contents€¦ · guide to a coach’s contract – part 3.....18 croc’s from top end visit...

SWIMMING IN AUSTRALIA – March-April 2003

CONTENTS

COACHING AUSTRALIA ....................................1 Young Athletes & Drugs (Australian Sports Drug Agency) .................................................................. 1 Parents: Build a Partnership with the Coach (Jim Thompson) ............................................................. 2 Sport Education Centre Coordinators..................... 3

The Swimming Triad (Cheryl Harvey).................4 Empathy & the Swimming Teacher (John Holden) .............................................................6 Developing Technique (John Holden)..................8 Pan Pacs Tour (Rick Van Der Zant) .....................9 LEARN TO SWIM............................................10

Let the Kids Play (Gene Schembri) ......................... 10 The Learning Sequence ........................................ 11 Teaching Backstroke............................................ 14

Guide to a Coach’s Contract – Part 3 ...............18 Croc’s from Top End visit Queensland 2003 (Mark Davies) ..................................................27 Let’s turn the Corner – Personal Overview of the future of the Sport (Greg Hodge) ......................28 Ed Moses: Training for the Promised Land (John Lohn) ...............................................................30 Cellular Adaptations of High-Intensity Training (Edward Nessel) ..............................................33 26 ways to improve your Age Group Coaching.37 Lift is not an Important Force in Swimming Propulsion (Brent Rushall) ...............................38 Health Waves ..................................................46 Swim for Fitness (Scott Rabalais) .....................47 Duke Kahanamoku: Passing the Crown (P.H. Mullen) ............................................................49 NEW MAGAZINE… FINA Aquatics World.........53

The Newcomers in the Elite Club (Camillo Cametti)53 Development Policy: A Priority for All (Jean-Louis Meurei)................................................................. 56 Fuelling Young Athletes (Professor David Gerrard) 58

FINA News.......................................................60 WSCA Newsletter.............................................68

Attention Class! 16 ways to be a Smarter Teacher (Chuck Salter)....................................................... 68 ASCA World Clinic 2003....................................... 73 Youth Sport Burnout – Symptoms & Strategies .... 73 What it takes to be a successful swimming coach (Peter Daland)....................................................... 76 Powering Muscles................................................. 82 Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease & its effects on Swimming (Edward Nessel) .................................. 86 How to succeed in business by REALLY TRYING (Bruce Hetrick)...................................................... 90

Book Review – Coaching Essentials (Peter Ruddock) .........................................................91

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The following articles have been reproduced from the Australian Sports Commission Newsletter

“Coaching Australia” Vol.6 No.2 2003

CCOOAACCHHIINNGG AAUUSSTTRRAALLIIAA

YOUNG ATHLETES & DRUGS By Australian Sports Drug Agency

Coaches of young athletes can play an extremely important role in developing positive responses to drugs in sport issues. While the majority of young athletes may not be subject to drug testing, they still require messages about the dangers of misusing medications and other substances reinforced at an early age. Often the person in the best position to provide this information is the Coach.

WHAT MESSAGES TO USE To elicit positive responses to drugs in sport issues, Coaches should communicate strong ethical and health messages to their athletes. Young athletes should know that competitors who use banned performance-enhancing drugs are cheating and creating an unfair sporting environment where ultimately sport is the loser. Sport should be about fun, fitness and respect … not winning by unethical means. By not promoting a win at all costs mentality, Coaches can relieve pressure on young athletes that may lead them to misuse medications and other substances to improve their performance. Coaches should also communicate that many performance-enhancing drugs can have serious health effects – emphasise that sport is about being healthy, not misusing potentially dangerous substances to win.

MEDICATIONS Recent studies indicate that young athletes may be vulnerable to misuse of prescription and over-the-counter substances to improve sporting performance. Coaches should advise young athletes to only use medications, such as Ventolin, following sound medical advice from a doctor. The misuse of medications (overuse or sharing of medications) can have detrimental health effects

and in some cases can hinder athletic performance. Young athletes should also be aware that as they progress to more elite levels of sport, they may become subject to drug testing. Athletes can be eligible for drug testing once they reach State or National level competitions. Once eligible for testing, athletes need to check all the medications they are using to see if they are banned, permitted or require notification. The bottom line is medications are designed to help people with medical conditions – not to boost performance.

SUPPLEMENTS & RELATED SUBSTANCES Supplements are becoming more popular within the wider sports community due to the belief that they can legally improve athletic performance. Coaches should communicate to young athletes that supplements are not a substitute for a balanced diet. Eating the correct food is still the best way to help maximise athletic performance. There is also little scientific evidence to suggest that many supplement products significantly improve athletes’ performances. Along with the popularity of supplements there has also been a proliferation of energy soft drinks in the last few years. These products often contain high levels of stimulants such as caffeine. Coaches should let their athletes know that abuse of these products – coupled with physical exertion – can have damaging health effects.

TIPS TO REMEMBER • Create a supportive sporting environment

where the emphasis is on fun and playing by the rules rather than winning at all costs.

• If concerned about possible misuse of medications or other substances, approach parents in the first instance to discuss the issue.

• Always discourage the use of banned substances and misuse of medications = focus on health implications and ethics.

• Communicate positive messages to young athletes – for example, true champion athletes play fair – they don’t use banned drugs.

• Speak to your national sporting organisation if unsure about the anti-doping rules in your sport and whether these rules apply to your athletes.

• Visit the Australian Sports Drug Agency (ASDA) Web Site … www.asda.org.au … for the latest anti-doping information.


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POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS Factors What can a Coach do? Dissatisfaction with performance

Keep up to date with the latest coaching techniques and training methods. Analyse all aspects of an athlete’s training to assess whether there are avenues for improvement – for example, nutrition, weight training, psychological preparation. Enlist the assistance of experts in these areas if appropriate. Keep a training log based on short-term goals to that it reminds the Coach and athlete where they have been and where they are headed.

Psychological or physical dependence on the drug

Counsel the athlete, seek professional counselling assistance. Help the athlete to admit they have a problem.

Drugs are easily available Talk to the athlete about the consequences of drug use. Help athletes set and achieve personal goals. Help athletes develop decision-making and assertiveness skills.

Friends are using the drug Assist athletes with decision-making and assertiveness skills. Do not encourage or reinforce drug misuse. Set a good example.

Culture of the sport Do not encourage or reinforce drug misuse. Set a good example. Promote and support social activities that encourage safe use of drugs, if at all. Be involved in setting policies in your sport that encourage safe use of drugs.

Stress Assist the athlete to identify the cause of stress and ways to deal with stress. Use sports psychology techniques such as arousal control. Seek assistance from professional counsellors. Incorporate relaxation into daily training schedule.

Intense will to sin Encourage the achievement of personal goals, rather than comparison with others. Instil in athletes the importance of fair play. Reinforce that doing well as a result of hard work, talent and skill is something of which to be proud that using drugs to win is cheating.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS Factors What can a Coach do? Values – the athlete does not see a problem with using drugs

Talk to the athlete about the consequences of drug use. Reinforce that drug use is cheating. Make cheating a personal issue – for example, athletes who cheat are cheating fellow athletes who work hard and make many sacrifices. Reinforce that doing well as a result of hard work, talent and skill is something of which to be proud but using drugs to win is cheating.

To improve appearance Talk about consequences of drug use. Point out the down side of drug use in terms of appearance – for example, acne is a common side effect of steroid use. Discuss how to achieve goals without using drugs. Assist athletes to develop decision-making skills.

Extract from Drugs in Sport: Coach Education Manual, 1995, pp.41-3. PARENTS: BUILD A PARTNERSHIP

WITH THE COACH By Jim Thompson

Positive Coaching Alliance Founder & Director Research shows that when parents and teachers work together children tend to do better in school. There is no reason to think that it is any different in youth sports. The following are some tips for parents who are not coaching their child. Distribute this information to the parents of your athletes to create a coach-parent partnership that will enable athletes to get the most out of their sporting experience. RECOGNISE THE COACHES’ COMMITMENT

For whatever reason, you have chosen not to coach the team. The coaches have made a commitment that involves many, many hours of preparation beyond the hours spent at practices and games. Recognise their commitment and the fact that they are not doing it because of the pay! Try to remember this whenever something goes awry during the season.

MAKE EARLY, POSITIVE CONTACT As soon as you know who your child’s coaches are going to be, contact them to introduce yourself. To the extent that you can do so, ask if there is any way you can help. By getting to know the coaches early and establishing a positive relationship, it will be much easier to talk with them later if a problem arises.


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FILL COACHES’ EMOTIONAL TANKS When the coaches do something you like, let them know about it. Coaching is a difficult job and most coaches only hear from parents when they want to complain. This will help full the coaches’ emotional tanks and will motivate them to do an even better job. Having recognised these positives will also make it easier to discuss problems later (because you have shown support for the good things). And just about every coach does a lot of things well. Take the time to look for them and publicly recognise them. AVOID PUTTING PLAYERS IN THE MIDDLE

Imagine a situation around the dinner table, in which a child’s parents complain in front of them about how poorly their maths teacher is teaching fractions. How would this impact on this student’s motivation to work hard to learn fractions? How would it affect their love of mathematics? While this scenario may seem far fetched, when we move away from school to youth sports, it is all too common for parents to share their disapproval of a coach with their children, whether it is about coaching tactics or playing time. This puts a young athlete in a bind. Divided loyalties do not make it easy for a child to do their best. Conversely, when parents support a coach, it is that much easier for the child to put their wholehearted effort into learning to play well. If you think your child’s coaches are not handling a situation well, do not tell your child. Rather, seek a meeting with the coaches where you can talk about it. It is important to talk with the coaches first, before going over their heads to a Board or league leader. Most coaches want to do the best job possible, and you owe them the opportunity to respond to your concerns before moving up the ladder.

ALLOW COACHES TO DO THE COACHING It can be very confusing for a player to hear someone other than the coach yelling out instructions during a game or practice. You are not one of the coaches, so avoid giving your child instructions about how to play. If you have an idea for a tactic, go to the coaches and offer it to them. Then let them decide whether or not it works for the team. If they decide not to use it, let it be. Getting to decide how to teach certain skills and choosing which strategies and tactics to use is a privilege the coaches have earned by making the commitment to coach. If this paragraph sounds particularly difficult for you, maybe it is time for you to sign up as an assistant coach!

FILL YOUR CHILD’S EMOTIONAL TANK Perhaps the most important thing you can do is to be there unconditionally for your child. Competitive sports are stressful for players and the last thing they need is a critic at home. Be a talent scout for your child. Focus on the positive things they do and leave correcting mistakes to the coach. During games, look for specific things your child does and mention one or two things you noticed them doing well after the game. “I liked the way you hustled after that ground ball near the end of the game.” Let them know you love them and support them without reservations, regardless of how well they play. Don’t criticise your child’s play after a game. This is hard for parents, but it will pay off in two ways. It will strengthen your relationship with them and it will avoid draining their emotional tank, which needs to be full for them to play their best. Let me say it again — don’t give them advice or criticise their play. Instead, fill their emotional tank. ENCOURAGE OTHER PARENTS TO HONOUR

THE GAME Hold yourself to a high standard — never show disrespect for the other team or the officials. But more than that encourage other parents to also honour the game. If a parent of a player on your team begins to berate the official, gently remind him or her, “Remember to honour the game”. The coaches on your team will appreciate this help on the sidelines. They would much rather spend their time coaching the players, rather than having to supervise the behaviour of parents on the sideline. Together, coaches and parents can make a sport a powerful and positive experience for all involved. Good luck in establishing a partnership with your child’s coach … it will make a difference. SPORT EDUCATION COORDINATORS

As of December 2002 Australian Capital Territory Rebecca Sutherland ACT Coaching & Officiating Centre PO Box 1156, Tuggeranong ACT 2901 Phone: (02) 6207 4389; Fax: (02) 6207 2071 Email: [email protected] South Australia Michelle Johnson Coach Education Coordinator Community Participation Branch Office for Recreation & Sport 27 Valetta Road, Kidman Park SA 5025 Phone: (08) 8416 6625; Fax: (08) 8416 6753 Email: [email protected]


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New South Wales Rebecca Neale Coaching Coordinator NSW Coaching Centre Sydney Academy of Sport PO Box 57, Narrabeen NSW 2101 Phone: (02) 9454 0162; Fax: (02) 9454 0207 Email: [email protected] General Coaching Phone: (02) 9454 0200 Tasmania Leigh Hill Education & Training Officer Tasmanian Sport & Recreation Skills Centre PO Box 1154, Glenorchy TAS 7010 Phone: (03) 6230 8256; Fax: (03) 6230 8265 Email: [email protected] Northern Territory Jodi McGrade State Coaching & Officiating Centre Coordinator NT Department of Sport & Recreation PO Box 1448, Darwin NT 0801 Phone: (08) 8982 2301; Fax: (08) 8922 6800 Email: [email protected] Victoria Les Bee VIC Coaching Centre Victorian Institute of Sport PO Box 828, South Melbourne VIC 3205 Phone: (03) 9290 8352; Fax: (03) 9686 2352 Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Queensland Mike Keelan QLD Coaching & Officiating Centre Office of Sport & Recreation PO Box 187, Brisbane Albert Street QLD 4002 Phone: (07) 3237 9835; Fax: (07) 3224 7042 Email: [email protected] Western Australia Ian Crawford Consultant – Coaching Department of Sport & Recreation PO Box 66, Wembley WA 6913 Phone: (08) 9387 9779; Fax: (08) 9383 7368 Email: [email protected] Liane Tooth Officiating Consultant Department of Sport & Recreation PO Box 66, Wembley WA 6913 Phone: (08) 9387 9787; Fax: (08) 9383 7368 Email: [email protected]

The Swimming Triad By Cheryl Harvey

Level 2 Performance Coach Head Coach Jamboree Heights Swimming Club

I was recently asked to present information to parents at a seminar in Regional North Queensland. From this I was subsequently advised to submit this topic to ASCTA by one of my fellow presenters. I feel a little uncomfortable doing so, as these views are purely my own perceptions and beliefs. The ASCTA magazine has been a source of much well researched information to me over the years by authors who I hold in some esteem. Consequently though being a Level 2 performance coach and having coached for 20 years, I feel a bit presumptuous putting myself in a similar category. . However, as suggested, I have put my head on the line and submitted this article… As a coach, behaviour management teacher and a parent, I have very real concerns about how the role of swimmer, coach and parent can become very confused and, at times, detrimental to young swimmers’ long time involvement in the sport. It is obvious by the intense media bashing of parents’ involvement with children’s sport recently, that mine may not be an isolated view. I think parents, coaches and swimmers need to understand that they all play an equally significant role for positive benefits to be gained from the participation in the sport of competitive swimming. In this article I attempt to clarify the lines between all players and hopefully help define their unique and explicit role for a positive benefit to emerge. I shall refer to the three parties as the Swimming Triad.

Each participant in the Swimming Triad has a unique and explicit role. It is necessary to add that one is no more important than the other in producing a happy successful swimmer. It is only when these areas overlap do problems emerge. Each participant needs to be well aware of the boundaries. The following table demonstrates six basic examples…


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Swimmer’s Role Parent’s Role Coach’s Role

1 Be ready on time for training.

Organise transport for children to be on time and collected on time. Ensure swimmers have their water bottles and appropriate food to eat immediately after training.

Arrive at the pool before swimmers and stay at the pool until all swimmers have been collected. Be planned and organised prior to every session.

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Listen to instructions and try to the best of their ability

Support children in their endeavours.

Be a lifelong learner thus having the knowledge and ability to continually develop swimmers technical and skill ability.

3 Have plenty of sleep.

Ensure children go to bed at an appropriate time. Monitor child and advise coaches of any concerns regarding health/fatigue issues.

Design and deliver appropriate and balanced programming to ensure adequate recovery. Be aware of systems which indicate that a swimmer may be experienced undue stress.

4 Eat healthily.

Make available nutritious food choices at home and in competition situations.

Increase swimmer’s fitness. Raise parent’s and swimmer’s awareness levels on the importance of nutrition and hydration in the training and recovery process.

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Follow a race plan. Learn to accept wins and losses.

Give love and support regardless of success or failure.

Develop swimmer’s racing ability and race strategies. Have a process orientation to racing. Teach that disappointments are a learning tool not a sign of failure.

6 Concentrate on their own swimming.

Never compare their child to other swimmers.

Identify that children develop at their own pace. Support and accept individual goals. Give equal time to each individual regardless of level of ability.

SIMPLIFIED… Coaches do not parent and

parents do not coach!

Competition Swimming Meets and post swimming meets are often much cause of tension for all participants in the swimming triad. For many parents the focus for a Meet is always the outcome. What time did little Johnny do? Where did he come? Who did he beat? … etc., etc. However, the focus for the coach and swimmer may be completely different. They may simply be trying something different. The goal for that particular meet may not be the time swum, but how the race had been swum. Unfortunately, in so many cases the outcome is always the goal for the parent – not really the healthiest attitude for the developing competitor. Sports psychologist, Gaylene Clews, recommends that parents ask themselves the question – are you win/lose focused or do you encourage your child to assess their performance by their personal effort? For example… • When your child comes home from a

competition … do you remember to ask how they played/performed?

• If they answer in terms of winning or losing … ask them again how they played/performed.

• Ask them what aspects of their performance they were happy with and why.

• Ask them what aspects of their performance they want to improve and how.

(Smart Sport, 1996) These questions become even more important for swimmers, as there is nothing they can do to slow down another swimmer. They can only focus on what they themselves have to do to get the best possible outcome. Therefore, it is unwise to ask swimmers if they won or whom did they beat! These questions are not only irrelevant, but also detrimental to a child’s longevity in the sport. It places far too much pressure on them and has no positive impact on their future progress. It must be remembered that children grow and mature at varying rates and though this is partially influenced by exercise and nutrition it is also strongly determined by genetic makeup. So much depends on an individual’s genetic potential predetermined by heredity.


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Consequently no gains come from comparing one age group swimmer’s progress to another. [For many coaches, regardless of the sport, one of the most interesting phenomena is watching some parents become the expert as soon as their child’s prowess improves. These are also the parents who create the problems not just for the coach, but also for the young athlete. The child improves through their effort and mental skills training … the coach’s knowledge base improves through experience, seminar attendance and further education, etc., but for some parents??? … it is amazing … their expertise appears to happen by osmosis!!!!!! These are the parents that coaches don’t mind waving goodbye to even at the risk of losing a potentially good athlete.] Parents should leave the coaching to the coaches – that is what they are paid for. However, coaches too must take some responsibility for when it all goes wrong. They must keep parents informed and remember the boundaries themselves – it is dangerous and unprofessional to do otherwise. If one of the players is out of the loop, inevitably problems arise.

Problems occur when roles overlap!

So many positives can be gained for both children’s and parent’s participation in a swimming club and competitive swimming. Keeping everything in perspective and being unconditionally supportive of your child is what is important. This gives them the confidence to ‘have a go’ and give it their best shot regardless of the outcome. This is also what you can do a whole lot more effectively than the coach. You supply the cuddles. Let the coach supply the critique. A positive environment can so easily be created, when all parties are in sync.

