What team do you swim for?

Full Backstroke Presentation - All Sports Clinic 2012

2012-01-27T12:36:00.000-08:00

This was the second of my presentations at the 2012 So Cal All Sports Clinic. I have embedded it from youtube as a movie so if you need to take your time to look at the content just pause it like you would a normal video. I had some great video of world class athletes after my age group swimmers to show comparisons between younger and elite athletes, but the video I used is copyrighted and cannot be posted here on this blog. Comments are welcome!

Full Butterfly Presentation - All Sports Clinic 2012

2012-01-27T12:32:00.000-08:00

This was the first of my presentations at the 2012 So Cal All Sports Clinic. I have embedded it from youtube as a movie so if you need to take your time to look at the content just pause it like you would a normal video. I had some great video of world class athletes after my age group swimmers to show comparisons between younger and elite athletes, but the video I used is copyrighted and cannot be posted here on this blog. If you have any questions about the presentation or anything I have here, please feel free to leave a comment and share your own ideas. Enjoy!

Butterfly Video for All Sports Clinic

2012-01-17T14:39:00.001-08:00

This is another video clip I will be showing this Saturday the 21st in Irvine at the All Sports Clinic.

Backstroke Video for So Cal All Sports Clinic

2012-01-17T14:29:00.001-08:00

This is just a quick preview of what I have for the So Cal All Sports Clinic this weekend. Please come out and see more. I will be talking about butterfly and backstroke from 4-6 on Saturday, Jan. 21st in Irvine. See you there!

Coping with the Death of a Friend

2012-01-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

This is a helpful article I found online.

Helping your Child Cope with the Sudden Death of a Friend:
A Message to Parents
Parents, with their greater life experiences and wisdom, can place the events in a child’s life in its proper context or perspective. Children look to adults for an interpretation of events, and measure the meaning of it, including the degree of danger they are in, by the reaction of their parents and other adults around them. It is critical that children are able to maintain a positive view of the world and a positive opinion of themselves in spite of the event.
The grieving process:
Grieving is a natural and temporary response to an important loss. People do not respond to a death related loss in any particular stage progression or pace. Some believe that the process is more like a roller coaster type pattern in which waves of various emotions are experienced. It is important to encourage children to cry if they feel sad. It can be said that when we feel really sad, letting ourselves cry is as important to our mental health as is eating when we are hungry, drinking when we are thirsty and sleeping when we are tired.
Most individuals return to their regular routines within one to three days. Yet a sustained period of bereavement may last four to six weeks. An intermittent pattern of bereavement continues in the form of painful thoughts and feelings which often resurface in the future more intensely at birth and death dates, holidays and special events, places or other experiences that are reminders of the deceased. Memories of the deceased may change or diminish over time but the deceased friend will not be forgotten.
Common reactions to the death of a friend:
In addition to sadness, it is common for people to feel confusion, fear, anger, self- blame and guilt. Other common reactions include feelings of loneliness, a sense of responsibility or regret, reminders and dreams of the deceased, concentration difficulties, minor sleeping difficulties and mild somatic complaints.
What can parents do?
A parent’s emotional response to a grieving child can reduce the emotional effect or make it worse for the child.
• The following are suggested parental responses: Be physically present, show
warmth, be patient, allow the child to talk about it, listen carefully, acknowledge feelings, show an understanding of what happened, give reasonable reassurance and follow through on promises and agreements made. Teens will try to make some sense of what happened and it is important for them to come to a resolution about the event. Carefully challenge any negative conclusions and reinforce the positive ones.

• The following parental behaviors can be harmful: Focus on self instead of the child, deny the seriousness of the event, shrug off the child’s feelings, tell the child not to think or talk about it, make assumptions, overreact with anxiety or anger, withdraw from the child, or make major changes in the normal household activities and routines.
Reactions to be concerned about:
Some children, because of their emotional proximity to the death event, may be more prone to develop the psychological symptoms of Major Depression. There are two causes for Major Depression. One is the result of a neuro-chemical imbalance in the brain. The other results from an experience such as a significant loss. Your child may have Major Depression if the following five (or more) symptoms have been present during the same two week period:
• Feeling really unhappy, sad or empty inside most of the day, nearly every day [Or]:
• An obvious loss of interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, friends and activities most of the day, nearly every day
[Plus 4 or more of the following]:
• Weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (more than 5% of body weight in a
month)
• Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much nearly every day
• Slowness of thought, speech and activity or extreme agitation/restlessness
• Feelings of low energy or fatigue nearly every day
• Feeling hopeless, worthless, shame or a lot of guilt nearly every day
• Difficulty concentrating, making basic decisions and doing school work nearly
every day
• Frequent thoughts of death or suicide
Other undesirable reactions include denial, social alienation, escape from reminders of the deceased, numbing of feelings, ex. using drugs or alcohol, hostility or antisocial activities, a preoccupation or fascination with death and unnecessary risk taking behaviors.
If you are concerned about your child you may want to contact your family physician, or a psychologist or social worker in your child’s school or community.

References:
American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 1994. Grollman, E. “Explaining Death And Dying To Our Children And Ourselves” Elgin, IL. January 28, 2000.
Johnson, K. (1989) Trauma in the Lives of Children. Alameda, CA: Hunter House.
Copyright  2000 and 2007 by Jerry Ciffone, LCSW School Social Worker, School District U-46, Elgin, IL.

Helping your Child Cope with a Traumatic Death:
A Message to Parents
Parents, with their greater life experiences and wisdom, can place the events in a child’s life in its proper context or perspective. Children look to adults for an interpretation of events, and measure the meaning of it, including the degree of danger they are in, by the reaction of their parents and other adults around them. It is critical that children are able to maintain a positive view of the world and a positive opinion of themselves in spite of the event.
The grieving process:
Grieving is a natural and temporary response to an important loss. People do not respond to a death related loss in any particular stage progression or pace. Some believe that the process is more like a roller coaster type pattern in which waves of various emotions are experienced. It is important to encourage children to cry if they feel sad. It can be said that when we feel really sad, letting ourselves cry is as important to our mental health as is eating when we are hungry, drinking when we are thirsty and sleeping when we are tired.
Most individuals return to their regular routines within one to three days. Yet a sustained period of bereavement may last four to six weeks. An intermittent pattern of bereavement continues in the form of painful thoughts and feelings which often resurface in the future more intensely at birth and death dates, holidays and special events, places or other experiences that are reminders of the deceased. Memories of the deceased may change or diminish over time but the deceased friend will not be forgotten.
Common reactions to the death of a friend:
In addition to sadness, it is common for people to feel confusion, fear, anger, self-blame and guilt. Other common reactions include feelings of loneliness, a sense of responsibility or regret, reminders and dreams of the deceased, concentration difficulties, minor sleeping difficulties and mild somatic complaints.
What can parents do?
A parent’s emotional response to a grieving child can reduce the emotional effect or make it worse for the child.
• The following are suggested parental responses: Be physically present, show warmth, be patient, allow the child to talk about it, listen carefully, acknowledge feelings, show an understanding of what happened, give reasonable reassurance and follow through on promises and agreements made. Teens will try to make some sense of what happened and it is important for them to come to a resolution about the event. Carefully challenge any negative conclusions and reinforce the positive ones.
• The following parental behaviors can be harmful: Focus on self instead of the child, deny the seriousness of the event, shrug off the child’s feelings, tell the child not to think or talk about it, make assumptions, overreact with anxiety or anger, withdraw from the child, or make major changes in the normal household activities and routines.

Reactions to be concerned about:
Some children, because of their emotional proximity to the death event, may be more prone to develop the psychological symptoms of Major Depression. There are two causes for Major Depression. One is the result of a neuro-chemical imbalance in the brain. The other results from an experience such as a significant loss. Your child may have Major Depression if the following five (or more) symptoms have been present during the same two week period:
• Feeling really unhappy, sad or empty inside most of the day, nearly every day [Or]:
• An obvious loss of interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, friends and activities most of the day, nearly every day
[Plus 4 or more of the following]:
• Weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (more than 5% of body weight in a
month)
• Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much nearly every day
• Slowness of thought, speech and activity or extreme agitation/restlessness
• Feelings of low energy or fatigue nearly every day
• Feeling hopeless, worthless, shame or a lot of guilt nearly every day
• Difficulty concentrating, making basic decisions and doing school work nearly
every day
• Frequent thoughts of death or suicide
Other undesirable reactions include denial, social alienation, escape from reminders of the deceased, numbing of feelings, ex. using drugs or alcohol, hostility or antisocial activities, a preoccupation or fascination with death and unnecessary risk taking behaviors.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
A child’s response to a near death experience, witnessing a death or serious injury, hearing about the death of a friend, living through a natural or man made disaster, etc. usually involves intense fear and helplessness. There may also be feelings of anger, horror, shame, or disgust.
A near death experience, witnessing a death or witnessing a serious injury is often sudden, unexpected, shocking and overwhelming. Children and teen-agers may be less able than adults to cope with traumatic events because they have fewer skills to draw upon, are less experienced and are also less aware of the dangers in life. Furthermore, when bad things happen to adults they are, because of their greater life experience and wisdom, usually more prepared to place the event in its proper perspective or context.
When traumatic things happen to a child, a number of predictable reactions may occur. These reactions are common responses to abnormally upsetting events. Some affected children are able to effectively cope by thoroughly talking about the traumatic event and their reaction to it. Those who do not are more likely to develop symptoms. Symptoms are those changes which cause major distress in the person or badly interfere with his or her relationship with family or friends, performance at school, sports, their job or other activities. Such symptoms may appear within 24 hours of the traumatic experience, or they may be delayed by several days, weeks or months.

Traumatic events can produce intrusive experiences, avoidance behaviors and increased arousal that may affect both daily activities and dreaming. Research shows that once they occur, these thoughts and behaviors will not just fade away. In fact they may grow worse as they are triggered repeatedly by cues similar to the original trauma. According to the American Psychiatric Association (1994) the following are some examples of intrusive experiences, avoidance behaviors and increased arousal:
• visions, thoughts or other sensations of the traumatic incident that occur over and over again, against one’s will and at undesirable times
• nightmares or recurring dreams that may or may not seem related to the incident
• cold sweats, heart palpitations, dizziness, panic feelings, or extreme nervousness
when reminded in some way of the event
• attempts to avoid certain people, conversations, places, activities, or any other thing
associated with the event
• feeling emotionally detached or estranged from friends
• loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities
• amnesia or an inability to recall an important or obvious aspect of the event
• negative or empty thoughts about the future
• difficulty falling or staying asleep
• irritable moods or unusual outbursts of anger
• concentration problems
• a fear or phobia not present before the traumatic event
• exaggerated reaction to; unexpected sounds, being touched without warning, certain
smells and certain sights
These symptoms are the mind and body’s way of trying to avoid or protect the distressed person from the intrusive experiences and future traumas. They are tolerable if they come and go shortly after the event and do not affect the person’s everyday functioning or routine. If you believe your child may have symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, especially if they have persisted for more than a month, you should seek help for your child from a mental health professional who specializes in the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
If you have other concerns about how your child is adjusting to the event you may want to contact your family physician, a psychologist or social worker in your child’s school, or a mental health professional in your community.

References:
American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 1994.
Grollman, E. “Explaining Death And Dying To Our Children And Ourselves” Elgin, IL. January 28, 2000.
Johnson, K. (1989) Trauma in the Lives of Children. Alameda, CA: Hunter House.
Copyright  2000 and 2007 by Jerry Ciffone, LCSW School Social Worker, School District U-46, Elgin, IL.

RIP Jessica Joy Rees

2012-01-05T18:19:00.000-08:00

Speaking at the So. Cal. All-Sports Clinic Jan. 21st Irvine, Ca

2011-12-31T17:35:00.000-08:00

So Cal All Sports Clinic at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Irvine Ca Jan. 21st!

