truly training technique, then it must be part of your Success and change starts with you and beliefs … training ALL the time. there is a happy medium between too much pressure and high expectations … ask for excellence from Use perfect technique in hard, fast sets when you your swimmers and you will get it. are giving all you can physically. Stroke rate versus distance per cycle – Ed Moses knows his ideal rates GOVERNING OF THE SPORT and distances – Misty Hyman knows her ideal rates and distances. Coaches need to take more responsibility … you care more than the people who are voting – we Boomer and posture – make sure the body is not seldom vote for excellence on our teams – people in the way of propulsion – posture, bodyline, balance normally vote toward mediocrity. in the water all needed before one thinks about propelling the body through the water – coach from Get involved at the local or national level. the inside out. Think about sport as a family … battle to save BE MORE SCIENTIFIC men’s collegiate swimming – if any part of the swimming family is hurt, we are all hurt – get Not each – science is limited … it can only involved with this problem at the grass roots level. measure what it can measure … use USA Swimming resources – look outside of the sport. BE LIKE MISTY HYMAN – LOOK TO CHANGE FOR SUCCESS

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Questions The following articles appeared in WSCA Newsletter HOW DO YOU APPROACH CHANGE AND Volume 2001 Issue #10 TEAMBUILDING?

Coach Quick said that he uses his seniors for leadership. When he is recruiting, he tells the recruits how they are training this year but that they may train differently next year.

Coach Quick focuses on technique plus base iiss MMuullttii--FFaacceetteedd conditioning. He pairs his athletes to teach technique. By Bill Nelson Athletes need to work together to get better. They achieve this on the Olympic Team. As many people as there are pursuing success, there are equally as many definitions of success and HOW DO YOU APPROACH CHANGE FROM probably the same amount, if not more desirable AN EDUCATIONAL APPROACH? outcomes.

Establish a philosophy and change. Change for That is great, because success is whatever you improvement. Change will come naturally – have want it to be, as long as you predetermine what it is your receptors for change out there. Bob Cooley is a or identify the desired outcome before you start great resource for meridian resistance training. pursuing it. When you reach it … yes, you are successful! Dara Torres had done no swimming for seven years. She was a fitness nut and never went out of On the other side of the coin, if you decide to start shape. She was open to technique changes. She along a certain path that has no predetermined gained 17 lbs of muscle and lost body fat. She is a outcome and after a period of time get sick of the very intense individual. pursuit and decide … that’s it, I’ve had enough and you stop, no matter how you try to justify this, it is CAN YOU EXPLAIN POSTURE not really success and to be honest, it isn’t even IMPROVEMENT? close. Some would argue that because they are further down the track than where they started, then Example from the audience. When this woman is they must be somewhat successful. standing up normally and relaxed, there is give in the spine when Coach Quick pushes on her spine. Then I don’t really want to get into the definition of he had her lie tall on her back on the floor, pressing success, but I do want to raise this. Success is multi- her back into the ground with her feet on the floor faceted. That is, to be truly successful you cannot be and her knees pointing to the sky. doing good in one or two areas and failing in others.

With her belly button and ribs tucked in, she You do not have to be good at everything at the released her legs onto the floor without using the hip one time but you do have to be constantly improving flexors and maintaining contact with the floor with in all areas. This improvement can be at different her back. Coach Quick asked her to stay centre rates because of many reasons … time restrictions, focused. She was to do the same thing as she moved learning capabilities, lack of facilities, etc. These are her arms overhead to . not ready-made excuses for lack of improvement but realistic situations that can show down the process of Then, Coach Quick had her stand up and model constant improvement in some areas. Many times we that posture while standing and she had less give in talk about our life and how there must be balance in her spine when he pressed on her head. it. Well, the pursuit and ultimate success is the same … it must have balance. Seek a body tension of 4 or 5 (on a scale of 1-10) that looks like a military perfect 10. For 20 years I was fortunate enough to work with some of the greatest swimmers in the world. Each and every day we would train towards their desired outcomes. For some it was to be the local schools

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champion … for others it was the prospect of not only going to an Olympic Games, but also winning a You start off on the pursuit of success in your medal. The outcome was not really the single item of chosen area. The coach, your boss, your mentor, your focus. The aim was to make each and every one of workmates – whoever gives you an outline of the them the best that they could be … and to do what we types of skills, knowledge and direction that you will needed to make sure that all areas of their swimming need to know, learn, understand and incorporate into were being developed. your pursuit of success. Everything is OK early in the journey. Highly motivated, off you go … learning, Endurance understanding and doing the things you have been Speed strength told. The more success you have, the less you General swimming technique continue working on the areas you were learning and Event specific swimming technique implementing to help you generate this success. Starting ability Instead, your focus is on success itself. However, Turning ability regardless of your continued laziness, success continues to find you. Psychology of performance