SIMPLIFIED… Coaches do not parent and

parents do not coach! As beautifully put by my fellow regional presenter Wayne Lomas … ‘sometimes parents and coaches really get in the way of what kids think is really good fun’.

EMPATHY & THE SWIMMING TEACHER

By John Holden DSTA “They are all individuals. You have to show some understanding.” How often do we hear this when we talk at seminars, or even on the pool side? Another classic is … “What happens in theory is another matter in practice.” We, as Teachers and Coaches, need to remind ourselves of these words of wisdom and although sound in principle, we need to clarify for ourselves what exactly is understanding and individuality when it relates to swimming teaching and coaching. This is vital as the individual in the class/squad is governed by one curriculum, a set time, one lesson plan and a set of rules overseen by one individual teacher/coach. By clarifying these terms in our practice, it will no doubt help us to appreciate the dichotomy between what is intended in the theoretical and what exactly happens in reality. Therefore, the teacher/coach must be in a position to empathise with the individual. To empathise, you see the situation of the intention of an undesired action, form of behaviour or misinterpretation of an instruction, although you may well disagree with the outcome. For example a coach sets a piece of work … she/he suddenly finds that two of the swimmers are really struggling with the workload … so the coach adjusts the schedule accordingly. The coach has empathised with the swimmers. However, the coach needs to ask why are the two swimmers suddenly struggling? One of the swimmers spent most of the previous night “doing a lot of homework”. The coach can either offer some kind of reprimand or she/he can empathise. Meanwhile, the other swimmer has suddenly developed a genuine injury. The coach not only empathises, she/he takes her/his understanding a step further and sympathises.


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There is a distinct difference between empathy and sympathy. To empathise, you take a neutral view but to sympathise you cannot be neutral. Sympathy is a special kind of empathy. The philosopher, Polanyi, uses the term “indwelling” to come to terms with the other person’s perceptions and difficulties. Chismar 1988 identifies the difference… To empathise is to respond to another’s perceived emotional state by experiencing feelings of a similar sort. Sympathy – on the other hand – not only includes empathising, but also entails having a positive regard or non-feeling concern for the other person. I have a positive regard for one youngster at the moment struggling with his Backstroke. The problem is that although he is reasonably comfortable on his back, his arm action is in reverse. He is, in effect, attempting to perform a front paddle action on his back. For me this is an outright case of both empathy and sympathy for his genuine attempt to perform the correct action. It is a peculiarity … one which needs careful handling and one where his desired action is hindered by this peculiarity for Chris to perform correct back-crawl arms. It would be unwise to say “Chris you are doing this wrongly”. The technique is to get him to try and blend him into the correct action but it will not happen in one easy lesson. Meanwhile, there are another 20 youngsters in the class who are individuals and need my attention. It would be wrong to suggest that empathy and sympathy are just variables for youngsters. Adult beginners need a lot of empathy and sympathy, especially in the first two lessons of a beginner’s course which, I believe, are critical. Therefore, the experienced teacher will look at their intention and try to come to terms with their actions which may well differ from the set practices and outcomes in text books … hence a real difference between the theoretical and the practical. It is here that the student needs careful sensitive handling from the teacher who, having made a quality judgement, follows it up by his/her individual response to the student so that the student can be at the best advantage possible to perform the desired action. Unfortunately, we can sometimes respond in a neutral way by saying “Don’t worry about it – it will come”. The fact is they DO worry about it

because they do not know what exactly will come! If we want to show a “non-fleeting concern” (Chismar) we have to be more reassuring to the student. That means a measured instruction geared towards individual perceptions through a desired action which you mould for the student. For example… “You’ll soon do it as soon as you start to.....” “It will come as long as you.....” “If you try and ..... I am convinced that you will improve”. This not only empathises with the student it is also target-related and you are persuading and moulding the student into a desired action to achieve a desired outcome. In order to put this into practice, a flexible approach is vital. Confidence goes without saying. The key to confidence is empathy and sympathy because as human beings we all have our fears and phobias. Think back to when you were at school. What one variable really frightened you? Meanwhile, youngsters have all sorts of pre-conceptions about going swimming. An adult may have had a bad experience of some sort in the past. Therefore, the teacher has to take all this into consideration and breakdown barriers. In order for swimmers to overcome fears and phobias, whether it be youngsters or adults, empathy and a sympathetic flexible approach is vital. One way to put this into practice is associated with what the psychologists call “Systematic Desensitisation” (Hardy and Heys 1982) which in its simplistic terms means that the swimmer may be allowed to see or try it from a distance or gradually move closer to the desired result which the teacher wishes to achieve with the individuals. This is brought about by a feeling of security, enhanced by a sense of purpose, a feeling of relaxation and not forgetting fun. References: • Chismar D., 1988 “Empathy and

Sympathy: The Important Difference Kluwer Academic Publishers.

• Hardy M. & Heyes S., 1982 Beginning Psychology Weidenfled & Nicholson


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DEVELOPING TECHNIQUE By John Holden

If we want our swimmers to improve, then a lot more emphasis needs to be put on technique. The answer is TECHNIQUE … TECHNIQUE … TECHNIQUE! Swimmers need a solid grounding in stroke mechanics because it will be very difficult to break the habitués of poor technique as they develop. If they are taught well early, they are more likely to be adroit. On the other hand, if you leave them to it and work them hard, the strokes will look after themselves and subsequently they will become proficient. There is also a danger that some coaches can “over-coach” as Atherton (2002) indicates A young player needs to be left alone to sink or swim for a while. Even the experienced players were guilty sometimes of worrying too much about coaching and technique. There is often confliction with these two arguments in contemporary swimming. At the heart of the matter there is truth in both. However, neither cannot be satisfied in isolation nor can they be taken to the extreme as I will endeavour to clarify. If both arguments are valid, a coach must have a strong sense of balance, perspective and pitching at the level of the individual swimmer in order for the swimmer to improve. This means that there are other factors which effect performance such as strength, fitness and mobility, to just name three. However, they count for nothing if the athlete cannot maintain efficient technique when she/he is under pressure along the last 50 or 25 metres through to the final touch at the finish of a race. Technique is changing all the time. Anything which will gain that extra second is sought after and when world records are broken coaches are asking themselves how do champions swim? Hopefully we can learn from champions but experience tells us that it is almost impossible to coach our swimmers to swim exactly like a Thorpe or a Hackett. Like our individual thumb print which is uniquely different with everyone, so too is our precise individual swimming style. In order for swimmers to develop their own style, they need time to discover a feel for the water so that they can develop their own game because no swimming technique is absolute. The feel of the water enables the swimmer to learn but it takes time and the coach, who leaves the swimmer to discover the feel, must check periodically and if necessary correct and adjust but it must enhance the leaning process

The task of a good coach is to help the performer learn, not to produce precise instructions (Harvey-Jones 1993). So that the swimmer can learn and subsequently improve his/her technique, the swimmer needs to be aware of his/her strengths and weaknesses. To achieve this we need to look much wider that the BLABT* principle and learn from Donald Shone’s premise (1987) of “Take the familiar, make it unfamiliar so that we can look at it again.” The familiar being how the swimmer handles the main basic characteristics … not what is necessarily written down as how it should be … but how it is. Before we make the familiar unfamiliar in the stroke analysis, there are two vital questions the coach should be asking him/her self. Does the swimmer’s action contravene the laws of the sport? Does the action slow the swimmer down? If the answer to both questions is “no” … why change it? It should not be changed; it should be developed upon a solid foundation. However, before this can happen, the basic fundamentals have to be analysed. For example, when looking at arm actions in all strokes does the swimmer start with a long lever, shorten the lever with a high elbow and then lengthen the lever before the recovery? Another example is correct body position. Swimmers should be in the water and should not be trying to swim out of it. It is here that the head plays a vital role in correct alignment and flotation of the body. The leg actions should help to maintain a flat and aligned body position, assist in propulsion and keep the roll in check in the crawl strokes. These, among others, are basic principles which need to be evident and taught well. When undertaking this form of analysis, the BLABT principle can be useful at this stage, remembering that one fault or weakness in the stroke can have an effect upon another aspect of the stroke. Even with experienced swimmers, I find that the basics are sometimes lacking. With these outlined principles are nurtured and worked upon, the next stage is how to improve technique so that she/he can swim faster. Now that we have “made the familiar unfamiliar, we can now begin to look at it again.” I previously mentioned a feel and Colwin (1992) looks at coaching a feel for the water and proposed a series of drills to enable the swimmer to appreciate fluid dynamics. Coaching the feel should be taught parallel with the basics; one should complement the other. Even at an early stage, swimmers should be encouraged to be confident with exercises that develop proper alignment. There are two practices I use, one being a pencil float with the head down in the water, arms outstretched


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against the head, finger-tips touching and ankles together. To take this further, transfer the position onto the back and for fun continuous rolling over in the pencil sharpener. Another benefit from this practice is confidence of changing from front to back and visa versa. I also place a strong emphasis on glides from the wall, performed just under the surface. These practices at an early stage seek to develop correct body position. If the basic body position is awry, then it will be more demanding on the limb actions and subsequent breathing technique. On a higher level in my University squad, one girl has a weak leg kick on Backstroke and this is causing excess roll in the stroke. In front-crawl she is suited to distance events and uses a two-beat kick. This is a disadvantage when she takes on the 100m event on her back. It is here that leg practices and drills to strengthen her kick are useful and do, to a certain extent, improve technique but I am avoiding the use of boards or flippers in this case because not only do I want her to develop her kick, I want the kick to coincide with a feel for an effective body position. It means arms behind head, fingers together for the drill. However, looking wider I must put it into perspective and admit that she does not have loose ankles and the result of all the leg drills it will not yield a high return with this individual. Drills are an asset to swimmers but with all drills which are performed incorrectly they can, if we are not careful, hinder rather than help. For example, lengths of Butterfly kick with a kick-board can put undue pressure on the lower bones in the spine and should be avoided. Drills, when done correctly, can develop muscles and will contribute to strength and flexibility but will they improve technique? Speed is enhanced with strength, fitness and mobility but without sound technique the athlete will struggle. Teaching technique is a slow process, a lot of patience is required by both swimmer and coach. Time has to be devoted to it but there comes a point when the coach must give the swimmer time to learn, develop and discover an individual feel to complement the instructions offered by the coach which should not be too complex. References Atherton M. (2002) Opening Up Hodder & Stoughton. Colwin C. (1992) Swimming into the Twenty-First Century Human Kinetics Publishers, Champaign, Illinois. Harvey-Jones J. (1993) All Together Now William Heinemann. Schone D. (1987) Educating the Reflective Practitioner Jossey Bass. * BLABT = Body Position, Leg Actions, Arm Actions, Breathing & Timing.

PAN PACS TOUR 2002 By Rick Van Der Zant

Thanks to ASCTA I was a lucky recipient to be part of a scholarship program to attend the 2002 Pan Pacific Championships in Yokohama, Japan. In my company I was fortunate to attend this meet with two colleagues in Glen Beringen and Graeme Brown both from South Australia. The adventure all began when I met up with Graeme and Glen at the Tokyo International airport. From there we purchased train tickets for travel to our hotel. After much investigation, questioning looking at maps we found the correct subway to catch the train to a station about 3kms from the pool. From that station we boarded a bus that took us directly to the pool. A round trip took approximately 1½-2 hours and we did this twice a day for the entire meet. We did get lost to begin with but our team leader Glen always managed to get us back in the right direction.

THE MEET Although not being an official part of the Australian Swim Team we were made to feel very welcome by Greg Hodge N.P.D., National Head Coaches Ken Wood and Alan Thompson and of course all the team coaches. As a home coach I am very aware to work in closely with my swimmers’ team coach so lines of communication are always open and a cooperative environment is built which gives my swimmers great confidence in their swimming during the meet. The Australian team had just finished a successful Commonwealth Games campaign and it was obvious from the body language of the team that mental fatigue had set in. With less than two weeks from arriving back in Australia from Manchester, to boarding the plane to Japan, it was going to be survival of the fittest both mentally and physically. What puts this Australian Swim Team ahead of others is their ability to pull together, unite and put their best foot forward at all times.

DAY 1 This is the only day I will write about as it highlights the importance of being a team and lifting to get the meet off to a flying start. On paper we were to win one gold this night. The dynamic duo of Jen Reilly and Roger Bruce masterminded a brilliant plan to take out the Women’s 400m Individual Medley in a new Australian Record of 4:40.80 ahead of the pre-race favourite Maggie Bowen (USA). Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett went head to head to win the Gold and Silver in the 400m


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Freestyle … relegating American Klete Keller to a Bronze. The Australian Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay Team caused the upset of the day when they went pound for pound against the American girls in a new Commonwealth record of 3:39.78. The team made up from Jodie Henry (54.95) Alice Mills (55.15) Petria Thomas 55.35 and Sarah Ryan 54.34 had the Aussie and USA teams on their feet going berserk with cheering. If that wasn’t enough, the Aussie Men were inspired to maintain their ranking as the No.1 team in the world. Again it was stroke for stroke … with tactics playing a role in this showdown. Callus the ever-socool character was never thwarted at the antics of the “bull at a gate” Ervin (USA) who couldn’t contain the awesome power that Callus unleashed on the second 50 metres. Callus a new PB 49.26, Todd Pearson 48.92 and Hackett maintained a marginal lead into the final leg. Again it was a battle to the end. Lezak (USA) had 1½ body lengths on Thorpie turning at the 50-metre mark and the “million dollar question” on everyone’s lips was “can he do it again?” What an awesome feeling it was when the “Black Panther” progressively clawed his way to victory to the cheers and chants of the Australian team. Victory went to Callus, Pearson, Hackett and Thorpe in a time of 3:15.15. The only other Gold on offer was the Women’s 1500m Freestyle that went to Diana Munz from the USA. The night’s tally was four Gold to Australia and one to the USA. What a night! This lifted the Aussie Team to great heights. Swimmers, coaches and staff were on a high. But words from N.P.D. Greg Hodge, “beware, the wounded eagle”.

FINALLY… I would like to thank all the Team Coaches for their support while on deck in Yokohama. It gives me total confidence in what I am doing with my swimmers when you have such great coaches around you on deck. Apart from the great experience of being able to work with my swimmers at this level, I developed a great rapport with two colleagues with whom I talked swimming with for 20 out of every 24 hours. (Maybe a little less with Graeme as Glen and I had trouble sleeping most nights.) The level of professionalism that Glen and Graeme hold is a credit to our association for giving us the opportunity to develop our skills working with elite athletes at the highest level.

LET THE KIDS PLAY

By Gene Schembri Manager, Sport Education, Australian Sports

Commission

Reproduced from the Australian Sports Commission Newsletter “Coaching Australia”

Vol.6 No.2 2003 Here’s the challenge. If you are coaching children, take the following checklist to your next training session. The checklist is a kind of FUNOMETER and it will help you determine whether kids’ interests and values are being met. • Lots of activity. Strategies to avoid ‘line-

ups’ – circuits, small games, partner work. • Fun things. Look for a break from the

routine. Seek ideas from the kids themselves. Use imagery whether appropriate. Appeal to things kids see on television and talk about at school.

• Engage the kids. Ask questions, let them solve problems – remember beginners need some structure.

• Meet, greet and communicate. Do this with each individual as if there was a squad of one. For each child … ask a question, a comment, an affirmation, a joke, a piece of communication that reaches out – there is no formula, just make it warm and personal.

• Friendships. Even in a busy session with lots of activity, there is always time for kids to socialise – for some this may be the most valuable part of their sporting experience. Effective Coaches support the non-disruptive interactions among kids that make sport such a valuable activity for kids growing up.

If the session scores high on the funometer scale, then the Coach is a worthy recipient of the 4Fs award. That is, the Coach is one who ensures sessions are fun, enhance fitness, develop the sport’s fundamentals, and provide opportunities for friendships to grow.


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The following articles have been reproduced from the Queensland Swimming Association Clinic for

Teachers in the Learn-to-Swim phase.

THE LEARNING SEQUENCE

LEVEL 2 – LESSON 1 1. Sit on the side Explain to children that during lessons

instructions will be given but children will not begin activity until given the order GO.

2. Sit on the front edge (of tiles) … hands (on the tiles) at the back

Kicking as for Level 1 Lesson 2. 3. Hop in … jump under … get wet 4. Hold the bar … Put your ears under your

arms … Let the legs float up at the back … No kicking

Check for horizontal/streamlined body position.

5. One foot on the wall … arms out in front … push off with that foot (on wall) … put your eyes under your arms and float out on your tummy … no kicking

Children do this one at a time – adjust head/body position where necessary.

6. Float back to the wall … one hand on top of the other

7. Float out on tummy … fingers flat … one hand on top of the other … ears are just under the arms but arms and hands rest on top of the water … keep eyes open under the water … stand up when you get on top of the third black line

8. Sit on the side … kick Repeat kicking as done at the beginning of

the lesson. 9. Float on your tummy … kick Children kick out one at a time and then

work as a group across the pool – if any children have major defects with the kick the remainder of the group should work from the clock (0 and 30) while the Teacher works with the child who is having difficulty.

10. Float on tummy … one arm up … one arm down … arm near the shed UP … arm straight … fingers flat … hand rests on top of the water … other arm by your side … touches the leg right down past the togs

Children always have the arm near the shed, UP – this way the left arm will be up as they go across the pool one way and the right arm will be up as they return – children would work from the clock with

the Teacher assisting and correcting individual children where necessary.

LEVEL 2 – LESSON 2

1. Hop in … jump under … get wet 2. One foot on the wall … arms out in front

… put your ears under your arms and float out on your tummy slowly … no kicking … together go

3. Turn around … one hand on top of the other … ears under your arms … legs float up at the back … kick back to the wall

4. Together kicking across the pool … one hand on top

5. Float and kick … one arm up – one arm down … arm near the shed UP

Work right across the pool. 6. Stand on the black line … this time we are

going to kick out on our tummy and change arms – watch … start with one arm up, one arm down, fingers flat … one arm changes under our tummy, the other arm changes over the top … when this arm changes over the top the elbow comes out of the water first … bend the elbow up high … the fingers are loose as they come through close to the side and just above the water … fingers go in the water first, right out in front of the shoulder … press down and back (keep the elbow up high) with fingers pulling under your nose – under your tummy and pushing right back past your togs

Repeat above description and demonstration.

7. One arm out here with me … fingers flat … keep your elbow still … let your hand fall to your belly button

Hold child’s elbow in high, steady position and move hand into described position. Repeat a number of times.

8. This time, the hand falls to your belly button then pushes the water right back past the togs … keep your fingers flat and push the water right back towards the wall

Repeat a number of times. 9. Repeat Step 8 with the other hand 10. This time, hand falls to belly button …

pushes the water back past the togs … elbow (bends) up high and fingers go in the water right out in front

Repeat a number of times with one arm only.