New Years Eve Workout

2011-12-31T17:20:00.000-08:00

Warm up
1x600 50 kick, 50 swim (your choice)

Count down set
10x50 Free on 1:00
9x50 Free on 1:00 (sprint down, ez back)
8x50 IM order on 1:00
7x50 Free on on 1:10 (with paddles)
6x50 Free on 1:10 (breathing every 5)
5x50 Free on 1:00 Sprint
4x50 IM order on 1:00
3x50 Free on 55
2x50 Free on 50
1x50 Choice from a dive ALL OUT!

Warm down
EZ 50 (group count down to the end of practice)

Backstroke Drill Progression

2011-11-23T14:40:00.000-08:00

These are my two favorite backstroke drills. The Sneak drill is great for working on the pull pattern. I like to see an "Early Horizontal Catch" and a good follow through while working on this drill. The Right arm, Left arm drill is great for a lot of skills but I usually emphasize the rotation and rolling of the body, hips, and shoulders. This is my "primary drill" for the 10 and Under Division.

MVN Pep Rally 2011 Video

2011-11-18T17:07:00.001-08:00

We Are Customer Service

2011-10-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

The other day my wife and I were upset that our Netflix wasn't working correctly. We tried everything we knew to get it to function properly and deliver the streaming movies that we were so excited to watch. Nothing worked and we were not very happy. So, we decided that we needed to call Netflix and see if they could help. Sure enough, after a short wait on hold, we talked to a very nice gentleman that seemed to know exactly what our problem was. Within 5 minutes everything was working perfectly. What great customer service!
Wouldn't it be nice if it were that easy in the swimming world. As coaches we deal with parents that are just as upset as my wife and I were when things weren't working the way we wanted them to. Unfortunately, the problems coaches deal with are not always an easy fix. So, how do we deal with the problems that unsatisfied customers (swim parents) come to us with. They have invested a great deal of time and money into our product and we need to be sensitive to their frustration and listen to what they have to say, why they are upset, and work toward fixing the problem...even if it's you. I don't suggest you change WHO you are and what you believe in as a coach, but simply look inward to see if you can improve as a coach to fit the needs of that family and others that may feel the same way. The "my way or the highway" mentality can be a bit to hard to swallow when dealing with people that are used to Netflix and Apple customer service. At Starbucks, the customer is always right - even when they aren't. You can go to a Starbucks and complain that your coffee is to hot and get a new one for free!
Parents care about their kids and we need to understand that we are customer service and we need to do everything we can to educate and help these parents understand what we are trying to accomplish with their kids. If they are confused, we clarify with pertinent information regarding the needs of their child. If they are angry, we calm them down with knowledge that can help them understand the program. If they are disappointed, we give them hope that we will be there for them and we will do everything we can to help their child succeed.
It's not always easy to be a swim coach and deal with swim parents, but if they believe that you are there to help them and their child move forward it can be a very rewarding career. We have all dealt with bad customer service before. Bad customer service makes people angry and eventually those angry people will not use that service any longer. Good customer service makes people feel at ease, confident, like they are in good hands. People who are confident in their service stay for life.

Simple Back-Breast IM Open Turn for 10 & Unders

2011-10-06T18:25:00.000-07:00

When working on back to breast open turns with my kids I keep it simple. The first exercise we do is a simple drill where they kick in, execute the turn, then swim breaststroke out.
I explain that they must be on the side, have their eyes up, and keep the palm down as they reach for the wall. As soon as they feel the hand touch the wall, they simultaneously turn the head to face the wall and pull the knees into the chest. They then drop under with the top arm bent and the hand next to the head. They exit on the side, rotate onto the belly and execute the pull down.
Once I feel they have the right idea we move on to swimming in and out and continue with the same ideas and techniques we previously worked on in the drill.
Take a look for yourself and use this video as a visual learning aid.

More on Jessie Rees

2011-09-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

This little girl, Jessie Rees fuels my passion to be the best I can be. I share her story to all of you who come to this blog to inspire you to be great. When things get tough in your life, you can give up and give in or you can move forward and take a stand against the forces that would bring you and others down. Jessie does this every single day of her life. So, go out there today and do something great. That’s what I am going to do...I’ll see you out there.

Stability-Streamline Kicking

2011-09-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

This is a drill that I have been doing for a short time - maybe 3 or 4 seasons now. Basically I needed a drill that addressed head alignment and kicking issues that were happening during the breathing strokes. I noticed a lot of my best freestylers lifting the head slightly right before the turn for the breath and a noticeable lag in their kicking. So at the beginning of the next season I used this drill to keep the kick up and help them keep the head on the "energy-line" during the turn for air and into the next stroke. After a couple weeks of good repetition my kids were kicking and breathing better while keeping the body line throughout the stroke cycle.

Come see me and my colleagues speak at the ASCA World Clinic

2011-08-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

The Top Three Reasons You Can’t Miss The 53rd Annual ASCA World Clinic

AUG 16

Posted by SwimmingCoach

The ASCA World Clinic is a can’t miss event – each year, the World Clinic showcases coaches from the highest levels of our sport, willing to share with all their knowledge, insights and wisdom. This year is no exception, with a lineup that includes Bob Bowman, Eddie Reese, Jack Bauerle and more.

But even more intriguing, this year, is what else is on the schedule.

Here are three must-attend talks for any coaching professional:

Councilman Memorial Lecture Series – Mr. Luis Lastra, US Navy Seals

The US Navy SEALS are sending Mr. Luis Lastra to the ASCA World Clinic to be the Doc Counsilman Memorial Lecture Speaker. Mr. Lastra will discuss the SEALS methodology for teaching the components of composure under extreme pressure, mental and physical toughness and retaining Mission focus. As swim coaches, we too are committed to building champions for life, and this talk is sure to provide meaningful lessons you can take home to your team. The Councilman Memorial Lecture Series was formed in tribute to one of the swimming profession’s most revered figures, James “Doc” Councilman. Each year, the lecture provides World Clinic attendees with a speaker from “outside” the coaching profession. In this way, we hope to honor Doc’s concept that our best learning comes from outside our own immediate environment.

Age Group Track – Mission Viejo Age Group Staff

The Mission Viejo Age Group Staff, a combined force of young and dedicated coaches serving under the tutelage of Coach Bill Rose, will share the Nadadores philosophy and discuss how the team successfully promotes the development of a strong, well-rounded age group program that continues to produce elite 18 and under athletes. The Mission Viejo Nadadores, one of the largest and longest continuously operating USA Swimming programs, recognizes the club development system as integral to achieving excellence. Hear about the team’s unique organizational structure and the challenges and advantages of working within a large staff. Learn how coaches Ad’m Dusenbury, Sarah Dawson and Bryan Dedeaux utilize coaching technologies and embrace positive teaching methods within dedicated peer-group practices. From training sets to dryland, meet selection to motivation, these coaches will share intricate details of the very fabric that makes up the Nadadores Tradition of Excellence.

Technical Emphasis – Nort Thornton and the amazing things he’s done with breastrokers

After Coach Nort Thornton “retired” as coach of the Cal Berkeley Men’s team he stayed on as an assistant coach and focused on the breaststrokers. The result?… His breaststrokers finished 1^st, second, and fourth at last year’s NCAA Division 1 Championships. Here is short article Nort wrote and a nice preview to his presentation at the ASCA World Clinic: “My Thoughts of the New Breaststroke”… After coaching for fifty plus years as a head coach at the high school, country club, U.S. Swimming Club, Community College and NCAA division I levels, where I had sole responsibility of coaching the whole team on all of the four competitive strokes, I retired from the University of California at Berkeley where I have been for the last thirty-three years. I decided to volunteer to help out, and our present coach David Durden was kind enough to put me to work. We decided that I could be the most helpful if I looked after the breaststrokers swimmers, so that is what I have been doing for the last two years. It isn’t really work when you love what you are doing.

Don’t miss out on – register today!

The ARENA/ASCA Swimmers Clinic

2011-08-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

Arena International and the American Swimming Coaches Association invite you to the Swimmers Clinic at the ASCA World Clinic --- a challenging, motivational and educational experience for all area swimmers! For more information click here The ARENA/ASCA Swimmers Clinic
See you there!

Validation!

2011-07-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

My wife sent me this "Monday Motivation" the other day. If you have seen my presentation on teaching 9-10 year olds you know how I feel about the importance of validation in age group coaching. This is just a fun little video that demonstrates the power of making someone feel important and appreciated. Enjoy!

Nutrition Challenge

2011-06-29T20:16:00.000-07:00

Swim fast! PASS IT ON...

2011-05-24T13:39:00.000-07:00

Many times I want to tell my kids to focus on a specific technique or idea in the middle of a set. I could put a hold on the set to speak to the group or I could tell each individual as they come into the wall. Either way, we only have a specific amount of time for each practice and as a coach being efficient is important. So, last season I tried something new. I decided to use the swimmers to do the work for me and disguise it as a game. In the middle of a backstroke set I told the first person to focus on rolling the shoulders up to the chin...then I said, PASS IT ON. The first person told the second person then pushed off at their specific interval. The second person told the third person and did the same. There was just enough time for each kid to pass on the information before they needed to leave the wall. Surprisingly, it worked perfect and each kid was rolling their shoulder up to the chin. I also got the feeling that the kids enjoyed taking some of the responsibility of helping out a teammate. It was a simple way to get the kids to think during a set with minimal interruptions and allow me extra time for individual coaching within the workout. Little kids love this! Any tips or tricks you use to make the workouts work for you?

10 & Under Parent Meeting

2011-05-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

Swim-Golf (Swolf)!

2011-04-28T21:36:00.000-07:00

Swim-Golf is a great distance per stroke game you can play with your kids. Some coaches call it Swolf. I was first introduced to it years ago by my friend and fellow coach, Paul Mazzarelle.
It seems crazy to me that someone wouldn’t already know about this and perhaps that is why I never thought to post a blog about it. However, there are plenty of new coaches out there, like myself when I began to use it, and maybe some old ones that have never heard of it.
This week I talked to the kids about counting their stokes and trying to take the least amount of strokes per lap possible. Then we talked about tempo and how it relates to DPS in terms of overall speed and time. At that point we jumped into playing the game. I explained to them that there is a magic equation to fast swimming:
Optimum DPS + Optimum Tempo = FAST SWIMMING!
Swim-Golf is a tool to help them understand this concept...And it is a lot of fun. Here is how you play:
-Have the kids swim 25 yards (or 50 meters) and count their stokes.
-They also need to get their times when they get to the wall.
-Take the number of stokes and add that to the time it took to swim the lap and you have your score. Obviously, the lower the score the better (that is where the golf part comes in). So, if Johnny gets 12 strokes for a 25 yard free and his time is 16 seconds, his score is 28. After a lap we talk about how we can improve our score and we go again, and again, and again. We go over every possible way to potentially bring the number down, including streamlining farther, pushing off the walls harder, breathing less, and a whole bunch of technical things that the kids understand as time improving, distance per stroke enhancing ideas.
This week was a little different. I had the kids in teams. We took the total score from each swimmer and added them up for an entire team score. The team that had the lowest score won! I thought this team-game was a lot more fun for the kids than the individualized version. Either way, this is a great way to teach the relationship between DPS and tempo and how faster, more effective swimming is really done.
Any one else play SWOLF?

April Fools: Lane Ninja!

