While the physical effects of anxiety or nervousness are similar to the feelings of a rush of adrenaline or being revved up for a race, the source of these emotions can have a great impact on the individual outcome of an event in a swim meet.
Being anxious is being fearful of what might happen. Being mentally prepared and physically pumped up for a race is being aware of where these emotions are coming from and how to tunnel these into positive motivators. This is what being mentally tough is all about.
USASwimming.com has a great series of articles coming up by sports psychologist, Aimee Kimball, PhD. The first article is “A is for Anxiety” and it outlines how to convert anxiety into a beneficial emotion rather than what can typically sabotage many swimmers.
Dr. Kimball talks about what swimmers should focus on before and during a race and explains why this is more effective than focusing on the “what-ifs”.
So…I would highly recommend visiting the USA Swimming website to check out her articles.
Another sports psychologist with some excellent material is Dr. Alan Goldberg. He is available for clinics and has done a presentation for our swim club which really pumped up and motivated our swimmers to work on their mental preparation. He teaches these same techniques to athletes of other sports as well. His training materials are available to teams or individual athletes.
Dr. Alan Goldberg
Dr. Goldberg was the sport psychology consultant to the 1999 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Champion University of Connecticut Huskies. He is the former Sports Psychologist for the University of Connecticut Athletic Department and continues to work with several teams. more…
Thursday, January 29th, 2009,
by SwimmerGirl,
Filed under: Age Group, tips| anxiety, mentally tough|
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Swimmers with peanut allergies have a hard time finding alternatives to Power Bars and other nutritional snacks with the right combination of protein and carbs to enhance athletic performance. For kids in particular, it can be very frustrating. My son has peanut allergies and we have found some solutions that work for us.
AllerEnergy Bars (chocolate swirl, cherry, blueberry and apple cinnamon). These are not only peanut free, they are also Tree Nut Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Soy Free and Vegan.
Nut Butters (for those whose nut allergies are limited to peanuts)
- Soy Nut Butter (Contains 7g of protein per 2 tablespoons which is equivalent to the protein in two tbsp of peanut butter. You can mix this with a banana and while-wheat bread (if your swimmer will eat whole wheat). I.M. Healthy offers several yummy flavors (like honey) of peanut-free butter and is available at grocery stores like Lowe’s, Harris Teeter, etc.
- Futter’s Nut Butters has Almond, Pastachio, Macadamia, Walnut Butters and more: Futter’s Nut Butter and they are a completely peanut-free facility.
Try nut butters in granola bar recipes or to dip an apple in. Anything peanut butter can be used to make, there is a nut butter that can do it too.
Most of all, don’t give up on delicious energy packed snacks just because peanuts are off-limits. There are always alternatives if you know where to look and what you’re looking for.
Wednesday, January 28th, 2009,
by SwimmerGirl,
Filed under: Age Group, Nutrition| bars, energy, Nutrition, peanut-free, peanuts|
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If you are just starting to swim or are wanting to add some diversity to your swimming workouts, you may have no idea where to start. There are so many different types of workouts based on swimming level, stroke focus, distance and time. All swimmers have different goals and expectations so one workout may not work for another.
One site I have found that offers a large online collection of complete swim workouts to choose from is at Swimming World Magazine. The workout search allows you to choose skill level, duration, and stroke. There are workouts for all levels (Lap Swimming, Masters, USS ABC, USS Jr. National and Aquatic Fitness).
Next time you are in need of a workout plan, you should definitely check out the free swim search tool at Swimming World Magazine.
Other sources for swim workout plans:
One Hour Workouts: 100 Short Course Swim Workouts
The Waterproof Coach: The Waterproof Workout Book for Fitness Swimmers and Triathletes
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009,
by SwimmerGirl,
Filed under: Drills, tips| |
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Bilateral breathing is a bit contrary to the way most people work. We typically favor one side or the other. Think about handwriting. The majority of people use the right OR left hand. In baseball, switch hitters are the exception and teaching a child to shoot, do a lay-up or dribble with the non-dominant hand is quite an obstacle and takes a great deal of practice.
Bilateral breathing in swimming is the same. As you probably know, the sooner we teach a child something in athletics the better. It becomes increasingly difficult to teach a child to bilateral breathe when they have learned to breathe on only one side.
The next time you are coaching, or teaching a child to breathe while swimming, do them a favor. If they learn it earlier soon than later, they will easily be able to use different patterns based on the type of swimming they are doing (distance, middle-distance, or sprinting). Many swimmers have different patterns of breathing. 2-4-4-2, 1-1-2, etc.
Get the, started early – even if they choose a different pattern when they get older, they will have a solid foundation that will allow them to breathe in both directions and they will ultimately be more comfortable in the water!
