by Coach Mat | 16 May, 2020
Think of the power of wind, water or ice to reshape the landscape in dramatic ways. A steadily blowing wind can build a mountain of sand. A steadily flowing stream can dig a deep canyon into rock. A steadily creeping glacier can carve magnificent, polished cliff...
by Coach Mat | 29 Mar, 2020
Some swimmers are asking me what they can possibly do to stay in any sort of shape and stay on track for certain events they are still hoping to enjoy later this summer after the quarantine is (hopefully) over. There is much encouragement, advice and interesting...
by Coach Mat | 12 Feb, 2020
You come to a reputable coach for help because you know something is wrong or you know something could be better in how you are swimming, and you trust this person to help you work on it. After doing some testing we hopefully come to some understanding of what is...
by Coach Mat | 22 Dec, 2019
Here is an excerpt from my forthcoming book (working title) Better Breathing In Freestyle. I appreciate those of you cheering me on to get this out there. I’ve made a second draft on the first 75% and now working on the first draft of the last 25% which is the...
by Coach Mat | 3 Aug, 2019
I both run and swim year round. In the last year or so I’ve put a lot more emphasis on running, and felt the corresponding motivation for that activity. Back in April, after a week off from illness, I irritated my achilles tendon on the first (allegedly...
by Coach Mat | 10 Mar, 2019
For 10 years I’ve been publishing nearly every week on this Smooth Strokes blog, with more than 500 articles. This blog is dedicated to discussing the practice of swimming, mindfulness, fitness, advanced training and beyond. If you’ve been viewing this...
