Design Principles | Mediterra Swim & Run

The Root Cause Of Failure

by Coach Mat | 25 Jun, 2016

This could be considered Part 3 in a series following Practice As A Puzzle To Solve and Using Failure To Solve The Puzzle. Failure is a key ingredient in progress – it is something you actually want to provoke because it reveals more clearly where you need to...

Using Failure To Solve the Puzzle

by Coach Mat | 18 Jun, 2016

This is meant to be Part 2 of Practice As A Puzzle To Solve. A Practice Example Here is an an example of how I applied this puzzle approach… At a certain range of distance-swimming tempos (1.15 to 0.95) I have tapped into this full-body synchronized rhythm which...

Practice As A Puzzle To Solve

by Coach Mat | 11 Jun, 2016

For the swimmer or triathlete who is trying to figure out how to design his own practice sets, it might be a confusing task. Even experienced swimmers who are no longer competing or training for a specific achievement may find themselves aimless in choosing random...

When More Is Better

by Coach Mat | 16 Apr, 2016

When you can make time for more practices each week – with good design and focused effect, and in good balance in your other priorities in life – that is a very good thing. All things being healthy, practicing more often will give you a boost in...

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...