\nPerhaps the extreme training has worn out his legs, but Phelps wasn\u2019t underwater as far as he usually goes, and his kicks off the turns didn\u2019t gain him an advantage on the field.<\/p>\n
2. He has little snap in his stroke.<\/strong> 3. The opening half of his races were off kilter.<\/strong> 4. He needs a bigger cup of coffee in the morning<\/strong> 5. He\u2019ll be just fine at nationals.<\/strong>
\nThis was evident in the 100 butterfly. While he did nearly catch Tom Shields in the last few strokes, the surge wasn\u2019t typical of the Phelps we know.<\/p>\n
\nAnother thing about the 100 fly was that he didn\u2019t appear aggressive on the first 50 meters. In Mesa, he was first at the 50 and outsplit the rest of the pack. But in Charlotte, he had to fight his way out of the middle of the pack to catch Shields and Ryan Lochte.<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s one thing to hold back in the prelims sessions to save up for finals, but it looked like Phelps was in a trance in Charlotte each morning. That was evident in the fact that he didn\u2019t make the A final in the 100 free, 200 free or 200 IM. Meets such as this should act as rehearsal for the big meets (nationals, Olympics) where holding back could be disastrous. Katinka Hosszu is the best at swimming fast in prelims and still doing well in finals. The top Americans tend to think that they can coast by in a domestic meet, then find themselves wondering why they are not in the top eight at worlds or Olympics.<\/p>\n
\nIs there really any cause for concern that Michael Phelps will not perform the way we know he can at the USA Swimming nationals in August? No. When it really matters, Phelps has (more often than not) been able to rise above the occasion and do things that no one thought possible.
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![\"Michael](\"http:\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/michael-phelps-butterfly-charlotte-2015-3.jpg\")
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