11. Repeat Step 10 with the other arm 12. Repeat Step 10 with both arms … one arm

changes under your tummy … other arm elbow up high, changing over the top


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Hold child’s forearms and move arms in correct movement where necessary.

13. One foot on the wall … one arm up – one arm down … we are going to float on our tummy and kick and change arms … head stays still … no breathing … when you run out of air – stand up … take a big breath and then change out again … this first time I want to see the elbow up high and fingers above the water as the hand changes over the top

Children change out one at a time. Repeat on the way back.

STRESS… elbow up high. 14. This time, elbow up high and fingers go in

the water first right out in front of the shoulder

Repeat back. STRESS… fingers in water first right out in

front. 15. This time, elbow up high … fingers in

water first right out in front of shoulder … keep your eyes open and watch your hand come under your nose, under your tummy and then past the togs

Repeat back. STRESS… hand comes under nose, under

tummy. 16. This time, elbow up high, fingers in water

in front of shoulder … pull under your nose and under your tummy and then push right back past your togs … brush your leg with your thumb as you push this water back towards the toes

Repeat back. STRESS… brush leg with thumb as water

is pushed towards toes. Children now work from clock (0 to 30). Teacher points out errors to children individually.

LEVEL 2 – LESSON 3 1, As for Lesson 2 Note: Streamlined body position – head

position – correct kick – elbow up high – fingers in water first in front of shoulder – hand pulls under the nose and under the tummy – brush leg with thumb as the water is pushed right back towards the toes.

NO BREATHING YET. 2. Hop up on the side … toes over the edge –

one knee down … one hand on the top … dive out over the second black line and change arms across … keep your ears under your arms

Children dive in one at a time, swim across and hop out.

LEVEL 2 – LESSON 4 1. As for Lesson 3 2. Breathing … swim up and hold the bar at

the shallow end … when we are swimming and we need to breath, we turn our head to the side, so if I was swimming across the pool this way (indicate) and I needed to breath, I would turn my head on the side and I would be looking straight at………..

When I turn my head on the side, I turn it just high enough to get my mouth out of the water … the corner of my mouth – the corner of one eye – and all one ear rests on top of the water … chin tucks up close to my shoulder – corner of mouth – corner of eye and all one ear lie on top of the water

Demonstrate position on one child in the water.

Stand up tall … hold the bar in front of your shoulders … keep your feet flat on the bottom of the pool … he turns his head on the side – corner of mouth, corner of eye and all one ear on top of the water … that’s how he turns his head when he needs to breath … stand up

3. Hold the bar in front of your shoulders … stand up tall … keep feet on the bottom … don’t move your feet … lie your head on the side … corner of mouth … corner of eye … and all one ear lie on top of the water

Adjust head position where necessary. 4. Stand … we call that “breathing position”

… what do we call it? … show me breathing position again

Adjust where necessary. 5. Watch here … when you turn your head

to breathing position, mouth opens wide … take one big breath … then put lips close together … turn head to the bottom of the pool blowing bubbles … blow all the air out under the water … when you need another breath, turn the head on the side to breathing position … mouth open wide … one big breath, lips close together … turn head back to the bottom of the pool

6. Standing tall … show me breathing position (all turn towards the road) … one big breath, lips close together … turn to bottom of pool … blow all out under the water … turn to the side … big breath … straight back under

Move along line turning children’s heads in correct manner.


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7. This time, when you turn your head on the side, turn just high enough to get your mouth out of the water

8. This time, just high enough to get mouth out of the water … head stays still while you blow bubbles

9. When you turn to the bottom of the pool, ears go just under the water … head stays still while you blow bubbles

10. As above … plus keep your eyes open under the water

11. Show me breathing position on the other side … big breath … lips together … head under blowing bubbles … GO!

Move along line and adjust head movement where necessary.

12. Who thinks it is easier turning their head this way? Who thinks it is easier this way? Show me breathing position … this time, whichever is the easy way for you

Repeat a number of times, stressing… (a) Mouth just out of the water (b) Ears just under when blowing

bubbles (c) Head stays still (while blowing

bubbles) 13. Take a board and hop over the side 14. Hold the board on the side … thumbs on

top … fingers underneath Demonstrate. Hold board in front … arms straight but

loose … one foot on the wall … we are going to push off on our tummy and kick across the pool, turning our head on the side when we need to breathe … ears under your arms … head stays still until you need to breathe

Children do this one at a time. Repeat on way back – stress any obvious defect. Children now work from the clock (0-30). Teacher corrects individually.

15. Put your board up … this time, I want you to change arms across and when you need to breathe, see if you can turn the head on the side and take a big breath

Children “swim” across and hop out.

LEVEL 2 – LESSON 5 1. Float and kick … one hand on top 2. Float and kick … one arm up … one arm

down 3. Kick and change arms … no breathing 4. Breathing at the bar (Lesson 4 – Steps 5-12). 5. Kick with board and breathe 6. Put your board up … this time, we are

going to change arms across and turn our head on the side when we need to breathe

… watch … one arm changes under your tummy … other arm changes over the top … elbow bends up high … fingers go in the water first right out in front of your shoulder … hands pulls under nose … under tummy and pushes right back past the togs … brush your leg with your thumb as you push the water right back towards your toes … when you need to, you are going to turn your head on the side to breathe

If I am going to turn my head this way (indicate), I will turn my head as this hands pulls under my nose and under my tummy

Turn head on the side … just high enough to get mouth out of the water … take one big breath and turn head straight back under ears just under the water … head goes straight back under before the hand comes past the shoulder on the way over the top

Children swim out one at a time, turning head on the side when they need to breathe. Repeat back.

STRESS… when you turn your head on the side, mouth opens wide and take a big breath.

7. Work back and forward across the pool STRESS… (a) Blow bubbles under the water (b) Elbows up high (c) Fingers in water in front of shoulder (d) Hand pulls under nose, under tummy (e) Push right back past your togs –

brush leg with thumb as you push water towards toes

(f) Head turns just high enough to get mouth out of water

(g) Head turns back under before hand passes shoulder on way over top.

Children work from clock (0 and 30). Teacher assists and corrects individually.

Dive and swim across pool

LEVEL 2 – LESSON 6 1. Float and kick … one hand on top 2. Float and kick … one arm up … one arm

down 3. Kick and change arms 4. Breathing at bar 5. Kick and breathe holding board 6. Change arms, turning on the side when

you need to breathe Work from clock (0 to 30).

7. Those who can swim across pool with breathing may attempt length, if willing … these children walk down the ladder


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at deep end to start … others dive in … “swim around” … hop out.


1. Float and kick … one hand on top 2. Float and kick … one arm up … one arm

down 3. Kick and change arms … no breathing 4. Breathing, standing at the bar 5. Change arms with breathing 6. Swim across the pool … working from

clock (0-30) 7. Willing children kneel dive from block and

swim length … other children kneel dive from side and swim across


1. Float and kick 2. Change arms 3. Breathing 4. Swim across pool, working from clock (0-

30) 5. Introduction for Backstroke: Hold the bar with both hands in front of

shoulders … place toes under bar … lie back … ears just under the water … chest and tummy up high – i.e. streamlined position – chin up

6. Slip toes out … float on back … no kicking Some children will have trouble with their

legs sinking. 7. Float on back and kick across … fast little

kicks … bubbles come up at the toes but no feet or knees out of water

Repeat a number of times. STRESS… (a) Bubbles at toes (b) Ears just under (c) Chest and tummy up high 8. Crouch dive – i.e. toes of both feet over

edge – swim length or across pool

LEVEL 2 – LESSON 9 1. As for Lesson 8 – Steps 1-7 2. Elementary Backstroke: This time, we are going to float on our

back and kick and change arms … the arms stay straight … straight elbow … straight wrist … straight fingers

The hand comes out of the water from right down past the togs … the arm comes over the top straight, as high as it can … as the arm comes up, turn the head so that the palm of the hand is facing 0 … brush the ear with the top part of the arm … little finger goes in the water first, right

back behind the shoulder … keep the fingers flat … arm straight and pull around to the top

Repeat. 3. Float on back … kicking … and change

arms when I tell you to Children Backstroke across pool, one by

one. STRESS… (a) Bubbles come up at toes (b) Chest and tummy high up (chin up) (c) Ears just under the water (d) Arms stay straight (e) Turn hand out as arm comes over top (f) Little finger in water first behind

shoulder (g) Pull right around to togs 4. Drive and swim length or width of pool

LEVEL 2 – LESSON 10 1. As for Lesson 9 … Progress through

Freestyle activities fairly rapidly so that the bulk (at least half) of the lesson can be spent on the Elementary Backstroke

Note: When children are swimming Backstroke, I prefer to work them together as a group with me rather than set them to work from the clock. This way, they will all be going across the pool the same way, at the same time, thus eliminating collisions.

TEACHING BACKSTROKE

The following program describes the phases and basic drills used to develop Backstroke in our Learn-to-Swim program at Sunnybank Swimming Club and in the school swimming program. I hope this will be of assistance to other swimming teachers.

BODY POSITION Swimmers need to use their natural buoyancy. Rather than tell them to push your tummy up … which tends to make the feet drop down and the neck to stiffen … the swimmers are shown to keep ears, knees and toes just under the water and the chin just out of the water. Children’s attention is drawn to feeling the water with hands and toes. Wherever possible, any movement suitable for practice on dry land is done there first, before trying in the


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water. This is particularly useful in the early season when water is still cool and when dealing with large groups.

BACK KICKING Drill 1… • If possible, sit the class on side of the pool

with feet and lower legs in the water. • Have the swimmers watch their kick,

checking that their toes make BUBBLES not splashes.

• Teachers will be able to see that ankles and feet are loose and floppy (not pointed) – that knees bend slightly – and that the whole leg is involved in the action (not just from the knee down).

• Some need to be shown to make their feet brush each other to correct too wide an action.

• School age children can learn to feel the water press on the bottom and the top of the toes.

Drill 2… • On dry land, have children hold their boards

at about the middle of the long side of the kickboard and press the board onto the upper abdomen.

• In the water, keeping the body position described above, the kick is practiced as in Drill 1.

• Remind swimmers to pull their tummies up to their board if the hips tend to drop.

• Remember to show any nervous swimmers how to stand from the back float position by letting the board go with one hand and sitting down or walking backwards in the water to regain their footing.

Drill 3… • Body position and kicking as for Drills 1 and

2, using hands to scull at hip level to main buoyancy.

• This is useful for the stronger swimmers in a school class.

• As a guide to when to introduce this skill, board kicking for about 10-20 metres without struggling or thrashing of legs, is a safe measure.

• It is good for a learner’s confidence to be shown how to stretch one arm behind the head to touch the wall.

• Many worry about hitting their heads. • Back-kicking can be introduced in Learn-to-

Swim once floating has been achieved, to

develop strength and coordination, as well as to provide variety and water safety skills.

• At first, one-to-one practice will be necessary – gradually being decreased as skill and confidence increases.

BACKSTROKE PULL

Drill 1… • When working with under-six-year-olds this

simplified exercise is practiced on dry land and in the water for a few lessons to help develop the basic shape of a stroke, before complicating the movement with fine motor movements.

• Swimmers lie on their backs on the deck, hands beside hips ... “Lift up to your ear and down to your leg”, keeping the elbow straight … one arm is lifted vertically and back … upper arm touching the ear, then the hand is slid along the deck back to the hip, maintaining the straight elbow ... alternate arms.

Drill 2… • When possible, introduce this movement on

a one-to-one basis in the water guiding the learner’s hand and arm through the movement.

• Correct bent elbows and thrashing backwards of the arms ... check kicking.

• Remember younger children need frequent rests to regain coordination.

• A little done well is far better than struggling long distances or lengthier times.

Drill 3… • Older or stronger children can go straight to

the more complicated arm movement. • “Little finger up first, little finger down first,

slide it to your leg”. • Laying on the deck … learners rotate the

palm outwards so that the little finger leads, helping to maintain a straight (not stiff) elbow throughout the whole cycle.

• The straight arm is lifted up and back until the little finger touches the ground and the upper arm touches the ear.

• The straight arm is circled back down to the hip, the little finger brushing the deck all the way.

• Practice with alternate arms. • Check that elbows and wrists are straight

throughout.


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Drill 4… • In the water (introduce over short distances

at first), “Kick 6 – little finger out first, little finger in first, pull to your leg”.

• Interposing six kicks between each single arm cycle simplifies the practice until strength and coordination develop.

• Check that arm is straight but not stiff during recovery.

• Check that little finger leaves and enters the water first.

• Check that little finger is placed gently in the water not thrashed.

• Check that hand, wrist and elbow stay straight in the pull from ear to leg.

• Draw learners’ attention to feeling the palm push on the water.

• When straight arm recovery, little finger entry without thrashing, toes under kicking and an underwater pull can be managed without leading with the elbows, the swimmer is ready to learn the complete stroke through Drill 5.

Drill 5… • “Pull to your leg, lift up to your ear”

introduces the alternating arm movement in a simplified form on the deck and in the water.

• Swimmers lie on the deck placing one hand by the hip … the other is extended back (little finger on ground, upper arm brushing ear) ready to simulate the pull.

• The pulling arm begins to slide to the leg as in previous steps slightly before the recovering arm begins its vertical movement.

• Have the swimmers pause to check hand positions and repeat on opposite side.

• Initiating the pull phase first helps learners maintain a straight arm recovery and correct entry of the hand.

Drill 6… • In the water, swimmers push off on the

surface in a streamlined shape … i.e. one hand on the other and arms extended behind the ears.

• One arm is pulled down to the leg as kicking begins.

• As in Drill 4, each cycle is separated by six kicks ... “Kick 6, pull to your leg lift up to your ear”.

• This drill is fairly difficult, as use of all limbs simultaneously is needed.

• Once again, practice over short distances,

frequent demonstrations by skilled swimmers and continued practice of two part drills (Drill 4) and kicking will be of great help in developing strength and confidence, before moving on to Drill 7.

Drill 7… • When Drill 6 can be performed without

difficulty, swimmers can be shown to move arms continuously (like bike pedals) so that the hand no longer stops behind the head or at the hip “kicking pull and lift”.

• At this stage it is a good idea to show swimmers how to count their strokes from the flags (five metres out) to the wall to encourage them to finish in with confidence and also in preparation for club or school swimming.

• If flags are not available, markers of any sort can be placed at the 5-metre mark (e.g. board baskets).

Drill 8… • In school classes, stronger or more skilled

swimmers practice variations of the one arm drill (Drill 4) with a small pull buoy between the thighs.

• They can stroke in multiples … e.g. 2 right arm pulls, 2 left arm pulls.

• These drills help develop good feel for the water and the straight arm pull gradually develops into the down-up-down sweep seen in advanced Backstroke, as long as swimmers are reminded about feeling pressure on the palms.

• The feet will still make kicking movements but will only balance rather than propel the body.

Drill 9… • Multiples of one-arm strokes can be

combined with kicking once the down-up-down sweep can be performed without difficulty.

• Drills 8 and 9 are advanced drills used more in squads than Learn-to-Swim, but if teaching school classes where swimmers’ abilities range from non-swimmer to competitive swimmers, these can be used to challenge and develop the advanced swimmer.


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MILO time!

Swim Australia’s major sponsor, MILO, funded its first Clinic designed to highlight the value of maintaining School Swimming Programs. The MILO Schools Super Swim Clinic was conducted on 12th February at Bayside Swimming – a MILO Swim Australia Registered Swim School.

Olympian – Leisel Jones – a MILO Swim Australia Ambassador, was the feature. With the manner of a veteran, child-loving teacher, Leisel donned her MILO rashie and moved from student to student, giving tips and providing encouragement.

LJ’s TIPS

School Year 3S Thumbs up!

Courtesy of MILO, the Year 3 and 4 students from Mary Mackillop Parish School went home with a bag of goodies, including a MILO Swim Australia cap and certificate. Each child also received a Leisel Jones Born to Swim poster – personalised and autographed by Leisel.

The media were also informed that many swim schools registered with MILO Swim Australia are well-equipped to deliver the swimming curriculum for schools. Swim Australia’s CEO, Ross Gage, said … “It was a wonderful event and thanks to MILO and Leisel many children went away with positive memories of swimming lessons.” The next Clinics will be on the Gold Coast and in Sydney and Melbourne.


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GGUUIIDDEE TTOO AA CCOOAACCHH’’SS CCOONNTTRRAACCTT PPaarrtt 33

COACH’S CONTRACT – SAMPLE 1

The following document is intended to define the relationship between the ____________________ Swim Club, and Coach _______________________, and the responsibilities and obligations of each party. This document is the sole agreement between the parties. LIMITS OF THE AGREEMENT This agreement commences on the 1st day of ____________________, and shall be renegotiated from _________________ to __________________ of each year. If by _________________ of each year it is signed by both parties, it shall continue in effect for a period of two years from that date. If it is signed up to and including _______________, the same two year duration shall be in effect. If it is not signed by _________________, both parties shall consider the remaining one year of the contract a binding agreement, and shall be free to negotiate with each other, or with other coaches and clubs at their discretion. The intent of this agreement is to provide security for both club and coach. The position being described is the Head Coach position of the _____________________ Swim Club. The Head Coach shall report to the President of the Board of Directors, and shall be responsible to the Board of Directors. All assistant coaches shall be employed at the pleasure of the Head Coach. The Board, or a designated committee thereof, shall have the opportunity to review and comment on proposed assistants to the Head Coach prior to their employment. The Head Coach is the chief operating officer of the club, and has complete responsibility for other employees of the club. Evaluation of the Head Coach shall be conducted every six months in a manner mutually agreed upon by the Coach and the Board of Directors. The Coach may be terminated from the position only for reason of financial dishonesty or moral cause. It shall take a 75% agreement of the Board of Directors to seek dismissal on the above reasons. Should the coach seek to leave his/her position prior to the end of the contract period, he/she may do so only under conditions of separation agreed to by the Board of Directors. This is intended to provide continuity and stability for the club. The expectations of the club are that the Head Coach will work solely for the best interests of the club, and any additional employment will be at the discretion of the club. The expectation of the coach is for full and complete support of the club to carry out the planned program of the coach, during the tenure of this agreement. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COACH The Coach shall… • Plan, organise and administer a complete program for all levels of swimming within the club. • Directly coach at least one workout group of the team. • Plan and direct staff meetings a minimum of once a month, with an emphasis on education and

development of staff coaches. • Provide a written and oral monthly report on the status of the club to the Board of Directors. • Be responsible for planning a budget annually that meets the needs of the club. This shall be

presented to the Board of Directors, who shall discuss and approve the budget in a final form. • Be responsible to assist in all reasonable ways in fund-raising efforts of the Board of Directors.

This shall be consistent with the principle of the coach having primary duties with the program aspects of the club.

• Plan and implement a parental education program for the benefit of new and existing club members.

• Be responsible for any other duties assigned within the framework of club objectives and goals. The coach and club must mutually agree upon these objectives and goals.