Training and competition nutrition Then, as time goes on, you realise your Dryland training knowledge and understanding has not grown with the Relaxation techniques requirements of the standards at which you are now Life skills operating. Success begins to slow down – you begin Education or vocation to plateau. Then – and only then – do you once again realise that success is multi-faceted? To be truly Major competitions, including the Olympics, successful and to have longevity of success, you need taught me many things. One of the greatest lessons I to have all the skills, the knowledge, the insights and learned was that if you arrive to compete and you the understanding that everyone had tried to explain have not created and worked towards this idea of or help you with in the beginning. So, before you can multi-faceted success, then the areas that you have get out of this rut that you dug yourself into, you not worked and have not developed are going to be have to go back to square one, pick up all the pieces exposed … and that exposure is going to cost you … and start off all over again. and cost you dearly. Rather than wait until you hit the wall at the end Sometimes it takes until the end of the journey to of the journey or plateau somewhere along the way, realise that you had not really done the work in all don’t place yourself in a position to experience either. areas. This can be a very frustrating and heart- Be constantly on top of what it is you are pursuing. breaking experience and realisation. It can lead to a Understand it … understand what it takes and situation where you do not want to go on with the understand the correct way forward. Have a system to pursuit of success. All of this, year after year, day in, monitor your journey of success. Make it simple but day out … for what? Nothing! “That is it … I am not make it effective. Don’t fall into the trap of being going through all of that again.” over-analytical. Many great athletes I have seen, suffered from what I call paralysis-by-analysis. You How many times have you heard that – or similar? must know the way forward and you must know how Unfortunately, sometimes it comes down to this type to enjoy it. of outcome to make us realise that there are no shortcuts to success. It is at this time that the real Regardless of what stage of development in which champions look at the situation and the outcome and you see success coming your way … regardless of say, “OK, now that I really know what it is I have to the amount of success you see coming … always ask do and the areas I need to develop further … let’s get yourself – Is the success because of the system I after it!” have in place … or, in spite of it? There is probably no right or wrong answer, just as long as you For others, they do not have the opportunity to understand where the success is coming from and ready the end of the journey. The realisation that for why. You should also realise that if the success is not true success you must be developing all areas, built on a multi-faceted platform, it will be short- happens a little earlier. Once again, the area of lived at best. pursuit is irrelevant. But let’s have a look at this scenario.

