3 Aspects Of OW Training

by Coach Mat | 10 Aug, 2012

There are probably several ways to break this down but I have found it helpful to divide swim training, particularly training for open-water swimming, into 3 parts, when I organize all the skills and points we should cover. An accomplished swimmer looking at these...

Heat, Waves, and Head Down

by Coach Mat | 31 Jul, 2012

I am struggling in this Antalya heat. It’s ‘cooled’ down to the low 30’s but the humidity is high. After a several weeks, even with precautions and rest, the body and brain just start running more sluggishly. I hit the sea today a bit later-...

Swim-Coach Cycle

by Coach Mat | 20 Jul, 2012

Recently, one of my TI swimming students commented that he was hesitant to teach TI to his friends out of concern that he might teach them the wrong things, that he might mis-represent TI. He is a professionally minded engineering type who wants to do things right....

5 Points For Children (and Adults too)

by Coach Mat | 19 Jul, 2012

Today, in the brutal sun of Antalya I finished 3 weeks of lessons (2x per week, 35 minutes of instruction per class) with children 4 through 13 years old. I finally settled on 5 main Focus Points to ingrain some Fish-like swimming concepts into the childrens’...

Thirty Minute Make-Over

by Coach Mat | 17 Jul, 2012

If you had just 30 minutes to work with a friend who has asked you for help with their swimming, what would you do with that time? What would be the most important things you would focus on in order to give them the most dramatic improvement in the shortest amount of...

Good Food For A Long Swim

by Coach Mat | 11 Jul, 2012

Eat (well), drink (well), and be merry- for tomorrow we race! The night before our island to harbor 7km swim three weeks ago, one of my swimmers asked my opinion about what to eat that morning before the race. Some of my Tri and Ultra-distance friends would no doubt...

Aikido For Swimmers

by Coach Mat | 6 Jul, 2012

Last week I had my first chance to visit an aikido class. I have been intrigued by this martial art for some time, even before reading George Leonard’s book, “Mastery” that is standard reading for TI Coaches. I am intrigued on several levels by it:...

Simple Steps For Children

by Coach Mat | 5 Jul, 2012

Or maybe I should title this, “Simple Steps For Teaching Children In Groups” For the last 3 summers I have been giving group lessons to children at a private international school. It may be of interest to some of you to read what I do with them. This...

Blind Swimming

by Coach Mat | 27 Jun, 2012

A couple days ago I went on a swim along the cliffs of Antalya in a place I can usually have all to myself. The water was warm and calm, no waves or chop. As it gets hotter this summer the clarity is lowering- I can still see maybe 5 meters down, but it has a cloudy...

Bio-Rhythm

by Coach Mat | 21 Jun, 2012

Bio-Rhythm I love this word. It encompasses the idea that something in the ecosystem, or something in the body, something in the being knows the right order of things. It gives the idea that there is wisdom inside the living-system. When we detect the bio-rhythm in a...