This weeks update
Posted: 3/6/2007
Good Morning Friends!
A very fine weekend of swimming in Jupiter! (and if you missed
the Jupiter Lighthouse...well...you didn't miss much.)
Mikayla Otero had all best times..in the 50 and 100 free, and
then twice each in the 100 and 200 Breaststroke, qualifying for
her first Junior Olympic Individual Event in the 100 breast. She
actually had 6 best times in 4 events! Very well done, and a breakthrough,
when you consider that Mikayla is not an age grouper in age, but
she is in experience, and she had a 4 second improvement in the
100 breast to qualify and a 4 second improvement in the 200 breast.
Nicely done Mikayla!
Geena Squartino qualified for JO's in the 200 free, her first
JO cut, and also swam fast enough in the 100 free, with a 1:04.1
a full second under the 11-12 girls cut, but was disqualified
for a "phantom false start". No one else saw a false
start in her heat, but two official did and that's all that counts.
Geena also swam a best time in the 50 back by 3 seconds and just
missed another best time in the 100 back, but since she swam an
11 second best time in that event the last time she swam it, adding
a half second is not a bad swim.
Robin Holmes also swam her first meet in 15-18 months, and did
a creditable job in the 100 fly, 100 free, 200 IM, 200 free and
200 fly. She earned a second swim in the 200 fly and dropped four
seconds from morning to finals....a nice job. Robin is "swimming
herself into shape" and showed improved strokes in fly and
free, and i look forward to strides she'll make this spring.
This coming weekend, Emily Kasmer swims at Sectionals in Fort
Lauderdale, in the 50-100 free, 100 fly and 100 back. SwimFast
Miss Em!
Next weekend is JO's in Coral Springs, with Emily, Christina Edson,
Geena and Mikayla all swimming. I will go over time schedules
with everyone this week.
The last two weeks of the month, Dianne and I will be in Melbourne,
Australia for the World Championships, where i am one of five
coaches world-wide who serve on the FINA Coaches Commission. The
practice schedule will remain the same in the afternoon, 5-7 PM,
with Coach Cindy covering all workouts, and no AM practices. The
first week in April, (Broward School Vacation), we'll also take
as a SwimFast Team vacation and resume practice on Monday, April
9. Any schedule questions, please ask me.
Thanks Parents, for all you do for your children. Lord knows its
hard! J.
"Swimming Away from Success"
Posted: 3/6/2007
This morning i want to talk about a subject that
is important to understand, and, i am sure "counter-intuitive"
for parents.
The most common reaction we have as parents when our child is
very successful in an event, is to want to see them swim it "right
away" again in the next meet, anticipating watching our child
once again shine. Its something we ALL want to see happen.
But most of the time, its the worst thing we can do.
To understand the process, lets consider why a swimmer improves:
1) Growth. As they get bigger and stronger, they should get faster,
unless the coach really does a poor job!
2) Training. A well designed training program in congress with
good goal setting will produce improvement. But TTT. (Things Take
Time).
3) Technical improvements. Better strokes, better starts, better
turns. Again. TTT.
So on Feb. 24, Geena Squartino drops 11 seconds in the 100 backstroke,
from 1:29 to 1:18. Great swim Geena! I enter her at Division II's,
"hoping against hope" that there will be another big
drop of 4 seconds and she'll make JO's. (not likely, but what
the heck, take a shot, right?) Two weeks later, Geena has a very
nice swim, but turns her head three times in the last five yards
looking for the wall, and goes 9 tenths of second slower. THATs
NATURAL! Nothing she nor i should not expect.
1) She didn't grow much in those two weeks.......(Gee, no, really?)
2) Two weeks of training didn't help her much. TTT.
3) Her coach, (me) didn't have enough time to help her make any
real technical improvements. TTT.
Geena understood and handled it well. Mom and Dad handled it well.
Coach John sort of handled it well, but grumped at himself a little
bit about being dumb enough to hope she'd drop another 4 seconds!