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If we never experience setbacks or we never make year … take public transport to work, go and join the mistakes, then how are we going to learn? Obviously local poetry-reading class. You get the general idea? there will be certain concepts we learn about life just Have two Comfort Zone Exercises going at once – by being in and around people. There will be one short-term and one long-term. opportunities and lessons gained through everyday Some of the great things about these Comfort experiences. All are exceptional opportunities to Zone Exercises are… learn and grow. The key question is … how much do 1. You learn how to operate when feeling a little you want to grow? How much do you want to learn? unsettled – out of your Comfort Zone. How much do you want to direct your life and 2. You realise that you have a choice any time to experience and everything that it and you have to walk into or away from anything you want. offer? So, when the time comes to make and embrace I think a lot. I think everyone wants to be the best change, then you are prepared because you have that they can be. It has to be one of the common practiced what it is you are going to undertake. You ingredients in everyone’s life. It should become one understand it is normal response and you know you of the key focus points in everything that we do. It have some skills to deal with it. You also learn that it really is the goal of life … to be the best that we can is all about making choices and pursuing these be! choices because you have been practicing these So, what is it we do to overcome this fear of skills. failure? So that we readily accept the challenges of Hopefully, you will start doing a few little life, we welcome the opportunities to grow and we Comfort Zone Exercises – one short-term, one long- understand that there will be challenges, obstacles term. And by regularly taking yourself out of your and setbacks along the way. We know that we will Comfort Zone you will begin working towards the make mistakes but we will learn from them and we outcomes you want out of life. will be better because of them. How do we do this? You will not be put off by fear of failure because Practice. That’s right – we practice. you know whatever comes along you will have a go First, we need to understand a key point in all of at it … you will learn FROM it and you will grow this. It is not necessarily the failing that we dislike. It BECAUSE of it. The fact is, now you are no longer is the feeling we have when we fail. It is the feeling scared of failure – you are no longer scared of we have when we are uncertain of what it is we are making mistakes. These are all part and parcel of the doing. It is that feeling we have when we are out of journey of life and success. the comfort zone, on the high wire with no safety net, flying the plane with no parachute. It is the feeling THE MORE MISTAKES YOU MAKE, THE MORE we have when we think about what others may think, do or say when we make mistakes. Think up any YOU LEARN? situation that you feel uncomfortable in and you will NOT FOR SURE, BUT THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY see the results. Breathing becomes shallower and TO FIND OUT. faster, heart starts to race, you perspire a little. Then you start thinking about being uncomfortable, so now To help you along, here is part of a speech US it continues to become worse. Sound familiar? President Theodore Roosevelt gave in Paris in 1910 How do we overcome these feelings – these fears called “The Man in the Arena”. of failure? We practice being out of our comfort zone. That’s right – we put ourselves in this situation It’s not the critic that counts; not the man who and we do it regularly. My good friend Graeme points out how the strong man stumbles. Or where Alford gave this idea to me … Comfort Zone the doer of deeds could have done better. Exercises … one short-term, one long-term. The The credit belongs to the man who is actually in Comfort Zone Exercises can be whatever you need the arena – whose face is marred by dust and sweat them to be, just so as they make you feel a little and blood, who strives valiantly – who errs and uncomfortable and they get you out of the Comfort comes short again and again because there is no Zone. The exercises do not have to be relevant to effort without error and shortcoming. Who knows the anyone but you. great enthusiasms, the great devotions? Who spends himself in a wealthy cause? Who at best knows in the If you like something – give it up for a period of end the triumph of high achieve? And at worst. If he time. Don’t have that morning cup of coffee for a fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his week. No ice cream after dinner. Don’t go to the pub place shall never be with those cold and timid souls and have one or two drinks with the crew after work. who know neither victory nor defeat. Long-term – do something on a regular basis for a

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S w i m m i n g H i s t o r y multiple exposure photographs from the pages of books and magazines. Seen in retrospect, Howard H O W A R D F I R B Y Firby wasn’t just great; he was a giant who used his S w i m m i n g ’’s G r e a t highly developed drawing expertise to enrich and C o m m u n i c a t o r revolutionise the art of coaching swimming. By Cecil Colwin We were close friends for 25 years and we had many chats on swimming techniques during which he At the end of the second World War, Howard would often illustrate a point with perfect drawings Firby, a 20-year-old pupil pilot in the Royal Canadian of swimmers. Everything Firby said seemed to make Air Force, was about to earn his wings when he was good sense and fall immediately into place. I hadn’t struck down by poliomyelitis and hospitalised for known Firby long before I learnt that he was a many- nine months. During this time he studied kinetics, sided person who could converse authoritatively on a aerodynamics and anatomy, subjects he was later to wide range of subjects. For example, during a visit to use as a swimming coach. From the start of his the Kruger National Park in South Africa, it was coaching career, although dependent on the constant interesting to see him impress local officials with his use of a walking stick and often easily fatigued by the vast knowledge of African flora and fauna. severe after effects of the disease, Howard coached In the early 1970’s Howard and I collaborated in swimming in a spellbinding and exciting manner that the publication of “An Introduction to Coaching captured the interest of his pupils and conveyed to Swimming,” the Canadian Amateur Swimming them the pure joy of the sport itself. Association’s Coaches’ training manual, for which I From the moment he started coaching as a wrote the text and Howard did the artwork that volunteer assistant coach at the now defunct consisted of several hundred illustrations. Our Vancouver Amateur Swimming Club, his keen eye collaboration was unusual in that I was based in the was analysing the techniques of swimming. Before National Sports Center in Ottawa while Howard was long he had placed a blackboard poolside, and chalk 3000 miles away in Vancouver, and all our in hand, was drawing ideal swimming strokes with communication was by telephone. Howard would unerring accuracy. He believed that most swimmers complete each set of drawings within days and each worked too hard for the results they obtained, and he drawing was perfect and exactly as required. showed how minor changes in technique could quickly improve performance. Swimming’s Great Communicator No one would have guessed that this was Firby’s Howard Firby was a natural teacher with a rare introduction to coaching and that he was new on the gift for presenting concepts in an easily understood deck. The amazed club officials couldn’t believe the form. Hearing him speak was an experience that most seeming miracle they were witnessing. They soon coaches would remember for years to come. Howard discovered he was a full-time commercial artist at the would start most apologetically, suggesting that the top of his profession employed by Eaton’s, the largest audience might want to consider a few unique department store chain. Howard could draw simply experiences in store for them. With a modesty that anything; suits of clothing, dining room tables and soon impressed his listeners, he quietly presented chairs, electrical appliances … you name it, he could profound new ideas that went to the heart of the draw it. subject. His rich baritone voice was an important part of Swimmers as Ever-Changing Shapes & Forms the man. His tone was warm and good-humoured, Soon he was having fun slicing his swimmers friendly yet compelling. Howard Firby was a born drawings into different forms and shapes to show storyteller. In teaching swimmers key points of how skilled swimmers always seek the best technique he loved to spin vivid “let’s pretend” yarns, combinations of streamlining and propulsion. parables and anecdotes. Howard Firby had the artist’s ability to visualise Howard’s talent for drawing swimming swimming techniques from every angle including techniques was legendary. In addition he carried with three-quarter views as well as from above and below. him a sort of “mascot,” his omnipresent plasticine His drawings seemed to sweep across the page, or swimmer, which, to the amusement of the audience, blackboard, with the speed and graphic tempo of an he would continuously mould and transform into animated film. various shapes and techniques as he spoke, Howard’s legacy to the sport is preserved in sometimes whimsically adding a fin or a fishtail. freeze-frame drawings of swimmers that spring like