2011-04-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

There have been a lot of good April Fools jokes around our pool deck over the last couple years. We have had a kid in a sling saying he broke his arm skateboarding, a parent saying they were taking the family to another team (not funny), and many more. Last year my kids got together and planned to do the opposite of everything I said until I lost my temper...that lasted 15 minutes before I was ready to blow.
This year I decided to send a “ninja” to another coaches lanes to see how long it would take the coach to notice.
My first two lane ninjas only lasted a couple minutes in the 11-12 Gold group because they got in the only lane that had two swimmers splitting...(not the smartest ninjas in the clan).
My other two lane ninjas successfully infiltrated the 11-12 Blue group, literally sneaking right in front of the coach, until one of the older kids shouted, “We’ve got 10 and unders in here!” and ruined it.
Then I sent a lone ninja to the 11-12 Silver group. This one was a little harder as there were two coaches in this group. So, I ran a little interference sparking up a conversation with the coaches while my ninja snuck right into a middle lane. She lasted at least 15 minutes and would have gone longer if a different coach hadn’t spilled the beans. My ninja was even going first and doing all the drills and everything. It was pretty funny.
My final lane ninjas went up to the teaching pool with the novice groups. This was going to be difficult to implement the infiltration and even harder to maintain covert operations. There were 4 coaches here! So, I ran interference again by asking some well thought out questions to confuse and disorient. My expert assassins slid right behind the coaches and got into the water with no problems. They didn’t last very long but how can you blame them...they went too fast!
It was a fun joke and all the coaches appreciated it. My only concern is that I will have a target on my back for next year. I will be watching my swimmers carefully.
Any good April fools jokes at your pool deck?

NEGU Swim-a-Thon for Rees Family

2011-03-30T21:28:00.000-07:00

Parenting Tips (for Swim Parents): "My Teacher (Coach) is Mean"

2011-03-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a great article I found from Loveandlogic.com. I feel there are plenty of great tips on how to handle situations that may arise in your swimmers career.

“MY TEACHER IS MEAN!”

As a parent and an educator, there aren’t too many things more distressing than hearing a child say, “I can’t go to school. My teacher is so mean!”

We don’t want to see our children in pain, especially when it’s caused by someone we need to trust for their emotional and mental well-being on a daily basis.

So, what can you say or do when your child comes home from school and complains about his or her teacher?

The most important thing to remember is the vast majority of teachers are caring, dedicated, and well trained. Each has his or her own style, and kids need to learn how to adapt. Just as kids benefit from teachers who are very warm and patient, they also can learn from some who are more business-like and demanding. Kids can even gain valuable life lessons from a caring teacher who is a bit cranky and cantankerous.

If your child is having trouble adjusting to his or her teacher, here are some easy-to-learn Love and Logic tips to effectively deal with the situation:

Tip 1: Listen and empathize if your child complains about a teacher.

When a child says something like, “My teacher is mean. I hate her,” what he or she needs most is a loving ear, not lectures, threats, or someone to “fix” the problem. Wise parents respond by asking, “You really don’t like her? That must be tough. If any kid is smart enough to find a way to get along with her, it would be you. ” Be sure to let the child know how much you love him or her, and be willing to listen to any concerns.

Tip 2: Resist the urge to talk badly about your child’s teacher or school.

Regardless of how much we might disagree with our child’s teacher or school, it is imperative to send our kids the following message: “Teachers are to be respected and listened to. You may not always agree with what they say or do, but it is NEVER acceptable for you to be disrespectful or disobedient toward them.”
Parents who make the mistake of saying negative comments about teachers in front of their children are setting their kids up for academic failure. When parents encourage children to learn how to positively deal with difficult teachers and stressful situations, their kids learn how to overcome challenges and solve their own problems. In other words, we rob our kids of an important learning opportunity if we allow them to blame teachers for their problems.

Tip 3: Help your child understand that having a tough teacher is a good thing.

Smart parents ask their kids, “Why is it good that you have a tough teacher this year?” When their children shrug their shoulders and answer, “I don’t know,” these parents respond by saying, “You’re going to have a chance to learn you can be successful with even the most difficult people. That’s one of the most useful skills in life!”

Tip 4: Remember: By teaching children to get along with a demanding teacher, we also are teaching them how to succeed with a demanding boss.

Research has shown employees get along with even the most demanding bosses when they:

• Get to work just a bit early every day

• Show up with a smile and a positive attitude

• Listen and follow directions

• Work a bit harder than expected

• Get along well with other employees and customers

Kids who learn these skills at home and at school succeed with the most difficult teachers, get better grades, and eventually rise to the top of their chosen occupation.

Tip 5: Get involved only as a last resort.

Wise parents intervene on behalf of their children only when it is clear the teacher is so incompetent or negative that even the best behaved and most responsible student would find it impossible to adapt. Fortunately, these types of educators are rare.

When we follow these tips, we give our kids the gift of knowing they can succeed around all different types of people. Unfortunately, some parents steal this wonderful opportunity by trying to make sure their children’s teachers are “perfect.” Sadly, as adults, many of these children spend their lives being unhappy because other people are “mean”or “unfair.”

Don’t fall into this trap! Use these Love and Logic tips, and give your kids the responsibility and self-confidence they deserve.

Dr. Charles Fay is a nationally known speaker, parent, and school psychologist with the Love and Logic Institute in Golden, Colo. His book, Love and Logic Magic: When Kids Leave You Speechless, provides a host of helpful tips for teaching values, as well as handling other perplexing parenting issues. For more information about Love and Logic parenting and teaching techniques, call 1-800-LUV-LOGIC or visit www.loveandlogic.com.

Jessica Joy Rees...NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

2011-03-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

JT, Jessie and Shaya Rees

Jessie Rees is a past swimmer of mine from the Nadadores who has recently been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Jessie, at 12 years old, has decided to start radiation/chemo treatment at Children’s Hospital Orange County today, March 21st. Jessie and her family are facing this news with a courageous and positive attitude, and unbelievably, have decided to spread JOY during this frustrating and difficult time. Starting in May you can pass joy to people in need in your area through JoyJars(tm). Jessie and her family will be selling them for $20.00 and giving the money to CHOC and cancer research. “Like” her facebook page to follow her story and help spread joy. Her goal is to reach 10,000 fans. Please visit her site at JessicaJoyRees.com.

Jessie's motto: Never Ever Give Up

Jessie was a hard working, super-comitted, loyal and spirited swimmer during her time in my 10 & Under Blue and Gold groups...she continues to demonstrate these character qualities in her current groups. I have witnessed her grow as a person, accomplish her goals, face her fears (open water practices), and become inspired by the sport of swimming and the coaches and friends who worked with her. Now, I am inspired by her. She is helping me grow as a person. She is pushing me to accomplish my goals. She is teaching me what true courage is and that I must overcome my fears by facing them head on. In honor of Jessie and her cause...I will be the best coach I can be. I will cherish every moment with my family. I will NEVER EVER GIVE UP! I encourage all of you who read this to do the same and live your dash.

In With The New!

2011-03-11T09:34:00.000-08:00

A new season is beginning! What are your first steps toward ensuring another successful season with your age group swimmers?

Sometimes I ask myself the hard question...What did I do wrong last season? Where were my shortcomings and how can I improve on them this season? But more often I ask myself another question...What did I do right? Where were my strengths and what seemed to work?

After figuring out what went right and wrong, I start to brainstorm and begin to come up with my new season plan. Thinking about the needs of my new swimmers, I lay out the season starting with the swim meets to create the frame work. Then from there I can plan out my phases and add in test sets, skill work, video sessions, clinics, yardage, dryland and anything else that fits the needs of the group. Tip: You can use iCalendar or Google Calendar to lay out all your seasonal planning ideas.

It is important to recognize that this season will not go exactly the same as the last and you will likely need to make adjustments early and sometimes often. This is a NEW group and new swimmers always create new challenges to overcome. In my experience it is these challenges that give you the tools to overcome many of the obstacles you will face in your coaching career.

No matter what the obstacles are, if you have a passion for teaching the strokes and enriching young children’s lives, you will find a successful season right in front of you. Just stick to the plan and have fun....Bring on the new!

KEY IDEAS IN AGE GROUP SEASON PLANNING:

Determine what your goals are based on the needs of the new swimmers in your group.
Set up the framework for the season - swim meets.
Plan your phases in 3-8 weeks cycles around the meets your kids will compete in. Set the season up so that the kids are in peak performance condition at the Championship meets.
Add in the missing piece: Test sets, goal setting, video analysis, psychological skills training, etc...

Upgrade the blog to a website?

2011-03-01T11:56:00.000-08:00

I am looking to upgrade my blog into a full blown website. I am stuck and would like some ideas on what COACHES, SWIMMERS and PARENTS would like to see. I am continuing the blog for now, but will change over to the website when I feel it is ready. The website will also have a blog attached to it, so that won’t stop...just change over. I want the general idea to remain the same as my current blog...age group oriented and for coaches, swimmers, and parents. I would like this to be a place where any individual experiencing age group swimming can come and get ideas and information to help aid in their progress. ANY IDEAS PEOPLE!

Warm Up Science Project

2011-02-02T14:29:00.000-08:00

One of my old swimmers emailed me a couple weeks ago and asked if he could present his science project to his Nadador teammates in the 10 and Under Division. He thought it would be relevant for the kids and explained that it helped him realize the importance of a good warm up before his competitions. On Monday Braden Olson came in and presented a science project that was so much fun and super easy for the kids to understand. It just made sense!
How does change in temperature affect the speed of muscle response?
Well the data suggested what we all know is true...Temperature does affect the speed of muscle response.
He took a swimmer and had him place his hand in room temp water for 2 minutes. Then Braden counted the number of times the swimmer could open and close his hand in 30 seconds. He did the same thing in hot water and then in cold water. The swimmer was able to execute the most repeats in hot water, the second most number of repeats in room temp water and the least amount of repeats in cold water....Pretty relevant for young swimmers huh?!
I will be either doing this experiment every season on my own or asking Braden to come back and do it again and again. It was easy for the kids to understand and hit home with all of them. Great job B!

Set of the Week

2011-01-29T14:12:00.000-08:00

As our Championship meet creeps closer and closer, I thought my kids were in need of some racing fun. So, we did this set 3 times last week and the kids loved it.

8x75 on 2:00 Free
I paired the kids up by similar speeds and racing abilities. While swimmer 1 swam a moderate first 50 of the 75, his partner waited on the wall. When swimmer 1 flipped and hit the wall to go on for the final 25, swimmer 2 pushed off (just a second later) and the pair raced side by side to the finish. They alternated positions each 50.

I liked this because it made the swimmers race through fatigue. They had to hold it together and race when they were tired. It also put them in positions where they were in the lead and had to hold off their opponents. And on the other side of it, catch the person ahead of them. Lots of good racing fun on this one.
You could play around with the amount of time you want swimmer 2 to wait on the wall after swimmer 1 hits. I had swimmer 2 push off right away the first time we did this set. The second time I had swimmer 2 push off a second late and that made the race more competitive. By the third time we did this set, I had the kids decide when they pushed off with the idea that they needed it to be a close race at the finish.

Dryland: The Nadador Way! - Presentation from the All-Sports Clinic 2011

2011-01-23T21:51:00.000-08:00

My father has been battling a lung disease for the past 6 years. On Friday morning he passed away. He was going to come see me speak at a coaches clinic for the first time this weekend had he been healthy and able. It was extremely difficult to finish this presentation before the clinic, but I managed to pull it together. I feel that it is somewhat incomplete in the details. However, I thought that it went off successfully with the help of my mom and brother there to show support. I know my dad would have been proud.
TO VIEW VIDEO USE SAFARI WEB BROWSER.

3 Weeks to Great Flip Turns - Presentation from the All-Sports Clinic 2011

2011-01-23T15:42:00.001-08:00

This was the second of the two in my first hour. The ideas are simple but can be used for any age athlete that is having trouble with their flip turns - specifically controlling the arms. Let me know what you think.
TO VIEW VIDEO USE SAFARI WEB BROWSER.

