Coach Ben’s Workout Tips:
Show up on time. Set the tone for your entire workout by being ready.
Avoid distractions. Get away from situations that negatively impact your ability to hear instructions.
Be present. Don’t allow your mind to wander. There is always something to think about in swimming: line, balance, core, anchor, and timing.
Build a competitive spirit. Find small things you can win. Move up in your lane, lead your lane, race and beat someone in the other lane, have the longest underwater kick-outs, win the breakouts, get your hand on the wall first, go faster than you’ve ever gone before, move up a lane, do the most push-ups or pull-ups. Being competitive is a good thing. Show respect and sportsmanship at all times, but don’t be afraid to win.
4 Helpful Habits Out of The Pool That Can Impact What Happens IN The Pool
Sometimes it’s the things we do outside of the pool that really give us an edge. I’d like to challenge our swimmers to think about how your life outside of the pool can help us achieve more in the pool.
1) Stretching: Stretch before bed for 10 minutes each night.
2) Drink more water. Bring a large water bottle to school and finish it by the end of the school day…refill for swim workout. A majority of athletes are chronically dehydrated!
3) Eat breakfast and pack healthy snacks for between meals. Breakfast is extremely important for an athlete…start your day with good fuel. Don’t eat out of machines and cut out the soda and sugar drinks.
4) Stay on top of all your studies. Reduce your stress by using your time to study and get ahead on projects.
Ankle Flexibility
Our range of motion in the ankles is important. Better range allows swimmers to take advantage of “equal/opposite reaction”. If we can do a better job of kicking backward vs. downward, we improve our speed dramatically. Poor flexibility in the ankles results in more of a downward kick in flutter and dolphin…this is obviously not ideal.
In between sets rotate your ankles in circles (both directions). Pull the foot so that your toes are past the pointed position and hold for 30 seconds. Stretches should be done to “mild discomfort” and never pain.
Massage the ankle area and keep it warm and loose. As you swim sets pay attention to the DIRECTION of your kick. How are you deflecting the water? Remember you can control the flow through proper positioning of limbs, hands, feet. Be purposeful at all times.
