Coaches Education

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A Letter to Swim Coaches Everywhere: Thank You

A Letter to Swim Coaches Everywhere: Thank You Dear Coach, I would like to begin this letter by asking you a question. A simple, one-word question: Why? Why did you pursue this career? Why do you wake up at the most ungodly hours every day, just to inevitably scream at your swimmers for breathing of...

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Why Younger Swimmers Should Race Every Event

A Taste of Everything: Why Younger Swimmers Should Race Every Event In swimming, the topic of specialization of young athletes is often contentious and controversial. At the beginning of my career, I was extremely fortunate to grow up and participate in a program that put an emphasis on doing all di...

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When It All Falls Apart: An Ode to the Piano

When It All Falls Apart: An Ode to the Falling Piano The swim community has lots of colorful terms to describe our sport. One of my favorites is “a piano fell on their back.” If you have been around pool decks long enough, you will have heard this descriptor for races. The piano describes the dreade...

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Core and More: 4 Core Exercises to Improve your Swimming

Core and More: 4 Core Exercises to Improve your Swimming Having a strong core is one of the most important components of swimming, as it increases stability and mobility for your strokes. Here are four exercises that can help build your core strength: Plank Position While Using Swimmer's Arms This e...

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Q&A With Jamie Bloom, Head Coach For the YMCA Of the Triangle Area

Q&A With Jamie Bloom, Head Coach For the YMCA Of the Triangle Area Jamie Bloom has given her personal and professional life to swimming and the betterment of all those who pursue the sport. Not only a doer, she is a voice for swimming’s underserved populations and continues to serve on local, state,...

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How to Become a Better Swimmer By Doing Nothing* (Sort Of)

Goldminds: How to Become a Better Swimmer By Doing Nothing* ******************************************** There’s an old saying about success: “The harder I work, the more successful I get.” Seems logical: I want to succeed, I want to improve. I want to swim faster…so...I work harder, I train more of...

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A Look At the Development and Training Sets of Rising Star Kayla Han

A Look At the Development and Training Sets of Rising Star Kayla Han You know you are something special when just 13—and the youngest qualifier at the Olympic Trials—Olympic medalist Elizabeth Beisel gushes at your prowess. Now 14, Kayla Han has been on USA Swimming’s radar since she set her first N...

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Guest Column: How to Win a Championship: Lose a Dual Meet

How to Win a Championship: Lose a Dual Meet By Ron Blanc, Guest Contributor/Santa Margarita Catholic High School Swim Coach As a boys’ and girls’ high school coach for 35 years, I have been blessed to coach many championship teams...but only on the girls’ side. The boys’ run to titles, however, has ...

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What is Overtraining Syndrome? A Glance At An Overlooked Illness

What is Overtraining Syndrome? A Glance At An Overlooked Illness Overtraining syndrome is a condition where an athlete deals with declining performances and overall fatigue in their sport, despite continued or increased training. The name of the game in the sport of swimming is hard work and perseve...

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5 Strength Training Exercises to Improve Swimming Performance

5 Strength Training Exercises to Improve Swimming Performance By Kayla Riemensperger Weight training is often a highly debated topic in the world of swimming. While there is no clear-cut right or wrong answer to whether or not weights are beneficial for developing swimmers, many year-round programs ...

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The Starting Line: Nutrition vs. Sports Nutrition

The Starting Line: Nutrition vs. Sports Nutrition By Dawn Weatherwax, RD,LD,ATC,CSCS Nutrition vs. Sports Nutrition All of the probing and poking around in the realms of nutrition and physiology has resulted in a science that combines the best knowledge from both arenas. Good nutrition is essential ...