Design Principles | Mediterra Swim & Run

Engaging Practices Need Uncertainty

by Coach Mat | 19 May, 2018

In the Positive Psychology realm, ‘engagement’ (Seligman) is another term for ‘flow state’ (Csikszentmihaly) which I’ve written quite a lot about in a previous series of posts. An aspect of this engagement or flow is being absorbed in a...

Adults Need Self Limiting Exercises

by Coach Mat | 4 Mar, 2018

I can’t emphasize this enough, because it is a cornerstone of our care for adult athletes: we train for superior technique because that is what is going to keep our body pleasantly functional into our oldest age . Taking off from the way it was said in the...

Why Is Superior Form Harder To Maintain?

by Coach Mat | 25 Feb, 2018

A member of our online training site, the Mediterra Swim Dojo, has been noticing that after a certain distance in a training set, his stroke quality deteriorates which results in his stroke count (strokes per length of the pool) going up uncontrollably. He asked a...

Learn To Coach Yourself

by Coach Mat | 14 Jan, 2018

When I started the first version of our online training in 2012, my intention was to provide support for our camp and workshop swimmers, who traveled from afar, who were going home and had no local coach and no materials to show them what to do in the weeks and months...

Does Swimming Burn Fat? 2

by Coach Mat | 9 Dec, 2017

As well as being asked about this from time to time, I’ve learned that this is a common online search phrase so I should get some extra hits on this post. Previously, I’ve written some thoughts on body fat in relation to swimming: Does Swimming Burn Fat? 1...

Checklist For Easier Breathing – Part 1

by Coach Mat | 14 Oct, 2017

Stressful, disruptive breathing is one of the top complaints brought to us by swimmers seeking coaching help. Sometimes the swimmer can experience a great improvement in ease with just one or two little adjustments. But often there are underlying structural problems...