by Coach Mat | 15 Apr, 2017 | External Feedback, Feedback Loop, How To Train?, Internal Feedback, Learning Methods, Neuromuscular Training, Proprioception, Self-Coaching
In a live training session the coach can watch and offer you vital feedback on how closely some part of your body position or movement pattern is matching the ideal. Then hopefully, they will also offer you practical guidance on how to bring it even closer. Some...
by Coach Mat | 1 Jan, 2017 | Kaizen (Continual Improvement), Learning Methods, Mastery Process, Mastery Training, Mental Training, Plateau (No Progress), Recommended Reading, Training Psychology
As I near the end of this discussion of Anders Ericsson‘s principles of Deliberate Practice which he laid out in his recent book Peak, I will give you the punch line right at the beginning: You get masterful swimming in return according to your investment of...
by Coach Mat | 25 Dec, 2016 | Attention/Focus, Drills For Skills, Feedback Loop, How To Train?, Internal Feedback, Learning Methods, Proprioception, Recommended Reading, Self-Coaching, Skill Mastery
Along with the previous article in this series describing the role of focal points (mental representations), we are getting to the heart of the practice with the feedback loop. If you have ever learned to play an instrument (or tried to) or just listened to music...
by Coach Mat | 17 Dec, 2016 | Competitive/Performance Training, Diving, Feedback Loop, Focal Point Training, Internal Feedback, Learning Methods, Mastery Process, Neuromuscular Training, Plateau (No Progress), Proprioception, Recommended Reading, Self-Coaching, Skill Mastery, Uncategorized
Anders Ericsson declares that “the main purpose of deliberate practice is to develop effective mental representations.” (page 75). It would therefore be very important that we figure out what mental representations are in the context of our deliberate swim...
by Coach Mat | 12 Nov, 2016 | About Coach Mat, About Coach Terry, Attention/Focus, Burn Out, Design Principles, Discomfort, Distraction, Flow State, How To Train?, Kaizen (Continual Improvement), Learning Methods, Mastery Process, Mental Training, Motivating Swimmers, Motivation, Recommended Reading, Training Psychology
This is the third part of a series on how we demonstrate Deliberate Practice principles in our Total Immersion training. You may start with Part 1, and Part 2. In Chapter 4 “The Gold Standard” in Peak: Secrets From The New Science Of Expertise, in the...
by Coach Mat | 15 Oct, 2016 | Design Principles, External Feedback, Feedback Loop, How To Train?, Internal Feedback, Learning Methods, Mastery Process, Proprioception, Self-Coaching, Somatosensory Skill, Tempo Trainer, Training Theory
It is certainly encouraging and advantageous to be at a training event with a coach who can give you feedback right there in the moment of action. But, as one swimmer recently commented, it gets expensive to keep the live coach around. These events costs money....