COMPENSATION FOR THE HEAD COACH POSITION The annual salary of the position shall be $____________. This shall be paid in 12 monthly instalments of $_____________. The coach is an employee of the club. The club will provide… • Major medical and health insurance for the coach and his/her family, with a deductible of

$_______________.


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• Life insurance in the amount of $______________. • Four weeks of annual vacation, to be timed with the mutual agreement of club and coach. • Up to $1,000 per year for the coach to utilise as they choose for educational materials,

professional dues, clinics, and other professionally related events. • The following incentive clauses for the coach:

________________________________________________________________________________________________ (The coach shall have the opportunity to come to the Board with additional possibilities for incentive programs. The Board recognises the coach as a special asset of the program and seeks to allow the coach to expand their compensation to as high a level as possible, within the financial structure of the club.)

• All expenses of a reasonable nature when the coach travels to swim meets or meetings on behalf of the team.

• One trip per year to Senior or Junior Nationals, regardless of whether the club has an athlete involved. When the club has one or more athletes involved, the club will assume all expenses for the coach on all national trips.

EXPECTATIONS OF THE CLUB The club expects the coach to… • Provide his/her best efforts on behalf of the club, to accomplish the goals and objectives of the

club. • Always represent the club in the highest moral and ethical manner, in both professional and

personal areas. • Provide professional expertise of the highest level to all members of the club, both parent and

athlete. • Provide all relevant financial documents to support expenditures made in representing the coach. Note: Many other things can be included on this page, limited only by the needs of the club and coach.) Signed for the Club: Date: Signed by the Coach: Date:

COACH’S CONTRACT – SAMPLE 2 INTRODUCTION TO CONTRACTS A binding contract between two parties in an employment situation is the first step toward professionalism. It is for that reason we have created the following Sample Contract especially designed for Swimming Coaches. A few reasons for an employment contract are as follows… 1. The protection of both parties – agreements to be fulfilled in terms of duties performed for an

agreed remuneration. 2. As a stabilising factor for Banks in reference to Real Estate Loans, automobile loans, notes, etc. 3. To lend a sense of “permanence” to the coaching position. 4. To establish the coach not only as a professional, but as an integral part of the community life –

i.e. making it easier to recruit, raise money, etc. As contracts become more in use, younger coaches will experience less resistance when asking for a contract and when negotiating for salaries and other benefits. This is essentially an open-ended contract, which has been specifically designed so that additional clauses can be added or deleted, as may be needed. It is easy to rearrange to reflect either the Independent Contractor status or the traditional Employer-Employee situation. Recommendation: This contract be used only as a basis upon to which to begin your employment program, or for negotiation to suit your own particular circumstance. We urge you to consult the advice of a local attorney. The fee should be reasonable (ask ahead), especially with a proven contract already in your possession.

The money spent will be well worth it!


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COACH’S CONTRACT – SAMPLE 3 Clubs & Coaches Contract of Employment or for Services

By Ted Tullberg, Level 3 ACC Swim Coach Having received many telephone calls from Coaches and Clubs regarding separate employment responsibilities, as to Taxation, Superannuation and Workcare, it appears that some Coaches and Clubs seem to confuse a Contract of Service with a Contract of Employment and are ignorant of their respective responsibilities. In an attempt to clear up this confusion and to ensure both parties are clear of their employment and legal responsibilities, I have prepared the following paper. The Contract of Employment The Contract of Employment can be oral or in writing. Its terms may be expressed or implied from the actions of the parties or may be drawn from the common law, State or federal legislation, industrial awards, enterprise bargains and relevant industrial or managerial or workplace customs and practice. The contract of employment is an individual arrangement. The Contract for Services These are made with independent contractors and exist because of the following reasons… (a) The avoidance of both the hirer and the contractor of the provisions of industrial awards and

tribunals; (b) Flexibility in terms of engagement; (c) The special skills of the contractor; (d) The potential for cost savings through greater competition between contractors; (e) The effects of regular recessions in the Australian economy. Common Law courts usually use the following indicator to decide whether the relationship is one of employer and employee or one of principal and independent contractor. (a) The ownership of tools and equipment. The provisions and maintenance of a vehicle and other

tools and equipment by the worker is often an indication of an independent contractor. (b) The mode of remuneration. If remuneration is based on time, the worker will generally be seen

as indicating an employer/employee relationship whilst payment in the form of a lump sum on the basis of work undertaken may well be evidence of an independent contractor.

(c) Determination of the hours worked and provision of holidays. Fixed working hours are often an indication of an employment contract.

(d) Delegation of work responsibilities. The right to delegate work responsibilities is often a significant feature of an independent contractor.

(e) Control of the obligation to work and power of dismissal. Power of an employer to restrict the worker to one income is generally an indication of an employer/employee relationship. Similarly, “an employer can have no more practical control over an employee than the right to effect the employee’s dismissal.”

(f) Deduction of income tax by the employer on behalf of the worker would tend to suggest the existence of an employer/employee relationship.

Other relevant factors include… (a) Whether worker’s compensation premiums were paid by the employer in respect of the worker. (b) Whether the worker contracted with the employer under a business name or his own account. (c) The ratio of expenditure income – i.e. if the worker has a high ratio of expenditure to income, it is

indicative of an independent contractor situation. (d) The length of contract. A long term contract, particularly where the worker performs work for no

other party is often an indication of an employer/employee relationship. The main area of legislation which the coach and club should be concerned with are… The Taxation Act The Superannuation Guarantee Scheme and Workcover (in Victoria). The first two of these apply to all states and territories, while the third may vary in name and guidelines in each state. The Taxation Act The Taxation Act provides further definition of an employee and what constitutes salary or wages. The Tax Act 221A(1) describes an “Employee” as; “A person who receives, or is entitled to receive salary or wages.” “Employer” as; meaning “a person who pays or is liable to pay salary or wages, and includes… (a) In the case of an unincorporated body of persons other than a partnership the manager or other

principal officer of that body; and


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(b) In the case of partnership each partner; and (c) A government body… And “Salary or Wages” as meaning “salary, wages, commission, bonuses or allowances paid (whether at piece-work rates or otherwise) to an eligible person as such, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes any payments that are assessable retirement amounts for the purpose of this definition, eligible termination payments and any payments made… (a) under a contract that is wholly or principally for the labour of the person to whom the payments

are made, where… i. the person making the payments under the contract is not a natural person; or ii. the payments under the contract are not wholly or principally of a private or domestic

nature. Further interpretation of “Salary and wages” is found in 221A(2) 221A(2) [Interpretation of terms used in definition of “salary or wages”] For the purposes of the definition of “salary or wages” in subsection (1)… (b) a payment made to a person under contract that is wholly or principally for the labour of any

person shall be taken to be a payment made under contract that is wholly or principally for labour of the person to whom the payment is made if:

Note: The normal interpretation of the Taxation Office is that if a contract is more than 50% labour, it is a contract for employment. (c) A reference to a contract that is wholly or principally for the labour of a person shall be read as

including a reference to a contract that is wholly or principally: i. For the performance or presentation by a person of, or the participation by a person in, any

music, play, dance, entertainment, address, sport, display, promotional activity, exhibition, or any activity (being a similar activity that involves the exercise by the person of intellectual, artistic, musical, physical or other personal skills) or for the performance of any services in connection with any such activity; or

(d) A payment made by a natural person shall, without limiting the generality of the definition, be taken not to be of a private or domestic nature if it is made by the person in his capacity as trustee of a trust estate or as a member of a religious, charitable, social, cultural, recreational or other organisation or body; and

(e) No part of an eligible termination payment shall be taken to be exempt income. Pay-As-You-Earn Taxation Employees are required to pay tax on their salary or wage income progressively as they earn it. It is paid through tax instalment deductions made by employers under the pay-as-you-earn (PAYEE) system. Every employer is generally required to withhold tax instalment deductions at prescribed rates from each payment of salary or wages made to an employee. An employee is a person who is entitles to receive salary or wages. The term “salary or wages” covers… (a) Payments of salary or wages to an employee as such; (b) Payments made wholly or principally for the labour of the payee. Payments to Employees as such For a payment to be made to an employee as such – as distinct from an independent contractor – there must be a master-servant relationship between the payer and payee. The relationship of master and servant exists where one person contracts to perform work for another and is substantially subject to the control and direction of that person in the manner in which the work is done. On the other hand, an independent contractor undertakes to perform certain work but is not, in the execution of the work, subject to the order and control of the person for whom the contractor performs the work. Payments Made for Labour of Payee A payment will fall within this description where the recipient actually performs the whole or principal part of the labour. A contract is generally regarded as being principally for labour where the labour content exceeds 50% of the value of the contract. The concept of “labour” specifically extends to sport and to the performance of any services in connection with such activity. Employment Declarations Employees who wish to claim the general exemption from tax on the first slice of taxable income or who wish to have any entitlements to dependent or other rebates reflected in tax instalments deducted from their earnings must lodge an Employment Declaration with their employer. An Employment Declaration makes provision for an employee to quote his or her Tax File Number (TFN). Where an employee fails to


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quote the TFN, the employer is required by law to deduct tax instalments at the top personal marginal rate of tax plus Medicare levy. Obligations on Employers Every employer of one or more employees must register as a group employer. Registration as a group employer applies to corporate and non-corporate employers alike. On registration the employer will receive a group number and must quote this on all correspondence, etc., with the ATO relating to group matters. An employer must generally remit to the Commissioner, by the seventh day of each month, the equivalent of the total tax instalment deductions withheld from the salary or wages of employees during the preceding calendar month. Employer Offences and Penalties An employer who refuses or fails to comply with the PAYEE provisions commits an offence and may be prosecuted. The principal penalties are… • Failure to make deductions from salary and wages – $1,000 (and court may order undeducted

amount to be paid to Commissioner); • Failure to register as a group employer - $100 per day; • Failure to remit tax instalments to Commissioner - $5,000 ($25,000 for companies) and

imprisonment for 12 months, or both. Superannuation Guarantee Scheme The Superannuation Guarantee (SG) scheme requires all employers to provide a prescribed minimum level of superannuation support for each of their employees. Employers who fail to provide the prescribed minimum level of support are liable to an SG charge, which is not tax deductible, equivalent to the amount of the shortfall plus an interest component and an administrative charge. Employer contributions may be made to any complying superannuation fund. Employer SG contributions for the benefit of employees are generally tax deductible. For 1997/98, the required minimum rate of superannuation contributions is 6% for all employers regardless of their annual national payroll. From July 1st, 1998, employees receiving gross payment between $450 and $900 in a calendar month, will be able to choose to include the 6% in their wages or have it paid into a superannuation fund. Once again, the paperwork and procedures are simple. Application of Scheme to Employers Meaning of Employer and Employee The SG scheme applies to all employers in respect of their full-time, part-time and casual employees, with only limited exceptions. The terms “employer” and “employee” have their ordinary common law meanings. Employers and Employees – statutory meaning In general terms, an employee is a person who receives payment in the form of salary or wages in return for work or services rendered, or payment for work under a contract that is wholly or principally for the person’s labour, and the person liable to make the payment is the employer. Under its extended meaning in SGAA, a person is an “employee” or “employer” in the following circumstances… • A person who works under contract that is wholly or principally for the labour of the person is an

employee of the other party to the contract • A person who receives payment to perform or present sport or who receives payment to provide

services in connection with these activities, is an employee of the person liable to make the payment.

Workcover The Act in Victoria follows very closely that of the Tax Act and the Victorian Workcover Authority has produced a booklet which clearly indicates the difference between an independent contractor and employee. This involves a simple test can help determine whether you may have to include payments in your remuneration for Workcover premium calculations; Generally if the contract is with a “natural person” and not an incorporated company, sole proprietor or partner, then liability for Workcover is with the employer. There are some cases under this net where the employer is responsible for Workcover where the contract is not with a “natural person”. If you hire contractors and the contractor operates as an incorporated company, you must assure yourself that they have current Workcover insurance policy. If the contractor is a sole proprietor or partner you should ask the following questions. A copy of the Victorian Workcover Authority Booklet should be acquired and used to determine each specific case. Most clubs and coaches should find Workcover simple, as it is only payable by an employer if the employer’s total wages bill excess $7,500 in a year. Where a claim is made on the employer and the employer fits the aforementioned situation, the employer registers with Workcover and pays the first $75 of the claim.


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In all other cases of employment, Workcover registration by the employer is simple and so is payment, which is minimal. In 1995/96, the average premium for Victorian employers was 1.98% of payroll. If you hire contractors or you work under contract, you need to know who is responsible for Workcover. If you don’t you could be in for a nasty financial shock if someone is injured on the job. However, if you hire contractors: If the contractor is a sole proprietor or a partner … Does the contractor run a business that renders services to a range of clients? Does the contractor employ one or more people to service the contract? If you answered “no” to both questions, the contractor is likely to be deemed worker. In this case, you will be liable to pay premium on the payments of the contractor. If the contractor operates as an incorporated company … Does he/she have a current Workcover insurance policy?

SUMMARY I trust this short paper will assist Clubs and Coaches to make logical decisions on these employment questions and most importantly, ensure they meet their legal obligations. This paper is an outline of obligations and responsibilities of clubs when employing coaches and/or teachers and should not be used as an authoritative document on employer obligations to coaches. It is in the best interest of each club to either obtain professional guidance or seek direction from the Australian Taxation Office, the Victorian Workcover Authority and the Insurance and Superannuation Commission, as to their respective obligations in respect of employment of coaches. I would like to thank the various legal and accounting friends who have given their time and advice, which together with publications from the Australian Taxation Office, the Victorian Workcover Authority and various other papers on this subject, have enabled me to put this paper together.

SWIMMING COACH EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT This agreement made and entered into this _________ day of _______________, 19___, by and between (City of_______) or (School District #__) or (Name of Parent Organisation), whose address is ________________________________________, hereinafter referred to as A, and (Coach’s Name), whose address is ____________________________, hereinafter referred to as B.

EMPLOYMENT A hereby agrees to employ B and B hereby agrees to work for A in the capacity of full time Head Coach of the (swim team) in (city), which shall include responsibilities of coaching the (swim team), and the running of all its swim programs, use and operations of the facilities of (swim team), and handling of community relationships. In order for B to accomplish his/her responsibilities stated herein, he/she shall recommend a staff as may be required for employment by A. In no event shall the swimmer/coach ratio exceed __________, without the immediate hiring of additional personnel. The salary, term of employment, and identity of that staff shall be subject to the approval of A. B shall have complete authority to dismiss any swimmer on a temporary basis but as to permanent dismissals, there shall be Board approval. B shall perform no services for other parties than A, except speaking engagements, without approval of A.

SALARY A agrees to pay B for services hereunder from (date of employment), the sum of _________________ per month ($ per annum). Payment shall be made monthly with the first payment to be made ___________________. All salary payments shall be subject to customary payroll deductions as required by law. It is our mutual understanding that B shall receive his/her full salary up to thirty (30) days in the event of disabling illness or accident. If said illness or accident exceeds sixty (60) days during the term of this contract, A may, at its election, terminate this contract. Alternatives: Base salary (above) plus: $__________ per month per team member shall be paid to B when total membership exceeds (a mutually agreed upon number), to a maximum of (another agreed upon number), and membership totals shall be determined by the previous month’s roster. Above contract salary will be adjusted every six months as follows: (dates), to reflect the cost of living as shown in the Department of Labour Consumer Price Index for (city or area of contract). (If contract is multi-year, any of the above can apply and be adapted to specific contracted years – i.e. July 1, 1977 to July 1, 1978 - $18,000. July 1, 1978 to July 1, 1979 - $21,000 – etc.)

EXPENSES A shall pay all reasonable expenses of B, or his/her delegate, to Short Course National Swim Meet, Long Course National Swim Meet, Annual Convention. B may delegate a member of his/her staff to attend these meets or meetings and shall notify A at least thirty (30) days in advance of his/her, or his/her delegate’s intention to attend any of the above functions. B shall be responsible for supervision in short


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course and long course National meets of any A team member competing in such meets. A shall pay expenses of B for swim team functions out of the city inclusive of swim meets, and local meetings as well as other meets and meetings as recommended by B with approval of A. B shall furnish detailed expense accounts supports by appropriate receipts customary to business expense accounts. It shall also be B’s responsibility to see that all staff members correctly and fully complete expense accounts satisfactory to B as well as A. A shall furnish B an automobile, which shall be the property of A, suitable to both A and B. A shall furnish automobile insurance, petrol, oil, and maintenance for said automobile, except that B shall furnish petrol and oil for personal use. This automobile is furnished to eliminate all use by B of his personal automobile for business conducted in above agreement. A agrees to provide a fund and will pay all expenses incurred by B in any activities related to aquatic sports, personal professional development, and team matters up to a maximum of $_____ per year. Travel expenses shall include transportation, meals and lodging, tuition, registration fees, etc., and personal vehicle use shall be reimbursed at the rate of ___¢ per kilometre.

VACATION B shall be entitled to _______ days of paid vacation per contract year exclusive of holidays and Sundays. Holidays shall be all approved Public Holidays. It is specifically understood that vacation time shall not accumulate from year to year.

INSURANCE A shall furnish major medical and hospitalisation insurance for B through a carrier suitable to both A and B. Deductible payments (if any) to be the responsibility of B.

MOVING EXPENSES A will pay to B the sum of $__________ as moving and relation expenses, with payment thereof to be made within ten (10) days following notification of mutual ratification of this agreement.

PERFORMANCE OF DUTIES B shall conduct himself/herself in a manner commensurate with responsibility of the full time Head Coach of A and may be discharged by A with no further liability to A or B in the event of final conviction of a felony offence under the laws of any State of Australia. If, at any time, A is of the opinion that B is unfit or unable to perform the duties described herein, the B is in disagreement with A, each party shall appoint an arbitrator and the two arbitrators shall appoint a third arbitrator who shall decide whether B is so capable, and if the arbitration determines that he/she is, this contract will continue in force and effect for its terms, but if not, the contract shall be terminated without liability of either party to the other. In either event, arbitration expenses will be shared equally between both A and B.

TERM This contract shall expire on ___________________ whereupon there shall be no liability of either party to the other. A and B agrees to attempt if at all possible, to determine as of (two months prior to termination) if this contract is to be renewed or extended beyond _______________, to the end that A may make plans for the conduct of its program. To this end, A, and B agree to negotiate a new contract if at all possible by ___________________, failing in which, A shall be entitled to assume that it must make other arrangements effective as of (contract termination date).

BOARD OF DIRECTORS (IF ANY) It is hereby understood that B shall be a full voting member of the Board of Directors of A, with all incumbent privileges and responsibilities. Executed the day and year first hereinabove written, whereupon this agreement shall be binding upon and insure to the benefit of the parties hereto, their respective heirs, successors and assigns.

(A)

(B)


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TTOO BBEE LLAAUUNNCCHHEEDD AATT TTHHEE AASSCCTTAA CCOONNVVEENNTTIIOONN IINN

MMAAYY

Sydney-based Sports Scientist, Ben Holden, has developed a swim aid which significantly improves the rate of learning advanced swim strokes in all Learn-to-Swim and Squad applications.

