Psychology | Mediterra Swim & Run

You Must Feel It – Part 2

by Coach Mat | 22 Apr, 2017

This is a continuation of Part 1… Replace Visual With Other Senses In both rehearsals and often in drill mode you can turn your head and watch what is happening with that body part . Or you might stand in front of a mirror or window. Or you might watch your...

Artificial Versus Real Hardship

by Coach Mat | 9 Apr, 2017

Three Kinds Of Hardship Like you, I love to hear stories of those who have accomplished amazing things in the realm of sports and adventure. I recently listened to Rich Roll’s interview with Kimberly Chambers, ultra-distance open water swimmer, who, in 2014, was...

Get Curious About Your Fear

by Coach Mat | 28 Mar, 2017

Coincidentally, just after I published the previous article Swimming Past Your Perceived Limits, I happen to listen to a particular podcast called Habits, Mindfulness, Addiction from Michael Gervais’s Finding Mastery podcast series. On this episode page the...

Swimming Past Your Perceived Limits

by Coach Mat | 25 Mar, 2017

I’ve had some version of this conversation with a few different swimmers recently and the scenario is something like this: a swimmer is wondering how to work through the strong discomfort she encounters when swimming up to a certain distance in set – say...

Your Abilities Expand

by Coach Mat | 7 Jan, 2017

It is easy for us to agree that expertise takes time. We see examples of this fact in biographies of masters admired in every field. But do you believe you too can become an expert of swimming? You can. At your age. Over time, with Deliberate Practice, not only will...

Expertise Takes Time

by Coach Mat | 1 Jan, 2017

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...