Motor Learning | Mediterra Swim & Run

Smooth The Jerk

by Coach Mat | 23 Feb, 2013

I want to share a few observations from my cool water swimming experiment this winter. You might appreciate some of this for your own swim training journey… If you’ve been following me this winter you know I have set out to swim in the Mediterranean Sea on...

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...

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 Focal Points

by Coach Mat | 21 Jan, 2013

I have been getting some great inquiries by email lately and want to lay out some things in one place that should address a common thread of need-for-understanding I’ve seen in several inquiries. How do we use drills in practice? I will get to that in the next...

Training Pace Perception

by Coach Mat | 7 Jan, 2013

It may or may not be surprising to you to learn that holding consistent Pace is one of the most important skills for any swimmer desiring to race or accomplish a particular distance goal for the best possible outcome. This applies to 50 meters sprints to 1500 meters,...

Best Head Position?

by Coach Mat | 27 Dec, 2012

When I do childrens lessons I keep a 20m section of rope in my swim gadget basket. I tie a small loop in one end. Then I give that loop to a swimmer, have them get out in the pool to the end of the rope. I stand on deck ready to reel the rope in. They will lay flat on...