Over this period, I celebrated communication with coaches I idolized, cried over some seemingly dashed dreams and worked to find my way through this uncharted and never-ending territory. Much like the celebrated, daring explorers of the past, I embarked on a treacherous journey, one that was certain to be filled with obstacles, potential heartache and a […]

The key with making it work is really hitting that last dolphin kick and using it to power you through that first stroke cycle at full speed and power. Caeleb Dressel’s freestyle and butterfly are killer. He won the 50 and 100 yard freestyles at NCAA, and also upset Olympic champion Joe Schooling in the 100 yard […]

When we try to control their swimming experience, such as pushing for our kids to be in the next higher level group before they’re ready, our kids will lose interest or rebel. When our kids are young, we make all the decisions for them. We choose their clothes, schools, activities, friends, food and bedtimes. But […]

I have a question for swim coaches and parents. When our kids have huge dreams, should we tell them what is realistic and reasonable? Or, do we encourage them to dream? Every child I interviewed for our team’s newsletter dreamed of being an Olympian. Yes, it can happen. It did twice in our club’s 50-year […]

What make an Olympic champion click?

Our job as a mentor is to teach the many life lessons from swimming for the big picture of their lives, not a better streamline or faster turns — that’s the coach’s job. Our childrens’ performance is a touchy area to talk about when they aren’t doing well. When they’re dropping time and feeling great, […]

Tuck dive: the diver bends his or her knees, bringing or “tucking” the knees and thighs closer to the chest and heels toward the buttocks. THE DIVES There are five categories of dives according to the type of takeoff and flight. In platform diving, an additional category — the armstand dive — is added: Forward […]

In addition to muscle recovery, the increased oxygen facilitates brain function and speeds up the healing process for injuries. The human body typically requires a couple days of recovery to heal from vigorous exercise, but with technological advances within the world of sports, some unusual techniques are being used to speed up the this process […]

I received an email from a dad who was second guessing his decision to move his daughter to a new team. They switched teams to benefit the entire family’s schedule. Here’s the email and my response: “Dear Elizabeth, I was wondering if you could help me with a conundrum my family is having. My daughter […]

The Gipper. Pep speech before every workout. Before main sets. Before pre-main sets. Before warm-up. Swim coaches are a different breed. They work long, thankless hours, often times having to balance their coaching duties with another job. They coach because they love the sport, and we love them right back. Here are 10 different swim […]