Friday Morning Kick Set

I have a traditional group kick set that I do with my team every few weeks that works really well at getting the entire team a great kick set, not just the good kickers.  It was inspired as I was teaching spinning classes at the local health club.  In a spinning class you have riders of all abilities getting the same workout in the same amount of time and I took this concept to the pool.


It is based on intensity and effort, not sendoff's and our goal is to have the same effort in every lane.  Once you get the idea, you can change it up to different patterns which I have done from time to time, but this is the standard set:  If a swimmer needs to pass someone they go down the middle or just turn around and go the other direction.  There should not be a problem with anybody holding anybody up.

It is 29 minutes in length.  I also limit the BR Kick to one round of their choice and I don't let anybody do BR Kick on the easier intervals.  My teams have always worked hard at this set, and even the slower kickers appreciate the opportunity to stay with the main pack.

Round 1: (6 minutes)
* :30 cruise kick, :30 sprint kick

2:00 to kick with a friend or do an ez 100 swim, but they can't sit on the wall.

Round 2: (7ish minutes)
*15 cruise - 15 sprint - 15 cruise - 30 sprint - 15 cruise - 45 sprint - 15 cruise - 60 sprint - and back down.

2:00 to kick with a friend or do an ez 100 swim, but they can't sit on the wall.

Round 3: (6 minutes) - building effort
* 15 cruise - 15 80% - 15 90% - 15 100% (the effort builds to max at the end of each minute

2:00 to kick with a friend or do an ez 100 swim, but they can't set on the wall.


Round 4: (6 minutes - short max efforts)
*15 cruise - 15 sprint kick - 15 cruise - 15 sprint kick w/ vertical board (if they get to a wall, they have to stay kicking against the wall).

Enjoy - I hope it works as for you as it does for me!

Practice Video

Monday mornings are a fairly quiet morning for us as we get warmed up for the week and establish some good swimming habits for the week.  I take 15-20 minutes to video my team while they are doing the main set.  It is pretty simple as I just go lane by lane and watch them swim by for a few stroke cycles from the side.  I also stand at the end of the lane so they get a view from the front and back as well as their turn.

We use underwater video as well, but that is frustrating, because it is usually done on an individual basis and they know exactly when they are being taped and those bad habits you see on a daily basis, magically disappear and you can't show them what you were talking about the day before in practice.


I think it is important to show the team what they look like during practice.  Swimmers don't typically hurt themselves during competition, it's the long practices that add up, especially when you don't have good practice habits.  Most of my swimmers will see the video and say, "I look like that during practice?"  And I'll say yes, and see how your head is moving all over the place, keep doing that all season, and there are going to be some issues.

Show your swimmers what they look like during practice, and have them look for these things:

1.  How much does their head move.  As with most sports, the more the head moves, the more bad habits emerge.

2.  Head position:  Are they swimming with a flat neck, or at attention, or are they looking forward?

3.  Shoulder Turn:  How much shoulder rotation do they have?  Swimming flat leads to too much stress on the shoulders.

4.  Kicking:  My team is always surprised that they are not kicking as hard as they think they are.

Confidence

Yesterday, I had the luxury of standing in front of the team for the first time.  I love the energy of the first practice.  Everyone is "all in,"  "Nothing is going to come between us and our goals,"  "This season is going to be the best" is pulsing through our veins. 

As a coach or teacher it is our job to keep that confidence going throughout the entire season.  This is easier said than done.  How do we keep our team confident when after the first month, a captain gets mono, after the 2nd month, we lose to a rival school, after the 3rd month a key injury sets the team back, and on and on....  These unplanned events happen to the best of teams, so how do we keep our athletes as confident during the last month of practice as the first?


Expect the Unexpected:  Talk to your team about the reality that we live in a world that is not perfect and as much as we would love to think we are in control, we aren't.  Plan to deal with something that comes up out of  no where and embrace the situation when it happens.  It is no fun dealing with mono, injuries, or a family crisis, however, you should have some reserve energy to deal those unexpected obstacles.

Don't focus on what you don't know:  Too many people in life and in athletics stress and worry about the outcome so much that it takes away from the quality of their life and quality of their training.  We are not good at predicting the future, that is proven on a daily basis by the weather man.  Even the best financial planner cannot predict the stock market.  Be confident in that what you are doing on a daily basis is giving you the best chance to get where you want to be.  If you are prepared and have a plan for the unexpected, you will do great.

Faith:  Have faith in what you do and what you believe.  At Calvin, we get to talk and share our faith for Jesus Christ.  As believers, we know that God is with us, and God has a plan for us.  As my preacher said last Sunday, "He is the ultimate Closer."  Be strong in your faith and you will gain confidence in all that you do.

Phillipians: 1: 1-11 verse 6: Being Confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion, until the day of Christ Jesus.

Practice Organization

We start our season on Monday and even though many of our athletes are ready to dive in and work hard toward their goals, I have learned to slow things down the first 3 days of the season and make sure everyone knows and understands how we operate, what to expect, and learn the flow of the individual practices as well as the week.  The faster we can get organized, the better we will be.  Practice organization can play a big role in the success of your team.  A good practice has good spacing, flow, and is well choreographed.