So what is the lesson here? Counter-intuitively, when a swimmer
has a good sized drop, we "swim away from success" and
concentrate on other areas that are more "ready for improvement"....in
this case, the freestyle (nice meet, Geena) and NEXT, in the early
spring we'll concentrate on her breaststroke and butterfly which
can use lots of improvement. Meanwhile, we'll continue to train
in free and back and work on the technical aspects of those events.
By the time she returns to those in a meet in later spring, she'll
once again be ready to improve! That's the best, non-frustrating,
continual improvement strategy for long term career success! Keep
developing everything and "train and compete away from success"
and always remember TTT (Things Take Time.)
In two weeks Geena has JO's. We'll concentrate on better breathing
patterns, better kicking and faster turns, and be very happy if
she has a small improvement at JO's!
Thanks Geena for letting me use this as a great learning reminder!
Parents, all the best, and thank you for allowing me to coach
your children! JL.
Rethinking the Womens’ 200 Meter Freestyle
Posted: 2/26/2007
A During the past great summer of swimming, the
best 4x 200 meter freestyle swims by American Women Swimmers were
as follows: 1.58.02, 1.58.50, 1.58.7, and 1.59.3.. Needless to
say, that’s pretty doggone slow. The good news is, the rest of
the world is just as bad as we are. The bad news is, “someone”
is going to catch fire and leave everyone else in the dust. That
“someone” needs to be American Swimmers.
Explanation: The “traditional” splits, discussed
for decades among coaches, is the first 100 split being swum within
two seconds of the individuals’ best 100 freestyle swim. Then
the 2nd 100 being split within two seconds of the first 100 in
the swim. That’s been the “norm”.
The men swim it that way…..a 49 plus 100 freestyler
goes out at 52 and comes back at 53-54 and so on.
Now lets look at American Women in the 100. The same four women
noted above have 100 times this summer of 53.5, 54.6, 55.2, and
55.3.
IF we apply the “traditional splits”, their first
100’s should be 55.5, 56.6, 57.2 and 57.3. Then returning within
2 seconds of that and our 200 meter free times SHOULD BE: 153+,
154+, 156+ and 156+.
We’re kind of a long way off, wouldn’t you say?
Again, the world is no better right now than we
are. And the Women’s 200 has been soft for DECADES, not years.
When you analyze their “true” 200 free splits the
answer is extremely simple (but not easy to fix)…….our women (the
world’s women!) go out much too slowly. We still think that 58
second first 100 is “doing something”. No way. NO WAY.
Like all things athletic, as soon as the famous
“someone” has the courage to take it out like a “real woman”,
and goes fast, so will lots of other people.
There are 10-15 women around the globe with the
“reasonable expectation” of being able to take it out at a low
56 or a high 55 and still bring it home well, if they commit to
doing it.
Lets not get to Beijing and discover we are the
country who didn’t get the message. Instead, lets be the breakout
nation.
Recently a group of very elite coaches with more than 15 Olympic
Gold Medals among them, speculated on what “needs to be done”
to get there. Here is some of what they came up with:
1. Split Preparation in Practice…prepare your athletes
in training to do the 4 x 50 broken swims in the pace for what
they SHOULD be doing, not what they have done in the past. Get
that 55 second hundred person taking the first 100 out in 57 or
even 56 high. Know the splits, work the splits.
2. The 200 is going to hurt. Athletes need to prepare
themselves in practice to accept the pain and continue training/competing.
It’s a long sprint, not a short distance event.
3. Logically explain to athletes how far from what
should be reality, this event is. The reward for “taking a chance”
is huge….someone will break through and everyone else will “get
left”. Be the “someone”.
4. The best endurance work in the world cannot replace
a speed reserve to make the 200 work. You can’t go 1.54, if you
can’t swim a 56. Get speed and then extend it to the race distance.
