Training | Mediterra Swim & Run

One Stroke Technique For Everyone? Part 1

by Coach Mat | 6 Oct, 2018

Let me give you a short answer to the question in the title of this post: Yes, there is a technical ideal we are aiming for, for every standard-equipped human swimmer. And, yet we recognize that there is so much variety in bodies that some compromise is often...

Distance Swimming in Kaş

by Coach Mat | 29 Sep, 2018

As I write this I am sitting on our ‘command boat’ in the sea next to the peninsula in Kaş, Turkey. 30 minutes ago our swimmers begin the first strokes of their challenge swim on this final training day of our open water distance camp. The weather is...

Concerned About Sinking Legs In Drills?

by Coach Mat | 8 Sep, 2018

We have a student working through our Pool Comfort lesson series. In this series we guide people through a gentle process of removing the anxiety and stress they’ve felt in the water, which has previously hindered them from making progress in swim lessons, or...

What You Can Learn About Speed From Butterfly

by Coach Mat | 2 Sep, 2018

Even if you do not practice the butterfly stroke, you may appreciate this approach to solving the not-getting-any-faster problem… Coach Jamee and I have been working with a mother and three kids (10, 12 and 16) on a swim team who came to us to work on freestyle...

How To Make Your Stroke Longer

by Coach Mat | 7 Jul, 2018

The universal speed equation is… Speed = Stroke Length x Stroke Rate If you want to go faster in the water you need to make stroke length (SL) longer without losing more than a calculated amount of stroke rate, or you need to make stroke rate (SR) higher without...

Avoid Hitting The Wall On A Long Swim/Run

by Coach Mat | 10 Jun, 2018

The question about feeding has come up with some swimmers preparing for long swim (more than 2 hours). Something like, “I start to feel suddenly quite tired after an hour or so, and I think I need some food to keep going. What should I eat and drink? This...