Wetsuit, Waves, and Balance

by Coach Mat | 12 Apr, 2012

A few observations to share from my swim in the sea today, wearing my sleeveless, short-legged wetsuit. I went west along the shore for about 31 minutes, into a wind-driven current, with 50 cm swells and wind chop hitting me from 10 o’clock (to my side and...

Simplified, Intuitive Practice

by Coach Mat | 10 Apr, 2012

Here’s an exerpt from an email I received from a recent workshop student. I felt his question and my response may be helpful to those who feel overwhelmed or confused by what to do with TI in your practice times… I`m a little bit unstructured in my swim...

In Defense Of Fat

by Coach Mat | 9 Apr, 2012

I think these links will be of interest to you  if you aspire to weight loss, or to adapt to open-water swimming. Not all FAT is equal, nor should be villianized in our swimmer bodies. Here’s a few links from The Daily News Of Open Water Swimming: TDNOWS –...

Argument for Swimming Naked

by Coach Mat | 9 Apr, 2012

I bet the title on this essay is going to get me in trouble on some search engines, but there is nothing inappropriate in the content, I assure you. The title just fits… I was swimming in the Mediterranean Sea in Antalya yesterday. April 8! The water was 18 C. I...

Half-Over

by Coach Mat | 3 Apr, 2012

A TI swimmer friend of mine heard me speak last fall and recommended that I read Haruki Murakami’s book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. I did read it recently and loved it. You might also. In this following passage from that book Murakami is...

Smart Speed Part 2

by Coach Mat | 31 Mar, 2012

Smart Speed Part 2 – Effective Stroke Rate We looking at the next part of our Speed Equation in this essay: Speed = Stroke Length (SL) x Stroke Rate (SR) In the previous essay I introduced Stroke Length and discussed how we can each find our own optimal SL for various...

Smart Speed Part 1

by Coach Mat | 30 Mar, 2012

Smart Speed Part 1 – Your Optimal Stroke Length In this series of essays I will walk through the process of achieving speed through superior precision, rather than through absolute power. For anyone wanting to improve her triathlon time, expand the distance he can...

Endurance

by Coach Mat | 18 Mar, 2012

Endurance. What does that word mean to you? What kind of images of athleticism does it conjur up in your mind? For me it used to mean: Tough. High threshold for pain in the body, and a high threshold for monotony in the mind. Now: Effortless. Focused. Thrilling. This...

Swim Coach Yoda

by Coach Mat | 15 Mar, 2012

When Luke Skywalker went looking for the great Jedi Master to learn the way of The Force he didn’t expect to find the shriveled mini-martian Yoda. But what Luke learned from this offensive little back-planet specimen was that it did not matter what kind of body...

Help For Sinkers

by Coach Mat | 8 Mar, 2012

This is a re-post of a response I gave on the TI Coach Forums. I thought it may be helpful to some of you who have a friend or personally experience problems with planing too low in the water while swimming- making breathing and stroking much more difficult. Without...