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“Olympic Arms” For Sale On one occasion in 1973, at camp Akomak in Northern Ontario, I was privileged to see Howard tell one of his famous allegories about the sports equipment catalogue that advertised “Olympic Arms” for swimmers that ranged in price from very cheap to deluxe models that sold for $995.50! As he told the story to a group of young swimmers assembled on the deck, he signalled to one youngster to come forward and be the lucky recipient of an imaginary pair of elite “Olympic Arms.” With great aplomb, Howard told the young lad to carry his set of Olympic Arms to workout in a velvet-lined case. With elaborate ceremony, Howard demonstrated to the young swimmer how, in preparation for the Olympics, his Olympic Arms would be fastened on to him in the correct positions with special shoulder, elbow and wrist bolts and 2002 CONVENTION screws. Then, to augment the lesson, he modelled in plasticine an accurately shaped 1/3-scale arm, and PROCEEDINGS worked it through the correct swimming movement to the rapt attention of all his students. 350 PAGES $55 (Inc. GST) + $11 P&H About Howard Firby Presentations by… Hall of Famer Howard Firby, Born, September 18, William Boomer; Tim Burke; Brendan Burkett; Forbes 1924, in Birmingham, Alabama, of Canadian parents. Carlile; Ursula Carlile; Doug Frost; Lorna Garden; Died in Vancouver, March 30, 1991. ; John Kilpatrick; David Marsh; Leigh Canadian coach Howard Firby, who coached Nugent; Clark Perry; Peter Plumridge; Victor Popov; Vancouver’s Canadian Dolphins Club where he David Pyne; Bernard Savage; Alan Thompson; Ken produced a long line of great swimmers, including Wood; Julie Zancanaro Elaine “Mighty Mouse” Tanner, is regarded as one of swimming’s greatest innovators and stroke coaches. POSITION VACANT Howard Firby’s book “Howard Firby on Swimming” (1975) published by Pelham, London, which he HEAD COACH illustrated himself, became a classic and a collector’s Busy Central Coast (NSW) organisation item. In the last decade Firby’s lucid writings and requires a FULL TIME COACH ambitious for unique descriptive terminology have been frequently copied without proper acknowledgement given. success but still able to cater to all levels and Howard Firby was educated in Regina, abilities. Saskatchewan. After the Second World War, he Must have… studied art in Vancouver and became a commercial • Minimum qualifications Level 2 Specific or artist and a part-time assistant swimming coach to the proven experience relevant to Head Coach Vancouver Amateur Swimming Club, where he position with State to National experience eventually became Head Coach before leaving to • Enthusiastic, compassionate rapport with form the now-famous Canadian Dolphins Swim children Club. During the 11 years in which he coached the • The ability to still have fun whilst maintaining Canadian Dolphins his swimmers set 11 world • Commitment to excellence records, 300 Canadian records and won the Canadian • Team player orientation Team Title six times. In addition to being the • Ability to be a staff motivator National Technical Director of Canadian Swimming, Firby coached the Canadian National Team at the • The ability to supervise staff training Olympics and and at Phone Sandra on 0412 965374 for a meetings in the Soviet Union and South Africa. Job Description

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