Here are some questions I have been wanting to ask all of you who enjoy reading this blog. Perhaps you would care to take a moment and write me a response.
I am occasionally asked by swim students and readers when I am going to ‘write a book’ or compose one out of what is already posted on this blog. But write about what specifically?
First, what topic would you like me to address? What topic is being neglected or insufficiently discussed by other author/coaches that you would hope I would cover? Or, why would you want me to write about it even though others have already written about it?
Second, (I could guess but…) why do you want it in a book form – either ebook or printed – rather than just read it on the blog?
And third, looking at all the training resources that you do have access to already (including this blog), what kind of instructional or coaching tool do you wish someone (like me) would produce for you to fulfill a need or gap in your resources? What is on your wish list? It could be written, graphic, audio or visual resources, or even a live training event.
If you like the idea of influencing what I may produce next, this would be a great opportunity to tell me how I can serve you better with my skills.
Thanks!
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Hi Mat
We’ve “chatted” in the past. I really enjoy reading your posts every week. Always useful.
Now that my wife has joined me in retirement I swim a lot less but have stepped up my tennis, & especially a weekly hit with a Pro. (Pulse goes from 55 to 160 according to Fitbit Blaze, providing an early heart attack warning !).
You’ll recollect I was working with Toby Haddock who has now disappeared. Sadly he closed his Flow Swimming Studio a couple of years back. However, the movies I made for him live forever at YouTube.
As for your Blog:
I would like to see everything thrown together in one big PDF File or eBook with an appropriate Index/Search Facility. I cannot imagine that anyone has the time to browse through masses of Blog entries. I certainly don’t & I’m retired !
The swimming eBook I started was postponed when my brother nearly died of bowel cancer.
He’s made a full recovery but I lost interest in completing the eBook.
Stuff still at http://www.iswimfreestylewell.com
Keep up the good work.
Best regards
Mike Campbell
Brighton Marina, UK
(Age 68 & rising………..)
Hi Mike,
Yes, I do remember our email conversation. And thank you for the update on your position regarding the book idea you had.
This is a good recommendation. I am exploring a better ebook editing app in the hope of making that process easier to do – for me the writing is the easy part! The formatting and turning into a presentable product is what is expensive in time.
A small step in that direction I could take – as recommended in another comment about this – is to create a page with most popular or most important blog posts quickly listed so one can find those immediately. Like a ‘Start Reading Here…” index.
What would you wish for? — Give me Patience. And give it now.
Seriously, I find it hard to think of ways to improve your prescriptions to us for improvement. They are specific and strategic, and pared down so that we have to think of only one thing at a time. In theory the little tasks, and thus the ultimate goal should be easy to achieve, if only we commit to them; so that challenge is thrown in our faces, so we are shamed into doing them, because the only alternative would be to admit to apathy. So we get it done.
If only we had the internal jam enough to apply this thoroughness to the list of little things we know that are the ways to fix the big things that frustrate us about ourselves.
Thank you Lim for your encouragement! The writing and teaching and listening to these concepts is the easy part. The act of doing them and making a habit of them is the hard part!
Hi Mat,
blog and dojo, both is fine for me the way it is presented right now. Treasures are sometimes openly laying around and I can search for content corresponding to my current needs. Thanks for this again.
What might be helpful is a list of what you call “Recommended Reading” grouped by topics for those who want to eat more.
What I miss a bit in the TI-World are more opportunities to drive to/fly over to a sunny place in the world where swimmers can meet good coaches all year long (the model you offered in Turkey before) – not just for a weekend workshop – this could help to reconcile job and swimming needs more easily – Lutz
Thank you for the encouragement on the blog, Lutz! I have an out-dated and hard to find ‘Recommended Reading’ page actually, and you have prompted me to go update and improve that page!
Oh, I really wish I could still be there on the Med all year to be so convenient for lessons on that side of the world!
Coach – a long overdue response to our great email discussions. Sorry if it’s too lengthy. If I can insert a small picture of our pool and the 25 yard SPL chart, please let me know. I’m always reading your blogs, and today was time to answer! More power to you and your blog!
What would I wish for? 2 conditions, both out of reach right now: (1) stem cell replacement for my lungs, and (2) to improve my SPL (25 yd pool) from the current 19 to at least 15SPL. The 2 conditions are related, as I’ll explain below.
A couple of years ago, I came across Coach Mat’s blog, got into a detailed email conversation with him, and learned about SPL or strokes per lap as one way to monitor one’s swim progress. We even discussed using the Finis Tempo Trainer Pro. I zeroed in on using SPL because my learning is very numbers- and chart-oriented. Here’s the chart he sent me:
So at my height of 65″, my ideal SPL range is between 16 and 20SPL. I was already doing 14 and 15SPL, which was great! But then my swim coach pointed out that I was also using short fins and glided almost halfway down the pool! Here’s the pool at my local YMCA – I am there almost everyday, and know the pool traffic so I often get the whole pool to myself:
I understood what my swim coach meant – basically I was “cheating” on strokes. So I took off the fins, modified my push-off to a 3-count, and took my first stroke on count 4. Results? Aargh! 22SPL! But no worries, I’m retired, I have the time and desire to reduce my SPL, and most importantly, I can exceed my doctor’s recommendation of “at least exercise 3x a week, 45-75 min. . . ”
And then the challenges came. You see, I’m a MRSA survivor – that’s for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. For simplicity, think of the worst possible pneumonia you could get, and that’s what I had. I had lung surgery in 2008, ended up with badly damaged lungs that are now only 75% of what they were before. My resistance has also reduced, so I easily catch colds or succumb to colder weather.
My swimming goals are very straightforward: execute the most efficient strokes and breathing in one lap, and try to use the least number of strokes in my 16-20 range. My swim coach used to be a Triathlon competitor for many years. Although he is not a TI instructor, he is familiar with the system, and together we’ve broken down each element of my strike, from head to toe!
To summarize:
(1) Lung stem cell replacement will continue developing until it’s approved by the FDA. My pulmonologist says to watch the trends over the next 3-5 years. I’m not in a desperate position, but there are stories I’ve heard about successful $15,000 Lung stem cell replacement in some Asian countries – that doesn’t include interview (and possible rejection), travel, and post-op care. I’m not early to go there – maybe if I hit $1 million jackpot.
(2) My SPL goal of not more than 16 is attainable, but with my respiratory condition and natural aging (golden age of 67), occasional issues with catching a cold, the numbers will go up and down the range of 16-20 SPL. The results that I can try and make more consistent are the individual elements that make the most efficient stroke. I regularly have my pool lifeguards take video clips since I’m often the only swimmer in the pool. On good days, I might have all the elements well-synchronized, but ending with a high SPL of 21-23. On other days, I have a low SPL of 16-18, but the video clip shows a sloppy execution, such as legs splaying 2-3 times, head lifting up more than necessary, an occasional cross over, etc.
Today I’m in a rest period due to extremely strong winds 20-25 mph, making a swim in 88 degrees water feel like it’s 75 degrees! Oh, I do have my wet suit, but I’m saving that for winter. With inclement weather, I alternate swimming with a gym routine sequence my coach specifically chose to mimic my stroke movements. I’m a fairly happy camper – $1million for stem cell replacement or a covered indoor heated pool yards long by 15 yards wide!