Monday, December 8th, 2008,
by SwimmerGirl,
Filed under: Age Group, Basics, tips| |
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No matter what the occasion, you won’t have any problems finding the perfect gift for a swimmer. Ideas for swimmers include the basics (goggles and caps) as well as swimsuits, towels, equipment bags and instructional DVDs. And for the pickier swimmer, a gift card makes the perfect gift!
Here are a few of our team’s favorites:
Goggles – Cool!
Swimming goggles come in so many styles and colors that you are bound to find a pair that your child will LOVE and good ones start at only $9.95!
Swim Caps – Stylish!
Caps aren’t just for girls…some guys want to keep their longer hair, so swim caps are a necessity. The boys can swim fast and look good with so many great styles available. And there are so many choices for girls
Temporary Tattoos – Swim Themed, of course! 
No matter what your swimmer’s favorite event (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, freestyle or IM, there is a swim tattoo to go along with it).
Swim Gear Bag – Wear it on your back!
Stylish Equipment Bag by Speedo will keep your wet equipment from getting your dry stuff soggy.
Instructional DVDs – Learn stroke technique from some of the best swimmers in the sport
Check out SwimOutlet.com for loads of gift ideas! Swimmers LOVE that kind of thing!
Sunday, November 30th, 2008,
by SwimmerGirl,
Filed under: Age Group, Basics, Swim Equipment, Swim Gear, tips| |
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Sharing a lane with another swimmer may seem simple, but it really requires a bit of tact and knowledge of the etiquette involved in order to avoid irritating the other swimmers.
When you are planning on sharing a lane with one swimmer, there are 2 options:
- Circle Swimming
- Splitting the Lane
Circle swimming is the default method for lap swimmers at public pools. Circle swimming is exactly what it says…you swim in a counterclockwise direction. If the circle swimming method is used, more swimmers can blend into the lane and move one behind the other.
Splitting the lane means you swim along the same lane line going in both directions. When you turn, you need to make sure you do not cross into the other lane and get in the other swimmer’s path.
Another point of confusion for swimmers who would like to swim laps when there are no open lanes is how to get the other swimmer’s attention. Many times you can get their attention by standing at the head of the lane. They will usually stop and find out what you want. If they are in the middle of a long set, they may not want to be bothered, so you will need to wait until they pass and slip into the lane behind them and start circle swimming.
If you are able to get the swimmer’s attention, it is important to remember that each swimmer has individual preferences regarding how they want to share a lane with other swimmers. You definitely do not want to offend another swimmer, so when asking to share a lane, ask if they would like to circles swim or split the lane. Then hop in and swim.
Obviously, if there are already 2 or more swimmers in the lane, circle swimming will need to be used and most pools that offer lap swimming lanes promote this type of lane sharing.
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008,
by SwimmerGirl,
Filed under: Basics, Olympics, Swim Equipment, tips| Basics|
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My son (AC) had a swim meet this weekend and we broke the “golden rule” of only taking one pair of goggles. Well, actually, I threw a pair of mine in there just in case. Fortunately, we made it through the meet with no goggle mishaps and without losing them.
But, we DID succeed in losing the goggles somewhere between the meet and home (or maybe they are in car).
Just last week, we realized that AC’s snorkel, pull buoy and streamline kick board were missing…as well as his backup pair of Jr. Vanquisher’s.
At any rate, looks like I’m heading over to SwimOutlet to get replacement goggles (AC’s favs are always on sale). But he may have to wait for the other equipment.
Wonder what the chances are of him paying me back when he’s old enough to work?
MORAL of the story: Even in the midst of the chaos of a swim meet, make sure you have EVERYTHING before you leave the pool deck. And…if you take equipment to the pool, keep it all together versus pulling it out of your swim bag and leaving it on the bench until practice is over. That way, (A) you won’t leave anything behind, and (B) hopefully nobody will walk off with your swimming gear!
Sunday, October 12th, 2008,
by admin,
Filed under: Age Group, Basics, Swim Equipment, tips| |
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The LZR Racer, which reached must have status after its stellar showing at the US Olympics in Beijing earlier this year, is now available at a swim store near you.
While they are a completely mind-blowing piece of technology, they really do not have a place in competitive swimming (at least if you have any respect for swimming as a sport). Oh…and don’t forget that they are super cool looking!
In fact, my own 10 year old son (9 at the time) expressed his desire to have one of the LZR jammers. At his age, it was more about the fact that he had seen the likes of Michael Phelps sporting the LZR line of technical suits than his interest in being faster.
According to Speedo’s own website, “These are very high performance products and limited numbers are available worldwide”.
In my opinion, this means: limited quantities = higher prices = cost prohibitive = creates an unequal playing field = bad for the sport.
