Patience, patience, patience
by Joe Biondi

In November's newsletter, I mentioned trying to be streamlined during your starts and push offs while swimming. If you tried the suggestion and had the PATIENCE to persevere, your starts and turn breakouts should be much improved.

As we endeavor to improve in swimming, golf, tennis or any other aspect of our lives we all want instant results.

In swimming, I find this instant gratification usually takes 2 to 6 months to change old habits (muscle memory). The general rule is it takes thousands of repeats of a particular motion to change or establish our muscle memory.

If it is a task we desire to improve, like a better streamline and break out for swimming, it must be done off every wall from warm up to cool down. If a swimmers does 2000 yards a practice, that is over 400 opportunities to change the old sluggish push off to a great fast streamlined one. As your coach looks at your strokes and applies some of the new technology available, don't be discouraged if you do not adapt right away. Be PATIENT and continue to try the new technique and try not to fall back into the old muscle memory.

If you truly desire to be a student of your swimming. You should go to www.USMS.ORG and spend some time reading some of the articles. Every swimmer needs to know how to read a pace clock, and what your intervals are for different strokes and distances. Know your 25 yard stroke count for a 50, 100 and 200 freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke or butterfly swim.

I hope you will continue to practice those great push off's, break outs and finishes. It is easy and will make you faster between those walls.

If you have any questions pertaining to swimming, please do not hesitate to drop me an e-mail (coachjoeb@knology.net) and I will do my best to assist you.