The application of streamlining concepts is important for both coach and student. When streamlining is good, the flow of fluid around the object is smooth and undisturbed, while a badly streamlined object creates turbulence and eddies are formed. Swimmers can improve performance considerably by reducing water resistance. The drag encountered by a swimmer is directly proportional to the amount of turbulence that was created, water will be marginally turbulent when just a few laminar streams have been broken. Both the pressure differential, and the retarding effect, becomes greater with increased turbulence. This turbulence, also in the form of eddy currents, is marked by little swirls and acts by creating a greater pressure difference, retarding a swimmer’s forward momentum. The concept of the bolsta, originated when Ben Holden was coaching in the UK and visited several clubs. Two common faults were evident … Body Position and efficient leg propulsion. These faults prompted the need to create a swim aid that would train and reinforce streamlining principles to a swimmer, with minimal supervision needed from the coach. Ben Holden developed the bolsta to overcome these basic faults. The bolsta is a hand-held streamlined flotation aid, which offers a completely new approach to swim aids, and is gaining rapid acceptance among leading swim schools.

Learn-to-Swim At the Learn-to-Swim stage, body position and kick efficiency will govern the rate of improvement of a learner in all strokes and swimming practices. By training a learner to kick with an adopted streamlined body position high in the water, overall resistance is reduced. Further propulsive skills like hand pitch and advanced underwater arm pull, can be added more easily, significantly improving not only the stroke mechanics, but also the time taken to achieve the superior stroke in a group


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environment. It is important for younger children in particular, to repeatedly practice using the bolsta over a short distance. This allows the instructor to provide feedback to the learner, and provide demonstrations for the group with the more successful learner. Introducing kicking exercises with two boards early into a learners program trains a balanced kick, and develops core strength, eliminating any kicking bias that is often formed at this learning stage. Applied to a swim school, the adoption of the bolsta makes the following changes… • Establishes correct body position. • Reduces swimmers’ drag • Reduces the learner’s dependence on a swim aid to maintain buoyancy. • Limits available handholding positions on the board, providing consistency for the instructor. • Conveys streamlined images through its fast design. • Dictates a long-legged kick as a means for leg propulsion. • Provides a balanced left and right side kick through the use of 2-board exercises. • Continually reinforces a superior body position, allowing for advanced propulsive drills to be more

easily adopted. • Caters for flipper drills, both on top of the water and below, through the streamlined design

Squad Training In advanced technique and squad training, the bolsta can be used to improve a variety of strokes and kicks including undulating, flutter and breaststroke kick. The size and shape of the bolsta provides coaches with a number of benefits… • Drills used on the bolsta, are governed by its properties, training a streamlined body position at

all times, increasing lamina flow, and subsequent speed through water. • Following this high, streamlined body position comes a strong, efficient, long-legged kick. • The small size of the bolsta, allows it to be used either as a kickboard or a hand paddle on

specified drills. • The streamlined design moves through the water faster, encountering significantly less frontal

resistance than previous kickboards. Accelerated propulsive flipper drills, using the bolsta encounter less resistance, allowing the swimmer precise directional control.

• One of the biggest advancements made using the bolsta is the ability to train upper body rotation at speed. The unique design encourages shoulder extension resulting in a streamlined upper body roll.

The bolsta provides the coach with a fast, compact, versatile swim aid that provides many more coaching options, not previously available. It is a very effective swim aid, designed to quickly correct body position faults, creating a streamlined body position high in the water, with minimal intervention needed from the coach.

PO Box 824, Lavington NSW 2641 Phone: (02) 6041 6077 … Fax: (02) 6041 4282

E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] Web Site: www.ascta.com


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CROC’S FROM TOP END VISIT QUEENSLAND 2003

By Mark Davies Head Coach Casuarina Croc’s Swim Club

The Casuarina Croc’s Swim Club took their annual trip to Queensland State Championships and left their mark on the swimming community. The Queensland Championships were by far the strongest competition our kids have competed at with many interstate and international visitors attending. Congratulations to Queensland swimming for a great competition. The Croc’s took nine swimmers and seven made the finals, taking home two silver and a bronze medal. We had many fourth and fifth place finishes. It was a great success for the swimmers and our club who have worked hard over the last couple of years to set up a strong club in the Northern Territory. The club finished in about the top 30 clubs, which is a fantastic effort with nine swimmers and taking in consideration of the quality of competition. The trip started on the Gold Coast where we trained at the Miami pool next to Dennis Cotterell and his squad including Grant Hackett. This was great for the Northern Territory, to see the champions in training. Thanks to Dennis for his much-appreciated advice. We also trained at the Super Centre in Runaway Bay which is a fantastic set-up and a perfect place to get in some quality training. Thanks to Graeme for his support during our stay. We had our first taste of the surf when we conquered the waves at Burleigh Heads. The Northern Territory swimmers handled the surf well … considering we only hit the surf during cyclones and when the crocodiles are sleeping. We stayed at the Pines Resort which was very roomy and next to the canal where a couple of sharks lived, so no swimming in the canals for us. We had some interesting moments when Hayley locked everyone out of the units so we had to break into our upstairs window. This was quite dangerous as Ian Verral had to squeeze through a window screen several metres above the concrete below, but the girls were ready to catch him if he fell … that’s what they said any way.

Thanks to good old Mum for helping to look after the kids during the stay. After some shopping, movies, surfing and training we left for Brisbane to start the attack on the Queensland Titles. The bus was going strong and I slipped through the odd yellow light to make sure we arrived on time ... which we did. Well, the whole week was very successful for us. Beth Harbison scored a silver medal for the 200m Butterfly, which was a great race to watch. Beth, had a bad lead-up with illness, pulled out great swim to run down many swimmers into second place. Hayley was also a little unwell going in but still managed a PB in the 100m Freestyle and captured our second silver for the meet. Hayley also swam a PB for the 100m Butterfly for a bronze medal. Megan Wareham pulled put some great swims to qualify fastest for the 400m Freestyle and qualified for her first national event. The boys on the trip … Ian Verrall, Michael McEwin, Kenny Bower … all swam great times and made several finals which was a fantastic effort. Kara Kennedy and Jeremy Donohue also swam well with PBs. The cooking was very impressive from the kids who prepared all their meals and cleaned up as well. It’s a great idea to have the swimmers be responsible for their meals, shopping and cleaning during their trips away. The accommodation in Brisbane was right on the Brisbane River, virtually under the Storey Bridge which was fun getting on and off four times a day. I scored the fold-up bed in the lounge room which was just big enough to fit the bed into. The kitchens were quite tiny and really tested the cooking skills of the Croc’s. We have trained in cooking for swim trips and it paid off as the cooking within our budget was a success – just. The boys certainly held their own in the cooking stakes. Overall, a very pleasing week with the guys getting good results after several months of hard work. We then decided to go north to the Caloundra Surf Club for a well-earned rest and fun-packed holiday. Unfortunately, poor Michael and Beth had to part for the rest of the trip as Beth had family commitments. But as they say … distance makes the heart grow fonder … or something like that. We arrived late at night at the Caloundra Surf Club. We rose early to hit the surf and I don’t think the kids stopped surfing for the next four days. However, they did need to stop for a shopping spree at Maroochydore. They did some damage with the credit cards with Megan putting her family into debt after some serious shopping displayed over the weekend.


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It had become a tradition to go Cane Toad Hunting while on the Sunshine Coast. Last year, the number caught was 17 and this year they caught over 30 which was great effort. Obviously, the guys have been working on their golf swings to reach this number for another big PB during the trip. The surf trip also had its dangerous moments. Hayley who has had a lot of surf training was injured running away from the surf and it’s lucky that experienced Surf Life Savers, Jeremy and Kenny, were there to lend a hand and carry Hales back to the Surf Club and dump her on the sofa before returning back the waves. Kara was busy checking out the surfing talent and seemed pretty impressed as she continued to monitor their surfing skills; I think that’s what she monitoring any way. There was plenty of running around in the bus and running a few more yellow lights to see all the sights and visit old friends. On the last day we visited the Cable Ski Park with many spills and laughs. Kara had some great falls, as did Hayley. Megan handled the skiing very well but her style was a bit to be desired as her butt was pointed out so far the skier behind her was always getting an eye full. The boys in Michael, Ian and Kenny handled the surfboards with ease as they surfed around the lake. Mark the coach, again showed his natural talents and carved up the lake. Well it was getting close to the day to return home. We packed up the bus, had a big feed at the Caloundra Surf Club and looked back on what had been the most successful trip. It means the future is looking great for the Casuarina Swim Club as we now prepare for Nationals. We are looking to bring bigger and stronger teams in the future as our squad and club grows from strength to strength. I would like to thank all the Casuarina swimmers for their efforts in and out of the pool. They performed brilliantly in the pool and behaved like adults out of the pool and have gained a lot of respect and trust out of this trip. To the Caloundra Surf Club for putting us up and looking after us. To my Mum – thanks again for looking after the Casuarina Croc’s. So to all Swim Clubs and Coaches – good luck for the season and look forward to seeing you all at the National Titles. The Casuarina Crocs will be travelling to all parts of the country next season so if we are near you please say hello, as we love to meet up with other clubs. Thank you.

LET’S TURN THE CORNER

PERSONAL OVERVIEW OF THE

FUTURE OF THE SPORT By Greg Hodge, ASI High Performance Director

In this issue I would like to examine what might be called the state of play of our National Team. The issues I would like to cover for you are… • National Team personnel • Athlete injuries • Athlete motivation … financial and personal

stresses • The stakeholders • Our future agenda

NATIONAL TEAM PERSONNEL With recent retirements, illness and injury the team has obviously had a change of personnel with the opportunity arising for other athletes to step up. However, this is definitely a challenging time for our team and the High Performance Program – it will be a test of our depth and demonstrate the strength or otherwise of our youth programs. It comes at a crucial time in our Olympic preparation – this is normally the year when the major nations have all their big guns coming back and getting serious about the Olympics – yet we are unsure of just who will be filling the gaps-for the rookie athlete who does achieve national selection ... ASI has the challenge of accelerating their development at international level. The Olympic Games is difficult enough without having many of our team with little international experience.

ATHLETE INJURIES We have had several of our senior athletes require surgery in recent times … Petria Thomas, Michael Klim, Daniel Kowalski and more recently Leigh McBean. On-going illnesses to Giaan Rooney, Grant McGregor, and Clementine Stoney are also stretching our medical and athlete resources. Again this provides a challenge for our coaches, sports science and sports medicine professionals – the continuing demands to stay in hard training year round; the additional international competitions make it difficult for these professionals to balance fitness and speed with recovery.

ATHLETE MOTIVATION Financial and Personal Stress For the same reasons alluded to above there are great challenges for our elite athletes – remaining focussed year round – meeting that


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challenge plus the additional challenges of families, work or study – we require our athletes to be productive, to look beyond their athletic careers, to maintain an interest or develop skills outside swimming to enable them to lead productive lives after swimming. This also places a burden on our administrators – to retain funding we must be successful – to be successful we must have our best team on the paddock – all governments, state and federal, state and national institutes, all need to justify their funding and purpose. The athletes are carrying this burden and perhaps the difficulties faced by the athletes mentioned above (and many others not at the same level but with the same commitment) are contributing to an upsurge in such instances. Further, we now have athletes remaining in the sport into their late 20s, so maybe we are seeing the impact of much longer-term training and competition without significant breaks taking its toll physically and emotionally. Perhaps we are asking athletes to make choices that are unnecessary with better planning.

OUR FUTURE AGENDA At the recent National Event Camp in Melbourne, many of these issues were put in front of coaches and athletes in the context of the planning choices we will be faced with when making decisions for 2005-06. This seems a long way off but we have to think strategically about the future program if we are to address the problems we are currently facing. The athletes and coaches have set up focus groups in each state together with an advisory group of head coaches to assist the high performance committee with its recommendations to the ASI board. Some of the issues to be considered in the next six months are… • Athlete contracts – can we redistribute the

current HP funding, prize-money, Telstra bonuses and DAS to provide each athlete with a minimum basic wage? It may mean a sacrifice for a few athletes for the benefit of many.

• Coach contracts – there could also be a redistribution of coaching grants to benefit many struggling coaches who continually put athletes on the National Team at a financial cost to their business and family income.

• The training and competition year – in 2006 we are faced with the following program … March: Commonwealth Games in Melbourne; April: World Short Course Championships; August: Pan Pacs. Once again … three major competitions within the same six months. So the question of the timing of the Selection Trials after the 2005 World Championships (and National Short

Course) is vital to the stress placed on athletes and coaches. Do we have three separate Trials? Do we support all three competitions? Do we send different teams? Would this penalise the earning potential of athletes? How would the athletes cope with these choices? Can we reorganise the competition year to enable our athletes to plan their out-of-pool activities with proper balance which would facilitate an easier transition from athlete to employment? How can we combine good recovery periods with the preparation required for top international performances? Do we de-emphasise the years after the Olympics, concentrate more on the emerging athletes and narrow our focus for the national team as the Olympics approaches … i.e. allow for longer term planning for those athletes already successful, who want to continue to another Olympics, rather than expect them to attend every major competition in between?

• The stakeholders – of course we then have to consider the impact of all this on the sponsors, including government and especially on television revenue – if we are to continue to be driven by our own profile rather than what is best for the athlete (who are the ones who give us that same profile), then the high incidence of injuries, the loss of motivation and hence diminishing results will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Yes the challenges ahead are great but not insurmountable. And yes you can see that we are actually putting the issues out there in front of the athletes and coaches. We do not expect immediate answers but the discussion has begun and we are not resting on our past results. This has to be the time for strategic analysis, honest appraisal and cooperative decisions. But above all we must all be part of the process and not sit on the sidelines, spectate, criticise and be destructive when the issues confronting us are so complex. ASCTA Splits Time Sheets … A great accessory

for poolside

$27.50 + $11 P&H The well-designed layout allows for each swimmer to have their own record of race splits that is easily perforated. With six sections per page and a backup copy for the coach to keep, this is a MUST-HAVE for every carnival.


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LEARN FROM THE OLYMPIANS ED MOSES: TRAINING FOR

THE PROMISED LAND By John Lohn

Reproduced from Swimming Technique, Jul-Sep ’02

NT+WE+A=3G That’s Ed Moses’ formula for success.

Translated, it means Natural Talent (NT) and an unparalleled Work Ethic (WE) plus constant

Analysis (A) and refinement will equal 3 Gold (3G) medals in Athens in 2004

Some athletes are naturally gifted, blessed with rare special talents for speed, explosiveness, endurance or coordination. Other athletes find success through the ability to endure punishing work, through training that offsets the lack of any special gifts. Of course, these athletes are not untalented. It’s just that their talent doesn’t rise to the level of the superhuman. Then there’s Ed Moses – an athlete who combines the best attributes of both types of athletes. In Moses, we’re talking about a guy who’s been blessed with rare talent, but who also pounds his body and mind into submission. He travels that route because he possesses an unquenchable thirst to be the very best; and because he possesses a mental toughness that rivals that of any of the world’s great athletes – pick the sport. Simply put, Ed Moses is unique, the type of athlete who comes around on rare occasions, maybe once a generation. Among the world’s elite swimmers, Ed Moses has repeatedly taken his game to higher levels. From the national to the international stage, Moses has stood atop his sport. He’s done so through the combination of his special gifts and an intense work ethic. Here’s a look at how Moses has arrived at the pinnacle of his sport.

PARTING THE WATERS For the past three years, Moses has been the king – or at least a high-ranking prince – in the world of Breaststroking. If the 22-year-old wasn’t on top of the world rankings, he stood very near that pinnacle. Moses’ rise to worldwide acclaim began in 1999, when he grabbed gold in the 100m Breaststroke at the Pan Am Games. Not a shabby effort considering Moses initially planned to attend college on a golf scholarship. Since that season, Moses has dominated the Breaststroke events, both domestically and internationally, although some of the sport’s biggest prizes have thus far eluded his grasp.

Still, from 50 through 200 metres, Moses has established himself as the man to beat. Factor in a hip, confident swagger and an ability to articulate what he’s doing and why, and it’s easy to see why Moses has also become one of the world’s most marketable swimmers. A seven-time national champion – with five of those titles in the 100 – Moses already has accomplished more than most athletes ever dream of achieving. He was a 2000 Olympian, taking silver in the 100 Breaststroke in Sydney, while winning gold as a member of the US world record-setting 400 medley relay. He was a three-event finalist at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, placing in the top six in the 50, 100 and 200, including a bronze-medal finish in the 100. For Moses, though, those swims were disappointing ... he expected to win all three events. However, a few months later, it all came together. During three magical days, Moses collected five short course metres world records while competing on the World Cup circuit. As far as records go, Moses is no stranger to long course marks, either. Briefly the world record holder in the 100, Moses owns the American standard in that event at 1:00.29. He also holds the world and American mark in the 50 Breaststroke (27.39) and possesses history’s second fastest time in the 200 Breaststroke at 2:10.40. “I definitely don’t take anything for granted,” Moses said. “So many people would love to achieve what I have. I’ve been fortunate to have done so much on a major stage. Everything I’ve accomplished means a lot to me. I’ve wanted to be the best, and the world records have shown I’ve done what no one else has ever done. That continues to be my motivation.” For all Moses has accomplished in his still-fledgling career, it appears his greatest moments still await him. We’ll get to that topic a little later. First, let’s take a look at the path Moses has travelled to find his other-worldly success.

BY LAND There was a time, about a decade ago, when Mike Barrowman, Mr. 200 Breaststroke, took training to another level – a level that many other swimmers considered insane. A product of the Curl-Burke Swim Club, Barrowman beat himself into the ground with his mind- and muscle-numbing workouts in the pool and on land, particularly with the medicine ball. Now the mantle has been passed on to Moses. It is Moses, swimming’s Mr. Ironman, who has redefined the limits of what is humanly possible when it comes to training. Here are some specifics…


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While he has adopted Barrowman’s affinity for medicine ball workouts, Moses has taken that particular training method to another level. Twice a week – on Wednesday and Saturday mornings – Moses engages in an hour-long session that includes constant work with a 10-pound sphere. Moses will fire chest passes with the object. He’ll work overhead movements. He’ll throw in forward hikes. He’ll whip twisting tosses around the room. And, if that’s not enough, he’ll add in 10 sets of squat thrusts designed to build the essential leg power necessary in a Breaststroker. All of that work is produced with minimal rest. Yeah, for one full hour, Moses goes to the wall. “Ed has consistently taken the Barrowman med-ball routine to new levels,” said University of Virginia coach Mark Bernardino, who along with Curl-Burke’s Pete Morgan, trains Moses. “He works a full range of motion for strength and flexibility. It’s non-stop action with an unbelievable intensity. He throws the medicine ball so hard, it stings your fingers. Guys don’t want to be his partner.” Aside from his two days geared toward medicine ball training, Moses puts aside two days a week (Monday and Friday) for weights. Moses’ move to the weights was made 16 months ago when he felt he required greater power. As a result, Moses moved toward high-octane lifting routines, including power cleans and snatches, that have bolstered his quickness and explosiveness. He’s also seen his body weight move from 168 to 182 pounds since last July’s World Championships. “The weightlifting is something relatively new,” said Moses, who routinely fits stretching into his daily schedule. “I was lacking strength and wanted to get back some explosiveness I felt I lost. I’m still trying to find my ideal weight, but I’ve definitely felt a difference with the weightlifting. I saw that during the World Cup.” For the record, Moses’ World Cup run wrapped up with him holding the short course world mark in the 100 at 57.47 and the 200 record at … you all ready for this? … 2:03.17. No one else has swum under 2:07! Although it is not part of his training routine on a year-round basis, Moses has also used step work as a major boost in his conditioning. Combining one-leg and two-leg hopping drills and full sprints up and down six flights of eight stairs at the University of Virginia, where he’s a student and a volunteer assistant coach, Moses adds to the power in his lower body. “What breaks me down most isn’t what I do in the pool, it’s what I do outside of the pool,” Moses said. “The weight training and medicine

ball work is what makes me sore. I think the big thing for me is the intensity I dedicate to my dry land work. I keep a high intensity and my heart rate up for the whole hour.”

