Susie, how'd the triathlon clinic go?

[mrs.jacinthe]

That was last week, right?

How'd it go?  Any good/bad/indifferent feedback?

Susie

[Susie]

I have done 3 of the 4 sessions - I would've had the last one this week, but we missed one in the middle because of snow, so we're making it up next week.

I think overall it has gone pretty well. It has been a challenge, that's for sure. I've had 16-18 swimmers every week, and they're at pretty different levels which is tough. My approach has been to do drills that break the stroke down piece by piece, and then put it back together. Some people get it better than others. I try to offer as much individual feedback as I can, and I make myself available for the hour after the clinic for anyone who wants one on one assistance. I have heard that people find the clinic valuable, although there was one or two guys who didn't come back after the first week. Truth be told, I was glad re: one of them. He was annoying. He had obviously studied countless youtube swimming videos and kept asking me, so how does what you're saying compare to X video that I watched? I don't know dude, I haven't watched them. Can you try just listening to what I'm saying and not going off on tangents when I've got 17 other people trying to hang with me?

Now that we've spent 3 weeks picking freestyle apart and putting it back together, next week I'm doing open water drills - sighting, the magic of baby shampoo in goggles, etc. That will be fun I think.

[chw57]

Mar 28, 2014 19:15:46 GMT -5 Susie said:

Now that we've spent 3 weeks picking freestyle apart and putting it back together, next week I'm doing open water drills - sighting, the magic of baby shampoo in goggles, etc. That will be fun I think.

share with the class, please!

[Susie]

Mar 29, 2014 10:08:52 GMT -5 chw57 said:

Mar 28, 2014 19:15:46 GMT -5 Susie said:

Now that we've spent 3 weeks picking freestyle apart and putting it back together, next week I'm doing open water drills - sighting, the magic of baby shampoo in goggles, etc. That will be fun I think.

share with the class, please!

Before an OW swim, put a drop of baby shampoo (Johnson's is fine) in each goggle lens and smear it around.  I usually do a really quick dip in the water after that to rinse the excess and smooth the streaks before I put them on.  Cheapest, hardest working anti-fogger I've found, and no-sting.

[chw57]

Mar 29, 2014 12:18:40 GMT -5 Susie said:

Mar 29, 2014 10:08:52 GMT -5 chw57 said:

share with the class, please!

Before an OW swim, put a drop of baby shampoo (Johnson's is fine) in each goggle lens and smear it around.  I usually do a really quick dip in the water after that to rinse the excess and smooth the streaks before I put them on.  Cheapest, hardest working anti-fogger I've found, and no-sting.

Omg how did I not know about this?! My goggles were driving me crazy last weekend. Thank you!!

[mrs.jacinthe]

I like your approach - the 3 sessions of breakdown and putting it back together, then one session of OW tips. Hmmm. I've been thinking one 2-3 hour afternoon clinic. Perhaps I need to rethink that, though?

[Susie]

Mar 30, 2014 14:44:32 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

I like your approach - the 3 sessions of breakdown and putting it back together, then one session of OW tips. Hmmm. I've been thinking one 2-3 hour afternoon clinic. Perhaps I need to rethink that, though?

I think it depends on how much ground you plan to cover, and what the ability level is of the swimmers you're working with.  Swimmers who have never had much or any coaching in swimming I find need more time and attention to learn new skills just because it doesn't come as naturally and they have a harder time with spatial concepts in the water.  I am also glad for the stroke mechanics stuff that I didn't try to give them more than an hour's worth of material at a time.

I was doing solid stroke mechanics for the hour, though, no sets (beyond warming up before we started).  If you intersperse more sets (or even just "try this for 200") for them to practice what you've just gone over, 2-3 hrs might be good.

I am really excited for this coming week.  We're going to take the lane lines out and practice mass starts (both deep & shallow water), and I'm going to bring the doggies' Derkins' floating balls to practice sighting.  A dog ball from 25 yds away is roughly as difficult to sight as a buoy that's a couple hundred yards away.

[mrs.jacinthe]

Mar 30, 2014 18:38:47 GMT -5 Susie said:

Mar 30, 2014 14:44:32 GMT -5 mrs.jacinthe said:

I like your approach - the 3 sessions of breakdown and putting it back together, then one session of OW tips. Hmmm. I've been thinking one 2-3 hour afternoon clinic. Perhaps I need to rethink that, though?

I think it depends on how much ground you plan to cover, and what the ability level is of the swimmers you're working with.  Swimmers who have never had much or any coaching in swimming I find need more time and attention to learn new skills just because it doesn't come as naturally and they have a harder time with spatial concepts in the water.  I am also glad for the stroke mechanics stuff that I didn't try to give them more than an hour's worth of material at a time.

I was doing solid stroke mechanics for the hour, though, no sets (beyond warming up before we started).  If you intersperse more sets (or even just "try this for 200") for them to practice what you've just gone over, 2-3 hrs might be good.

I am really excited for this coming week.  We're going to take the lane lines out and practice mass starts (both deep & shallow water), and I'm going to bring the doggies' Derkins' floating balls to practice sighting.  A dog ball from 25 yds away is roughly as difficult to sight as a buoy that's a couple hundred yards away.

Hmmm.  What if I offered swimming for new triathletes as a 4-session "class" and then the tri clinic to focus on open water issues?  I think that might help.  

I've got everything focused on my "pool safety for parents" clinic at the moment, but definitely food for thought in a week or two.