THE TSM MONTHLY POST TSM SERVING THE SANTA MONICA BAY AREA SINCE 1955 The Official Team Santa Monica Swim Club e-Newsletter February 2016 TEAM SANTA MONICA INJURY PREVENTION High performance in any sport carries a degree of risk. Some sports more than others but even the low impact sports like swimming need a strategy to limit and/or deal with potential or actual injury. The most common injury or complaint in swimming is shoulder pain. Shoulder function is highly dependent on the coordinated function of many muscle groups. These include the muscles around the shoulder, those that control the scapula or shoulder blade, muscles in the upper and lower back, as well as abdominal and pelvic muscles. Since the shoulder is an inherently unstable joint, muscle forces are critical for maintaining stability, proper motion, and painless function. The repetitive overhead activity of the swimming stroke can result in fatigue of these muscles. This in turn can lead to distinct changes in the function of the shoulder, resulting in the pain that is commonly known as “swimmer’s shoulder.” One of the major factors causing shoulder pain is overuse and subsequent fatigue of the rotator cuff muscles, scapular muscles, and muscles of the upper and lower back. Consequently, this fatigue can lead to shoulder instability and predispose a swimmer to shoulder pain. The risk of injury and pain is especially true for swimmers who swim with poor technique. It is well established that a comprehensive program to develop strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility of the muscles is the most important way to prevent “swimmer’s shoulder". WhAt we do to prevent & help mAnAge shoulder pAin and other potentiAl injuries… ConstAnt technique work— All coaches are giving feedback on form and stroke technique to every single athlete during the workout. If necessary, athletes are pulled out of the water to watch video, understand the problem, and work on stroke technique before joining the workout. USA Swimming ConsultAnts— Because we have USA National, Junior and Senior team athletes in our club, USA Swimming has provided us with a wide variety of resources to help our entire program improve. We have access to National Team bio-mechanists who review our videos, from JO level to National level, and provide feedback based on a larger database to help our athlete and coaches better understand best-case processes. Variety in TraininG – Every workout is different. From warm up to warm down, we do not repeat workouts. When an athlete has to focus on a new pattern, the mind remains engaged. ProActive and Active, CleAr ReferrAl and Follow-up— At the first instance of reported pain and/or coach suspicion of injury (eg inhibited normal or expected performance), swimmers are directed to seek medical attention from licensed medical professionals. Parents will be asked to provide follow-up information and where required provide permission as needed to coaches to follow up directly with the physician or physical therapist. Furthermore, TSM coaches may seek outside direction from USA Swimming medical professionals and consultants when needed and possible. It is also possible that coaches require medical verification of athlete readiness to return to full training. A specific weekly to seAsonAl, AnnuAl, And quAd plAn – Our weekly training cycle is designed to allow for recovery both within the workout, over the course of the week and the micro and meso cycles. Though fatigue is needed to create adaptation, it is monitored for effective (if not always peak) performance and to prevent over-use injuries. Backstroke TrAininG— Our coaches use backstroke training to help swimmers strengthen the rhomboids and lower traps. By strengthening these muscles, we can prevent shoulder injury and shoulder pain to a great extent through balancing and stabilizing the shoulders. Limited Use of PAddles – We only use smaller paddles and limit their use to age and ability appropriate sets. KickinG— Our program focuses on kicking unlike many other Age Group program to not only help strengthen and stabilize the core, but also to increase our swimmers’ propulsion so they are not putting too much pressure on their upper body. In the days of “Spitz,” coaches believed the kick was merely a stabilizer. Since those days, we have learned that the very best swimmers are the very best kickers. We also believe that the inability to kick is a range of motion issue that can be addressed. PhysicAl TherApy Directed StrenGth TrAininG— Since my 2010 start date, we have had access to a consultant physical therapist to help us manage shoulder pain and prevent injury. We are very excited about our current PT at Posture Works and are already noticing