Monday, November 15, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
30 Minute Fly - It's Not What You Think.
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!
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!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Good Memories of Fran Crippen
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 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!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Lindsey Rock Fitness
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.
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.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
NADA-WAR! - Singles Version
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.
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