Teaching the Underwater Dolphin Kick - Presentation from the All-Sports Clinic 2011

2011-01-23T13:59:00.000-08:00

This was the first of 2 mini presentations that I did in my first hour at the All-Sports Clinic on Saturday. I thought that while the room was small the coaches who were present were excited to see some of the work I do with my kids on this subject. I had some good questions and feedback on this one. I have felt for some time now that it would be nice to see what more coaches are doing to promote better underwater kicking, especially at the young ages. Are we teaching it early enough? Are we training it? Well, this is what I am doing with my Gold and Blue 10 and under athletes at the Mission Viejo Nadadores. What are you doing? Comments please!
TO VIEW VIDEO USE SAFARI WEB BROWSER.

Croc's - Shoes with holes...Really?

2011-01-08T18:16:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been noticing these ridiculous looking shoes all over the pool deck. They are called Croc's. Why my swimmers are wearing these things is completely beyond me. They look silly, have holes in them, and offer no protection from the elements other than having a sole that covers the bottoms of their feet. What happened to Ugg's. Now those things were comfy, they were warm, and covered your feet from toes to shins.

With all the talk about warming up properly and staying warm, I would think my swimmers would go for the best possible choice in outdoor and cold weather protection. Unfortunately, it is cool to have cold feet. Or is it that kids are just too lazy to put socks and shoes on? I really don't know, but it bugs me to no end when I see my swimmers come to me before and after races with wet feet and these silly shoes with HOLES in them. Some other bone-headed things I see on my swimmers feet are sandals, Birkenstocks (leather, really?), fuzzy slippers, just socks, and bear naked tippy-toes with nothing on at all.
Here is a challenge to all swimmers, parents and coaches out there: Find a better shoe! Seriously, find the best possible way to go through a cold swim meet with warm dry feet. What do you say?

SoCal All-Sports Clinic Swimming Program

2011-01-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

2011 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ALL- SPORTS CLINIC     SWIMMING
FRIDAY JANUARY 21, 2011     Hyatt Regency Hotel, Irvine, CA -  PELICAN HILL ROOM

12:00 - 12:50 PM    JIM MONTRELLAPast USA Olympic Coach, Past ASCA National Coach of Year, Former Head Coach Ohio State,
5 x Big Ten Champions, USS National Mentor Coach
Teaching Turns of the Four Strokes - The 3 E’s Entry, Execution, Exit
1:00 - 1:50 PM       JIM MONTRELLA
The 4 Common Denominators of the 4 Competitive Strokes
2:00 - 2:50 PM       TONY CIARELLI -
Considerations for Strength Training of Female Athlete
3:00 - 3:50 PM       JIM MONTRELLA
Tactical Side of Swimming: How to Win a Race, A Dual Meet, A League Championship
4:00- 4:30 PM       BREAK -------------------
4:30 - 5:20 PM       COREY STANBURYHead Coach (M/W) El Camino College, Over 100 athletes earned All-American honors, compiled 14 winning
seasons with 5 Conference titles. An El Camino swimmer has held 100 Fly record for Community College since 1999.
Coaching of Butterfly Swimmers - Learning the Stroke, Starts, Turns, Finishing, Workouts
5:30 - 6:20 PM       FRANK ADDLEMEN  ( Held in Volleyball Room, International Ballroom - A )Best Selling Author, “Winning Edge”, Member College of Sports Medicine
New Innovations: Understanding the Nutritional Requirements for Competition and Your Health

SATURDAY JANUARY 22, 2011        Hyatt Regency Hotel, Irvine, CA - PELICAN HILL ROOM
9:00 - 9:50 A.M. ....…. GENERAL SESSION SPEAKER Salon D & E ………. Dr KEN RAVIZZA
America’s most distinguished sports psychologists, MLB, USOC, NFL, NCAA, Cal State Fullerton
Coaching Excellence for Today’s Athlete
10:00 - 10:50 AM   AD’M DUSENBURY
Coach, Mission Viejo Nadadores,   Ad'm has had more then 500 J.O. qualifiers, 80 Sectional qualifiers, 6 Junior National qualifiers,
75 Top 10 swimmers and 18 swimmers in the Top 3 in the Nation
Essentials of Constructing Best Training Sets
11:00 - 11:50 AM   AD’M DUSENBURY
Dry Land Strength, Flexibility, Conditioning, Training
12:00 - 1:30 PM     LUNCH BREAK -------
1:30 - 2:20 PM     RICK KLATTFormer World Record Holder, One original designers of Swim America Program. Aquatic Director Central USD &
Head Coach Fresno Dolphins Swim Team.
Freestyle Swimming: Understanding the Difference- Sprint / Distance
2:30 - 3:20 PM     RICK KLATT
Favorite Workouts - What and Why / Pre Season /League Season / Championship Season
3:30 - 4:00 PM     ---------------BREAK --------
4:00 - 4:50 PM     BRYAN DEDEAUX
Coach, Mission Viejo Nadadores, Age Group Coach Of The Year
3 Weeks to Great Flip Turns-Teaching the Underwater Dolphin Kick5:00 - 5:50 PM     BRYAN DEDEAUX-
Out of Water Cross Training for 12 & Under Swimmers
6:00 -   6:50 PM -- DICK VERMEIL -- GENERAL SESSION Speaker (Football # 2 & 3) …
One of FB Greatest Coaches / Motivators, 2 x NFL Coach of the Year, 2 x Super Bowl: Eagles & Champs - RAMS
The Essence of Leadership

SUNDAY JANUARY 23, 2011    Hyatt Regency Hotel, Irvine, CA    - PELICAN HILL ROOM
9:00 -   9:50 AM     GREGG WILSON
One of the most honored coaches in swimming. 22 x Big West Conference Coach of Year, 35 Big West Conference Team Titles, Has produced Olympic Gold Medalists, World Record Holders, and 20+ NCAA Div I All Americans. Head Coach UC Santa Barbara
Breaststroke: Training, Starts, Turns, Finish, Tactics, Workouts
10:00 - 10:50 AM   GREGG WILSON
Developing and Training Individual Medley Swimmers: Starts, Turns, Finish, Tactics, Workouts
11:00 - 11:50 AM   GREGG WILSON
Planning and Implementation of Multiple Peak Season, The Season End Taper

Catch a Cold. You Can Still Workout - Article

2010-12-29T13:49:00.000-08:00

Catch a Cold. You Can Still Workout

Nice MVN Write up on Youth1.com

2010-12-20T13:35:00.000-08:00

Youth1.com

Smart Racing/Attitude Leads to Team Record

2010-12-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

10 & Under 100 Individual Medley: Jessica was prepared to win. She had warmed up properly, been to all the practices, was seeded first and knew the competition was tough. She jumped in and competed her heart out...and got second...by two one hundredths of a second with a 1:05.58. The time was second in the nation, only behind the girl that beat her out. She knew that a weak back to breast turn and breathing into the finish were the mistakes that cost her the race. Instead of sulking and showing her disappointment in this near miss, she realized her mistakes, learned from them and took her motivation to excel into her next race.
10 & Under 50 Butterfly: It seemed like a long shot to win since the girl that beat her out in the 100 IM was seeded first with a very impressive and intimidating 29.93. However, Jessica seemed to be in complete control of her emotions. She was smiling and focused. Again, she jumped in and competed her heart out...and won...with a 29.03 by two tenths of a second and over a full second faster than her seeded time. What was most impressive about this win was her composure. She raced smart! She didn't thrash and power her way through the two laps. She swam like she does in practice with a focus on distance per stroke and timing - less strokes per lap combined with an optimal tempo and good breath control in and out of the walls lead to a new Mission Viejo Team record and a first place finish against the toughest competition she has faced this season.
Sometimes it takes a tough loss before you can realize your true potential. I think that is exactly what went through Jessica's head. She thrived on the competition and could have easily played it safe with a different event where that girl couldn't beat her. Instead she chose to test herself against a real threat. And in her pursuit for excellence she broke a team record that has stood since the early 80's.

Dryland/Swim Combo Workout 2

2010-12-17T12:55:00.000-08:00

4 Rounds in IM Order:
4x25 Kick - 20 Squat Jumps between laps
4x25 Swim - 10 Push Ups, 20 Burpees between laps
2x50 Swim - 20 Squat Jumps, 20 Burpees between laps
1x30 Seconds Rest
1x200 EZ Free Recovery
(All 25's & 50's are BLAST! All dryland is EXPLOSIVE!)

Intense Dryland/Swim Combo Workout

2010-12-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

Last Friday coach Lindsey came up with a great idea to combine dryland and swimming to create an intense and fun practice that gave the kids a fresh new workout.

The workout:
Each swimmer pairs up with a partner. One swimmer does a specific dry land exercise while the other swims a 50 yard SPRINT. In order to switch, the swimmer must hop out & tag the one doing dryland. They then switch roles. We did 10 minute increments, followed by a 200 recovery kick....for one hour. First round consisted of freestyle 50 yd sprints. Dryland alternated between planks, squats, push ups, v-holds & burpees. 2nd round was butterfly 50 yd sprints, same dryland exercises. 3rd round was breastroke 50 yd sprints, same dryland exercises. Next time we will have faster transitions starting each 10 minute increment & get 4 rounds in! The last 30 minutes we worked on turns.

Team Building Exercise

2010-12-07T13:41:00.000-08:00

This season the individuals in my Gold group have had a difficult time finding their roles within the group. Leaders have not emerged and no one seems to want to step up and take a chance. Some followers are simply looking to the person next to them for guidance while others are completely in "la-la land". This is somewhat normal for 9-10 year-old children, but I still expect the group to balance itself out by finding its leaders and developing great followers.
Earlier this week, I kicked my Gold group out of practice 30 minutes early for this exact reason. I had talked quite a bit about leadership and being a good follower in the pursuit of developing a great team atmosphere where each individual worked to help the team. Unfortunately, my kids were missing the point and perhaps underestimating my passion for the importance of teamwork and leadership. Sometimes it is important to SHOCK the system and create an unmistakable and very dramatic point. While I believe I accomplished that goal by sending them home early for the first time in their swimming lives, I wanted to back it up with a positive experience that would help bring the group together in a fun way. So, the following day I had them go through a team building exercise which forced them to work as a team to accomplish a singular goal.

First, I gathered up some paper plates. Second, I thought of a phrase that the kids would recognize. In this particular case I decided on "What team do you swim for?", which is a little team cheer we have. I took the plates and wrote the phrase, one letter at a time on the back of the plates. Then, after mixing and shuffling them up, I numbered the plates on the opposite side. I added some dummy plates without letters on the back to add to the total number of plates. I then cut the phrase up and broke them up into four stations. Station 1 consisted of the plates that spelled out the word What, station 2 had Team, 3 had Do You and 4 spelled out Swim For. Each station ended up having 8 plates each, some with letters and the remainder were the decoys. From that point all I needed to do was place the plates number side up on the ground in random order and space them out about 3-4 feet away from each other for each station.
The kids picked one "runner" per station to run the course and tag each plate in numerical order while the remaining kids cheered and helped direct the runner to the correct plates. Once all the plates were tagged they could gather them up and start on the second station. This went on until all the stations were complete and all the plates were gathered. At this point, the kids took the plates, flipped them over to reveal the letters and started working on deciphering the puzzle. Once they figured out the sentence and lined up the plates to spell it out, they were done.
They were told that if they could do all this in less than 10 minutes, they would be rewarded. They did great, worked together as a team and spelled out the sentence in under 4 minutes. They were all very proud of themselves and their teamwork. The natural leaders took their place, the followers were helpful and important, and the sense of accomplishment was felt by each one of them. It was a lot of fun!

