Anyone else catch it last night? What did you think about the program?
Former Member
I guess that depends on how you define "hard work"? On this forum as I pointed out in the last post the "hard work" is determined (for most) by how many yards they get in per day and how many workouts per week.
Next time your at swim practice try putting a 100% effort into a "perfect" swim (of any distance) a few time: Perfect dive, perfect number of SDK's, perfect break out, exact number of strokes needed per length, perfect turn, constant/powerful kick, perfect finish.
LOL I seriously can't do 1 perfect lap. Not even close.
Next time your at swim practice try putting a 100% effort into a "perfect" swim (of any distance) a few time: Perfect dive, perfect number of SDK's, perfect break out, exact number of strokes needed per length, perfect turn, constant/powerful kick, perfect finish.
Paul, Gary Hall Jr. has talked alot about this. In 1996, when he was a skinny 21 year old who was getting kicked out of practice and drifting from coach to coach, he goes a 48.8 and 22.2 in the 50. 4 years later he matures both physcially and mentally, focuses on the right kind of traning and goes a 48.7 and 21.7. The drop in the 50 is pretty good, the 100 almost nothing. And I have a hard time chalking it up to anything but physical maturation.
Of course Dara said that she did exactly what you proposed just to a higher degree than any swimmer in history. And it certainly worked for her.
(To say Jordan didn't work hard is absurd...you can always tell the NBA slackers by their poor defense and one-dimensionality.)
You can't say that it is talent and ONLY talent,
My exact quote was "Those guys did work really hard," so I am not sure who you were talking to.
Chris.....I HAVE to write one liners. Anything over a sentence and Paul loses interest completely (unless, of course, it's a paragraph about Velveta Cheese. Then the man can read forever!)
Was it Rich Abrahams who said he thinks most people swim too fast when they are supposed to go slow, but too slow when they are supposed to fast or something along those lines? Sounds like Phelps has the same philosophy.
There's this 15 year old gal (she broke Amanda Weirs HS record here in GA) who has MASTERED the art of going the right speed when she's supposed to. I got to see Rich Abrahams' philosophy in action. It's beautiful to watch when executed correctly through a practice. Watching her helped me to go slower in warm up and build up to to top speed as dictated by the coach/ sets. I still have a ways to go!
Cooper actually suited up and swam against Phelps? My wife is going to be disappointed she missed that!
Yep! Poor Cooper needs some stroke work. And by suiting up, he had on his knee length, baggy shorts.
No evidence of a 1:33 200 SCY swim for GH Jr. unless his time was not in an official meet. The USA Swimming top 50 times in SCY goes from Simon Burnett's 1:31.20 to Ian Crocker's 1:34.49.
Interestingly enough - GH Jr.'s name is nowhere to be found in the top 50 all time SCY times. His dad's name however is in many places.
Not intended to take away from GH Jr's accomplishments but I am a doubter that he swam a 1:33 200 free.
As a freshman at UT on the 800 free relay is what I'm told...
My exact quote was "Those guys did work really hard," so I am not sure who you were talking to.
"PS: The myth that Jordan got there on hard work is the biggest joke around." Without the hard work, Jordan wouldn't have been the best. (And yes, the same is true of his talent.)
In general, either statement -- "the best are the most talented" and "the best work the hardest" -- is an oversimplification. Their inner drive AND their talent is what put them where they are.
