You cannot just demand swim speed. There you go, I’ve said it.
It’s not something that is achieved with one coaching or practice session.
If you were wanting to learn Karate or Judo would it be fair to walk into a Dojo with absolutely no or limited schooling in the martial arts and request to the Sensei: “Can I start off training and, by the way, I want to start off at a green belt, coz I’m fit?”
The answer would be a resounding: “You must earn that privilege.”
Achieving speed in swimming is an outcome that needs to be earned as a result of increased knowledge of the physics of swimming and deliberate practice of the processes that will result in speed.
Too many triathletes, Masters, and open water swimmers jump into the water and demand from themselves: “I want to swim fast!”
If you ask that from a good coach they will respond with: “Excellent, are you willing to:”
· Work on your mobility
· Work on being streamlined and vessel shaping
· Work on staying balanced, long and relaxed
· Work on your breathing technique
· Work on your body mechanics (Catch, Pull, Recovery and Kick technique)
· Get in the pool and open water often
· Be patient and stay focussed on the process
· Practice, but practice deliberately on specific aspects of the stroke
· Have your form checked regularly by a qualified technique coach
Physics Masters moto: “Apply my laws and apply them well and you will be rewarded.”
Bruce Lee once said: “I fear not the man who kicks a thousand times, I fear the man who deliberately practices a perfect kick a thousand times.”
Peter Hendriks
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