Use Tivo for Instant Video Feedback

2010-11-22T13:30:00.000-08:00

For a couple of weeks now I have been using what I call instant video feedback during skills work for my groups. This form of video feedback involves a monitor (in my case a 27 inch TV), a Tivo series 2 DVR, and a video camera. I set up the video camera to film the turns or starts we are working on and use the Tivo to delay the playback. Once the kids have executed the desired skill, they exit the water immediately and review with either myself or my assistant and get instant visual feedback. This also allows the coaches to analyze and give verbal feedback on what they can do better for the next round. We do this for about a half hour each week with great results. I have noticed some great improvements with this form of video technology application. The kids can see what they are doing right and wrong and quickly get a chance to re-do and improve on it. The kids love it, the parents think it is the best thing on the planet, and the coahces get a chance to use yet another tool in the toolbox.
Any ideas on how to improve on instant video feedback? Comments are welcome!

Coach Bryan Dedeaux Wins Top Accolades for Age Group Coaching

2010-11-15T14:59:00.000-08:00

http://www.mvnswim.org/NewsShow.jsp?returnPage=/Home.jsp&id=86132&team=scmvn

30 Minute Fly - It's Not What You Think.

2010-11-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

I have a great group of flyers in my 10 & Under Gold group. These kids have great form and are extremely efficient. I felt that they could handle a 30 min. fly. No, not 30 minutes of straight butterfly...that would be....dumb.
For 30 minutes, I had my kids swimming single laps of fly with the best form they could show. They were only allowed to go one lap at a time and they were able to determine their own rest periods between laps. If they felt that they were slowing down or feeling sloppy, they would take more rest. If I saw them loosing efficiency or just getting lazy, then I would ask them to take an extra 30 to 60 seconds on the wall in order to recover and get back to form on the next one.
I was very proud of my kids and their ability to recognize when they were loosing form. Many of the kids were taking enough rest to make each lap as good as possible for their own stroke. Some were rushing through the set and were asked to take more rest. Once they did, they got back to form.
It was easy for me to walk through and just talk to each kid about what I wanted to see from them. It was easy for them because there was no rush to make a base or keep their position in the lane. Everything was based on technique and form. If a kid did 50 laps in 30 minutes and 25 of them were sloppy...they failed the objective of the set. If a kid did only 10 laps but they were all as good as possible for their specific stroke....they passed. Success was determined by how good their form was and not how many laps they were able to get in. Good stuff!

Nadador Tribute to Fran Crippen Pt. 1

2010-10-30T19:55:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqqn0OGKI3U

Nadador Tribute to Fran Crippen Pt. 2

2010-10-30T18:39:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fErqAuP7Hjk

Good Memories of Fran Crippen

2010-10-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

Fran was a great swimmer, coach and human being. It is not only the swimming world that has lost an amazing person but the entire world and anyone who ever met him. He was beyond approachable and made every person feel important. The way he would validate your presence before you even spoke a word is something that I have never seen in another individual and in my opinion was the key to his popularity and success. He simply was a likable guy and his positive personality was contagious. If I could sum up what he was to us in one word it would be SUPERMAN.

I want to make sure that he is remembered for the great person he was and not just for the fact that he could swim better than most people on the planet. I would love to share stories about Fran and keep his memory in our hearts forever. If you have a story or just simply had a moment with Fran, please leave your positive memories of him here by posting a comment.

I remember a funny story that happened during the Gold group practice one day. Fran had gotten out of National Team workout and came straight over to coach. He disappeared to use the restroom for a minute and came back with the funniest look on his face. I could tell just be looking at him that something had happened. He says, "You'll never believe what I just did." I started laughing and then he busted up. He continued to tell me the story. He was in the mens room when this little girl walked in. She must have been 9 or 10, semi-long hair and a feminine face. Fran, washing his hand, says to the little girl, "hey little girl, you are in the boys room." The kid turns around and says, "but I am a boy". Fran walked straight out of the restroom and told me what had happened. We laughed for a good 20 minutes.

In this clip, Fran was accepting a "thank you" from the 10 and Under Group that we coached. This was a send off party for Olympic Trials and the gift was quite generous. I think it surprised him a little. He was always grateful. We had good times!

Lindsey Rock Fitness

2010-10-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

Coach Lindsey started with me towards the end of last season. She began helping me with my Blue and Gold groups as an assistant and was an integral part of our 10 & under success at J.O.s as she was put in charge of managing warm ups and warm downs at the big meet. She also helped with the dryland work that we did at practice. She is a personal trainer when she isn't on the pool deck so she has a great deal of knowledge and really helped with the technical side of the dryland exercises. I was so impressed with her fun and effective style that I gave her full control of the design and implementation of the 10 & Under Gold and Blue dryland for the new season. She handles M-Th dryland routines and I get to have a little fun and be as crazy and creative on Fridays as I can be.
So far we have seen a huge increase in core stability in push ups and plank-type exercises as well as an increase in overall strength and muscle endurance. One of the most impressive aspects in this new plan is that the kids are learning about their muscles and how to safely execute actions that were not performed with the precise and proper movements in the past. They are checking their own form and maintaining better positioning and posture during dryland exercises and actions.
I was curious to see how this improved dryland combined with all of the technique work we have done would transfer over to race-pace swimming at our first meet. Well, we had over 90% improvement and the kids swam MUCH faster than anticipated. I don't get surprised easily when it comes to my own athletes, but I have to say I was a little shocked at the technical endurance the kids were showing. The first meet of the short course season is always a good one but the fast times were very unexpected.
Another GREAT IDEA that Coach Lindsey had was to have a family fitness day to get the parents involved and show them what the kids are doing. We had over 50 parents and swimmers out in a field and Coach Lindsey ran a great boot camp style workout for the parents and the kids....and myself. I had so much fun watching the kids interact with their parents. There was laughing, joking, and a lot of hard work. We did a push up contest and the kids and parents received awards for their overall fitness. It was a ton of fun and I can't wait for the next one.
If you have access to a personal trainer I highly suggest you use them as a way to increase your own knowledge of dryland exercises. It can really improve your program if you have a highly experienced expert to guide you through the process. I am lucky enough to have one working right here with me! You can check out Coach Lindsey's website at lindseyrockfitness.blogspot.com.

NADA-WAR! - Singles Version

2010-10-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

I came up with a version of this game a few years back and actually submitted the idea in the ASCA World Clinic and won the Councilman Creative Coaches Award. This version of Nada-War is a singles competition. I do play a team version and that gets very intense! I like this because it is easier to control and safer than the team version. I got in there one day to try it out and was surprised how much of a full body workout I got. The strength aspect was intense but endurance played a bigger part in the overall experience. The rules are designed to keep it safe, fair and fun: The ball stays on the ground at all times and all movement and force must be placed upon the ball at all times, not the opponent - Keep it clean! The goal is to get the ball past your opponents goal line.

NADA-ROLL! Another Fun Dryland Game for the Kids

2010-10-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

NADA-ROLL...This is a fun and difficult dryland game I recently came up with. It involves a stability ball and two athletes. The first athlete would be considered the "roller" and the second athlete is the "stabilizer". The roller is placed on the ball and cannot touch the ground in any way. The stabilizer holds the feet of the roller and guides the overall movement and stability during the competition. Teamwork is very important here and when the two athletes communicate properly they will have more success moving from point A to point B. I like to have teams and have them race. The rules are simple: Get to the finish line first! The roller cannot touch the ground. If he/she does, then that team must start over at the beginning.

10 & Under Top 20 1000 IM Test Set Updated

2010-10-06T15:59:00.000-07:00

10 & Under - 1000 yard IM (400IM, 300IM, 200IM, 100IM straight through)

TOP 20 LIST (since 2007) UPDATED!

Girls
1. 14:41 Jessica Epps
2. 14:53 Hannah Wilkens
3. 14:59 Charlotte Manser
4. 15:03 Raselle Chetwynd
5. 15:12 Casey Brotherton
6. 15:13 Vicky Gong
7. 15:23 Olivia Boisen
7. 15:23 Rachel Taylor
9. 15:37 Jami Hwang
10. 15:40 Keaton Klein
11. 15:46 Courtney Prefontaine
11. 15:46 Bobbi Thompson
13. 15:49 Mandy Barnes
14. 15:55 Samantha Shelton
15. 15:56 Bianca Tatum
16. 15:58 Kyra Bernhardt
17. 15:59 Shayna Vayser
18. 16:09 Victoria Epps
19. 16:17 Kristi Fecarotta
20. 16:36 Ashley Kempf

Boys
1. 14:26 Matt Hales
2. 14:27 Min Zhi Chua
3. 14:34 Braden Olson
4. 14:50 Daniel Kim
5. 15:13 Michael Early
5. 15:13 Bryce Bernhardt
7. 15:41 Jackson Kent
8. 15:59 Michael Smith
9. 16:04 Oliver Manser
10. 16:04 Brandon Kolarov
11. 16:06 Josh Dolendo
12. 16:08 Christopher McElroy
13. 16:13 Alex Qu
14. 16:23 Chris Hales
15. 16:27 Garrett Neamand
16. 16:45 Erik Hunter
17. 16:47 Brian Cantin
18. 17:03 Darian Primer
18. 17:03 Quinn Neamand
20. 17:12 Ethan Malin

Why America Needs Cowboys by Ben Stein

2010-10-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

Check out this great speech by Ben Stein. I have been reading this to my older kids for years. Now that I have younger kids, I don't use it, but it is great for teenagers, coaches and adults of any age. Enjoy!
Why America Needs Cowboys

Coaching 10 & Unders: SCS Fall Kick-Off Clinic & ASCA 2010 World Clinic

2010-10-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

I really loved doing this particular talk at the ASCA World Clinic, however, I seemed to drop the ball at the SCS Fall Kick-Off Clinic as the presentation itself was poorly executed. Nevertheless, I feel there are great things to see here and I hope it will help all of you get a great idea of what coaching these kids is all about. Also, take a look at the video that went with this presentation. You can find it here posted on Friday September 10th!

Age Group Season Planning: SCS Fall Kick-Off Clinic

2010-10-03T18:13:00.000-07:00

This talk was my least favorite in preparation but I seemed to fly right through it with enthusiasm at the clinic and found myself really enjoying it. For some reason, I felt more confidence in this presentation and I thought I nailed the execution. Thanks for sticking around for this one!

New Season, New Opportunities - something for the kids...and the coaches

2010-09-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

New Season, New Opportunities
What happens when a new season starts? New coach? New friends? New time? New Lanes? New workouts? New age group? You can’t control these things. So, what can you control? What about a new YOU?
With new seasons come new opportunities. So, the real question you should be asking is, “What do I want this season?”
Take the time to think about what you really want as a swimmer. This new season is a new chance to accomplish your goals. Take advantage of it. If you couldn’t get that J.O. cut last season, do it this season. If you couldn’t clean up that butterfly like you planned, do it this season. Set your new goals early and make sure they are BIG. Nothing great was ever accomplished by thinking small.
Write down your top 3 goals for this season. Having trouble…Just think about WHAT YOU REALLY WANT….and write it down.
1.
2.
3.
How do we accomplish our goals? Well, the first part is done. You have thought about what you want and you wrote it down. Now, get to practice and make it happen. Most age group goals are performance based. That means everything you want can be worked for AT PRACTICE. That is the key…Understanding that practice performance is directly connected to meet performance. Work hard to improve your strokes at practice-see better technique at swim meets. Work hard to push yourself past your comfort zone at practice-see your endurance and speed improve at swim meets. Work hard to do the things your coach asks of you at practice-see your confidence go up and your times go down at swim meets. In many cases it is that simple.
This is just the beginning. So, enjoy each practice and every swim meet regardless of the outcome. If things don’t go your way, identify your mistakes and learn from them.
I’ll see you out there.
Coach Bryan

"What do you like about swimming?"

