Anybody out there run into triathletes that do not have a swimming background but have decided that because they have done a few triathlons that they are experts? I'm seeing this an awful lot these days. It can be a challenge to coach these folks because they are not open to new ideas or suggestions on drills. Anybody been able to handle this situation successfully?
I agree for the most part. Many of the triathletes I have coached were quite conducive to stroke advice, however suffer from impatience; I want to be fast all ready. Second some of them are critical of workout set structure. I find on the workouts they feel that any given days workout conflicts with what there triathlon coach or buddy is telling them and one has to be thorough in explaining the why’s and goals of the set and to translate it into triathlonease. Unlike many swimmers I know, tri’s are much more likely to spend $ beyond buying a Blue 70 on private coaching, video tapping, clinics etc.
Finally, I used to name drop a couple of Pro’s I worked with and specifically how long it took them to become good swimmers, which was a while.
Thanks for the insight, Ken. I agree with you that impatience seems to be an issue. It always takes some by surprise when I tell them that it most likely will take more time in investment over the years (this includes all years a person has swam -even as a kid) to become a Top Ten swimmer in the 200 Free than it does to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Neither are easy feats, but I doubt you are going to easily find somebody that starts swimming for the first time as an adult make Top Ten in the 200 Free within a year or two. I've seen it happen quite a bit with Boston where people who don't have a running background, take up running as an adult, and qualify for the Boston Marathon within a couple of years of taking up running.
Running and biking seem to simply be easier to pick up and it seems you can get decent in these events as an adult so much faster than you can in swimming. For this reason, I think those that don't have a swimming background get impatient and think there is something wrong.
If somebody is training for sprint triathlons and runs 20 miles a week, they probably will put in 3 hours a week on running. You need this amount of running to do a decent 5k on the end of a triathlon. It is hard for folks to understand why they need the same amount of time (3 hours of swimming a week) to swim a decent 600, but honestly, it is needed.
I agree for the most part. Many of the triathletes I have coached were quite conducive to stroke advice, however suffer from impatience; I want to be fast all ready. Second some of them are critical of workout set structure. I find on the workouts they feel that any given days workout conflicts with what there triathlon coach or buddy is telling them and one has to be thorough in explaining the why’s and goals of the set and to translate it into triathlonease. Unlike many swimmers I know, tri’s are much more likely to spend $ beyond buying a Blue 70 on private coaching, video tapping, clinics etc.
Finally, I used to name drop a couple of Pro’s I worked with and specifically how long it took them to become good swimmers, which was a while.
Thanks for the insight, Ken. I agree with you that impatience seems to be an issue. It always takes some by surprise when I tell them that it most likely will take more time in investment over the years (this includes all years a person has swam -even as a kid) to become a Top Ten swimmer in the 200 Free than it does to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Neither are easy feats, but I doubt you are going to easily find somebody that starts swimming for the first time as an adult make Top Ten in the 200 Free within a year or two. I've seen it happen quite a bit with Boston where people who don't have a running background, take up running as an adult, and qualify for the Boston Marathon within a couple of years of taking up running.
Running and biking seem to simply be easier to pick up and it seems you can get decent in these events as an adult so much faster than you can in swimming. For this reason, I think those that don't have a swimming background get impatient and think there is something wrong.
If somebody is training for sprint triathlons and runs 20 miles a week, they probably will put in 3 hours a week on running. You need this amount of running to do a decent 5k on the end of a triathlon. It is hard for folks to understand why they need the same amount of time (3 hours of swimming a week) to swim a decent 600, but honestly, it is needed.
