by Coach Mat | 19 May, 2018 | About Coach Mat, Boredom, Burn Out, Design Principles, Distraction, Failure, How To Train?, Kaizen (Continual Improvement), Mastery Process, Motivating Swimmers, Motivation, Plateau (No Progress)
In the Positive Psychology realm, ‘engagement’ (Seligman) is another term for ‘flow state’ (Csikszentmihaly) which I’ve written quite a lot about in a previous series of posts. An aspect of this engagement or flow is being absorbed in a...
by Coach Mat | 12 May, 2018 | Burn Out, Competitive/Performance Training, Motivating Swimmers, Motivation, Pain, Pleasure Swimming, Training Psychology
Do you know what’s more important than being faster? Feeling wonderful when you move. This is not really a personal preference thing. This is about universal physiology and psychology. Think about it. If you want an athletic movement art that you will want to...
by Coach Mat | 5 May, 2018 | About Coach Mat, Depression, Sleep, Stress
I realize there are many forms of depression, and each may have a mixture of roots in biology, psychology and sociology. One may not easily parse out the roots, but if we do certain things to care for our body and mind and connection to others, then we stand a much...
by Coach Mat | 28 Apr, 2018 | Muscle Tension, Muscle Training, Plateau (No Progress), Relaxation, Technique Theory
A few days ago, on the Total Immersion blog, I published an essay on the necessary relationship between tension and relaxation in swimming. If you’ve been trying to be ‘more relaxed’ in your stroke, or trying to be ‘more powerful’ you may...
by Coach Mat | 21 Apr, 2018 | Speed and Pace, SPL, Stroke Length (SL), Swim Watch, Tempo Trainer, Tempo, Stroke Rate (SR)
In swimming measurements, do you know the difference between seconds per stroke and strokes per minute? Or the difference between tempo and stroke rate? Or when to use one over the other? Don’t worry if you don’t know, or don’t care. But sometimes...
by Coach Mat | 18 Apr, 2018 | About Coach Mat, Boredom, Flow State, Kaizen (Continual Improvement), Meditation, Other Related Sports, Plateau (No Progress), Recommended Reading
This post is Part 4, the last of a 4-part series on The Habit Of Exercise. A cheat-sheet and stripped-down version of what I’ve done to develop a robust habit is provided at the bottom. Keep It Skill-Oriented Activities that don’t require much skill, or...
by Coach Mat | 7 Apr, 2018 | About Coach Mat, Depression, Food & Hydration, Heart & Mind, Sleep
[PS- After publishing this I realized using the word ‘malnutrition-induced’ in the title may have been more accurate – but it catches attention nonetheless. I think the point is clear below.] I imagine there are many among those reading this who feel...
by Coach Mat | 1 Apr, 2018 | About Coach Mat, Boredom, Burn Out, Fitness Training, Motivation, Other Related Sports, Practice Series, Running, Training Theory, Triathlon, Triathlon Swimming
We are continuing our discussion of The Habit Of Exercise. This is Part 3 of 4. Consistency Is Key We do need variety to keep it interesting and to keep the nervous system stimulated for growth. But it is also very important to be consistent in a regular routine....
by Coach Mat | 27 Mar, 2018 | About Coach Mat, Aging, Aging and Improvement, Motivation, Other Related Sports, Strength
What has kept me exercising regularly for 30 years, and what will keep me going for another 30 and more? This post is part 2 of 4 in the series The Habit Of Exercise. and continues the discussion of what builds and strengthens our habit of exercise to contribute to...
by Coach Mat | 19 Mar, 2018 | About Coach Mat, Aging, Aging and Improvement, Motivation, Other Related Sports, Recommended Reading
There may be a season of your life when it becomes important to you to get ready for a big athletic accomplishment, like a triathlon or a masters swim meet, or a swim holiday that has you training more than you have been used to. That event on a fast approaching date...
