Christop Gertsch, former swimmer himself and now writer for different Swiss newspapers, wrote a great article on Dominik Meichtry called “Der Schwimmer und sein Meisterwerk“. This really sums up perfectly the life of a swimmer.
Swimming
On Hurricanes and Mammoths
It’s been a while since I last posted something and I’m not positive that my time with the Swiss Army is a great excuse. I did have a few ideas for new content during the last weeks and started working on several of them. But I have to admit that life in the army is different and writing wasn’t always a top priority. So for now an update on what I’ve been up to this summer before reporting to the Swiss Army and some things that happened during that time.
I’ve been assigned to a troop called “Mob Log Ber Kp 104-1” or simply the Mammoths. Compared to my first experience with the Swiss Army I did have a better time but I’m glad it’s over now. We still had to go through some training but it was more specific to the mission we had to accomplish during those weeks.
There’s really not much more I can share with you other than the news that put a smile on my face during the time with the Swiss Army…so keep reading for some swimming related news.
Swim Essentials
My friend Richard Hall produced a swim DVD for ASCA (American Swimming Coaches Association) and USA Swimming called “Swim Essentials: Teaching the Fundamentals to Age Group Swimmers . The DVD demonstrates fundamental progressions and basic teaching techniques for free, back, breast, fly, and starts and turns.
Boyd jumps right in
Jack Boyd, who was down in the Keys for a Race Club swim camp this past summer, began his High School swimming career with a record in the 500 yard free and a win in the 200 yard free to help Canisius to a win in their season opener. You can read the full article in the sports section on BuffaloNews.com
Swim Philippines Oct/Nov 2010
Dorothy Hong, one of the athletes I was coaching this year in the Florida Keys with the Race Club is on the cover of the October/November issue of Swim Philippines. Check out the article on Dorothy starting on page 12.
Advice to Coaches (and Swimmers)
In my last post titled “Champions ingredients” I listed five common factors that I think make a champion not just in swimming, but in any sport. As coaching starts to become my primary responsibility at the pool, I realize there are five important things to keep in mind doing this job. I still consider myself a total rookie and this post is directed more toward swim coaches who are just beginning their coaching career. However, these five points can apply no matter where you are in your coaching career.
Although I wrote this post with the goal of sharing some of my experiences and help swim coaches, I realize that this information can also help athletes as well. After all, at the end of their careers, many swimmers end up coaching themselves to a large extent. So no matter if you’re just starting out in your coaching career or have been on deck for a long time or you are an athlete learning how to coach yourself, I hope you find something useful.
Inauguration Piscine Martigny
I will attend the grand opening of the new indoor swimming pool in Martigny along with some swimmers from Vevey Natation. They’re going to do some exhibition swims and I will do a finswimming presentation. Martigny s’apprête à inaugurer pour sa nouvelle piscine couverte et je ferai une démonstration de nage avec palmes avec quelques …
The Race Club Buffalo Style
The Boyd and Dietrich families, who spent a week down in the Florida Keys for a Race Club Swim Camp put together a short video for us. It’s a must see!
Florida Keys Swim Club Workouts
Last Friday afternoon and Saturday morning I was leading two workouts for the Florida Keys Swim Club while Head Coach Jon Olsen was out of town. We were gearing up for some fast swimming during the Saturday morning session. You can download those two workouts from ProSwimWorkouts for your use. Friday’s workout: FKSC100813 – Saturday’s workout: FKSC100814
Champion Ingredients
Something I get asked a lot lately particularly by people not familiar with swimming is “What makes a champion in your sport?“. What I’m about to tell you could apply to almost any sport but, of course, comes from what I believe makes for a great swimmer.
First, let’s try to clear up why it is so hard for newcomers to break into the top. It seems that you see many of the same athletes dominate a sport for a long time as newcomers slowly work their way up to take the baton once the champions leave. Rarely do we see someone breaking into the top right away. This gradual process is most likely due to the fact that the best often keep getting better.
But what is it that separates the best from the rest? And what do you need to even have a chance to make it to the top yourself? What follows are five important ingredients or requirements to become a Champion.