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Articles about coaching

Kevin Cleary — In my previous article, I gave some pointers on how to push yourself in training. We explored the concept of “I Can’t!” vs. “I Don’t Want To!” This article will dive into the other side of that coin: “Can I?” vs. “Should I?” While many athletes – especially newer, less […]

“Can I?” vs. “Should I?”

July 17, 2021 in Aqua Master Online / Coach's Chair / Coaching / Motivation by Kevin Cleary

Kevin Cleary — As a coach, I often hear my athletes say to me, “I can’t do this!” or “I can’t keep going!” or some other version of “I can’t!” in the middle of a tough practice. A couple of years ago, I was knee-deep in a particularly intense training session, and at […]

“I Can’t” vs. “I Don’t Want To”

June 9, 2021 in Aqua Master Online / Coach's Chair / Coaching / Fitness / Health / Mental Training / Motivation / Training by Kevin Cleary

Ralph Mohr — We in the US have not been aware of it very much, but swimming outdoors in rivers, lakes, ponds, the oceans, etc., is called “wild swimming” in the British Isles, and there is a long tradition there of swimming all year around everywhere. Here in the US we have always […]

Swim Bits – July 2021

June 9, 2021 in Aqua Master Online / Motivation / Open Water / Open Water / Swim Bits / Training by Ralph Mohr

Kevin Cleary — For this, the third and final installment of my three-part series, I will be discussing a critical trait shared by all high-level athletes: the ability to not only generate high amounts of strength (aka tension, or the ability to generate tension) and relax completely, but transition from one to the […]

How To Be a Master Athlete (Gold Medal Not Required) ...

April 17, 2021 in Coach's Chair / Coaching by Kevin Cleary

Kevin Cleary — This is the second in my series of articles discussing the attributes of a great athlete. If you haven’t read the first part, I would highly recommend that you do so, as the concepts in this article will be very difficult to put into practice without the solid foundation of […]

How To Be a Master Athlete (Gold Medal Not Required) ...

March 22, 2021 in Aqua Master Online / Coach's Chair / Coaching by Kevin Cleary

Kevin Cleary — This will be the first in a three-part series of articles covering the concept of what it means to be a Master athlete. What is a Master athlete, and what differentiates them from a novice or even a more casual practitioner? In this article and the two following, I will […]

How to Be a Master Athlete (Gold Medal Not Required)

February 18, 2021 in Aqua Master Online / Coach's Chair / Coaching by Kevin Cleary

Kevin Cleary — It is my great pleasure to be addressing you for the first time as your OMS Coaches Chair! When I first hopped into the pool for my very first Masters swimming session back in 2003 – yikes…was it really that long ago?!?! – I never envisioned myself writing articles for […]

Greetings, fellow Masters swimmers!

January 17, 2021 in Aqua Master Online / Coach's Chair / Coaching by Kevin Cleary

Lake Tahoe -- The Crew (from left) - Tom Linthicum (boat Captain), Sara Shepherd (kayak support), Christian Tujo (EPIC SWIMMER), Lee O'Connor (EPIC SWIMMER) & Trevor Williams (kayak support) — Swimming the length of Lake Tahoe takes skill, determination and a good support team. Christian Tujo and Lee O’Connor had just that, plus some extra brownies and a persistent seagull that stuck with them for at least 8 miles! In all seriousness, this was one EPIC swim and I was […]

Swimming the Length of Lake Tahoe

October 16, 2020 in Aqua Master Online / Featured / Long Distance / Open Water by Sara Shepherd

Colette Crabbe - 1976 Olympian in the 400IM and 200 breast — Whatever your level in swimming currently is, this strange pandemic time offers you your best opportunity to improve your technique and go to the next level. Learning the proper technique will go a long way in improving your stamina, your speed, and your level of fitness. In swimming, the resistance […]

Technique, Technique, Technique

October 16, 2020 in Aqua Master Online / Coaching / Fitness / Motivation by Colette Crabbe