Focal Points | Mediterra Swim & Run

Bright Spots

by Coach Mat | 29 Sep, 2013

TI coaches and swimmers give a great deal of attention to identifying, analyzing, and solving what we call our Improvement Opportunities. The core value of TI, after all, is kaizen – continual personal improvement. Finding finer and finer details of swimming...

Little Details Big Difference

by Coach Mat | 27 Feb, 2013

Little details can make a big difference. I am back in the pool for a couple weeks while waiting for the sea to calm down. However, this particular pool is rarely consistent in temperature. So arriving yesterday I found it 30 C (87 F) – uncomfortably (and...

Using Drills

by Coach Mat | 22 Jan, 2013

To carry on our discussion of How To Use Drills, I will provide an outline here for how they can be incorporated into your practice time. If you haven’t read it already I point you back to the previous post Using Focal Points to scan that first. This post will...

Using Focal Points

by Coach Mat | 21 Jan, 2013

I have been getting some great inquiries by email lately and want to lay out some things in one place that should address a common thread of need-for-understanding I’ve seen in several inquiries. How do we use drills in practice? I will get to that in the next...

Heat, Waves, and Head Down

by Coach Mat | 31 Jul, 2012

I am struggling in this Antalya heat. It’s ‘cooled’ down to the low 30’s but the humidity is high. After a several weeks, even with precautions and rest, the body and brain just start running more sluggishly. I hit the sea today a bit later-...

Sensory Swimming

by Coach Mat | 2 Jun, 2012

What is the purpose of drills? Yes, the drills we use will help us build a beautiful and effective stroke. But they are also there, as importantly, to help us build a deep sensitivity to the water and our body sliding through it. We are not a machine, though sometimes...