Practice Design | Mediterra Swim & Run

Out Of Tune

by Coach Mat | 5 Mar, 2013

Without a sufficient tune-up you might run into the problem I had today in practice. The following story will show you both my mistakes and my reasoning on how to correct it next time. When I arrived the pool was (finally) a pleasant cool temperature rather than the...

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...

Drills For Proprioception

by Coach Mat | 9 Feb, 2013

Did you know that your skin houses the extremities of your brain? Yes. The nerve endings (all various kinds) covering every square centimeter of your skin are extensions of the brain itself, not a separate organ. All those nerve endings are in constant contact with...

Definition Of A Drill

by Coach Mat | 5 Feb, 2013

A question raised on my last post: You point out that when our stroke breaks down, we asses where and why the stroke is not right and go back to drilling. What if we can not find the answer from the drills…..especially if self-coached, how would you suggest we “think...

The Drill Sequence

by Coach Mat | 2 Feb, 2013

Here is a brief explanation of how to set up an effective learning pattern with drills and whole stroke. [I recommend that you read Using Focal Points and Using Drills to complement this essay. ] We develop the stroke, and then performance itself, beginning with gross...

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...