Our first topic is "Strokework" and what it means and what we do about it at Swi

I am sure you will agree that one of the components of happy organizations is good communications. My aim is to regularly send you information via email, and included in that information will be education about our sport and how we will be approaching things with your child at SwimFast.

Email is pretty convenient for most of us, I think and I will also post this information continuously at our website, www.swimfastteam.com. That website is a work in progress, so please bear with me as we get it functional.

Our first topic is "Strokework" and what it means and what we do about it at SwimFast.

After 37 years of coaching, I am absolutely certain of very few things, but among them is the notion that our sport is "Technique Limited." What I mean by this is that no matter how talented your child is at working with the water, without excellent technique in strokes, starts and turns, they will be ultimately limited in what they can achieve in our sport. Our aim at SwimFast is to remove that potential limitation.

While in some sports, it is possible for "hard work" to overcome technical deficiencies, every evidence in swimming tells us that this is not true in our sport. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that not only do we practice, but we practice correctly and as close to "perfectly" as possible. Continuous stroke instruction, feedback and questions to the athlete will characterize our team. Our athletes need to be constantly aware of executing every movement correctly. And while improvement and changes take time (Things Take Time), the EFFORT to make positive changes must be immediate and constant.

Failure to do this results in an athlete ingraining very bad habits, such as breathing off the walls on turns. The more yards a swimmer completes incorrectly, the more those incorrect techniques become habitual and the more difficult, if not impossible to correct. The same stroke fault observed at age 8, if imperfectly corrected, will emerge everytime the athlete is under pressure, like in the state high school finals, or the finale of the Olympic Trials! We do not lose our "bad habits," we just can sometimes wall-paper over them! But just like wallpapering over a crack in your wall, if you don't fix the crack, it will reappear and be worse than ever. Hence, the important of proper instruction and learning the first time and continuous attention to detail both by, the coaching staff and by your swimmer.

The fact is, if you do the right things, you WILL SwimFast. If you perform improperly, you may or may not go fast, but over time, your improvement will slow and then stop.

One other thing for this week... I have three rules I care about with your children... many of you have heard me say them repeatedly, but I would like them in front of our children constantly.
The Three Immutable Rules of Improvement are:
1. Show Up.
2. Honor Your Teammates with Your Effort.
3. Do Things Correctly.

These rules apply to swimming and to life equally. I want to live them everyday and I want our athletes to live them everyday. I hope you agree that they contain great wisdom for our children.

Thanks for allowing me the honor of coaching your children!

All the best, John Leonard