I have to credit much of my increased attention to details over the last 5 years to Jim Steen (Kenyon), who I have had the privilege to work with during the summer.  His attention to detail with who swims in what lane, making sure the athletes understand what they are working towards, and keeping them committed to the process really made an impact on me, and has influenced how I coach and run practices at Calvin.

Make sure you go over team expectations, how you want the practices to run, and the more information you can set out for them the better. Surprise sets at the end of practice or changes in the schedule on the fly don't go over very well.  Think about the following as you start planning for your seasons.

Lane Assignments:  This takes extra time before practice, but it makes a big difference.  Assign swimmers to lanes so you can control who swims with who, who will be good lane leaders, and who you want to compete in lanes next to each other.  A good practice can become great when the right people are leading lanes and competing next to each other.  If you leave the lane assignments up the the team, they will fall into the same lanes, swim with their best friends, and ultimately it won't be as challenging as it could be.


Teach the Process:  I take five minutes every day to explain to the team what I am looking for out of practice.  I explain why we are looking for certain things to happen.  This keeps them from over working, or not working hard enough, this gives them some ownership in getting the same desired affects.  It also allows them to give me some feed back so that if the workout is not feeling the way I explained, we can adjust.

EZ is EZ, Fast is Fast:  Stay true to your word.  If you have told them that Wednesday is going to be a recovery day.  Make sure that happens.  Make sure you follow the plan you set out for the team.  If you need to adjust, make sure that they understand ahead of time. 


Know what works:  I have seen many great idea's from other great coaches that I have wanted to use with my team.  Some of them just won't work because of our lane space, team, and facility.  Take your new ideas and stay within what your team can do with lane space, time, and facility.  

Build in recover time.  I think one of the biggest things that we as swim coaches do is push our practice time right to the limit, and then tell them to do a 200 warmdown.  When we get to competition, we get angry because they don't take warmdown seriously.  If you want your team to take warmdown seriously, then you have to make it a serious part of the workout.  It should be written out, it should be allowed time to get done, and the coach should stay on deck and treat it just like the main set. 

It doesn't have to be "Awful."

Over the weekend I was riding back into my drive way after a nice bike ride and ran into one of my neighbors.  He asked me how far and where I went?  I told him about 30 mile and where I went and he told me, "that sounds awful."  That got me thinking as to how we perceive exercise. 

My bike ride was not actually "awful" at all.  It took me to the highest point in Kent County where I was able to see the rolling hills of Michigan for miles, I saw farms with beautiful fields, cattle, horses, I saw the sun come up and burn off the fog, I saw Green Lake without a ripple on it, I saw geese flying in perfect formation, and I heard the quiet, peaceful chirping of birds.  It was a beautiful morning.  Yes, I worked hard, and my legs did feel a good burn from time to time, but that was not what I was concerned with.

I talk to a lot of my classes about this.  I ask them why we does everyone agree that being fit is beneficial, yet so many people struggle with actually putting it into their life on a consistent basis so that it enriches their life.  My neighbors comment, makes me think that many people have the wrong view or thoughts on exercise.

Here are some tips that will get you looking forward to your exercise and less towards being "awful."

1.  Take your aerobic exercise outside and look, listen, and feel God's creation.  I think walking on a treadmill, staring at a t.v., or listening to your playlist only gets you focused on the time you are trying to accumulate, total calories you need to burn or what song is next.  Learn to get outside and feel what the day gives you.  Yes there are better days than others to be outside, but I love feeling the heat, cold, wind, and rain just as much.  It's all part of God's world, and when the elements are not in my favor it reminds me that I am not in control, like I like to think I am.  Don't workout while watching calories add up on a computer, get out and explore on a bike, by foot, or by other means.  You will look forward to it more and it will mean more.


2.  If you can't get outside, don't do it alone.  Group workouts and classes are a great way to put the time in together.  I teach spinning classes, and coach swimming, both are successful because of being together with the group.  You will be more motivated and will look forward to being with your friends.  Walking, biking or running with your best friend or spouse can also be a great relationship builder and something that you will be valuable to you.

3.  Learn to value how you move.  If you are in the weight room, don't focus on how you look or how much weight you can or can't lift.  Find movements and exercises that are going to help you have a better quality of life and translate over into what you like to do.  For example, low back pain usually stems from lifting the wrong way or not moving the way you are meant too.  Find movements and exercises that you need to get better at, and then add resistance to them.  This will give you more meaning to your strength workouts.

^{Genesis 1:31} God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

The Value of Commitment

Between the end of one season and the beginning of the other, coaches always hear a lot of phrases like  "burnout", "I want to experience something different," "I want to try new things," "I want to travel," among many others that take athletes away from their sport and they move on to something else.  It seems to me college is becoming more of a buffet line in which students take a little bit of this, experience a little bit of that, and commit to nothing.  I think we are losing the value of commitment. 


