QUESTION: Hallo Gary, Thank you for the very informative materials I received from you. Late last month my daughter participated in the CANA zone 3 &4 championships in Lusaka. She is 12. We have noticed that she panics a lot and doesn’t do well in competitions compare to training. During trainings she swims very well [...]
Archive | Coaching
Trains Well, Wants to Race Better
Posted on 03 May 2013.
Posted in Coaching, Competitions / Swim Meets, Questions, Squad Swimming0 Comments
Why use Fins or Flippers when Swimming?
Posted on 12 April 2013.
QUESTION: Hi Gary Can you please explain the reason why you use flippers when training? And is it better with flippers or with out? Anne ANSWER: Hi Anne, There are many reasons why flippers are used in swimming. These can be summarised as follows: Using flippers will improve a swimmers body position and their technique. When [...]
Posted in Butterfly, Coaching, Freestyle, Questions, Squad Swimming, Uncategorized0 Comments
Correct Breathing Pattern in Freestyle
Posted on 03 April 2013.
QUESTION: Hi Gary, I would be very interesting in your opinion on what breathing pattern would you would recommend to young competitive swimmers (10-12 years old) and kids 5-6 years old? Our coach is strictly follows one-side breathing while I have a fear that this will develop very unbalanced technique for kids. Moreover, I see that [...]
Posted in Coaching, Freestyle, Questions0 Comments
Parent’s Guide to Competitive Swimming
Posted on 23 March 2013.
For many parents having a “swimmer” in the family is not something they planned. Most swimmers begin in a learn-to-swim program and progress through to advanced lessons. From there they are asked to complete a couple of sessions in a junior squad and before you know it they are entrenched and absorbed by the sport [...]
Posted in Coaching, Questions, Squad Swimming0 Comments
How to do the Breaststroke arms outsweep?
Posted on 16 March 2013.
QUESTION: Hi Gary, In the breaststroke, should the elbows stay locked until the arms reach the “Y” point of the out sweep? Looking forward to your advice, Howard (UK) ANSWER: Hi Howard, Yes, I believe they should. Too many swimmers bend their elbows at the beginning of the breaststroke out sweep and this leaves the [...]
Posted in Breaststroke, Coaching, Learn to Swim, Questions0 Comments
How to fix arm going across body in Freestyle?
Posted on 13 March 2013.
QUESTION: My 7 year old son is a keen swimmer and trains 3 times a week (7 – 9 km per week). He has a problem on his crawl whereby when breathing his arm on the opposite side crosses under his body. Can you tell me the best way the fix this ? Looking forward [...]
Posted in Coaching, Freestyle, Masters, Questions3 Comments
How to Stop Your Feet Dragging in Freestyle?
Posted on 03 March 2013.
QUESTION: Hi Gary, How do I stop my legs from dragging low in the water when I’m swimming freestyle? Thanks, Terry ANSWER: Hi Terry, This is a common question from males particularly. A humans centre of buoyancy is in their mid chest and their centre of gravity is closer to the chest than a man’s [...]
Posted in Coaching, Freestyle, Masters, Questions0 Comments
Unwell Swimmer Wants to Keep Swimming
Posted on 11 February 2013.
QUESTION: Hi There, I have a 12 year old boy who is constantly suffering with chest colds at the moment. He swims in a squad 6 times a week but cannot manage it at the moment because he is unwell. His squad moved outdoors about 6 weeks ago and the weather here has been alternating [...]
Posted in Coaching, Nutrition, Questions, Squad Swimming0 Comments
