Metrics | Mediterra Swim & Run

The Discipline Of Restraint

by Coach Mat | 28 Jan, 2017

One of the ways you can detect truly elite coaches is by the emphasis in their teaching and marketing on ‘going-smarter’ rather than ‘going-harder’ (though this is required also). Mature coaches seem to echo the refrain: listen to your body. If...

Practice Involves Feedback

by Coach Mat | 25 Dec, 2016

Along with the previous article in this series describing the role of focal points (mental representations), we are getting to the heart of the practice with the feedback loop. If you have ever learned to play an instrument (or tried to) or just listened to music...

Form Better Mental Representations

by Coach Mat | 17 Dec, 2016

Anders Ericsson declares that “the main purpose of deliberate practice is to develop effective mental representations.” (page 75). It would therefore be very important that we figure out what mental representations are in the context of our deliberate swim...

Relax Your Shoulders!

by Coach Mat | 10 Dec, 2016

In addendum to the previous post on What Is Relaxation? I recall another experience I had in running where a specific “Relax!” instruction worked. You certainly know about the global athletics company Nike. It started in Eugene Oregon, my home state, and...

The Definition Of Deliberate Practice

by Coach Mat | 30 Oct, 2016

I have spent a great deal of space on this blog to explain the view that superior performance is composed of both an extraordinary product on the outside – such as speed – and an extraordinary feature on the inside – energy efficiency. Whether your...

Build Your Speed Skills

by Coach Mat | 24 Oct, 2016

If you have been taking time to absorb Total Immersion methods and coaching, you may have (or I hope, you should have) encountered our argument that Speed Is A Skill. Many of my posts are dedicated to explaining some facet of that concept. If you are wondering what...