http://www.DBSTMasters.org/index.htmlHot News!enmmckinlay@acm.orgCopyright 2011 Michael McKinlay2010-07-06T17:43:57-07:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:29:36 -0700mmckinlay@acm.orgCoach Michael's Musings2010-07-06T17:43:57-07:00http://www.DBSTMasters.org/page23/files/db2d9a0f4528fb7497c0f2695561f3e8-1.html#unique-entry-id-1http://www.DBSTMasters.org/page23/files/db2d9a0f4528fb7497c0f2695561f3e8-1.html#unique-entry-id-1
In the 1960s i swam competitively at the University of Texas. For my first three years I was on a plateau. My times did not improve appreciatively in spite of doing all of the dryland training, the two-a-day workouts for six days per week, and tapering with the rest of the team for the “big meet” which for me was the conference meet. i was never fast enough to qualify for nationals. I found my self always feeling more rested and stronger a week or two after the meet. I was never timed so did not know if my times would have been better.

When I came back to school my senior year I received a scholarship from the Mathematics Department. So I turned down my swimming scholarship, but told the coach that I would swim any way if he would let me do so on my own terms...by reducing my volume earlier in the season and begin my taper earlier. He agreed since I was the only backstroker who was academically eligible.

It worked for me! I came down 2.5 seconds in my 100 back and 4 seconds in my 200 back. My coach was happy with my times, but told me “Mike, you would have done even better had you stuck with my training regime.”


So what has this got to do with cats and dogs? In 2008 I heard an interview with Bill Boomer, one of the most notable and innovative coaches. He spoke about how for years swimmers have been trained like dogs and not cats:

'Essentially, a cat might be prone to quick bursts of speed and is also psychologically attuned to its body. A dog, on the other hand, responds to large amounts of training and is able to swim through fatigue. Most athletes,” Boomer says, “have been incorrectly labeled as dogs and usually leave the sport early. “

The latest trend in training technique is paying attention to the nervous system and the cardiovascular system in a swimmer, and Boomer praises coaches who are using that practice to the fullest potential and recognizing the individual strengths in each swimmer.

I know now that I am a cat...What are you?
]]>mmckinlay@acm.orgCoach Michael's Musings2011-03-22T19:50:18-07:00http://www.DBSTMasters.org/page23/files/28fdefc9083fffe70f837ecb7d17b978-0.html#unique-entry-id-0http://www.DBSTMasters.org/page23/files/28fdefc9083fffe70f837ecb7d17b978-0.html#unique-entry-id-0