So here's a challenge for coaches, would-be coaches, know-it-alls & serious students of the art of swimming: hypothetically, Matt Biondi comes to you and says "I turn 40 on Oct 8th & I'd like to launch a comeback of sorts, focusing on Masters. I'd like to compete in the SC Nats this coming spring & if that goes well go to LC Nats in August. I really don't harbour thoughts of an Open comeback, but I am curious to see how fast I could go for 50-100 free with the new suits & dolphining off the wall. "
1.) Discuss in broad terms what your training design for Matt would be: yardage, amount of emphasis on technique drills, strength training component, flexibility training. Divide the period of time before the stated target meets & show training changes for those meets (taper etc.) Assume that he is very close to his original swimming weight & has been in the water a lot to demonstrate & have fun but no training at all.
2.) Set time goals for Matt for the 50-100 free both SC & LC and then discuss whether you would urge him (if he attained those goals) to launch any sort of Open comeback.
Former Member
I realize that this discussion is supposed to be hypothetical, but I thought you might be interested in what the real Matt Biondi is up to right now. We both live in the small town of Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaii. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday Matt can be found swimming laps in HPA pool, usually in lane 7 or 8, right next to our Masters swim team lanes. No, he doesn’t work out with us, he has a couple of friends that put on fins and swim with him. They go on the same send –off, but rarely the same distance, as you can imagine. Every once in a while he’ll turn on the heat; it’s a joy to watch. You have to catch him at it, though; he will not announce that it is coming.
He’s very sharp, has a great sense of humor and it’s hard to imagine a nicer guy. He’s always friendly, says “hi” and sometimes will offer up advice, if he sees that you are serious about swimming.. He’s certainly made my day several times: Once, he gave me a “high five” when our team completed one of our members birthday swims. We did 63 50s on 1 minute and I (foolishly) decided to sprint every third! Boy, did I struggle! Another time he offered advice on how to improve my fly.
A lot of people don’t know this, I’m sure, but Matt has a pretty serious foot injury right now. He dropped some plate glass that cut his foot pretty badly. He was out for quite a while, but is now back in the water. He says that he expects to recover full use of his foot.
Matt teaches at a small private school in town where he also coaches the swim team. I’ve heard really good things about his teaching, but last season he only had one swimmer come out for the team. (It’s a REALLY small school!) I doubt if the student really appreciated his opportunity; he dropped out half way through the season. Can you imagine!
Hmmmm. Is October 8th really Matt’s birthday? I wonder if we could talk him into a birthday swim?!?
That’s it for now; if I have a chance I’ll mention this thread. See what he says!
I bow to your expertise. You guys are right, Biondi did dip under 22 secs for his 50.
Member, Steve Ruiter, has the best idea. He says, "So, Matt, what do you feel like doing today?", followed by, "sounds good to me".
That's the kind of coaching we all need. No arguments - everybody's happy!
I was on a private jet, the weather was really intense, there was mild equipment failure, and the piolot got disoriented. He radioed to the ground, "where am I?" The response, "in an airplane"
I am not anxiously waiting by the phone for Biondi to call me to be his coach! This is hypothetcial! Of course Matt would either coach himself or seek the help of a world class coach. Gee that is really fun to talk about!
How to get faster no matter what age you are: Focus on one race, race that race consistently in practice, record your results. If you do not improve, modify what you are doing. It IS that simple.
Well, what about us that don't swim faster than as kid. And I was no top swimmer, I put on a lot of weight as and adult and workout pretty low yardage. 100 meter breaststroke as a master swimmer 1:43.31 and as a teenager 1:30.0. I think only a handful of women in my age group swim within a couple of seconds of their youth times in 100 events.