improvement. The PT and our consultants from USA Swimming/US Olympic Com have helped us develop better and more dynamic dryland routines and stretches to help our athletes activate the muscles around the joints, especially in the shoulder area. RanGe of Motion Pre-Injury ScreeninG We have been developing ways to implement a system or ROM screening where our swimmers from JO to National group will be screened to help coaches and the athletes understand where limitations are or will be. We have ran these screenings twice before but ideally this is a resource that will be offered and/or required every quarter for our high performance stream athletes. GO TSM! Dave Kelsheimer CEO / HeAd CoAch 2 TSM Families, The TSM program has been settling into a nice rhythm as we break in 2016. We are back home at SMC and the weather is starting to warm up! The coaching staff can see the excitement of our swimmers now that we have a steady consistent schedule. This excitement has had a direct impact on training in the water. Yesterday we were able to see this excitement as we kicked off our Long Course Meter (LCM) season with our TSM February LCM Intra-Squad Meet. ThAnk you to all of the families thAt helped to make this a fun experience for our swimmers. We had 80+ kids show up to compete. The coaching staff enjoyed watching all ages compete and it was especially nice to see the TSM families supporting each other. That is what its all about! There are a few things that we need to keep in mind as we move towards our LCM competition in regard to meet formalities. First, EVERYONE who is swimminG for TSM must hAve their USA ReGistrAtion Form submitted And pAid for throuGh SOCAL swimminG. We had a few issues this weekend with people not being registered on time. This is crucial because it’s a requirement by SOCAL before any athlete can enter/compete. But more importantly its is important because we are covered by USA Swimming’s insurance, which is why everyone must fill out and submit one of these forms. We do not want anything to happen you’re your child or the program in regard to this. Next, All Athletes must check in for their rAces upon ArrivAl to the swim pool. We had a few kids not check in at our Intra-Squad. We were able to work things out since it was our meet. But the meet administration will NOT be as nice at other competitions with other teams. We don’t want your swimmer to miss out on his or her race. This is what they have worked so hard for! Finally, we thAnk you all for the support with our timinG spots. This is one area that has a lot of room for improvement. This weekend was a great start for parents to learn and understand the true timing experience. It is an obligation that we must fill every meet, a way for parents to sit and talk to one another, and also a GREAT way to see all of the swimming action up close. Lets keep the timing momentum rolling through our LCM season! GO TSM! Jimmy Dabney AssociAte Head CoAch 3 TeAm SAntA MonicA is pleAsed to Announce the hirinG of Coach BridGer Bell As the new HeAd AGe-Group CoAch And primAry coAch of the JO Group. Bell comes to TSM with an extensive coaching background at a variety of levels from club to college. He was most recently the Head Coach of Donner Swim Club, one of Indiana’s most historically successful USA Swimming clubs. Bell was an assistant at Johns Hopkins University. While teaching mathematics, Bell coached high school team and individual state champions at the Westminster Schools in Atlanta. Before and after completing his graduate education, he coached at the University of Virginia Swim Camps for Coach Mark BernArdino. Bell also served for six years as the national director of Collegiate Club Swimming for the American Swimming Association, presiding over its growth from four teams to 68 teams across the country. By the end of his tenure, the group was holding more than 40 regular-season meets, seven regional championships and a national championship each season. “I’m incredibly excited to join Team Santa Monica because of the great reputation thanks to Coach Dave’s work over the years, Bell said. “I get excited about building a foundation by developing young swimmers through the pursuit of excellence and attention to detail.” “We’re thrilled to welcome Bridger as a new coach to TSM,” said Head Coach Dave Kelsheimer. “He is a nationally recognized swimming coach who knows the sport intimately and we’re excited to have his guidance deliver continued success with our swim club.” Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Bell spent much of his life on pool decks at international-level competitions. He has enjoyed training with an array of coaches including International Hall of Fame Coach Randy Reese.