Archive for the ‘Smart Training’ Category

Video: Why Stroke Drills help win the “Memory Competition”
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on March 22nd, 2011

“Memory Competition” is what makes it difficult to change old stroke habits. To win that competition you must practice in ways your brain doesn’t associate with what’s gone before.

Slow Swimming: Is it Age . . . or Activity?
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on January 27th, 2011

I’m swimming in meets and for time in practice again and discover I’m much slower than when I last did this 5 years ago. What a great opportunity for learning!

Today I went to a Masters Meet . . . and took a Math Test!
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on January 23rd, 2011

Swimming in a Masters meet provided a “brutally honest” measure of my current speed. And because Speed is a product of the math of Stroke Length and Stroke Rate, I now know precisely the formula for reaching my still-distant goals.

Don’t Just Learn a Skill. Test it.
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on January 21st, 2011

If you put a new skill to the test or venture outside your ‘Comfort or Confidence Zone,’ you’re likely to remember it better and improve it faster.

Finding Higher Purpose in Masters Races
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on January 20th, 2011

When I set goals for pool times, and pool races, I get all the Arduous Experience and Cognitive Difficulty my psyche craves.

Tool Review #4 Kickboards: Not Dangerous. Still Insidious
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on December 29th, 2010

Just Say No to Kickboard. Discover whether the apocalypse – or better swimming – results.

Tool Review #3 Hand Paddles: Exercise Utmost Care
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on December 26th, 2010

Hand Paddles are a clear and present danger to shoulders and encourage misguided focus on power. If you use them at all, swim — don’t pull — at moderate pressure with a meticulous stroke.

Tool Review #2: Pull Buoy — Crutch or Virtue
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on December 24th, 2010

Pull buoys are both seductive and insidious because they allow you to mask a lack of balance while convincing yourself you’re ‘building upper body strength.’

Swim Tools: Useful or “Contaminants?”
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on December 23rd, 2010

Most swimmers use tools like ingredients in a cake recipe. Mix buoy, paddles, kickboard and fins and bake for one hour. Better to use them selectively, thoughtfully and to target specific stroke weaknesses.

Little-Known Fact about Speed
by Terry Laughlin

Posted on December 22nd, 2010

Stroke Length (SL) is far more critical to speed than Stroke Rate (SR). SL is devilishly difficult to create. SR is ridiculously easy.