Committing to a team or another campus organization for 4 years should be valued and looked up to.  On our team, we really make a point to celebrate 4 year seniors.  Being committed to the team allows one to learn and see something through, it allows them to persevere through the good and bad years, and maybe more importantly, they learn how to give back, and not just take.  I feel that when you are new to a team, like freshmen, you take from the team, and as you get older and you learn to give back as a senior.  That is what makes any successful organization function.  If you have a revolving door of individuals just looking for a glimpse, I think the catch phrase is "wanting the experience,"  it is draining on a team as there is not many left to give back.  The real world requires commitment to your family, your job, and you community.

I get athletes telling me they are "burned out."  I don't believe in that.  Are you going to tell your own kids you are "burned out" during the week?  Trust me, you will feel that way.   I tell my athletes that it is all about keeping your sport in the right perspective.  Swimming has to fit in your life so that it is complimenting everything else, and that hard part is that it changes year to year.  It is important for athletes to learn how to adjust the pieces of their lives so they don't walk around saying they are "burned out" every year.


Another thing I hear is, "I want to be involved in this organization or that organization, and be a leader."  I always encourage them to be part of other things if they can make it work.  I think that is what life is all about, learning to be successful at many things at the same time.  I also tell them to look at the team first, and ask how can you do what you want to do and be a leader within our team.  Usually, they can get what they are looking for right within the team, and they didn't think to look.  I once had a swimmer want to quit the team because they wanted to be part of the chapel leadership team.  I asked them why they couldn't play that role right with our team.  It worked out great!

Value Commitment and new experiences will come to you, new opportunities will seek you out, and you will learn to make a difference in God's World.

James 1:4
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Team Rules

We just had our first team meeting of the season yesterday and we got to go over all the team rules as we prepare for the new season.  Here are 3 big rules that I put a lot of emphasis on with my team.

1.  You can only complain UP.  This means that freshmen can bring any complaint to anybody on the team, however, as you move up the ladder, you have less people to complain too until you are a senior/captain and you can only bring complaints to the coach.  I can handle the complaints because I have heard them all and it is my job to process them and learn from them.  If your seniors and leaders are complaining downward and the freshmen are hearing this, it will not set a good example, and not create a good environment.  If you are in a leadership position, be positive, only offer solutions, and don't let your team hear you or the leaders on your team complain.

2.  Emails, facebook, twitter, texts are for information and facts only.  If you have a conflict with someone, resolve it face to face.  Emails etc... are for finding out where to be, when to be there and what to wear.  If you try to resolve conflicts by these means, the message gets read and interpreted the wrong way and it will not get resolved.  Resolve conflicts over lunch, face to face.  I have never had two people, including myself, not walk away feeling better about the situation after talking about it. 


3.  Embrace your Education!  I heard a stat the other day that only 3% of the world have a college education.  Most college students walk around taking it for granted and not appreciating the fact that they can learn, broaden their worldview, and understand more of God's creation.  Wisdom is gold, and is something that can never be taken away from you.  Tell your student athletes to embrace their classes, their college experience, as it will continue to pay them back for the rest of their life.


Proverbs 4:7  Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.  Though it costs you all you have, get understanding.

Setting Goals

The first week of the semester is upon us, which brings our first team meeting of the year, and everyone's favorite thing to do, set goals.  We set goals academically, athletically, and spiritually at Calvin College.  While I know we are not perfect, this is how I want my team to use their goals throughout the year.

First, I think the end product is a little over rated.  Don't get me wrong, standing on top of the award stand, seeing the time pop up on the scoreboard, receiving the A on the test, finishing the race, or standing on top of the mountain are all great, but they are short lived and temporary feelings.  The reason it is so emotional when the goal is achieved is the path you took to get there.  The commitments you made, the relationships you built, the obstacles that got in the way, and the lessons you learned along the way are what you are going to remember for a lifetime.  By writing down a goal, remember the end product is only a small percentage of what you are going to get by committing to it and following through.  I always say, the bigger the goal, the more you are going to learn.

Second, once the goal is set and shared with the team, you are committing to a set of standards by which you want to live during that season (hopefully the rest of your life).  For example, if you want to be a 4.0 student, there is a certain standard by which you need to follow.  You can't miss classes, there is a certain amount of participation you need to contribute in class, there are a certain number of hours that should be spent in the library, along with a certain level of health you need to maintain.  Swimming is the same way, it is not what you do in practice, but how you live out of practice that usually makes or breaks success.  Make sure you are living by the standards set by your goals.


Finally, you can't get through any level of commitment without a strong support group.  That is the team, your spouse, your piers at work, friends, and your church.  Not many people can set any type of goal without a strong support team.  At Calvin, our spiritual goals are always the hardest to set and the hardest to follow as we are all sinners.  Just as it is important to practice swimming everyday and study every day, it is equally important to get fed spiritually every day.  Taking time to read the bible, have devotions over coffee with friends, and attending church on a weekly basis are all ways you get fed spiritually.


Set Big Goals - you learn more along the way.
Live by the Standards those goals dictate.
Don't do it alone, you have to have a support group.