BY SEA Moses’ work in the water, however, is just as demanding. Five days a week – with the exception of Sunday and Thursday – Moses puts himself through gruelling training sessions. “It’s a pretty demanding training routine,” Moses said, “but it works. I love to get guys to train with me and try my sets. It’s satisfying to see people not be able to finish or tell you the next day that they can’t walk. That I can handle the work and some other people can’t, shows me why I’m the best at what I do.” Here’s a sample… Four days a week, following his dry-land sessions, Moses heads into a one-hour resistance workout that intertwines Breaststroke work with a handful of Freestyle swims used to break up the training session. With a tether cord attached to one of the starting blocks, Moses swims four 100s on two-minute intervals with his outgoing swim increasing in difficulty as the slack in the cord lessens. At that point, Moses finds himself fighting hard to reach the wall, but is propelled like a rocket on the way back to the block. A 400 Freestyle loosen-up swim follows the tether-cord work and precedes eight 50 Breaststroke swims on one-minute intervals. The odd-numbered efforts are done legs only while the evens feature a full Breaststroke swim. All eight 50s are preceded by 15 seconds of kick work with the wall. Another easy 400 follows before Moses begins eight minutes of bucket work. With a bucket dragging behind him, Moses tries to swim as many 25s Freestyle as possible during that span of time. He finishes with a 500 Freestyle to loosen down. For Monday and Friday afternoons and Tuesday, a single workout day, Moses has a two-hour water workout. After a 900 yard warm-up, he swims an easy 100 Freestyle, then goes three 50s of Breaststroke with five seconds rest. He’ll then do another 100 Freestyle before producing a 200 Breaststroke for time. Moses goes through that routine three times before sliding into an hour of aerobic swimming and kick work. For Wednesday afternoon, Moses follows his morning resistance swim and medicine ball training with a test set that features six fast 100 Breaststrokes on three-minute intervals. That test set is routinely followed by sub-aerobic,


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drill and technique work. For each week, Moses puts in about 60,000 yards. “One of the things Ed takes pride in is his technique,” Bernardino said. “He attacks his workouts with focus and a purpose. He’s adamant that he does the workout the way he planned it. He has a great understanding of his sets, and he sticks to following the program he sets out. He believes what he does in practice will translate to meets. Most normal and even great swimmers give in to the fatigue and stress of training and allow themselves to ease up off their stroke counts. Ed doesn’t tolerate easing up. He expects to stay with his stroke counts. And if he’s not perfect, he’s as close as anyone.”

MENTAL MONSTER Although his physical approach carries Moses through the water, his mental outlook is a major reason for his success. Not only is Moses able to handle the intense training, but he has also convinced himself that he works harder than anyone else in the sport. More, he spends tremendous amounts of time analysing his practices and races, constantly looking for ways to improve. It isn’t unusual for Moses to film a training session in order to break down his sets at a later time. On occasion, Moses will sit back with the VCR and examine his test sets, looking intently to find places where he can improve his stroke or gain an advantage through training. Following each workout, Moses will take time to jot down notes in a journal, documenting everything. He’ll note which sets he conducted as well as where his heart rate stood at certain points in the training sessions. In his analysis of races, he’ll examine how he looked in the water as much as how he looked standing behind the blocks. “A lot of swimmers crunch numbers,” Bernardino said, “but Ed will write down and remember times from specific workouts. He’ll remember a workout from two years ago and the times he did. He has a photographic memory. He can remember months and months of training sets. I think his mental approach is what sets him apart. He’s cerebral and leaves no stone unturned in his quest to be the best. He has a voracious appetite and bases many of his decisions on the research he does. Ed’s not into following trends. He’s an innovator.” As detail-oriented an athlete as there is in the pool, nothing gets by Moses. Not in training. Not in competition. Not in the weight room. Moses has it all covered. He’s meticulous. “I pride myself in being versatile from the 50 to the 200 and being a 24-hour athlete,” Moses said. “I don’t just put in my work and that’s it. I’ll look at my sets and see where there is room for

improvement. I’ll look at film of my races and analyse everything. I probably spend an hour a day just looking at numbers (splits from races). I want everything covered. There are days where (the training) hurts. That’s normal. But I walk away most of the time having gotten a lot out of what I put in for that day. With everything I do, I usually can find something I’m pleased with. My mental edge is always growing.”

AIR SUPPLY Looking for a training edge – in this case a relatively unusual advantage – Moses began sleeping in an altitude tent in January of 2001. In a what? Yeah, it might be a little odd, but Moses has, indeed, zipped himself up tight each night in an apparatus used more and more frequently by world-class athletes. Costing about $7,000, the altitude tent is designed to stimulate the growth of red blood cells, which in turn deliver oxygen to the muscles. The greater the number of red blood cells, the greater the oxygen level and stamina an athlete has. Supported by a generator that sits on the floor, the tent is constructed of a clear, nylon-coated material and is continually pumped full of hypoxic air. That air contains 12-15% oxygen, and simulates training at anywhere from 9,000-15,000 feet. Air at sea level contains 21% oxygen. Moses turned to an altitude tent after his cousin, a triathlete, informed him of the training benefits. Following a conversation with individuals from Hypoxico, the tent designer, and a blood test, Moses began sleeping at high altitude – sort of. “The biggest thing I’ve seen from using it is in my training,” said Moses. “I’ve been stronger during longer sets, and I’m able to recover faster during workouts. It definitely works. It also has psychological benefits. I know I’m using something that’s going to help me in some way. I feel like I have a secret weapon.”

DOWN THE ROAD This summer figures to bring out the best in Moses, beginning at the Phillips 66 Summer Nationals in Fort Lauderdale. There is a good bet - considering his short course exploits – that a couple of world records will be corralled. Having chased the one-minute barrier in the 100 for the past two years, Moses might finally have that 59-something in the arsenal. If, indeed, that is the case, Moses could take down the world record of 59.94, held by Russian Roman Sloudnov. Perhaps more importantly, Moses is also on target to better Barrowman’s elusive standard of 2:10.16. The world record holder in the 200


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Breaststroke since 1992, Barrowman has long been Moses’ idol. With University of Texas standout Brendan Hansen as the reigning world champion and Moses with history’s second fastest time, the 200 Breaststroke global standard – the oldest on the books – may finally come crashing down. Armed with stellar speed, Moses and Hansen are both capable of cracking the 2:10 barrier. For his part, Moses is thrilled to have a fellow countryman as a rival. “There was a period of a year-and-a-half when I was in this happy zone and no one in this country was pushing me,” Moses said. “To have (Hansen) come up and win Worlds means I’ll have someone to push me. That should bring out the best in both of us. I think both world records are there (this summer). I want to get under a minute (in the 100). It’s something I’ve been waiting for. On paper, going a 59.9 isn’t a great swim. I know from what I’ve done, I can go 59.5. That would be a great swim. The 200 is where the block has been more than the 100. I’ve been so close. That’s the one I want. That record speaks for itself. It was so far ahead of its time. I think I can be the guy that goes 2:09. Once that happens, I think it will keep going.” Beyond his imminent chase for world records, Moses is already looking ahead to Athens, Greece and the 2004 Olympic Games. Sure, the 2002 PanPacs in Yokohama and 2003 World Championships in Barcelona will make their way onto the Moses schedule. Nonetheless, the greatest focus for Moses is Europe, specifically the land of the Acropolis. “Everything I’m doing is based on Athens,” he said. “I want three gold medals (two in the Breaststroke events and one with the medley relay) and three world records. I want to find the perfect season for Athens. Then, I think that’ll be it. I think after Athens, I’ll hang up the towel and move on to another challenge in my life.”

SPECIAL SOMETHING Ed Moses has a special gift. No one will deny that fact. Whether he’s swimming the 50, 100 or 200 Breaststroke, Moses finds himself among the world’s elite performers, a scary thought, considering he is still just finding the extent of his talent. By the 2004 Olympics, Moses could be the world record holder in all three Breaststroke distances. If that scenario does not play out, Moses will almost certainly remain a favourite to accomplish his dream-grabbing Olympic gold in both the 100 and 200 metre events.

Cellular Adaptations of High-Intensity Training By Edward H. Nessel, R.Ph., M.S., MPH

Reproduced from American Swimming Magazine 2002/Issue No.3

This paper is written to bridge the gap between the science of biochemistry and physiology and the practicality of athletic training. What good is sophisticated information if it cannot be utilised by coaches and their swimmers? What follows is an effort to explain and make practical what some of the body’s responses to intense physical training are and how we may modify and/or enhance them with the use of two ergogenic (work enhancing) substances. The body’s handling of high-energy-bound molecules under the stress of intense training or competition along with several other cellular adaptations of interest to swimmers who want to know why and how to train intelligently to move fast through the water will now be undertaken.

THE HIGH-ENERGY MOLECULES NUCLEOTIDES

We all know that the body derives movements from the muscles; what many may not know is what actually fuels this movement. There are several complicated pathways that the body presents to produce energy. What will be discussed are the substances that are specifically designed to quickly ignite the fuel of activity … HIGH-ENERGY ADENINE NUCLEOTIDES. These organic compounds are composed of three segments … ADENOSINE, which is a cyclic nitrogen-containing compound, the building blocks of which are found in protein … RIBOSE, a five-carbon sugar produced by the body’s chemical breakdown of simple carbohydrates, and PHOSPHATE, ubiquitously found in all sorts of foods. It is these phosphates that become the carriers of high-energy bonds ... the keys to the transference of energy. The high-energy phosphate (~P) comes in three concentrations: mono (1), di-(2), and tri-(3). The highest energy content logically is the tri-phosphate (adenosine tri-phosphate, ATP), but it is also the most friable ... giving off one phosphate bond quite easily to provide energy for muscular movement and then producing a less energy-laden di-phosphate molecule (adenosine di-phosphate, ADP). If further energy is quickly required before molecular rejuvenation (with oxygen) is able to take place, another phosphate bond is removed, producing


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the lowest level energy nucleotide, adenosine monophosphate, AMP). Skeletal and cardiac (heart) muscle cells must have a certain ratio of ATP to ADP to AMP for optimum functioning. When this ratio shows a preponderance of AMP due to high-energy-bond depletion from intense training or sprint competition, and nothing is done (or able to be done) to change this rather quickly (either by use of extensive re-oxygenation or rest and/or ingestion of pertinent carbohydrates), the cells begin to remove AMP metabolites altogether to form other molecules that lead to a degradation sequence some of which is irreversible. This is bad since every bit of the adenosine nucleotide-substance pool is necessary for regenerating the high energy molecules necessary to power the various cells upon demand, and if the raw material for the high-energy bonds is missing, sufficient amounts of energy-upon-demand can not come into play ... performance suffers and recovery can be extensively delayed. It is potentially dangerous to cardiac muscle which has been shown to become severely depleted of ATP when deprived of oxygen due to narrowed or partially-clogged arteries (ischemia) that produces chest pain in response to demanding physical activity (angina). Once the blood supply is able to be returned to normal, the heart is not able to regenerate the original amount of the high-energy molecules of activity (ATP) for up to 72 hours. For those hearts that enjoy good vascular health, ATP is also depleted (as would be found in any fatigued muscle) but not to the extent of a heart with artery disease. Anything that would allow quick regeneration of ATP in cardiac muscle would obviously allow for faster recovery from intense training and also afford the athlete the ability to train at a higher level ... both producing faster swims at multiple event competitions.

RIBOSE Research has shown that the rate-limiting factor in regeneration of ATP is the ribose molecule. Without an externally-ingested source of the 5-carbon ribose, the body must utilise several biochemical pathways to breakdown various forms of carbohydrate to first produce the 6-carbon glucose which is then finally converted to the necessary 5-carbon sugar molecule that helps form ATP. Extensive training of this biochemical enzyme system will allow for enhanced adaptation over time, but when instant energy is needed to fuel immediate intense muscular contraction, anything that will provide an enhanced supply of ATP will have an ergogenic (enhancing work) effect. Supplementation with ribose has shown in several instances to be an enhancer of

muscular contraction in both intensity and duration. Doses of between 3 and 10 grams fuel the necessary pathways to regenerate first ATP and then RNA ... the nucleic acid that is intimately involved in protein synthesis. Taken about one hour before muscular demand, the ribose efficiently finds its way into the energy sections (mitochondria) of the heart and skeletal muscle and allows for increased performance. There have been several trial doses ranging from 2 grams to 30 grams. The higher dose seems to produce the only untoward side effect seen with ribose: that of gastrointestinal irritability or diarrhoea. Laboratory studies with ribose have shown that with heavily-muscled athletes, 10 grams taken three times daily (one hour before training or competition, during the time between events, and within one hour after training or the day’s competition for recovery) produce enhanced results for both power and endurance.

CREATINE The main back-up source for INSTANT energy is the body’s normal store of creatine phosphate (CP) in the musculature which gives up its high energy phosphate bond to regenerate ATP as it is being consumed during the first 16 seconds of intense movement. This reaction does not need oxygen to function, and, in fact, occurs before oxygen actually has time to come into play (anaerobic conditions). Again, this is an immediate response to intense muscular contraction, and one the body does not like to support for long. Unfortunately the natural reserve of creatine in the various muscle tissues is limited (the reason for the limited amount of time it works in the energy cycle). The body then has to go to the second line of energy production which will produce lactic acid as a “waste product” if the muscles are still firing at such a high rate as to not allow oxygen to enter the regeneration process. This lactic acid or lactate (as it is called when found in the blood), will lower the pH of the muscle environment and completely shut down muscle fibre movement if allowed to continue to build up. It is also the cause of “muscle burn” and contributes to the pain felt the following 12 to 24 hours. Of course, with a proper warm down of about 60% effort, much of the built-up lactate can be used as “fuel” to move the muscles and be consumed. This, along with a deep recovery massage, assures the almost total removal of this by-product of anaerobic muscular activity. “Lactate-tolerance training,” which produces an environment whereby nature allows the body to counter with “lactate buffers,” is probably the


35

most intense type of training and is kept at a frequency of no more than once or twice weekly. To chemically help in dealing with lactate and to supply the needed energy for somewhat prolonged anaerobic muscular contractions, the ingestion of exogenous (outside the body) CREATINE has proved to be quite an ergogenic. Creatine, made up of two naturally-found amino acids (glycine and arginine), can (by nature of its chemical makeup) act as a mild buffer to the formation of lactate and when taken as a supplement, can directly increase the concentration of CP in skeletal muscle. It also affords the body the ability to build muscle tissue (which osmotically brings along water), and as such, may cause an increase in lean body mass. Any type of activity that demands intense muscular contractions over a rather short period of time (weight lifting, sprinting or power swimming) will benefit from creatine ingestion, though a few studies have shown equivocal results with swimmers. But unlike ribose, creatine does have some caveats to consider. The presence of nitrogen in the amino acids puts the kidneys to work to remove it normally as a waste product of metabolism, but creatine in excess has the potential to overload the kidneys in time and may lead to renal failure ... certainly something to avoid. Therefore healthy kidney function should be ascertained before undertaking creatine ingestion. Also, the body stops making its own (endogenous) supply of creatine (normally one to two grams a day, depending upon how much protein is ingested) due to a negative feedback mechanism as long as creatine is ingested as a supplement. The building of muscle strength with creatine but not hydrating enough to “bathe” the fibres in lubricating fluid can lead to excessive friction and heat which can produce muscular spasms or even pulled or torn muscle tissue. This is due to the muscles becoming too strong too soon and not allowing adequate time for the supporting connective tissue (tendons) to strengthen accordingly. With an average dosing of five grams of creatine per day along with 3-10 grams of ribose up to three times daily, we see a biochemical and physiological case where 1+1=3. The two substances synergistically enhance each other to produce an environment for enhanced power upon demand ... safely and so far legally accordingly to all the sports governing bodies. The working factories of muscle tissue that produce energy (adenosine tri-phosphate, ATP), are the mitochondria. All muscle fibres contain mitochondria, and, as such, they are all able to produce energy from these areas. These are the

only areas to produce ATP, and they seem to be the limiting factor in energy produced upon demand. The greater the size and number of mitochondria, the more energy can be produced per unit time, and the greater amount of work can be accomplished through intentional muscular contraction. Several cell-types in the muscles can adapt to physical stress in a positive (or negative) way. Appropriate use of high-intensity training will bring about the desired changes over a period of weeks to allow the swimmer to move through the water with more power.

MITOCHONDRIA Mitochondria are small segments in the muscle with glycogen deposits nearby. There are two types of mitochondria … short and long, with the latter being more efficient. Oxygen diffuses out of the cardiovascular system via the capillaries, and energy (ATP) is produced in the mitochondria by the use of oxygen in the metabolism of fats, glycogen, or lactic acid (if no oxygen, an anaerobic condition exists, and lactic acid accumulates). If we increase the number of mitochondria, we can produce energy more rapidly. In order to increase this number, high-intensity stress must be placed upon them by working intelligently at high oxygen-uptake values and high heart rates ... in other words … fast swimming mixed with recovery swims! If pressure is not put on the mitochondria, they will not increase in number or in size. Mitochondria increase in number by dividing. They sometimes change (adapt) periodically as a group, but while doing so are not able to take part in the production of energy. This places extra stress on the remaining mitochondria, causing the heart to beat faster to bring more oxygen to the reduced number of energy cells still functioning. The first stage of division (mitosis) takes about three days requiring iron for the recombination of proteins during this time. The following building and rehousing of these proteins take an additional week or so; therefore the athlete, for the next 10 days or so, will have an oxygen-utilisation problem, especially if the mitochondria are changing as a group. Resulting effects could include an increased heart rate for the same repeats or intervals, a sense of not getting enough oxygen when stressed at the same intensity as before, a sluggish or “heavy” feeling in the water. Of course, these symptoms could also arise from overtraining or fighting an illness, but the athlete and coach should keep in mind that the appropriate adaptation of the energy systems


36

might just be the cause of this temporary feeling of set back.

