Is swimming "eating its young?" Are they being burned out with mindless yardage? Do they have to do volume training for long events? Are we missing masters swimmers who were burned out as youths? As to the kids, what can we do to stop the cannabalism?
If they're ready to rock and roll, let them become rock stars. You only live twice.
For gymnastics the gymnast must turn 16 in the year of the Olympics ... But for as many burn out stories as there are there are also success stories, just as for every training "rule" there is an exception (think every stroke breathing on fly by Phelps or less yardage by Coughlin)
On the partying front, swimming hung over is not so much fun ... it makes flip turns interesting. My teammates and I are fans of trying a shot realy, do a shot swim to the other end, do another shot swim back ... you know a few of those ... that'd be interesting, probably messy though ...
The goal of some sets is building mental and physical toughness, they probably are pointless, but I'm guessing that is the goal, as well as endurance, not saying I agree ...
As for the hangover cure ... Vitamin Water has a purpleish one that is "Revive" actually made to cure hangovers, depending on how fun the night before was it make take more than one bottle ...
NKFrench, were you referring to Dana Vollmer? She seems like she is back in great form, and ready to serve notice in Melbourne, good luck to her!
As for the burn out ... I don't think there is one right or wrong answer ... some kids will burn out, others won't and will win Olympic medals as teens (Beard, Peirsol, Sandeno, Munz, Bennett, Quann-Jendrick, and on and on) then keep on going and going and going ... it goes back to my same old theory of the coach needing to know their swimmers, who to push and when and how much and how far, who is really hurt and who isn't and on and on ...
When I coached gymnastics it did not take long to realize which kids I needed to "hand hold" through things to get them to do it and which kids I needed to say, "Get your butt on that beam and do it NOW!" to.
On the same day I had one girl I had to spot on beam and she finally went and she gave me a huge hug and another where I did actually tell her to go now or to leave, she went she did her skill (a tough dismount) perfectly and was mad at me of course, but she needed that kick in the ***, both girls were about the same age, about the same level of talent and ability ...
If they're ready to rock and roll, let them become rock stars. You only live twice.
For gymnastics the gymnast must turn 16 in the year of the Olympics ... But for as many burn out stories as there are there are also success stories, just as for every training "rule" there is an exception (think every stroke breathing on fly by Phelps or less yardage by Coughlin)
On the partying front, swimming hung over is not so much fun ... it makes flip turns interesting. My teammates and I are fans of trying a shot realy, do a shot swim to the other end, do another shot swim back ... you know a few of those ... that'd be interesting, probably messy though ...
The goal of some sets is building mental and physical toughness, they probably are pointless, but I'm guessing that is the goal, as well as endurance, not saying I agree ...
As for the hangover cure ... Vitamin Water has a purpleish one that is "Revive" actually made to cure hangovers, depending on how fun the night before was it make take more than one bottle ...
NKFrench, were you referring to Dana Vollmer? She seems like she is back in great form, and ready to serve notice in Melbourne, good luck to her!
As for the burn out ... I don't think there is one right or wrong answer ... some kids will burn out, others won't and will win Olympic medals as teens (Beard, Peirsol, Sandeno, Munz, Bennett, Quann-Jendrick, and on and on) then keep on going and going and going ... it goes back to my same old theory of the coach needing to know their swimmers, who to push and when and how much and how far, who is really hurt and who isn't and on and on ...
When I coached gymnastics it did not take long to realize which kids I needed to "hand hold" through things to get them to do it and which kids I needed to say, "Get your butt on that beam and do it NOW!" to.
On the same day I had one girl I had to spot on beam and she finally went and she gave me a huge hug and another where I did actually tell her to go now or to leave, she went she did her skill (a tough dismount) perfectly and was mad at me of course, but she needed that kick in the ***, both girls were about the same age, about the same level of talent and ability ...