So why do I believe you should not buy these for your swimmers?
- Cost: This reason is self explanatory if you look at the pricing for this Speedo line of tech suits. Even if cost was taken out of the equation, there are several other reasons parents should make the decision to say no to these types of suits.
- Do we really want to give our youth the misconception that these things are a “magic bullet” for being FAST? It’s implied by the nature of marketing and product development that sport equipment manufacturers are already at work on their next” latest and greatest” world record shattering technology.
- Do we want our swimmers to feel like they have to have the leading suit on the market to be competitive? And how many would-be swimmers would be lost because of the higher cost of participation in the already costly sport? This is not in the best interest of swimming.
- Should our young swimmers be focusing on what tech suit is the fastest or on mastering the essential technical aspects of each stroke and event?
- There is still a controversy over these types of suits crossing the line between legal in competition and that of being performance enhancing and therefore banned from competition.
Thankfully, there is currently a moratorium on use of the suits through the 2008-09 NCAA competitive swim season. Unfortunately, the main reasoning is due to the availability of the suits and not the underlying principle of keeping the sport of swimming pure.
However, there is still a chance the moratorium could remain intact even after the availability issues have been worked out.
The CSCAA…expressed concern that the suits may, in fact, aid in flotation and
enhance performance — both explicitly prohibited by FINA and NCAA rules.
Independent scientific testing, currently under way, should resolve that
issue within the next few months. To date, other than the CSCAA, the only
other major swimming body in the USA to take the position that the suits should
not be allowed is the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA). Last
weekend, USA Swimming banned the suits from age group competition only.
So at least for now, the younger swimmers will not be immediately impacted by the use of these suits in competition.
By the way? Did I mention the price?
Speedo Male LZR Racer Highneck Bodyskin: $545.95
Speedo Male LZR Racer Legskin: $345.95
Speedo Male LZR Racer Jammer: $285.95
Speedo Female LZR Racer Record Breaker Kneeskin: $419.95
Speedo Female LZR Racer Highneck Bodyskin: $545.95
Speedo Female LZR Racer Record Breaker Bodyskin Price: $469.95
Sunday, October 12th, 2008,
by admin,
Filed under: Age Group, Swim Equipment, Swim News| |
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If I were to have to choose the most comprehensive and healthy sport, it would be swimming (hands down).While swimming is challenging, the many benefits are outstanding and unequaled.
MUSCLE GROUP INVOLVEMENT Swimming involves the use of almost all the muscles required for movement, but without the progressive wear and tear on the body experienced by more traditional exercises involving running and jumping.
MUSCLE TONE & STRENGTH
Regular swimming will increase muscle tone and strength because water resistance is greater than air and the muscles have to work continuously to keep the body moving.
CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS Swimming is great for endurance, and cardiovascular fitness. These benefits are achieved without overworking the heart.
LUNG CAPACITY Swimming improves the body’s use of oxygen and increases lung function which is why swimming can often decrease symptoms in some asthmatic people.
WEIGHT CONTROL Swimming improves the ability to control and maintain a healthy weight.
STRESS REDUCTION Like other sports, swimming decreases stress by releasing endorphins and other relaxing chemicals.
LONGEVITY Swimming is a sport for all ages and fitness levels and a person can start swimming at any age. For many people it is the only form of exercise they can participate in.
CONFIDENCE As with other sports, swimming will improve self esteem and increase mental toughness.
Saturday, September 27th, 2008,
by admin,
Filed under: Basics, tips| |
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A weak or incorrect breaststroke kick can throw the whole stroke off and ruin even the most perfect pull…The following kicking drills will keep your legs doing their part.
Kick Using a Pull Buoy or Band: Place a pull buoy between knees and perform the Breaststroke kick (you can also use a band around knees. This drill works on “Hiding the kick” – GoSwim Breaststroke with Brendan Hansen has a great section showing how Brendan hides his kick. (See my review of the instructional DVD here.)
Kick with Hands at Side: Perform breaststroke as normal (normal breathing rhythm and leg movement) except keep hands straight and still at the sides with thumbs touching outer thigh. Each time legs recover, try to touch heels to hands. As heels come up, breathe. Purpose: enhances hip action and proper leg position – Like the kicking on back drill below, this one reinforces keeping hips in line with knees.
Breaststroke Kick on Back: lie on your back and kick Breaststroke with hands either above head in streamlined position or at side, keep knees below surface. This drill works on keeping knees close together and keeping the hips in line with the knees (Kicking with Hands at Side also works on hip/knee alignment).
GoSwim Breaststroke with Brendan Hansen by GoSwim
Friday, September 19th, 2008,
by admin,
Filed under: Age Group, Basics, Drills, tips| |
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