SKELETAL MUSCLE-FIBRE TYPES Everyone is born with a mix of three muscle-types: Red slow-twitch (Ia), Red fast-twitch (Iia), and white fast-twitch (Iib). In order of fibre size (greater to smaller), white, red fast-twitch, and red slow-twitch make up the body of every muscle. The infrastructure of every muscle has the white fibres situated deep within the body surrounded by the red fibres. White fibres are white because they have an almost non-existent capillary supply and therefore have no red blood permeating their tissue. These fibres work mainly anaerobically (in the absence of oxygen) and product lactic acid as the “waste product”. Any glycogen source used by the white fibres produces lactic acid and not carbon dioxide (CO2) as happens with aerobic glycogen use in the red fibres. In a sprint, for example, if lactic acid is allowed to build up, the pH goes way down (acid content rising), and the fibres in direct contact with the acid shut down quickly. Those not yet engulfed in lactic acid are forced to work extra hard and begin to overstretch and tear. In fact, this is the major cause of muscle pain 12-24 hours after sprint or power swimming.

TRAINING THE MUSCLE ENZYMES AND FIBRE-TYPES TO ADAPT

The correct type of training will allow the muscle fibre to adapt in two ways … (a) some of the white fibres will change to red fast-twitch fibres with their capillary system to wash away the lactic acid, and (b) lactate-transporting-enzymes will be augmented as an adaptive mechanism to rid the white fibres of this “waste product” which is then neutralised in the blood by the body’s increased lactate-tolerance by way of its adding more buffers (e.g. bicarbonate). The first adaptive mechanism (a) has the effect of somewhat reducing the strength of the changing muscle as a whole, but the newly-formed red fast-twitch fibres still allow for power and increased endurance, so the overall effect is to enable the swimmer to move through the water faster and longer. In addition, research has shown that up to 80% of the lactic acid can be oxidised and re-utilised as fuel to make ATP (once carried into the blood-bathed red fibre system) as long as oxygen from the cardiovascular system is allowed to mix freely. The type of training sets used to produce the adaptive mechanisms described above would include race-pace swimming of several broken 100’s or intact 75’s with adequate rest. This produces high lactate levels which, in turn, train the sporting enzymes to increase their efficiency in removing the muscle-inhibiting

lactic acid. This must be followed by moderate swimming over longer distances (200-400 yards/metres) to then allow the insitu (nearby) capillary and cardiovascular systems to increase in efficiency and further carry away lactate down the road to re-oxygenation. Since the white muscle (power) fibres have the least amount of stored glycogen (of the three types of fibres) which can be depleted in as little as eight minutes with race-pace swimming and take as long as three days to re-energise, intelligent use of sprint swimming is a must if the athlete is to be trained correctly. Both types of red fibres can be refuelled with adequate and correct nutrition (including creatine and ribose) in about 14 hours. A maximum of 800 yards/metres (broken at various distances and with various rest periods) at race-pace speed is all the muscle fibres can adequately handle in a training session. And, again, three days have to go by before another bout of power swimming would prove beneficial. An average of two sessions per week would provide the needed adaptations for enhanced power swimming and yet spare the body the consequences of overtraining and extreme muscular fatigue.

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37

Reproduced from American Swimming Magazine

2002/Issue 3 1. Learn about your athletes as people. How?

“What’s Your Story?” 2. Make time to talk to parents after practice

and give instant reports … examples. 3. Begin practice and end practice with a

routine … allows mastery, which allows comfort.

4. Be entertaining, within your own personality. Are you grandpa, grandma? Are you Dad, Mum? Older Brother, Older Sister? What are you? Develop a persona and be consistent with it. (You can be consistently moody and it will still work.)

5. Use each child’s name at least three times in each half hour ... count them.

6. Insist on the best behaviour and the best performance. Being demanding but fair is what children want. If you are not demanding, it means you don’t think very highly of the children.

7. Talk at eye level … not them looking at your shoes.

8. Use a parent to video tape practice, then show them (three minutes or less) what they are doing in practice that is good, and bad … do it on deck.

9. Do most of your kicking without a board ... kick with a board for social time.

10. A drill done 99% correctly is done 100% wrong (Bill Sweetenham).

11. Use slightly older children to demonstrate ... 11 year olds for 8 year olds, etc. … NOT teenagers or elite swimmers ... everyone wants to be like the big kids.

12. Use your teenagers and slightly older athletes to teach skills, (like a Backstroke turn) to your Age Groupers. The value goes

far beyond improved attention ratios ... it’s magic.

13. Consider providing athletes with different names in practice. THINK about what the names say. Names let you be different people. Some athletes respond to this, some don’t.

14. Little people want someone to take them seriously. Are you the one who will?

15. Teenage girls want someone to take them seriously. Are you the one who will?

16. Pre-adolescent boys and pre-adolescent girls are very different … want different things out of swim practice. Do you know what each one wants? Do you provide it?

17. Teenage boys want someone to admire. Are you the one? Are they admiring the right qualities?

18. Learn how to sell. Learn how to sell. Learn how to sell. Go to the bookstore. Learn about sales techniques. Every day, in everything you do while coaching, you are selling. Don’t you think you ought to be good at it if you want to coach? EVERY good coach is a good salesman. What techniques do they know that you don’t?

19. Speak less ... show more ... do more. 20. Speak more. At the right time. Have three-

minute meetings and teach a concept, then go back to work before they are bored. “Who knows what self-image is? OK, now who can tell me how that relates to swimming? OK, if we act in accordance with our self-image, how do we change our self-image?” Three minutes. It takes more effort to plan a good three-minute talk than an hour talk. Work on it ... be good.

21. Praise in public … correct in private. (Sometimes that’s wrong. When?)

22. Learn to criticise an act, not a person. And use “that’s not like you”.

23. Listen to parents. MOST of them know their child better than you do. They know their child ... you know swimming. Use them to help you succeed. Give them a lot of credit.

24. Seek first to understand, then to be understood (Mr. Covey ... Habits...).

25. Go watch someone else’s Workout. Critique it for them ... have them do it for you ... ask questions ... question ... ask why, then how.

26. Learn to do a 5-10 minute dry-land program for your Age Group swimmers to start each session. Those who show up on time to do it will improve faster than anyone else through confidence and strength both.


38

LIFT IS NOT AN IMPORTANT FORCE IN

SWIMMING PROPULSION By Brent S. Rushall, Ph.D.,R.Psy

Reproduced from ASCA Newsletter Volume #2002-05

The development of lift forces has been a popular explanation of propulsion in swimming. Counsilman’s original description (Counsilman 1970), based solely on the Bernoulli Principle, was readily adopted although consistently challenged by a minority over the years until Sprigings and Koehler (1990) challenged it openly. A definitive criticism of swimming propulsion through lift was offered by Rushall et al (1994), which caused a number of notable swimming scientists to alter their explanations of propulsion in the sport. However, lift adherents still exist, much to the detriment of many serious swimmers. Anderson and Eberhardt (2000) exposed serious weaknesses in the Bernoulli-Principle explanation for lift in flight. This paper contains a summary of their main points. Using their evidence-based explanations, it is clear that attributing significant propulsive force in swimming to the Bernoulli Principle, or even lift, is folly. In its place, an explanation based on physical laws is offered. Lift is more credible if it is explained with Newton’s Laws rather than the Bernoulli Principle. Essentially, lift in flight is due to the wing diverting air downward, most of which is pulled down from above the wing.

BERNOULLI PRINCIPLE IN FLIGHT The Bernoulli Principle applies to wing shapes in fluids, most commonly air and water. This simple principle is easy to understand, but that characteristic does not make it correct. It is based on a few factors involving a wing (an airfoil or hydrofoil). 1. When a fluid is accelerated, the pressure

in the fluid is decreased. 2. Separated fluid streams flowing above and

under a wing have equal transit times, meeting up again past the rear of the wing. The distance travelled over the top curved surface is greater than the distance travelled under the wing. The upper surface fluid is accelerated.

The principle is dependent upon the shape of a wing. It does not account for flight being possible in an inverted aspect, the various requirements of power to meet certain environmental conditions – such as different altitudes, different plane loads, and in turns – ground effect, and the role of the angle-of-attack of the wing. It ignores the work performed by a

wing. The usual claim of the popular “Bernoullian” description of lift is that “when air separates at the leading edge, the part that goes over the top must converge at the trailing edge with the part that goes under the bottom” (Anderson & Eberhardt 2001 p.2). The origin of where the assumption that the separated air must meet at the trailing edge is unclear. In reality, it goes not occur. The air passing under an airfoil is slowed while that over the top is accelerated. The assumption of equal transit times is not supported by empirical evidence. A typical picture of Bernoullian lift (see the upper portion of Figure 1) shows air leaving the wing in the same manner that it approached the wing. There is no net action on the air so there can be no lift in this model.

Figure 1 – a comparison of the common depiction of airflow and generated

lift with the Bernoulli Principle and actual

airflow around a stylised wing.

NEWTON’S LAWS EXPLAIN PHYSICAL FORCES THAT LIFT

For a plane to be lifted, a wing has to act on the air and the air then has to react to that action (Newton’s Third Law). The differential speeds of air flowing over and under a wing and the adherence of the top airflow to the shape of the wing, causes air leaving the top surface to be directed down at an angle (see lower portion of Figure 1). To generate lift, a large amount of air must be diverted down. The change in momentum of the air directed downward affects the amount of lift that is developed. Thus, the lift of a wing is proportional to the amount of air diverted down times the vertical velocity of that air. Vertical velocity is the vertical component of the downwash (the downward deflection of the air from over the wing top – see Figure 1). The vertical velocity gives the wing lift. There are several factors that affect the vertical component of the downwash (see Figure 2). Angle of attack – the greater the angle of attack, the greater will be the vertical velocity component of the downwash. Thus, there is more lift the steeper the angle of the wing – up to an angle of 15 degrees. Wing velocity – the greater the velocity of the fluid relative to the wing, the greater will be the vertical velocity component of the downwash.


39

Figure 2 – Factors involved with lift

created by a wing.

A wing develops lift by transferring momentum to the fluid. So how does a thin wing divert so much air? When the air is bent around the top of the wing, it pulls on the air above it (and from in front) accelerating that air downward. Otherwise, there would be voids in the air above the wing. Air is pulled from above. This pulling causes the pressure to become lower above the wing. It is the acceleration of the air above the wing in the downward direction that gives lift. At the front edge of a wing an upwash occurs, which contributes to negative life. More air has to be diverted downward to compensate for the upwash and still produce significant lift. The shape and texture of the upper surface of a wing a critical. Structures, ice, etc., would cause the appropriate flow of fluid to be altered so that smooth flow would be diminished. The under surface is not as important and can have appendages such as fuel tanks, struts and armaments. As air flows over a wing at an angle of attack, several events occur. 1. To change the inertia of the air and bend

it upward, the wing has to exert a force on the air (Newton’s First Law). This produces an equal and opposite reaction (Newton’s Third Law). This is what happens in the upwash. Consequently, the upwash load is added to the weight of the plane. There has to be an upwash to produce a downwash.

2. To change the inertia of the air and bend it downward, the wing has to exert a force on the air (Newton’s First Law). That action produces an equal and opposite reaction (Newton’s Third Law).

3. By means of the large low-pressure zone above the wing and the higher-pressure zone below it, there is an upward force exerted on the wing … that is the phenomenon of lift. The size of the lift force is equal to the mass of air the wing has diverted downward multiplied by the acceleration of that air (Newton’s Second Law). A pilot can increase the lift by flying faster (adding power) or by increasing the angle of attack (pulling back on the stick) … either way the wing diverts more air down and behind the plane.

Flying an airplane then becomes a matter of controlling the volume of air diverted downward and thus manipulating the size of the low-

pressure zone above the wing. This can be accomplished by changing the angle of attack, increasing the relative velocity of the oncoming fluid (more power), or by changing the shape of the wing. The pilot manipulates the zone of low pressure over the wing. Flight is not solely an artefact of the Bernoulli Principle.

COANDA EFFECT When a fluid contacts a surface, friction slows the fluid velocity causing it to curve and follow the surface shape until separation occurs. The better a fluid can follow the contour of a wing, the better will be the eventual lift. This following-of-shape effect is called the Coanda Effect. The viscosity of a fluid determines how much slowing will occur on the object’s surface. Even with air, the velocity of the fluid molecules at the surface – the boundary layer – is zero. As layers extend further out from the surface, molecules gradually accelerate, shear forces causing the inner layers to slow markedly while very distant layers eventually are not affected at all. The magnitude of the forces on the air (and on the wing) is proportional to the tightness of the bend. The tighter the air bends, the greater the force on it … most of the lift is on the forward part of the wing. In fact, half of the total lift on a wing is typically produced in the first quarter of the chord length.

ANGLE OF ATTACK The angle of attack of a wing (see Figure 2) is the primary determinant of lift, being more important than wing shape. The angle of attack is adjusted for fluid velocity and load, but when conditions are appropriate, the maximum critical angle is just less than 15 degrees. Above that angle, fluid separation occurs, the fluid ceasing to follow the shape of the upper surface of the wing causing lift to be lost and drag resistance to increase. A plane stalls when air on the top of a wing separates.

BERNOULLI PRINCIPLE IN SWIMMING The above discussion explains some of the factors associated with the development of lift forces. For lift to be a viable productive force in swimming, it has to accommodate those factors. In 1969, Counsilman committed himself to a radical change in the theoretical basis of propulsive forces in swimming. He proposed Bernoulli’s Principle as the explanation of those forces. His followers were very quick to adopt this stance and conclude that lift forces were the major forces that produced propulsion in all competitive swimming strokes. For a brief time, lift was considered the only force for propulsion. However, as the limitations of sole lift explanations became apparent, drag forces (of Newtonian origin) crept back into the


40

propulsion equation. Without any empirical evidence, but rather by intuitive analyses, “researchers” analysed strokes of swimmers promoting lift forces as being the predominant propulsive force. For example, Schleihauf (in Counsilman 1977 pp.232-247) attributed the primary value of drag forces as being … the drag component of the hand could neutralise eccentric kicking forces and the lift component could approach its maximum value (Schleihauf 1977 p.239). Such a position was echoed by Barthels (1982) … proposed the ideal condition of maximising the propulsive force and minimising propulsive drag. Many persons, particularly those outside of the USA, appeared to become enamoured with the Bernoulli Principle explanation of propulsive forces and persist with it today – e.g. Swimming Coaching Accreditation Scheme, Australia. Counsilman did modify his initial exclusivity of lift force being the only force in propulsion. Over time, he talked more of hand pitch (angle of attack) as a significant determinant for creating force but never really focused on drag force (again) as a major determinant of propelling efficiency. He continued to emphasise a sideways orientation of stroke movements in the S-shaped or hourglass pull as facilitating lift and therefore producing the forces to create speed in swimming (Rushall et al 1994). Typical references to the appropriateness of the Bernoulli Principle to swimming have appeared in the literature. Counsilman (1971) stated, “A wing provides aerodynamic lift through the camber (curvature) of its surfaces. Because the upper surface is more highly cambered than the lower surface, the air moving over the top surface is forced to move more quickly. This results in a lower pressure on the upper surface and results in aerodynamic lift (Bernoulli’s Principle)”. Maglischo (1982) accounted for lift as follows … “The amount of lift force is proportional to the difference in pressure between the two wing surfaces which is, in turn, dependent upon the shape of the wing surfaces and the forward speed of the airplane”. Hinrich (1995) vigorously defended lift forces in swimming as a reaction to the Rushall et al (1994) publication of most swimming “authorities” to the lift force derived from the Bernoulli Principle. Such references are misleading (Sprigings & Koehler 1990 p.237). Some individuals, Dr Ernie Maglischo is one, have made admirable recantations of the Bernoulli Belief, with a drag force interpretation being eloquently substituted as the more fruitful avenue for technique understanding and

decisions. In Figure 3, upward pressure on the front of the object, a discus, comes from the force of the air colliding with the under-surface (Newton’s Third Law).

Figure 3: Forces on an asymmetrical object in

fluid flow.

That force is labelled R – the reaction force to the action of the air collision on the front. Many describe this as a cushion of air. The force R has vertical and horizontal components (V and H). Because of the pocket of drag turbulence is asymmetrical, the drag force will not act in the direction of the fluid flow but will be distorted off at an angle. When the horizontal force component is integrated with the drag force D, the object stops quite quickly. In aeronautical terms, the object stalls under these conditions. No lift force can occur in this condition because the Coanda Effect does not exist. However, the Lift theory that unfortunately permeated swimming lore for several decades, promoted a fictitious set of circumstances (see Figure 4, adapted from Schleihauf 1977a p.238).

Figure 4 The erroneous depiction of lift and drag forces on an inclined swimmer’s hand. The lift force

does not exist.

In this diagram an asymmetrical body – the hand – is presented at an angle of attack to horizontal flow (follow the arrows). A lift force is indicated as being greater than the drag force. Two errors are depicted. First, there is no lift force because there is no Coanda Effect. Second, with an object shaped like a hand, a lift force could never be greater than a drag force, even if a lift force ever existed. When considering forces in complex situations, it is correct to talk of vertical and horizontal force components, or force components that are orthogonal to each other. However, it is incorrect to talk of lift without appropriate fluid flow over the upper surface of a wing.

THE WING Area of the wing surface – lift off a wing is proportional to the wing’s area. The greater the area of a wing, the greater the amount of fluid diverted downward. As relative velocity of the fluid increases, so does the amount of fluid


41

diverted. Since the load of the wing does not increase, the angle of attack must be reduced to produce constant lift. Lifting efficiency of a wing increases with increasing wing area. The larger the wing, the less induced power required to produce the same lift, although this is achieved with an increase in parasitic drag. This contradicts the common Bernoullian interpretation that lift does not require power. Wing shape – the downwash comes off a wing as a sheet and is related to the details of the load distribution on the wing. The volume of downwash decreases outward along the wing, producing what Anderson and Eberhardt call a scoop effect. “Since the wing near the root is diverting so much air, the net effect is that the downwash sheet will begin to curl outward around itself, just as the air bends around the top of the wing because of the change in the velocity of the air. This is the wing vortex. The tightness of the curling on the wing vortex is proportional to the rate of change in lift along the wing. At the wing tip, the lift must rapidly become zero causing the tightest curl.” The wing tip vortex is often visible as white contrails. A winglet increases the length of a wing by blocking the traditional wing tip vortex. Since wing efficiency increases with area, a winglet gives greater efficiency. The downside of this ploy is that poorly designed winglets can actually be more detrimental than beneficial. A desirable length and depth of a wing depends largely upon fluid velocity and load. At slow speeds, as with a sailplane, long narrow wings are appropriate. At very high speeds, long narrow wings would cause separation to occur. So a different shape of wing, usually much less in length and with increased depth associated with a sweeping to the rear of the frontal edge is more appropriate. Airplanes with a great speed range need to have the ability to alter their wing shapes to match the velocity and density of the air of the moment. Load on the wing – induced power is proportional to the load squared. A wing stalls when the air separates from the upper wing surface, rather than following its contour. That occurs when the critical angle of attack for the relative fluid velocity is exceeded. “The angle of attack at which the plane stalls is constant and is not a function of wing loading. The angle of attack increases as the load and the stall speed increases as the square root of the load. An increase in altitude will (require a) further increase in the angle of attack. An airplane can stall at any speed, since

for any speed there is a load that will induce a stall.”

