Why Choose A 2-Beat Kick?
A flutter kick – sometimes called a 6-Beat or a 4-Beat kick, when it’s done correctly – is useful for some people in some circumstances, but certainly not for all, and I would like to argue that it may not be best for most. However, it is certainly...
Your Kick And Lower Back Pain
Do you have pain or soreness sometimes in your lower back? It could be muscular (outside the spine) and it could be structural (inside the spine). It was encouraging to see this discussion Why Swimming Increases Low Back Degeneration, on Dr. John Mullen’s...
Becoming A New Student Again
I am into the third week of my first experience in taiji/tai chi and qigong. I was first attracted to study this a few years ago, but have been waiting for an open window of time in my schedule to coincide with a class and instructor that seemed to have the approach I...
How To Improve Endurance
When do we need endurance? When we are going really hard? When we are going really fast? When we are going really far? There is great discomfort in any of these and that discomfort needs to be overcome to finish, Maybe we need endurance in all three, but a different...
The Challenge Of Going Slow
Three Zones There are two extremes that we are urged to avoid in training – going too hard and going too easy. If we go too hard, or go hard too often, something is going to break. If we go too easy, or go easy too often, we simply will not grow, and may even...
Dig Deeper Into The Fundamentals
Do you get bored with practice? Impatient to get past the basics and into the more advanced skills to raise performance higher? That might be what you need to do, but then again, you might still have a lot more to gain from refining the skills you think you’ve...
Who Is A Longevity Athlete?
For 10 years I’ve been publishing nearly every week on this Smooth Strokes blog, with more than 500 articles. This blog is dedicated to discussing the practice of swimming, mindfulness, fitness, advanced training and beyond. If you’ve been viewing this...
There Are Consequences
Recently, a coach friend of mine attended a seminar given by a swim coach somewhat well-known in the US triathlon scene. My friend told me she went with an open mind and heart to learn from this coach with a different approach to swimming and I supported her, looking...