Speed and Pace | Mediterra Swim & Run

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...

Failure Leads To Speed

by Coach Mat | 24 Sep, 2016

This is a continuation from the previous post The Speed You Must Earn. Race day (if you like racing) is the great test of your abilities – this is the event most competitive athletes are focused upon. On that day you want to succeed in everything you have...

Your Potential At Other Distances

by Coach Mat | 27 Feb, 2016

This post is related to my 100 yard Sprint Improvement Project I discussed in the previous post. It is not common for swimmers – elite or regular citizen athletes – to train on both ends of the event spectrum – short sprints (like 50, 100) to long...

A Sprint Improvement Project

by Coach Mat | 21 Feb, 2016

Since I am back in Oregon USA and back to the short 25 yard pool, my interest has been drawn back to short distance work for these winter and spring months, until open water season arrives again. In Antalya I enjoyed year-round sea swimming, but I am now back to a...

Longer Length Or Faster Rate?

by Coach Mat | 30 Jan, 2016

I’ve had this discussion behind the scenes with some swimmers recently and felt their challenge to bring up this topic more in the open. So here it is… I want to address ‘the elephant in the room’ (as one of them put it) regarding the apparent...

Test for Progress and Weakness

by Coach Mat | 28 Nov, 2015

Here is an excerpt from the instruction in the12-week Master Class 1K course inside our Online Coaching Program. It is describing the role of the test swim and guiding the swimmer’s response to it: To test progress and reveal strengths and weak spots you need to...