Coach Turner's Corner Week 7

Fine Tuning: The Final Week

As we enter the culminating week of our season, the focus will shift to the fine tuning required to execute spectacular swims at Champs.  Although I wish we had another few weeks to keep refining our strokes, building our endurance, and practicing our race pace, we have put in the work and fun of a much longer season in just a few short weeks!  Now we are ready for this final week: fine tuning.

Over the course of our season, we have been emphasizing the fundamentals, in an attempt to create habits of proper strokes and consistent race mechanics. In the last two weeks, we have performed with almost 100% accuracy in our two-hand touches, a testimony to how teachable our young swimmers have been!  I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see two little 6-year old hands emerge from the water to reach up and touch the wall in a perfect two-hand touch!  Like any habits we can develop early in life, our swimmers will be able to focus on other elements of their swimming with these fundamentals in place.

When we break down the elements of a race, there are several areas for our swimmers to fine tune:

1. Starts
2. Proper stroke mechanics
3. Turns (for 11 & up)
4. The Finish

From the deck this week, I witnessed simple errors like goggles falling off, beginning a race with the wrong stroke, or false starting.  Having an “off-race” is to be expected in the course of a season, but correcting it with intention occurs in practice. In preparation for our swimmers to implement these elements into their races at Champs, they will be given opportunities to practice each of these four areas in isolation this week. Like an artist putting the finishing touches on a masterpiece, our swimmers will be asked to focus their attention on the smaller details of their swimming.

Here are two of the most significant areas we are seeking to correct this week:

Correcting the Scissor Kick

The majority of our DQ’s in the past two weeks have been for scissor kicks in breaststroke and butterfly.  I have observed that mastering a legal kick is a process that takes much repetition to imprint the motor skill. If your child is still struggling with a legal kick in breaststroke, consider having them practice at home on the floor, bed or a bench.  Lying on their stomach with a flat surface under them, they can practice the mirrored leg movements in a repetitive way, retraining their body to move in a symmetrical fashion. 

False Starts in Relays

I recently read an article that stated 90 percent of false starts in relays are due to the swimmer in the water.  We will be diligently drilling finishing with speed and a long final stroke!  As usual, we will use some humorous role plays to drill the point home! 

The coaches and I hope to build anticipation for this last, special Champs meet.  Swimming and spectating in the UT swim center is a thrill to be experienced!  This last week is going to be a great one! 

Go Dolphins!

Coach Turner