Coaching | Mediterra Swim & Run

Metrics In Open Water: Measuring Improvement

by Coach Mat | 21 Jun, 2014

When training in open-water how do I measure improvement? The best arrangement is to set up two fixed points (as described in the previous post), and then measure 2 of the 3 variables in the Pace equation: Pace = SPL x Tempo More specifically, for calculating Pace at...

Getting Enough Breath?

by Coach Mat | 2 Jun, 2014

Q: I have read your articles on Metrics-Tempo, Pace, etc with a lot of interest. What I was wondering, if you increase your DPS [distance per stroke], that means your SPL [strokes per length of pool] goes down. If SPL goes down, doesn’t that mean you will take...

Accumulation Of Small Advantages

by Coach Mat | 16 May, 2014

At our mini-open water camp in Kas today one of my swimmers was expressing his delight with the improvement he experienced with one or two particular focal points. He kept jumping back in the sea to review it over and over. I was pleased of course, that he identified...

Enemy Of Improvement

by Coach Mat | 20 Apr, 2014

When we consider the goal of continual swimming improvement what is or are our enemies to that goal? A body that doesn’t want to work hard? A mind that is afraid of pain? Boredom? A lack of talent? Not enough time? I suggest that these are the real Enemies Of...

Metrics 102: Fast Tempo

by Coach Mat | 8 Apr, 2014

Why swim at faster tempos? Here are three reasons (among more we might think of): 1. To Improve Speed In order for increased Tempo to result in increased Speed, the swimmer must maintain a certain amount of Stroke Length, or he will end up going slower while...

Metrics 102: Tempo

by Coach Mat | 23 Mar, 2014

What is Tempo? In swimming jargon, and in TI Swimming in particular, Tempo refers to the number of seconds between each arm stroke. If you were to swim with a Tempo of 1.00 seconds, that would mean that there is precisely 1.00 seconds between the moment your right...