The Catch | Mediterra Swim & Run

Be Powerful and Be Smooth About It

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...

Examples Of Tension And Relaxation In Freestyle

by Coach Mat | 9 Nov, 2019

This is an addendum to the post The Tension Behind Relaxation… Some Examples Of Tension And Relaxation In Freestyle There could be hundreds of focal points for building appropriate tension and relaxation throughout the stroke – far too many to discuss in a...

A Better High Elbow Catch

by Coach Mat | 15 Feb, 2015

These last couple weeks I received a some inquiries about my perspective on what is known as the High Elbow Catch so I will share some of the comments I gave. Appearance Or Function? The label ‘high elbow catch’ is a descriptive term of an external appearance – and...

The Effort In Effortless

by Coach Mat | 12 Oct, 2013

Recently this questions has come up few times in various forms: How effortless should effortless swimming be? And here is one way I’ve answered that question: The sensation of effortless is relative – when you compare the sensation of swimming once...

Breathe Easy 2

by Coach Mat | 2 Aug, 2013

There are several details to making the breath (in freestyle stroke) feel relaxed and easy. Among the several here is one that, coincidentally, several recent students have noted as making the biggest breakthrough: Turn to breathe sooner. Now, this assumes that you...

Magic Moment

by Coach Mat | 10 Jul, 2013

Here is a message I received recently from a swimmer I have been corresponding with. He describes something I am eager to disclose to my new-to-open water swimmers: swim on mindfully until you come to the magic moment! Here is his comment: Another thing I want to...