Health | Mediterra Swim & Run

What Is The Difference Between Strength, Endurance And Power?

by Coach Mat | 26 Jan, 2019

As you may have noticed from my style of writing on this blog, I try to be careful with definitions of words and use them in technically accurate ways. I appreciate when someone sends me a kind note pointing out where I may have misused or misunderstood a term in its...

The Limitations Of Your Watch

by Coach Mat | 19 Jan, 2019

In order to plan the next cycle of practices for a swimmer working towards a particular performance goal, I need to see various kinds of data from both their objective measurements and their subjective measurements. We are, after all, training the whole person to...

One Stroke Technique For Everyone? Part 3

by Coach Mat | 28 Oct, 2018

This continues from Part 2 of One Stroke Technique For Everyone? In the previous part I discussed how we might allow a swimmer to make compromises away from the ideal because she has limitations in her body that are unimproveable or there are other reasons that stack...

One Stroke Technique For Everyone? Part 2

by Coach Mat | 20 Oct, 2018

This continues from Part 1 of One Stroke Technique For Everyone? Improve What Is Improvable Let’s consider some of the features that could be improved if an athlete were motivated to do so: soft-tissue and joint immobility low flexibility low strength poor...

Thinking About Pain – Part 3

by Coach Mat | 13 Oct, 2018

Continued from Part 2… Emotional Resilience There is a level of grit – technically known as ’emotional resilience’ – that is good for each of us to develop, when the pain can’t be reduced further. It is really tough to train for...

Distance Swimming in Kaş

by Coach Mat | 29 Sep, 2018

As I write this I am sitting on our ‘command boat’ in the sea next to the peninsula in Kaş, Turkey. 30 minutes ago our swimmers begin the first strokes of their challenge swim on this final training day of our open water distance camp. The weather is...