SPL, Stroke Length (SL) | Mediterra Swim & Run

Self-Limiting Practice Sets

by Coach Mat | 16 Aug, 2016

I want to keep confronting the false notion that fitness training and technical training are two separate activities in the pool. Fitness and Technique are truly inseparable, and should be regarded as such in every practice activity. All repetitive movement is...

Detecting Progress

by Coach Mat | 10 Apr, 2016

Some times, when discussing practice results with a swimmer, I get the impression that this person has a persistent expectation for improvement in one particular way, even if the practice set was focused on other metrics. Here is a common example: in the first stage...

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...

Shallow Pool Effect

by Coach Mat | 5 Sep, 2015

Back in the 18th century Benjamin Franklin documented his observation that vessels in shallow water move slower than vessels in deep water (with all other things equal between the vessels). Why? As the vessel moves forward it is pushing against the water in all...

TI Weighs In On Ledecky

by Coach Mat | 13 Aug, 2015

Like wasps prowling a picnic, many coaches are weighing in on Katie Ledecky after her stunning sweep of all 200, 400, 800, and 1500 freestyle events at the FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia. Why not TI? In this article in Outside Magazine are some observations...