5. Coaches look all the way down the pyramid…train
children from an early age to “take it out and go for it”. Conservative
efforts will get you conservative results. Courage and daring
will bring the big reward. Encourage athletes to think that way.
Take a risk!
The women’s 200 free is the most open event of all
the medals in Beijing…and at every meet in the USA on the path
to Beijing.
Swim Fast! JL
Interesting info.
Posted: 2/21/2007
I spoke today with the Coach of the Olympic Champion in the 100
meters for women, Jodie Henry of Australia. (Coach Shannon Rollason)
Prior to Athens, Jodie was working for 40,000 a week in 8-9 sessions
a week.
today, she is at 30-35,000 a week, in 7-8 sessions.
In other words, basically 5,000 a practice, but many practices.
This is, i believe a workable formula for good sprint performance.
NOT for middle-and-distance swimmers, but a good 5K a day beats
lousy 10-14-18K a day at slow speeds.
To swim fast, you have to swim fast in practice! Enough said!
JL
A few bits of interesting information that came up during the
meet this weekend....questions and answers:
Posted: 2/20/2007
1. One arm drills - i use one arm drills in free, fly and back
for a number of reasons. These include isolating one limb at a
time to focus on correct positioning and correct motion and correct
timing.
"A drill done 99% correctly is 100% wrong" Third immutable
law of improvement..."Do Things Correctly.".
2. Breathing. The first need of any human and therefore our highest
priority, is to keep on breathing.
Breathing mechanics in swimming are vital to both securing enough
air to compete AND maintaining perfect body position for fast
swimming. I spend a major amount of time trying to teach our swimmers
to breath in the proper position for each stroke.
3. Warmup. Some people need long hard warmups. Some people need
long easy warmups. Some people need short hard warmups, some people
need short, easy warmups. A few people need no warmup. (we don't
have any of those.) I adjust the warmup based on my views of that
athlete's needs. (Individual) Also on the basis of "if it
ain't broke, don't fix it" and "if it ain't working,
change it".
4. Starts. Yes, we have no starts yet. We are negotiating with
the JCC to provide starting blocks.
Hard to work effectively on starts without them. We'll get there.
Backstroke flags (waiting for hole drilling) and new lane lines
(on their way) are still priority.
5. Strength Training. We'll be back to this on a regular basis
in April. Right now, just focusing on swimming fast.
6. Kicking. The biggest muscles in the body are in the legs. If
they are not in shape, neither are you.
We try to kick about 25-40% of the workout, depending on the person.
I take this into account for the WEEK, not on a per practice basis.
7. Team Suits - I am leaning towards plain, normal old BLACK for
swim meets. I want the kids to all wear the same suits in meets
beginning this summer. I will discuss with swimmers over the next
several weeks. Feedback appreciated.
8. Yes, we will train long course at Sunrise this summer, M,W,F
6-8 AM. Everyone.
9. Practice begins when the athlete and i get there. If we both
are there at 4:42 then practice begins at 4:42, not 5 PM. This
is based on my one simple principle......SwimFast athletes are
there to get better.
Anyone who wants to get better, uses every available minute to
get better. Getting started early is thus a good thing to do.
We will always end ON TIME and maybe a few minutes early, so parents
can count on when to pick their athlete up. Sometimes, due to
what Cindy and i are doing, we may not be able to start the Stroke
School people much before 6 PM. Other days we can, so that's the
only caveat in this. Seniors and age group swimmers, when you
arrive, we start.
Its all about PURPOSE. You don't need rules if you all have a
common PURPOSE. Our PURPOSE is to get better. We measure every
decision against whether it enhances the PURPOSE.
Thanks for reading! All the Best. JL
Greetings Everyone!
Posted 2/1/2007
A quick note this week on one of the most important topics in
swimming... which is... "how hard should I 'push' my child?"
