Articles and Videos
Six Important Things to Remember When Prepping for Your Next Meet
During big events, many swimmers will be showing off how hard they’ve worked all winter. And although it’s the swimmers doing the swimming, coaches, you can play an integral role in helping your swimmers have a great time—both in an...
How to Write a Swimming Workout
Becoming a better swimmer requires effective training. Whether you train yourself or are responsible for providing training for others, success requires workouts that progressively improve technique, fitness, and psychological strength. While USMS of...
How Coaches Can Make Try Masters Swimming a Success for Their Club
Try Masters Swimming allows coaches to offer a sneak peek into what makes their clubs so great by allowing prospective members to try at least two free workouts.
Fun Ways Swimmers Can Build Abdominal Strength
Swimming efficiency requires great body alignment to reduce drag. This means eliminating unwanted lateral movement such as wiggling, wobbling, and flopping around, which is usually the result of weakness within the abdomen, lower back, and pelvic are...
How Coaches Can Work With Older Swimmers
Without planning on it, I’ve coached many outstanding, let’s say, senior–seniors since starting a training group in 2002 and the Sharks Masters in 2006. As a Masters swimmer for 35-plus years and a coach for 20, I’ve learned a...
How Coaches Can Build Their Club While Celebrating Individuality
Here are a few ideas about how to celebrate individuality while building a team spirit that can lead to supportive relationships, lifelong friendships, and a shared love of swimming together.
How Coaches Can Listen Better to Their Swimmers
Masters coaching—leading athletes toward their goals—requires discovering and understanding both spoken and unspoken needs. Bringing mindful listening skills onto the pool deck enables a coach to provide much more than simply listing work...
How to Build a Community in Your Masters Club
People join Masters clubs for different reasons. Some want to compete. Some want to get and stay fit. Some want personalized coaching and a structured practice. Others are in it for the meditative time away from their daily lives.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Facility
There will always be someone, somewhere who has more than you do. But no one has the perfect situation. Spend five minutes with the coach or director of what you deem to be the perfect facility, and you’ll soon find out they have their own set ...
How to Coach Middle-Lane Swimmers
It’s fun to coach fast-lane swimmers because they’re experienced, independent, and knowledgeable. Some coaches find it even more exciting to instruct newbies who need a lot of attention and display rapid development.