Swimming Smart using T.C.B.Y.

Some of you might remember TCBY as a yogurt shop in the 80’s and 90’s. This blog has nothing to do with anything ice cream related.  Rather, it is about taking four simple letters that can be the starting point for learning to swim smart.

Seven years ago I had a crazy summer of coaching for swimming camps at CAL U,  Navy, Sweetbriar College, and Hartwick College, all over the course of eight weeks.  In that time I put thousands of miles on my car which gave me time to think about swimming and working with young swimmers.  I am always trying to come up with a new angle or Catch Phrase to help kids grasp the concept of Swimming Smart.  What I needed was a bridge from “Swim Smart+Have Fun = Swim Fast" to the next step.  Since adopting this equation into my coaching philosophy and coaching hundreds, if not thousands of swimmers, I have found that Swimming Smart is the toughest part of the equation.  

What does it mean to Swim Smart? What follows is my definition. That's where the frozen yogurt comes in the picture.  The four key elements of swimming smart are T.C.B.Y. (Think. Control. Balance. You.).

“T” = Think.  Most kids learn to swim at an early age.  The process is universal; first survival instincts kick in, then strength, and finally coordination to put it all together.  Somewhere in the process there may be a “disconnect” between the mind and body.  Bad habits replace good ones and proper stroke technique is lost.  I feel that the first step in getting back on track is to think.  Simple, right?  Just think about what you are doing.  Actually, it's not as simple as it sounds.  One of the hardest parts of swimming, at all levels, is replacing bad habits with good. One useful technique is to use a Mental Checklist.  As you push off and start swimming in practice, you have a list of things that you should be focusing on and self correcting.  Asking yourself questions as you swim is part of the process.  “Am I streamlining right?”  “How is my head position?”  “What I am looking at?” The idea is to use your senses to help you connect your mind with your body to be sure that the key elements of each stroke are being taken care of.  All of the needed changes may not happen right away, but by thinking about what you are doing you are putting in place the elements needed to get your stroke as efficient as possible.

“C”= Control.  I strongly believe that you never sacrifice good stroke technique for speed.  You need to be in control of everything your body is doing.  From Streamling to maintaining a proper breathing pattern, everything needs to be done correctly.  The control over your body is the direct result of the communication between your mind and body.  Your mind tells your body what is needed for each aspect of every repeat, set, workout, practice and race.  When you have gained mind/body control, good habits are repeated and muscle memory is gained.  Muscle memory allows you to stop having to think about the basics and allows you to focus on the tiniest of technique needs.  These include reducing drag, increasing force, and creating the lift needed to improve distance per stroke or distance per cycle.  In other words, coaches have young swimmers do repeat after repeat after repeat of streamline swimming, perfectly, so that they no longer even have to think about it, it just happens.  Then the coach can move on to more specific aspects of a stroke.

“B”=Balance.  There are many factors that contribute to how well your body will move through the water.  Balance and how it is applied to your unique body significantly helps your swimming efficiency.  Whether it is the long axis strokes of Freestyle and Backstroke or the short axis strokes of Breaststroke and Butterfly, balance is what helps each stroke flow.  Balance can also be called “having a feel for the water”.  That feel allows you to know how much roll to have in the long axis strokes and gives you that flow needed for the short axis strokes.  When balance is added to control and thinking, everything comes together to make you swim more efficiently.  We all started out as children learning to prop ourselves up first, then stand, and finally walk.  It was only after we were able to walk well that we were able to run.  In swimming a similar progression takes us to the point that we can swim fast.

“Y”=You.  You are the one that makes this all happen.  The dedication you have to being the best possible you puts this all together.  You need to think.  You need to ask yourself what you are feeling and doing to make efficient swimming happen.  You need to be in control.  The connection between your mind and body is a must.  You need to learn to balance; to have that feel and to have that flow.  Your coaches are there to give you all the feedback needed to make the changes, adjustments, or subtle tweaks needed to take your swimming to the next level.  You must choose to listen and make the adjustments and changes necessary.

With just four simple letters you are on your way to more efficient swimming and continuing on your own personal journey of swimming success.  That's way better than a frozen yogurt treat.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Coach Scott