This question has been around since the beginning of Age Group
Swimming in the late 1940s. And there is no clear-cut, definite
answer, but time has been kind enough to grant us some insights,
in no particular order, here they are:
1. USA Swimming Research conducted in 1996 confirms that parents
can enhance swimming fun by providing a push.
2. Careful though, as it is a fine line between "just right"
and "too hot" (seems like I heard that a long time ago
with the story of the Three Bears).
3. A parent has to, and should, remind children (of all ages)
of their commitment to attend practice.
4. A parent has to, and should, help the child make the connection
between hard work at practice and improvement in performance.
This is NOT an easy connection for young people to make.
5. Parents need to emphasize long term rewards and the importance
of understanding "delayed gratification" I would add
to this that in today's society, this is a hard sell. But all
things of true value require our effort, our hard work and our
full concentration.
6. We all try to "gradually" increase each child's commitment
levels as reflected in number of practices a week, number of minutes
per practice and quality of work done during practice, in order
to produce improved quality of result. Parental understanding
and support of this slow process is critical in the success of
their children.
7. Parents need to work hard at the "responsibility"
side of swimming. Emphasize to their child the importance of being
on time, using their time wisely (and productively) in and out
of the pool, honoring their teammates (and themselves) with their
own effort, and speaking and acting only to "good effect"....saying
and doing things that enhance the ability of people to perform
their best and not hinder them by words or deeds that create a
negative environment. Coaches work at these things daily, and
it is oh-so-much-more-effective, if the same messages are delivered
by Mom and Dad.
8. Don't do things "for" your children, but rather,
encourage them to think through "the process" and doing
things for themselves. Remind them and ask questions about what
they will need at practice, at the meets, etc. and encourage them
to become self-responsible for everything from water, to caps,
goggles, equipment, etc.
9. Remind them that swim team is a learning experience. Not quite
school, but not the playground, either, rather a mix of both.
But the learning comes first. This is a technique limited sport.
They will "stop improving" at the exact point where
there limited improvement in skills stops them.
10. Relax and enjoy it. None of us improve at anything in a "straight
line". There are always deviations and mis-steps, mistakes,
etc. Look at your child's career month by month and season by
season, rather than day or week to day or week. Things Take Time.
I'm really pleased with how well our SwimFast teammates are learning
and improving. Thanks for the privilege of coaching your children!
All the Best, John Leonard
Hello Swim Parents!
Posted 1/27/2007
Today I'd like to spend a few minutes of your valuable time discussing
the equipment that I believe is important for your child to bring
to practice. While everyone's funds are limited, and I realize
not everyone can purchase everything immediately, please move
in the direction of getting the following for your child. Any
questions, of course call me at 954-684-3024 and I'll be happy
to help.
First, everyone, regardless of group, needs some basics. They
are:
1. Competitive swim suit for training. Boys should have jammers
(knee length tights), not surf shorts. Girls need one piece, traditional
competition suits. What type is personal preference, as is color,
etc. I recommend SPEEDO suits for
practice. Eventually, we'll decide on a team suit for major swim
meets, but for now, for practice, individual choice reigns! Ladies,
no bikinis. The world does not train in bikinis. Thanks.
2. Goggles - two pairs at practice, two pairs at competitions.
Invariably, one will break. If another is not immediately handy,
its hard to swim at all, and then be able to go home and see well
enough to study.
3. Swim Caps: I am giving each child two team caps, asking them
to save one for competitions and use one in practice. I am insisting
that they all wear team caps to practice. Boys with hair of any
real length at all should also wear caps.
4. A mesh bag to carry gear. Why mesh? Because it lets the water
out!
5. Swim Fins: These should be inexpensive (around $20) training
fins and NOT big scuba fins, nor the short fins called Zoomers.
We use fins to increase leg power and increase speed. It's important
for swimmers to swim (some of the time) at speeds greater than
race speed, so they learn to "get out of the way of the water"
and become more hydro-dynamically perfect. Swimming fast is more
about getting out of the way of the water than it is about generating
huge amounts of power. Fins help us learn to do both.