2010-09-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks For the Support at ASCA World Clinic 2010

2010-09-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

I would like to take the time to thank all of the amazing coaches that attended the clinic last week. I was lucky enough to share ideas with some great coaches out there and I am confident that I left a much better coach because of it. The purpose behind these clinics is not only to hear what some of the best coaches in the world are doing but to network with the thousands of other coaches that are passionate about developing young athletes. I encourage all of you to continue to comment and share your ideas here on this blog site or create your own. Keep up the communication! Thanks!

Smart Use of Your Assistant Coaches Can Be Extremely Beneficial

2010-08-13T22:16:00.000-07:00

I'm not one to ask for help at swim meets. But with 40-50 kids at one meet, it sure sounds like a good idea, especially if you know how to use your assistants wisely.
Right before Junior Olympics my assistant coach asked if I needed help at the big meet. I responded the way I always do in this situation by saying, "No thanks. I have it covered". She convinced me that she would be able to help, even if it was just to get me breakfast. Well, by the end of the first day, I was convinced that I will never go without an assistant to a championship meet again.
Before I explain how I was able to take advantage of my assistant I should explain a little about how 9-10 year olds warm up for their races. First they get in the water, usually 40 minutes to an hour too early. Second, they splash around for 2 laps and get out. Third, they walk over to their friends and family, dripping wet from head to toe and wait. And finally, they step up to the block cold and unprepared. Now, not all my swimmers do this, but most of them do very little to actually warm up despite numerous attempts to teach and educate them on the proper ways to warm up and the reasoning behind it.
So, I have always wanted to do more controlled warm ups for my kids individual races, similar to the meet warm up where I can see who is ready and who is not and take preemptive action to assure they have their head on straight before they compete. I decided that, with hours between races, they needed to be thoroughly prepared and warmed up appropriately. This is where my assistant came in and truly became the secrete weapon for my athletes. I had her completely in charge of the timing to all their warm ups and making sure they were doing exactly what was necessary to ensure a successful race. The kids responded clearly and positively to this course of action. It was apparent that our 10 and under athletes were far more prepared and confident than their competition for prelims, finals, and throughout the entire week long meet.
I know that our main goal as coaches is to prepare our kids for independence within this sport and I feel like what we did at this meet was absolutely right in line with that goal. However, I am a die hard believer in allowing these young kids to make mistakes in order to teach valuable lessons. I just don't think a championship meet is the place to let them falter when they could be learning great lessons of accomplishment and success.
I myself learned a valuable lesson: Don't be afraid to use your assistants or ask for help because it can be hugely beneficial to you and your athletes!

Final phase of season plan

2010-07-04T12:04:00.000-07:00

In our final phase of the long course season, we will be going through a series of "peak weeks" that lead directly into our Junior Olympic Championship meet. After the June Age Group Invite we have 4 and a half weeks of training to get where we need to be to accomplish our goals for the season.
Immediately after JAG we begin our first peak week of the new phase. I call it Peak Technique week. We focus 100% on technique work while incorporating videos to add to the learning process. The idea is to get back to what really makes you fast, technique! By having the kids see (through video and demos), hear (by listening to the coach and videos), and do (through swimming, drills and games) we are touching on the different ways kids learn and bringing them back to the basics of good swimming. (I am thinking of getting in the water with the kids each day next season if I can get the use of the teaching pool.)
Then the next week will be a transition period. We will be picking up the yardage a little but still relying heavily on the key techniques established in the prior weeks phase. I want to make sure the kids will slide seamlessly into a heavier work load without loosing what we gained in the peak technique week as well as hold on to all the good habits that were formed throughout the entire season up to this point.
After this transition week we will go directly into the hardest two weeks of the season; the Peak Intensity weeks. Peak Intensity week one is more of a transition to a very hard workout that is designed to push the athletes to their limits. We go harder and longer than any workouts we have done this season and the focus is on race-pace swimming at top speeds for every set and every lap.
Peak Intensity week two is basically the same. The kids are now used to the harder workouts and have a good understanding of how to successfully get the most out of themselves. We go over key out-of-water elements like nutrition and recovery. Dryland is also heavier and is very important to this phase of the season. We really push the legs with plyometrics and work the core with good abdominal and body weight exercises.
This puts us in the final week. Our Peak Performance week is only 4 days, but it is a very focused 4 days. This is where we do everything as race oriented as possible with an emphasis on a swim-to-win attitude. We finish every wall hard, hold our breath in and out of every wall, and streamline past the flags in 2 seconds or better every time. These are all things that should be done all season long, but now we don't just say we are going to do them, we actually do them. With less yardage we have more time to work on turns and starts as well as put a lot of bite into our underwater skills. By the end of this week, we are prepared and super confident. Preparation and confidence leads to fast swimming. We will be prepared and we will be confident!

Drills Presentation to MVN Coaching staff

2010-06-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

“Drills, drills, drills! I like drills!”
A Q&A Session for the Mission Viejo Nadadores Coaching Staff
Hosted by Bryan Dedeaux

• What is a drill?
Isolated or full body movements that, through repetition, create habits. (At least, that is how I define it.)
-A drill done right will help improve biomechanics and lead to good technical habits that a swimmer can use to maximize their efficiency in the water.
-A drill done wrong can sabotage progress and create habits that lead to poor technique and unsafe, inefficient swimming.

• What kinds of drills are there?
There are many different types of drills for all four strokes, turns, and skills. You can break them up into categories that are essential to teach age group swimmers:
1. Body position
2. Propulsion
3. Recovery
4. Breathing mechanics
5. Timing
6. Agility Skills (Starts, turns, finishes, etc…)

• Why do drills?
Drills make it easier for swimmers to repeat CORRECT actions when the athlete is in the process of learning or is fatigued during a workout. Athletes must learn by doing skills correctly or they are just practicing mistakes.

• When do you do drills?
It is important to be organized and well prepared and our athletes should follow a purposeful progression throughout a season and career. With a well thought out season plan and focused workouts, drills can be done at any point in a practice or season that adds value to the athlete.

• How do I pick the right drill for my swimmers?
First, you have to understand the purpose behind each drill so you can appropriately teach the specific skills that will be practiced. Then determine why you are choosing to do a drill at that specific time in your workout. Drills can be done to teach a new skill, fix a stroke problem, or simply reinforce good habits that have already been established. Once you have figured out why you are putting a drill into your workout, you can decide which drill will best fit your needs.

• Does good drilling lead to good swimming
It can! But it doesn’t always. The best way to increase the chances that your drills will lead to better swimming is to focus on three things:
1. Repetition – Again, repeating the CORRECT movements or actions within the workout (practice sets), the cycle (three weeks or more), and the season (going back to specified drills when necessary).
2. Feedback – When giving a set of drilling, a coach must be on his/her toes at all times and keep a watchful eye on the swimmers. Meaningful feedback is essential for progress. Use positive or negative feedback to induce the desired change that you are looking for.
3. Application – Give the kids a chance to apply what they have learned into actual swimming. We don’t do drills to get good at drills. We do drills to get good at swimming.

What is your question?

10 Gold Workout for 4/21/10

2010-04-21T13:39:00.000-07:00

Personal Note: Enjoy your group! Be Patient.

Kick-Back w/Bands
8x100 4 on 2:20, 4 on 2:10
(25 Kick / 25 Swim)

Drill-Brst
8x50 4 on 1:20, 4 on 1:15
(25 flutter kick, 25 brst kick)

Pull-Free
W/Paddles and Buoy
1x500 on 8:20 Breathing every 3
W/ paddles only
1x300 on 4:40 Breathing every 5
W/ no gear
1x100 on 1:40 BLAST!

Swim-Fly w/fins
4 rounds
2x50 Fly on 1:00/50
2x100 Free on 1:30
Take break after 2 rounds

Skills-Brst
Pulldowns

3000 Meters

Med balls in the water = FUN!

2010-03-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

I do this exercise on land a couple times a year. It is a lot of fun and gets the kids familiar with the med balls. I thought it would work in the water, so I put fins on the kids and set them up along the lane line. It does take a lot of practice and some rules to keep the kids from getting hit in the face...and most of the time that works. After about 15 minutes, it can go pretty nicely. I suggest practicing on land before trying it in the water. Just be patient and have fun.

Successful Seasons start with Personal Goals

2010-02-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

As coaches we expect our athletes to set goals, work towards accomplishing them, and reset them when the goals are achieved. As coaches and roll models we should follow the same plan for success. Performance goals are always an easy start...How fast do we want swimmer "A" to swim the 100 Free by the season ending championship meet? It makes sense and gets you started in the right direction. But you must also consider setting more personal goals to help you stay focused on the bigger picture.
Last season was one of the most successful seasons in recent memory when you take the total number of swims, the total number of improved swims, and do the math. It was the highest improvement percentage that I think I have had since coaching my summer league teams in the 90's. Yet, I let the pressure of winning and scoring points at the big meet get to me. I felt I had had a disappointing season based on my perception of the last meet. That doesn't even make sense because, my kids were awesome at the last meet. For whatever reason, I saw the mistakes, the losses, all the negative parts of the meet, while I had kids swimming best times, breaking team records, and swimming times that were ranked highest in the nation. It took a combination of some great support from my co-coaches, my wife, and my own swim families to finally look back and see all the great things that took place all season.
I knew I wasn't seeing the big picture. So, I started this season by sitting down and thinking. REALLY THINKING. I thought about the BEST seasons that I had as a coach and why those seasons were successful. It seemed the best seasons were a combination of summer league and early career club seasons. That's weird. Aren't I getting better as a coach? I certainly know more and have more experience than when I coached those kids back then. I came to the conclusion that those seasons were the ones that I had no expectations. Thats right....No expectations. No pressure to win. No outside factors to dilute what makes a great coach do his thing. What makes me successful is my passion for teaching kids to be good people and good athletes. I coach to put the passion of swimming and sports in to kids who are willing to work hard to become better athletes and people.
With this enlightened thinking, I set some personal goals for the new season. And looking back, I think I did a great job of following the plan. The most significant goals that I set were self improving goals. The kind of goals that make you a better person. I figured that I needed to get back to that "summer league" mentality where each kid looked forward to the next day and what fun and exciting things they were going to get to do with their friends and coach.
As a summer league coach, I never yelled. As a club coach, I yell a lot. I need to stop yelling so much. As a summer league coach, I never threatened to kick a kid out of practice. As a club coach, I threaten to kick kids out of practice for not working hard or not paying attention. I need to stop threatining kids for any reason. As a summer leage coach, I was never grumpy. As a club coach, I get grumpy sometimes and the kids pay for it and that makes me feel terrible. I need to find a way to love what I do EVERY DAY and feel good about the way I treat my kids. Why was I such a good summer league coach? Because I came to the pool each day with only one expectation...HAVE FUN! We never kept score at meets so there was no pressure to win and the focus was on improvement. My best personal goal for the new season was to "Keep the summer league mentality". The next personal goal that kept me thinking on the positive side of things was to "Never use, IF YOU DON'T, sentences. You know, the kind of sentences that start with, "if you don't", and end in, "I'll kick you out of practice" or something that a child fears. Threatening may work for awhile, but it works through negative chanels that create fear. It is soo much nicer to have kids that work hard, pay attention, and listen to your every word because they love what they do and they are passionate about learning and getting better.
After the amazing season that we just had, it is clear to me that I have regained sight of the bigger picture. To keep young athletes in this gruelling sport, we must feel good about ourselves first. Then we can teach and share our passion for the sport of swimming in positive ways that create amazing results.

