Competitive/Performance Training | Mediterra Swim & Run

Technique And Fitness Unite

by Coach Mat | 9 Feb, 2014

I first acknowledge that TI Head Coach Terry is emphasizing this topic lately. It’s not coincidental that I am processing these ideas at the same time, though it is timely since several TI students have been asking for better understanding in this very area. So,...

How Does Speed Happen? Part 1

by Coach Mat | 2 Feb, 2014

I am continually looking for ways to make this more easily understood to swimmers. Speed, and more importantly – sustainable speed – is dependent on both technique and fitness, not one or the other. The training must not be separated from each other. And...

What Is Your Target?

by Coach Mat | 26 Jan, 2014

Let’s take a look at this perspective then enjoy a practice set to apply it… “Our actions are shaped by our intentions,” is the first sentence in the chapter entitle What Is Your Target?, in Part 2 of of Zen Golf, by Dr. Joseph Parent. He goes...

Coach, Is It Correct?

by Coach Mat | 14 Dec, 2013

Here is a common question I hear from swimmers devotedly practicing their drills: How do I know if it is correct? (“It” being any one of many passive positions of a body part or a particular movement pattern.) The answer to that question depends on what...

2BK Defense

by Coach Mat | 13 Sep, 2013

In defense of the utility of the 2-Beat Kick I add this: If Sun Yang can set a World Record using the 2BK for 14/15 of the 1500m race – at an average pace of around 58 seconds per 100m, then we have to consider how effective it might be for you and I, when...

Pace Practice For 1500

by Coach Mat | 27 Jul, 2013

How do you set up a practice to train for 1500? A long-time friend of mine emailed me his latest 3000 yard workout, sharing his results for some 500 repeats he made with the 1500 triathlon swim as his target. His (traditional) approach is to jump in the pool and just...