EVERY team member from Stroke School to Senior, should have
the above.
At the Age Group Level, we add:
6. A pullbouy: A small one, solid foam. Fits between the legs
and eliminates the kick, so that the swimmer can concentrate on
the pull and body work of the stroke.
At the Senior Level, we add:
7. One or more types of paddles. Paddles are all different and
do different things with your swimmers hands in the water. I will
individually tell each child what type I would like them to have.
8. Front-mount Snorkel: (Made by FINIS)
This eliminates the need for a swimmer to turn their head to breath
and allows them to focus on their underwater stroke. It also,
(somewhat) restricts their breathing and they get slightly more
physical benefit out of the training set. Of course, this is offset
by the fact that they then don't have to focus on their breathing
mechanics!
Purchasing Equipment
You are certainly invited to purchase equipment from whatever
vendor you wish. My recommendation is Total Team Wares:
275 S. US Highway 17-92
Longwood, FL 32750
Phone: 407-644-1333 / Fax: 407-644-2280
www.totalteamwares.com
Bart and Cathy at Total Team Wares are aware of our team (they
did our caps!) and they are good to work with. Prices are comparable
to any other swim shop and they attend most of the bigger meets
in South Florida.
Thanks for the Privilege of working with your children!
All the best, John Leonard
Posted 11-17-2007
I am sure you will agree that one of the components of happy
organizations is good communications. My aim is to regularly send
you information via email, and included in that information will
be education about our sport and how we will be approaching things
with your child at SwimFast.
Email is pretty convenient for most of us, I think and I will
also post this information continuously at our website, www.swimfastteam.com.
That website is a work in progress, so please bear with me as
we get it functional.
Our first topic is "Strokework" and what it means and
what we do about it at SwimFast.
After 37 years of coaching, I am absolutely certain of very few
things, but among them is the notion that our sport is "Technique
Limited." What I mean by this is that no matter how talented
your child is at working with the water, without excellent technique
in strokes, starts and turns, they will be ultimately limited
in what they can achieve in our sport. Our aim at SwimFast is
to remove that potential limitation.
While in some sports, it is possible for "hard work"
to overcome technical deficiencies, every evidence in swimming
tells us that this is not true in our sport. Therefore, it is
of the utmost importance that not only do we practice, but we
practice correctly and as close to "perfectly" as possible.
Continuous stroke instruction, feedback and questions to the athlete
will characterize our team. Our athletes need to be constantly
aware of executing every movement correctly. And while improvement
and changes take time (Things Take Time), the EFFORT to make positive
changes must be immediate and constant.
Failure to do this results in an athlete ingraining very bad
habits, such as breathing off the walls on turns. The more yards
a swimmer completes incorrectly, the more those incorrect techniques
become habitual and the more difficult, if not impossible to correct.
The same stroke fault observed at age 8, if imperfectly corrected,
will emerge everytime the athlete is under pressure, like in the
state high school finals, or the finale of the Olympic Trials!
We do not lose our "bad habits," we just can sometimes
wall-paper over them! But just like wallpapering over a crack
in your wall, if you don't fix the crack, it will reappear and
be worse than ever. Hence, the important of proper instruction
and learning the first time and continuous attention to detail
both by, the coaching staff and by your swimmer.
The fact is, if you do the right things, you WILL SwimFast. If
you perform improperly, you may or may not go fast, but over time,
your improvement will slow and then stop.
One other thing for this week... I have three rules I care about
with your children... many of you have heard me say them repeatedly,
but I would like them in front of our children constantly.
The Three Immutable Rules of Improvement are:
1. Show Up.
2. Honor Your Teammates with Your Effort.
3. Do Things Correctly.
These rules apply to swimming and to life equally. I want to
live them everyday and I want our athletes to live them everyday.
I hope you agree that they contain great wisdom for our children.
Thanks for allowing me the honor of coaching your children!
All the best, John Leonard