Peak Performance Week Workout #2

2010-01-26T14:13:00.001-08:00

Peak Performance: Ultimate control of your body, mind, and attitude!
Pre-Meet Warmp up
4x200 on 3:30 (Free swim, IM drill, Free Drill, IM swim)
8x50 on 1:00 (Kick down, swim back)
Paddles
16x50 Choice (4 on 1:00, 4 on 50, 4 on 1:00, 4 on 45)
Focus on Turns:
Open turns - Shoulders under water
Flip turns - In fast, out fast, breathe control
Fins
12x25 on 45 (Sprint Underwater Dolphin Kicking)
Hardest Interval Possible
3x3x100
Lane 1 starts at 1:10
Lane 2 starts at 1:20
Lane 3 starts at 1:25
Lane 4 starts at 1:25
Broken set
1xbroken 200 IM
broken 10 seconds at the 50
Relay exchanges

10 & Under 1000 yard IM Top 20

2009-12-19T18:23:00.000-08:00

10 & Under - 1000 yard IM (400IM, 300IM, 200IM, 100IM straight through)
TOP 20 LIST (since 2007)

Girls
1. 14:53 Hannah Wilkens
2. 14:59 Charlotte Manser
3. 15:03 Raselle Chetwynd
4. 15:12 Casey Brotherton
5. 15:21 Jessica Epps
6. 15:23 Olivia Boisen
7. 15:23 Rachel Taylor
8. 15:37 Jami Hwang
9. 15:40 Keaton Klein
10. 15:46 Bobbi Thompson
11. 15:49 Mandy Barnes
12. 15:56 Bianca Tatum
13. 15:59 Shayna Vayser
14. 16:09 Victoria Epps
15. 16:09 Courtney Prefontaine
16. 16:17 Kristi Fecarotta
17. 16:36 Ashley Kempf
18. 16:37 Alyssa Tong
19. 16:41 Gabby Brown
20. 16:49 Sharon Li

Boys
1. 14:26 Matt Hales
2. 14:27 Min Zhi Chua
3. 14:34 Braden Olson
4. 15:13 Michael Early
5. 15:27 Daniel Kim
6. 15:41 Jackson Kent
7. 15:59 Michael Smith
8. 16:04 Oliver Manser
8. 16:04 Brandon Kolarov
10. 16:06 Josh Dolendo
11. 16:08 Christopher McElroy
12. 16:13 Alex Qu
13. 16:23 Chris Hales
14. 16:27 Garrett Neamand
15. 16:45 Erik Hunter
16. 17:03 Darian Primer
17. 17:12 Ethan Malin
18. 17:21 Bryce Bernhardt
19. 17:24 Brian Cantin
20. 17:55 Ryker Boisen

Meet Affirmations for 10 & Unders

2009-11-20T13:47:00.001-08:00

For the Turkey Classic, I am having the parents read this to their kids right before they go to bed each night. My hopes are that they are mentally preparing for the swim meet even before they arrive. When the time comes to take action, they are ready to go and their confidence is at a maximum:

“Tomorrow…
You are going to wake up and you are going to eat a healthy breakfast. You know that food is energy and the right kind of food will help you achieve your swimming goals for the day.
You are going to pack your own bag with your Nadador suit, at least two Nadador caps, your racing goggles, and anything else that you feel is important for the swim meet to come.
You are going to arrive at the pool 5 to 10 minutes early because you are punctual and understand the importance of being prepared and stress free.
You are going to actively stretch with a mind-to-muscle connection that will help your body become a swimming machine.
You are going to have the best warm up of your entire life. You will feel the water like never before and your technique will feel smooth and relaxed. You will feel amazing.
You are going to check in with your coach before and after each race as well as warm up and warm down to ensure that you are fully prepared to execute your race plan. You have an uncanny belief in your coach and are prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve success.
You will perform at your absolute best for each race. Your confidence is sky high because you have trained to be the best you can be.
You won’t over-think your races. You will just RACE.
You will be proud of yourself, be a good sport, and hold your head up high regardless of the outcome because you are a Nadador.
You will believe in your team, your coach and yourself.
…See you tomorrow.”

Bryan Dedeaux
Mission Viejo Nadadores
Division Director

10 & Under workout for Nov. 17th 2009

2009-11-19T12:07:00.000-08:00

Warm up

1x300 (100Fr, 100IM, 100Fr)

Kick-Bk

6x150 on 3:00 (50k, 50s, 50k)

Drill-Brst

4x200 2 on 4:20, 2 on 4:00 (25 2k-1p, 25 swim)

Pull-Free

1x100 on 1:45 - 4x50 on 50 - 8x25 on 30 (w/paddles and buoy)

1x100 on 1:40 - 4x50 on 45 - 8x25 on 30 (w/out gear)

Swim-Fly

2x400 IM on 10 rest w/Fins (200Fly, 100IM, 100IM)

3,500yds

The day before this particular workout, my Gold group got an earful from me about a poor set at the end of the practice. So, on this day I sat them down for a meeting to discuss who was going to be our team capt. for the Turkey Classic and to get a read on their moral. In that meeting I found that the kids didn't go home discouraged the night before, but in fact, they told me they wanted to get right back in and do it again and make it right. I was proud of their response and got a great workout. Probably one of the best of the season so far. At the end of practice, I had a couple of the kids come up and say that they really liked the workout, but wanted a harder one tomorrow. What can I say?...They love swimming.

10 & Under Workout for Nov. 11th 2009

2009-11-12T13:00:00.000-08:00

Kick-Brst

8x through

1x100 (Swim 50 Fr, 50 Brst) 0n 2:00

2x25 (Kick Brst-Sprint) on 30

Drill-Free

8x75 (50 Single arm catch up-25 catch up) on 1:40

Pull-Fly w/ small paddles and fins

10x100 (kick, right, left, swim) on 2:00

Swim-Back

16x25 (High Tempo. Rip the thumb out. Slice the pinky in) on 40

Skills-Open turns

Keep shoulders under - Eyes on hand

3,200Yds

"Coach Bryan's Death Camp"

2009-11-12T08:10:00.001-08:00

I was taking video of my swimmers a couple years back and one of my kids looks at the camera and says "Welcome to Coach Bryan's death camp!" Our dryland is pretty hard. However, they are smart enough to know why we do the things we do. They are told from the beginning that when you work hard you get stronger and faster. The dryland portion of our workouts are very intense and are often considered the hardest part of the day. My regular dryland routine consists of fun, yet challenging exercises that creatively involve the following ideas:
Running
Jumping
Pushing
Pulling
Crawling
Abs
Coordination
Balance
Plyometrics
I think it is important to make dryland fun for the kids while making it something that they are going to get a lot out of. I notice that out of every new group of 40+ kids that I get each season, only 5 or 6 of them are truly athletic. So, the activities we do in our dryland routine are based on creating athletes. I hope that by having more athletes we will have better swimmers that will be good at more than just water based competition. Watch the video and you can see some of the things we do. I would be interested to see what other teams do for dryland with their younger kids. Please let me know if there are some things that you believe in and do in your dryland routine.

Pick a Card, Any Card

2009-10-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

Last week I decided to write down a number of things that I felt my kids needed to improve on at practices. I tried to think of ways to implement the idea of improving upon these things during practice.

So, what I did was write down each idea on flash cards. Each flash card had a different idea. At the first practice, I had 3 kids choose a card and told them that they were going to be a part of my experiment. I told them not to tell me what idea was on the card they picked. Their goal was to do that one thing so well that I could easily guess at the end of practice what they were focusing on. Also, told them that they would be rewarded if I could guess correctly. I ended up getting 2 out of 3 correct.

The next practice I decided to let the girls pick a card and the boys pick a different card. Again, they couldn't tell me what it was and that I was going to guess what they had. This time I made sure to remind them to focus on everything during practice and the idea on the card was to be done even better.

The boys made it difficult to figure out because everything was done fairly sloppy, even if it was better than average. I guessed way wrong.

The girls also made it difficult. But they did everything so perfect and their attention to detail was flawless. I was wrong on my first guess, but I got it on the second.

It was a fun idea and I am still thinking of new ways to use this game to get more out of my kids.

Any ideas?

Tug of War

2009-10-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Pretty much just check it out. The kids thought it was fun and hard. I thought it was awesome!

October 13th workout for 10 Gold

2009-10-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

Warm up

1X300 (100Fr/100IM/100Fr)

Kick-Bk

8x50 25 kick/25 swim (no board) on 1:00

Drill-Br

10x75 (25 Hide 'n Seek/25 1 Stretch count/ 25 Sprint) on 1:45

Pull-Fr W/catalyst paddles

16x50 (odds single arm catch up/evens swim) on 1:00

Swim-Fly W/Fins

2x400 (k,r,l,s) on 10 sec. rest

Skills-Brst

Pulldowns

3050 yards

Fun with Caution Tape

2009-09-16T23:24:00.000-07:00

I like to play tag for dry-land on a weekly basis. The kids have a lot of fun and have to work hard at the same time. The great thing is that they don't even know that they are getting an awesome workout in. It can also be a great way to warm the kids up before they get in the water. Tag seems to be the magic dry-land activity that I simply can't live without. It requires short bursts of speed, endurance, agility, athleticism, and much more if you are creative.

I have created some amazing ways to play tag, but none as simple, different, and fun as what I came up with last week. Check it out.

I found some caution tape in the office and thought that it would be fun to make some obstacles for the kids to look out for. It turned out that the kids loved it and a simple game of tag became something completely different.

Fin Chase Down

2009-09-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

Another fun game I like to play is Fin Chase Down. This is great for getting the kids to sprint for their dear lives.

First, partner the kids up in pairs. One gets to wear fins and the other doesn't. The swimmer without fins gets to go first and the person with fins goes second. I give the kids without fins four chances to to make it to the opposite wall. On the first chance they get a 4 second head start. On chance 2 they get 3 seconds. Chance 3 allows them a 2 second head start. And the final chance only gives them 1 second. The goal for the fin wearer is to catch and grab the leg of their partner stopping them from getting to the other side. Once we get through 4 chances the kids switch rolls and the fin wearer becomes the person who gets chased down.

Luck of the Draw

2009-08-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

Monday through Thursday workouts cycle through strokes and disciplines and follow a specific order. Fridays are fun day. Saturdays are my open days. Open days mean that I can do whatever I want without looking at my season plan. The kids love Luck of the Draw. Flip Darr, my coach at Saddleback, had a much more insane version of this. I redesigned it for the younger athletes. So on occasion I will pull out my deck of cards and let luck decide their fate.

What I do is run through a long kick set followed by a simple IM set for the first hour. Then, I have the kids pick a partner. If I want to save time, I just group them by lane. One card gets picked per group. A specific card coincided with a specific set on the Luck of the Draw workout page. Some are hard. Some are easy. And some are just plain fun. Design your own or use this one. Have fun.

Click on image to enlarge.

10 & Unders: To Taper or Not to Taper

2009-08-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that 10 and under swimmers don't get the same physiological benefit out of a taper than older, more mature swimmers. And I have heard more than a couple times in the many clinics that I have taken part in that you don't really need to taper the younger kids. But does this mean that they don't get a motivational boost, or perhaps some psychological benefit out of a taper? I have used tapers successfully with my 10 and under athletes for years. The trick is to make them believe! Believe in their team, believe in their coach, and believe in themselves.

THE MEETING

I usually start my taper with the 10 and under Gold group about 5-6 workouts before the big meet. On day one, I begin with a group meeting. Kids enjoy learning and they crave knowledge for the things they love to do. So, I explain to them exactly what I plan on doing, and more importantly, why. I let them know that if they follow my plan that their chances of success are dramatically increased.

NO DRYLAND

I run a very intense dryland program. So, at this point, we stop strengthening the body and focus on strengthening the mind. I am a talker and I like to use the 30 minutes out of the water for motivational talks, games, and discussions. I teach positive thinking all the way.

