by Coach Mat | 24 Oct, 2020
I have a saying: “Power is important, but (in water) shape is more important than power.” I use it to persuade a student to be patient with our process of developing the frame of the body and the streamline shape before we focus directly on the propulsive...
by Coach Mat | 26 Oct, 2019
You’ll see from time to time in elite swimming, especially in the shorter/faster events, that a swimmer may have a ‘gallop’ or ‘lope’ which is a slight up/down motion of their head and upper body during the stroke cycle. This gallop is...
by Coach Mat | 4 May, 2019
Continued from Part 1… Forming The Kick Conveniently, these two roles for the legs – CBF and 2BK – work together seamlessly. The counter-balanced foot position happens to be the poised position for the feet, ready to initiate the next kick on the...
by Coach Mat | 27 Apr, 2019
The Kick Is An Advanced Skill The 2-Beat Kick is an action of the feet that must be coordinated with the timing of rotation and arm-switch in front, otherwise it has limited or even a confusing effect. It only has the desired effect when it is timed with that rotation...
by Coach Mat | 25 Nov, 2017
This discussion is continued from Part 1… If body shape, stroke pattern and stroke length were equal between two swimmers, but one swimmer is sending her recovery arm forward with better momentum and directing that into her sleek Skate Position, she would be...
by Coach Mat | 18 Nov, 2017
Here is something I explain to my swimmers when we’re building (or re-building) the freestyle stroke for the first time. This is meant to help students on each extreme: those who are too anxious to start moving faster, and those who are too reluctant to add more...
