Swim Like You Kayak

by Coach Mat | 13 May, 2011

By invitation, I spent 2 hours in the pool last night observing my Turkish swim coach friends 15 swimmers, all around 9-12 yrs old. While all were working just as hard, stroking away madly, the most remarkable difference between the best swimmers in the lane and the...

Swim To Escape, or Swim To Face It?

by Coach Mat | 3 May, 2011

I headed to the Med this morning to release my internalized stress in the cool sea water. I have been feeling some stress the last couple days. All that tensive unchanneled energy collects in my chest just below the heart and I desperately needed to get it flushed...

Using A Tempo Trainer- SPEED IT UP!

by Coach Mat | 25 Apr, 2011

Using A Tempo Trainer – SPEED IT UP! If you’ve read the previous two lessons then great. Let’s procede. If not, I suggest you take a moment to go back to the Intro and see how those two lessons set the stage for this one. Speed = Stroke Length (SL) x...

Using A Tempo Trainer- SLOW IT DOWN

by Coach Mat | 25 Apr, 2011

Using A Tempo Trainer – SLOW IT DOWN! If you have not read the Introduction, I invite you to do so now to get an idea of what I’m trying to explain with these Tempo Trainer lessons. If you know your current normal SPL and SR for your targeted distance event,...

How To Use A Tempo Trainer- INTRO

by Coach Mat | 25 Apr, 2011

An Introduction To Using A Tempo Trainer First, a few definitions: Stroke Length (SL) – the distance your body travels forward in each stroke cycle (of each arm). For instance, Coach Mat is 1.76 meters tall and has a comfortable SL of 1.2 meters. For more...

Calculate Your Strokes Per Length

by Coach Mat | 25 Apr, 2011

A Method To Determine Your Baseline Strokes Per Length In a pool, warm up at least 500 or so. Personally, I really only start to feel loosened up after about 800. Pick a distance event you intend to train for. Count strokes per length throughout this swim and compare...

Finding Your Tempo Range

by Coach Mat | 25 Apr, 2011

A Method To Determine Your Baseline Tempo Range Technically, Stroke Rate (SR) is in units of strokes per second (or minutes). While Tempo (the settings we use on a Tempo Trainer) is in units of seconds per stroke. Therefore SR = 1/Tempo. Often we will see analysis of...

Running In A TI Way

by Coach Mat | 23 Apr, 2011

This last year I’ve become curious as to how I might improve my running with the same kind of mindset and tools I use in TI swimming. I picked up a copy of Chi Running some time last year and have been studying the concepts. From what I read from others it was a...

Does Swimming Burn Fat?

by Coach Mat | 4 Apr, 2011

Our bodies are incredibly adaptive. As a matter of fact, each one of us have a body that has faithfully adapted to our lifestyle. Or, in otherwords, our bodies accurately reflect the lifestyle we have chosen. Yes, that body of yours, of mine, has expertly suited...

How To Use A Tempo Trainer???

by Coach Mat | 29 Mar, 2011

I’m receiving some questions about how to use a Tempo Trainer. Do you have questions? Do you have favorite practice sets using a TT? I’d love to hear from you… I see the need to compile a primer on using the TT and how to design practice sets...