Motor Learning | Mediterra Swim & Run

You Must Feel It – Part 1

by Coach Mat | 15 Apr, 2017

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...

Form Better Mental Representations

by Coach Mat | 17 Dec, 2016

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...

Relax Your Shoulders!

by Coach Mat | 10 Dec, 2016

In addendum to the previous post on What Is Relaxation? I recall another experience I had in running where a specific “Relax!” instruction worked. You certainly know about the global athletics company Nike. It started in Eugene Oregon, my home state, and...

What Is Relaxation?

by Coach Mat | 3 Dec, 2016

A couple weeks ago I participated in a Chi Running workshop led by Master Coach Alice Diffely in Portland, Oregon USA. To prepare for the workshop I was reviewing some chapters in the Chi Running book to refresh my memory of the principles, drills and focal points. I...

Failure Leads To Speed

by Coach Mat | 24 Sep, 2016

This is a continuation from the previous post The Speed You Must Earn. Race day (if you like racing) is the great test of your abilities – this is the event most competitive athletes are focused upon. On that day you want to succeed in everything you have...

Who Is Your Example?

by Coach Mat | 28 Aug, 2016

You may have noticed that there is a proper way to do a squat, or a dead lift. We understand that when you load these movements, if the body is properly positioned, a proper load placed, and that load it carried through the best pathway, the athlete can do it without...