THE WORKOUT

A typical regular season workout averages a little under 4,000 yards a day with 1 hour and 30 minutes of water time. We stick with our regular routine all season long, alternating strokes and disciplines each day. The kids get used to a routine and appreciate the fact that they can usually figure out what the next set will require. A couple weeks before the taper I will give them some really hard workouts that go a little over 4,000 yards.

So, to begin the taper I break the routine and get them doing something different. I will start with an unusual warm up set followed by a longer freestyle kick set. After about 45 minutes of semi-typical hard work I bring in the racing sets. We will do some broken 100's and 200's for time. Some 25's sprint on 1:00, no breathers, are also common. For the last little bit of extra time, I go over starts, turns, breakouts, etc. I only drop my yardage by about 100-300 yards a day, never dropping below 2,500 yards. Any extra time I get out of dropping yardage goes into more starts, turns, streamlines, and basic racing skills. I do not let my kids out early.

THE HAPPIEST COACH IN THE WORLD

During this time I become the happiest coach in the world. I make a huge effort to build their confidence beyond my normal capabilities. At first it is a bit hard. But after a couple days of making myself see only the positive and working on that alone, it really gets addictive and becomes a very exciting and fun time for myself and the kids. I really try to become the most positive and constructive person that the kids can believe in. No threatening. No yelling. No disappointment on my face EVER.

In conclusion, I feel that it is important to create some sort of big meet atmosphere around the workouts that lead up to the actual big meet. It may not even need to be a real taper. Perhaps you can call it a peek performance week. But something out of the ordinary that will get the kids fired up about swimming fast for the team. Something that will get the kids to believe!

2 lines in 2 seconds

2009-07-26T19:33:00.001-07:00

I wanted to get the kids streamlining faster through the flags so I decided to give them a time-limit and a distance. I thought 3 seconds would be a good goal to get to the 3rd black line at the bottom of the pool. GOOD IDEA!....Not really. The first time the Gold group did this was a bit of a disaster and I ended up being the big grump on the pool deck that day. 20x25 on 30 seconds in IM order didn't really allow for the kids to catch their breathe in time to pull off a full 20 repeats of high intensity streamlining. So, lesson learned. Next time, I tried it with my Blue group but brought it down to 2 in 2. It really worked well with the Blue kids this time. They were getting past the flags and faster than normal.

So, if you are looking to get your kids past the flags and want to try something new, add this to your tool box and see what kind of results you get. Time-limit + Distance = Faster streamlining. Just make sure it is a reasonable distance and time and they get enough time to catch their tiny little breaths.

High-Fly Tempo Drill

2009-07-22T22:43:00.001-07:00

I like this drill for any style flyer at almost any level. If you want to increase the tempo and get your swimmer undulating quicker, recovering faster, and catching immediately with no hesitation, this is one of the best drills.

First, have your swimmer float out about arms distance from the wall. Have them do vertical butterfly kicking with their arms down at the side for about 5-10 seconds. If you go any longer then they can tire quickly and you won't see the results you are looking for. The vertical kick forces the swimmer to optimize their amplitude and tempo in order to keep their face out of the water. Once you feel that they have the right speed have them grab the wall and quickly go for a lap of high intensity fly. I like to remind them to try to match the speed of their undulation to the speed they were able to achieve in their vertical kicking.

White Water Warm Up

2009-07-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

This is a warm up I designed after realizing my kids needed to work on maintaining their kick during breathing and stroke cycles. I noticed many of the swimmers, even the ones that were great kickers with a board, had trouble kicking while they moved their head for the breathe. So, I came up with this set and did it as a warm up for a full week before our next swim meet. I felt that I had good results in the freestyle events so I decided to keep this set handy and pull it out when I needed it.

Short Course on 40 sec.

4x25 Free Kick w/ board

4x25 Free Kick w/ no board - Hands in front

4x25 Catch Up

4x25 Swim

Everything is done with the emphasis on creating white water with their kicking. I try to get them to focus on the speed and size of their kicks from wall to wall. And what I really look for is that they maintain their white water during the breathing cycle. It is easy to kick hard with a board. But take the board away and add in an arm pull and a breathe and it gets much more difficult. This set will help the kids keep that strong kick going from start to finish.

Correcting techniques for age group swim coaches

2009-07-17T12:34:00.000-07:00

The following techniques can be used to help your swimmers correct technical problems during the workout.

The set is 6x100 Free on 2:00. You ask the kids to focus on their streamlines and dolphin kicks off of each wall. At some point during the set you will notice one or more swimmers poorly executing their streamlines. First, use the Verbal/Visual technique. If that doesn't work to your satisfaction and the child is still pushing off the walls with unsatisfactory streamlines, then go to the Tactile approach. If you are still not getting the desired results on a consistent basis, then add on Tactile Conditioning. The key is to be patient and assume or imagine that they are brand new swimmers that are learning this skill for the very first time.

1. Verbal/Visual: First, stop the child. Tell the child what he needs to be doing correctly. Show the child by making the correct movements yourself. Then allow him to continue.

-"Hey Chris. Make sure you are locking your elbows behind your head. That will keep your streamline tight and ensure you have maximum speed of your walls."

2. Tactile: Calmly ask the child to exit the water. Make sure he doesn't feel like he is getting in trouble. Use the Verbal/Visual technique and follow it up by making the child repeat the movements themselves. If he is having trouble making the correct movements then you can carefully help him by guiding his actions.

-"Chris. Why don't you come out here so we can work on your streamlines. OK, you see how tight my arms are behind my head? There is no space between my head and my arms. Now you show me your streamline. Good job!"

3. Tactile Conditioning: Stop the child. Ask them nicely to repeat the action correctly. Do this until they accurately perform the technique. Also, include the other correction techniques to help if needed.

-"Chris. Can you do that flip-turn for me again? This time show me your great streamline and add 5 dolphin kicks. Excellent."

You can use these techniques for just about any skill that you teach your age group swimmers. Some specific skills may require a little more creativity in order to successfully adapt these correcting techniques to your workout. Be patient and HAVE FUN! If you feel yourself getting frustrated at your swimmers for butchering your perfectly planned workout, use these techniques.

Summer time means tired swimmers

2009-07-14T20:21:00.000-07:00

As a coach, I realize that younger kids want to play during the summer, and that often means tired swimmers at swim practice. Today, I had just about half of all my Gold swimmers do something exhausting before swim practice. The fact that it was in the high 80's didn't help much in my pursuit of an excellent dry-land day. Between Junior Lifeguards, pool parties, sleepovers, beach days, surf camps, and just about everything a kid can do with all the time in the world, there hardly seems enough time in the day for a 2 hour dry-land/swim workout. But they come. They come tired, fatigued, and slow. But they still come. I know I may not be able to get 100% out of them, but I make sure to let them know that if they choose to come to any workout, that they are going to give everything they've got. I let the kids know that all those other things are totally cool and OK to do during the summer. I want them to have fun. However, if they show up, they have to work just as hard as the day before. If they are too tired to give everything they've got, then they should have stayed home and made that their day off. After all, they are only required to make a minimum of 4 out of 6 offered workouts per week to be in these groups. Today started slow and the kids were certainly not into the dry-land with the heat, but by the last set they were giving everything they had. And that is absolutely all I expect.

King of the Hill

2009-07-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

When I was 9 or 10 my summer league coach called it Peel-Offs. I like the idea of making it more of a game, so I call it King of the Hill. The object is to get to the first position and defend it for as long as you can or simply get as close to the "King" as possible. The "King" jumps in first and when he hits the water the next person gets to jump in and when they hit the water the next person gets to jump in and on and on until you get to the last person. If you can touch the wall before the person that jumped in before you, then you switch positions and move your way up. I like it because the kids race....I mean they really RACE. They don't want to let their friends beat them and getting passed is not an option to most of these animals. I like to remind them that any little mistake can cost them their spot. A bad breakout, a weak dive, or a poor finish can really blow it for you in this game. I usually give them between 30 to 90 seconds rest between races. My summer league coach made the first person leave when the last person touched. That just seemed to brutal for my kids, especially because we usually play for 20 to 30 minutes straight. That is a lot of racing and they really go hard for this game.

Successful Beach Workout

2009-07-09T20:55:00.001-07:00

We had another successful beach workout on Wed. We saw about 30 plus kids ranging in age from 7-12 and we had something for all of them.

For our 7-8 year old swimmers, Coach Siga with some great parent help, took the 8 and unders in and out of the shallow waves multiple times. She stresses the importance of knowing where you are at all times and being aware of your surroundings. The current was really strong and kids were being pulled towards the pier. All the parent help along with some of our National team members were greatly appreciated and every child was safe and had a great time.

Our 12 and under athletes went out past the waves to Coach Mike on his board. They circled him and headed back into shore. Many of the kids forgot to run in to the finish area but were reminded to really race back in for the second round. After round 2, I headed out to Mike and waited for the kids to swim out to us. When they reached us, I headed south for about 100 yards, let the kids circle me, and then headed back in with the final few swimmers. They continued back to Mike and then back into shore where Coach Bill and Coach Kelly were waiting for them.

After the outs & ins, the swimming out and around, and the running to the pier, we finally let the kids just play. And that seems to be what they love the most. After a beach workout always comes a beach day. It was a ton of fun and if I didn't have to go back to the pool for some lessons I would have stayed there longer.

I think it is important for any team or group that plans on doing beach workouts to be as safe and prepared as possible. The Nadadores always contact the local Lifeguards before we show up. If conditions are not suitable, then we do not swim. We have 3 or 4 coaches in the water during the day as well as our National team members, all of whom are in the water and swimming with the kids for their safety. We feel these workouts are an opportunity to introduce our swimmers to the ocean and how to prepare for and ultimately accomplish a successful open water competition. Some kids will choose to avoid the beach practices and that is OK with us. You have to enjoy what you do and sometimes the water temperature, the sand, and the waves are too much for some people. We only recommend they give it a try.

Our beach workouts consist of approximately 5 or 6 coaches on hand and a couple parent volunteers. Not to mention all the parents just watching provide more eyes on the kids. This time around we also had about 10 National team members volunteering their time to help with the little ones. It was a great day.

Leg Destroyer Workout

2009-07-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

This is not your typical L.C. workout for these kids and very out of the norm for me. I had a fun time making up this workout and had not planned this before today.

We started out playing tag for 30 min. for our dry-land portion of the day. Then, following a hard kicking set, we went straight into a dry-land / sprint set involving squats, starts off the block into a feet-first entry, and then a 15 meter sprint. The kids were to then run back to the end of the line. They had asked how deep should their squats be and I told them to go about half way down. So, these ingenious kids decided to use the bottom step of the starting block as their deepest point. Pretty darn smart if you ask me. After that we put the fins on, to continue punishing the legs, and went 16x50 (4 on a min, 4 on 50, 4 on 45, 4 on 40) all free. Our most intense set of the day was only 4x100 sprint brst on over a min. rest. The hard part was that during that rest they were actually doing toe taps on the step. So, they really got NO REST.

All said and done, the kids really enjoyed the change of pace workout....and so did I.

Last set of the day

2009-07-06T21:35:00.000-07:00

Our main swim set today was:

1x400 Free

1x300 Free

1x200 IM

1x100 Free

All on 10 seconds rest with fins.

I haven't used fins in awhile for a free set so I thought they might like swimming a bit faster than usual. This was the last thing we did and I think they like ending on these 10 sec. rest sets because the faster they finish it the earlier they get out. They seem to push themselves a bit harder to get it done before their friends also. About two years ago I used these types of sets quite a bit because of the effort I was getting out of my weaker kids. It seems to put everyone on an even playing field and allows each person to put in as much, or as little effort as they want. It puts the power in their hands. Whether they come in first or last, as long as they worked hard, they get a lot of praise from me.