THE HAND AS THE SWIMMER’S WING Traditionally, swimming texts have described the hand as the lifting surface (see Figure 5 – adapted from Counsilman 1977).

Figure 5 – a traditional depiction of a swimmer’s hand as a lift producing surface. It has neither the overall form nor the upper surface shape to produce a lift force. Such a shape

would produce a great amount of “parasitic drag”. The shape of the hand is not that of a lifting surface. Its upper surface is incapable of producing a smooth or contour-conforming fluid flow. As well, the proposed oscillating lateral orientation of hand movements in crawl stroke swimming – the S-shaped pattern – would mean that during the outsweep the small finger would be the leading edge and on the insweep the thumb would be the leading edge. Neither of those orientations produces an asymmetrical surface similar to a wing with a capability of producing significant lift forces. A swimmer’s hand is not appropriately shaped – is not of any substantial area – and is not an efficient structure to produce lift forces of any notable magnitude. Its proposed beneficial functioning in medial-lateral and vertical movements (Payton & Mullineaux 1996) is incorrect, although recently their model has been modified (Payton, Hay & Mullineaux 1997). Actually, swimmers adjust joint movements to reduce lateral and vertical movements (Hay, Liu & Andrews 1993). The shape and surfaces of the hand are more conducive to developing drag forces than lift forces. A hand does not fit the characteristics of a lift force producing structure.

ACCOMMODATIONS Various swimming theorists – e.g. Schleihauf 1977a, 1977b – have proposed factors to account for swimmers’ hands not fully displaying the Bernoulli prerequisite of a perfect wing at an angle of attack. Although all illustrative materials relate to the Bernoulli Principle, the role of angle of attack was not emphasised although it was recognised. Other observations were… • Swimmers vary both pitch and rotation

angles of the hand during a stroke. • The velocities of hand movements change

throughout pulling actions. • Drag forces are generated by the hands.


42

• Most swimmers are unique in their stroking patterns, so absolute values for constructing generalisations are relatively useless.

Despite these recognitions, adherence to the overly simplistic Bernoulli Principle focused coaching on developing lift in swimmers’ strokes. The analogy of a swimmer’s hand to an airplane wing was simply wrong. It did not have the shape or behavioural characteristics of a lift force generating wing. The analogy was false.

LIMITATIONS OF FOCUSING ON THE HAND Lift-force advocates have focused on the hand as the propelling surface. Schleihauf (1979) reported using a model hand, with no wrist or forearm, to measure simulated lift forces. Despite finding that the hand was better suited to developing lift when water flowed from the wrist down the back of the hand to the fingers, lateral flow across the back of the hand was adamantly considered to be the source of swimming propulsion. However, in all swimming strokes, it has now been confirmed that the propulsive surface of a swimmer’s arm includes the hand and forearm and the upper arm at some stages of its abduction and adduction. A swimmer’s oar-blade (propulsive surface) has increased dramatically in surface area over the past 20 years of swimming development in all competitive strokes. Rushall et al (1994) proposed that the forearm contributes more significantly to propulsion than does the hand. Since the forearm and upper arms are virtually cylindrical in shape, their ability to develop lift is negligible. Their contribution to propulsion must be through drag forces – not lift. Focusing on the hand and mystical (Bernoullian) lift has distracted coaches from attending to true propulsive capabilities in swimmers. Attention was placed on the path followed by the finger tips in a pull and presented as perfectly smooth movement loci in carton-like depictions of swimmers (see many illustrations in Counsilman 1977). Tracking the finger tips is a false premise for considering important characteristics of a swimmer’s movements. Producing ideal cartons – many of which have no evidence-based origin – are mainly oversimplifications of irregular movement patterns. Tracing finger tips and producing cartoons have obscured the true nature of propulsive swimming movements for several decades. It is more productive to focus on the orientation of the forearm and hand in all competitive strokes – even Breaststroke – given the developments in pulling patterns that have occurred over the past decade.

MINIMISATION OF LATERAL ARM ACTIONS This writer advocates the centre of the forearm-hand propulsive surface – about 2-3 inches above the wrist – as a better focus site than the hand for understanding movements. As the forearm-hand propelling surface rotates in the transverse plane, the axis of the rotation is very close to the centre of the propulsive surface. That means the propulsive forces are almost directly backward with little lateral movement when viewed from a frontal orientation. That has always been a characteristic of most top swimmers since the early 1970s and in a few others before then. The focus on lift theory seems to have blinded many swimming scientists to not interpret data objectively. Figure 6 (adapted from Counsilman 1977 pp.150-151) illustrates Mark Spitz’ right arm during the propulsive phase of the crawl stroke. The reader can determine if any of the following anti-lift characteristics are evident in the movement sequence. Figure 6 – Mark Spitz (1971): right-arm propulsive phase.

• The hand does not sweep outward and

inward to produce lateral movements that induce a lift force to be developed over the back of the hand.

• The hand does not change pitch to any significant degree to accommodate different lift and drag force combinations.

• The hand is not the sole source of propulsion.

Figure 6 shows predominantly backward movements, with the various joints involved accommodating restrictions demanded by a human anatomy that is not suited to travel through water. Very little lateral component in the movement is evidenced if the centre of the forearm-hand propulsive surface is tracked. One could argue that what lateral movement


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occurs is caused by the outward and then inward rotation of the upper arm in the shoulder joint during abduction and adduction. Hay, Liu & Andrews (1993) commented on the S-shaped path of a crawl stroke pull being promoted as worthy of development and even exaggeration so that lift forces would be increased. They showed that when the arm was simulated to move directly backward with respect to a swimmer’s reference frame (the shoulder joint), the path of the hand in the external reference frame was more curved than when actually swimming. This means that swimmers manipulate their movements to somewhat straighten the path of hand movements. Rather than swimmers abducting the arm to produce the outsweep and then adducting the arm to produce the insweep, as commonly demonstrated by coaches, swimmers actually reduce the curvature in the arm movements outward and inward by concurrently rotating the body downward/inward and upward/outward. These features demonstrate that top swimmers move to reduce lateral movements and present a hand forearm surface that maximises drag force production. Movement dynamics that would promote minor lift forces are not performed.

AIR & WATER DENSITY As a plane increases altitude, the density of the air decreases, reducing the weight of the air that is diverted downward. Thus, any or all of three things must happen to produce constant lift when increasing altitude. 1. The load on the wing should be reduced –

for example, because as fuel is burned, the plane becomes lighter and can, therefore, fly higher with the same amount of power.

2. The angle of attack is increased to divert more of the less dense air downward.

3. The plane increases its velocity through the air.

Water is approximately 1,000 times denser than air. To produce appreciable forces, movements in water can be much slower than in air. To create lift forces, there would still need to be some movement of the fluid across the back of the hand to produce a Coanda Effect – if that were possible. Water provides the best medium to develop drag forces rather than lift forces. Wood (1977) showed that during the crawl stroke propulsive phase, the hand slows down in relation to the water. Thus, during the productive phase of the stroke, the velocity of the fluid relative to the propulsive surface diminishes – further reducing any possibility of life force creation.

REQUIREMENT FOR POWER When a plane flies or a boat moves on hydrofoils, the fluid that passes is set into motion. Energy has passed from the vessel to the fluid. The energy comes from engines – or thermals or gravity as with a sailplane. This factor is not accommodated by the Bernoulli Principle. “The energy given to the air by the wing is proportional to the amount of air diverted down times the vertical velocity squared of that diverted air. The power needed to lift the airplane is proportional to the load (or weight) times the vertical velocity of the air. If the speed of the plane is doubled, the amount of air diverted down doubles. Thus, to maintain a constant lift, the angle of attack must be reduced to give a vertical velocity that is half the original. The power required for lift has been cut in half. This shows that the power required for lift becomes less as the airplane’s speed increases.” However, reality requires more power to be applied to go faster. More power than that required for lift alone is needed. The power that produces lift is termed induced power. Its increase is proportional to (1/speed) of the plane. Power is also required to overcome drag resistance off struts, sensors, etc., which is called parasitic drag. Parasitic power to overcome this drag increases as the speed cubed. At a cruising speed, parasitic power dominates. Increasing engine size does increase cruising speed but only marginally. Cruise speeds will be affected more by aircraft design, particularly factors that reduce parasitic drag.

SUMMARY OF LIFT FORCE MODIFIERS 1. The Coanda Effect has to occur on the

upper wing surface. 2. The amount of air diverted downward is

determined by the relative velocity of the fluid over the wing – the density of the fluid – and size and shape of the wing.

3. The vertical velocity of the diverted fluid is proportional to the relative velocity of the fluid over the wing and the angle of attack.

4. The lift force is proportional to the amount of fluid diverted times the vertical velocity of the fluid.

5. The power needed for lift is proportional to he lift times the vertical velocity of the fluid.

6. The shape of a wing needs to be modified to adjust to changes in the relative velocity of the fluid – the angle of attack – and the power driving the wing.

These factors and relationships must be satisfied to produce significant lift forces. If they


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are to occur in sports, they must be fulfilled. Anderson and Eberhardt (2001) offered three examples of the application of their physical explanation of lift forces that are not accommodated by the Bernoulli Principle. They used an airplane as the object. • The plane’s speed is reduced. The physical

view says that the amount of air diverted is reduced so the angle of attack is increased to compensate. The power needed for lift is also increases. The popular explanation (the Bernoulli Principle) cannot address this.

• The load of the plane is increased. The physical view says that the amount of air diverted is the same but the angle of attack must be increased to give additional lift (a greater vertical velocity is produced). The power needed for lift also has to be increased. Again, the popular explanation cannot address this.

• A plane flies upside down. The physical view has no problem with this. The plane adjusts the angle of attack of the inverted wing to give the desired lift. The popular explanation implies that inverted flight is impossible.

The physical explanation of lift forces offered by Anderson and Eberhardt is more plausible to understand – more powerful – and able to account for phenomena associated with objects moving through fluids that cannot be explained by the Bernoulli Principle.

REFLECTIONS FOR SWIMMING Most swimming coaches and scientists use the term lift force incorrectly. They calculate a lift force when none could exist because of the absence of the Coanda Effect. That is the problem with applying a formula based on only a partial understanding of the forces involved with different anatomical shapes. The erroneous lift force is more likely to be the sum of the direct force component of the asymmetrical drag force and the direct/vertical component of the reaction force between the hand and the fluid. Those forces are illustrated in Figure 3 on an inclined discus in a wind tunnel and again in Figure 7, which is a redrawing of Figure 4. This writer does not know of any published paper that has analysed the forces on the hand correctly, all seeming to use lift incorrectly. Thus, when lift is used in referenced works here, it is done so with that reservation.

Figure 7 FORCES ACTING ON A SCULLING HAND

Since the hand is inclined and therefore asymmetrical, the drag force will be distorted toward the lower edge of the hand. The

vertical component of that drag force will contribute a small amount to forward progression. The colliding fluid produces a reaction

force on the hand. The small vertical component of the reaction force will contribute to forward progression. Thus, a swimmer

moves forward relatively slowly because of the combined effect of these two small force components.

The following is but one of an increasing number of investigations that show lift forces (most probably erroneous lift forces) to be insignificant in swimming propulsion. There still exist several theorists who have steadfastly promoted a false theoretical model, mainly of crawl stroke swimming, that considers lift to be the primary propulsive force. Sanders (1997a, 1997b) measured hand lift and drag coefficients for crawl stroke in a testing tank. The coefficients were determined for the entire range of possible pitch and sweepback angles, defined in accordance with the convention established by Schleihauf (1979). The greatest forces were obtained when the pitch angle was close to 90 degrees to the flow. At that orientation, the force was due almost entirely to drag. Lift made its greatest contribution to resultant force at pitch angles near 45 degrees. However, even at 45 degrees, the contribution due to drag was as great as that of lift at most sweepback angles. When considered in three dimensions it was found that drag made a larger contribution to propulsive force than lift in all parts of the pull. During the most propulsive phase of the stroke, the pitch was 50-60 degrees. That pitch took advantage of drag forces with a smaller contribution from lift. The fluid flow at this time was from the wrist to the fingers, a direction contrary to that depicted in most swimming texts (a foil generating lift forces from lateral movements that produce a flow across the back of the hand (see Figure 3). (At most positions no lift will occur, rather the vertical force component of the reaction force is confused with it and inappropriately labelled.) Sanders’ work implied that in crawl stroke, the hand does not function like an airfoil. The major proportion of propulsive force comes from drag force although an orthogonal force does make some minor contribution. With the physical interpretation of lift (Anderson & Eberhardt 2001), more real-world phenomena can be validly described and supported by scientific evidence. The inadequacies and restrictions


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imposed by the Bernoulli Principle, do not allow it to have any practical value for understanding the phenomena involved with flight (or more generally, the movement of objects in fluids). Lift is not an important force in swimming propulsion because of the following… 1. A swimmer’s arm/hand movements do not

fulfil the physical requirements for the development of a lift force. The use of the term is usually erroneous.

2. The shape of a swimmer’s hands, and lower and upper arm, do not facilitate the Coanda Effect and are not conducive to developing any substantial lift forces.

3. The theoretical basis of lift forces in swimming, the Bernoulli Principle, is too simplistic to explain lift forces as existing in movement patterns of champion swimmers.

4. Better forms of research over the past two decades have objectively shown lift force always being minor to drag force in the total propulsive phase of swimming strokes.

It is hoped that swimming coaches and theorists will dispense with the consideration of lift forces and adhere to the characteristics of champion swimmers’ movement patterns during the propulsive phase of their strokes. Coaches should employ evidence-based understandings of the production of both drag and lift forces. If lift forces are to be considered in swimming, they have to accommodate the physical features of force production discussed above, something which they cannot do. The Bernoulli Principle cannot adequately account for lift forces in the real world. It is even further removed from applicability in swimming. References: 1. Anderson D. & Eberhardt S. (2000).

Understanding flight. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional.

2. Anderson D. & Eberhardt S. (2001). A physical description of flight – aa.washington.edu/faculty/eberhardt/lift.

3. Barthels K.M. (1982). Biomechanical research in swimming: Past, present and future. In J. Terauds (Ed.), Biomechanics in sports: Proceedings of the International Symposium of Biomechanics in Sports. Del Mar, CA: Research Center for Sports.

4. Counsilman J.E. (1970). The application of Bernoulli’s Principle to human propulsion in water. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Publications.

5. Counsilman J.E. (1971). The application of Bernoulli’s Principle to human propulsion in water. In L. Lewillie & J. Clarys (Eds.), First International Symposium on Biomechanics of

Swimming. Brussels, Belgium: Universite Libre de Bruxelles (pp.59-71).

6. Counsilman J.E. (Ed.) (1977). Competitive swimming manual for coaches and swimmers. Bloomington, IN: Counsilman.

7. Hay J.G., Liu Q. & Andrews J.G. (1993). The influence of body roll on hand path in Freestyle swimming: A computer simulation study. Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 9, 227-237.

8. Hinrich T. (October 1995). Letters to the editor. American Swimming, 14-16.

9. Maglischo E.W. (1982). Swimming Faster. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.

10. Payton C.J. & Mullineaux D.R. (1996). Effect of body roll on hand velocity in Freestyle swimming. In J.P. Troup, A.P. Hollander, D. Strasse, S.W. Trappe, J.M. Cappaert & T.A. Trappe (Eds.), Biomechanics and medicine in swimming VII (pp.59-63). London: E & FN Spon.

11. Payton C.J., Hay J.G. & Mullineaux D.R. (1997). The effect of body roll on hand speed and hand path in the front crawl – a simulation study. Journal of Applied Biomechanics, 13, 300-315.

12. Rushall B.S., Holt L.E., Sprigings E.J. & Cappeart J.M. (1994). A re-evaluation of the forces in swimming. Journal of Swimming Research, 10, 6-30.

13. Sanders R.H. (1997a). Extending the ‘Schleihauf’ model for estimating forces produced by a swimmer’s hand. In B.O. Eriksson & L. Gullstrand (Eds.), Proceedings of the XII FINA World Congress on Sports Medicine (pp.421-428). Goteborg, Sweden: Chalmers Reproservice.

14. Sanders R.H. (1997b). Hydrodynamic characteristics of a swimmer’s hand with adducted thumb: Implications for technique. In B.O. Eriksson & L. Gullstrand (Eds.), Proceedings of the XII FINA World Congress on Sports Medicine (pp.429-434). Goteborg, Sweden: Chalmers Reproservice.

15. Schleihauf R.E. (1977a). A biomechanical analysis of Freestyle aquatic skill. In J.E. Counsilman (Ed.). Competitive swimming manual for coaches and swimmers. Bloomington. IN: Counsilman (pp.232-240).

16. Schleihauf R.E. (1977b). A hydrodynamic analysis of Breaststroke pulling. In J.E. Counsilman (Ed.). Competitive swimming manual for coaches and swimmers. Bloomington. IN: Counsilman (pp.241-247).


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17. Schleihauf R.E. (1979). A hydrodynamic analysis of swimming propulsion. In J. Terauds & E.W. Bedingfield (Eds.). Swimming III (pp.70-109). Baltimore: University Park Press.

18. Sprigings E.J. & Kohler J.A. (1990). The choice between Bernoulli’s or Newton’s model in predicting dynamic lift. International Journal of Sport Biomechanics, 6, 235-245.

19. Wood T.C. (1977). A fluid dynamic analysis of the propulsive potential of the hand and forearm in swimming. Unpublished master’s thesis, Dalhousie University, Canada.

Health

Waves Tips for Improving Your Lifestyle

(Reproduced from SWIM Magazine, Jul/Aug ‘02)

ASK DR. SWIM Question: I have a question regarding the reported research findings about calculating maximum heart rate. I am 42 years old, and my maximum heart rate theoretically should be 178 beats per minute (bpm). According to the often-quoted statistic, I should be hitting 60-80% of that target – a range of 107-142 bpm – when exercising aerobically. However, during a normal 4,000-yard workout, I am consistently hitting 160-190 bpm. Am I putting myself at risk? Am I anaerobic? Maximum heart rate was established in the 1940s and 1950s before current technology was available. Usually when an individual achieved maximum workload, his/her heart rate was reproducible. However, there was great variation among individuals. The maximum heart rate for your age appears on a table, which is the average result of many subjects. Variation can be plus or minus 10-25 beats per minute. The question, “Am I at risk?” is best determined by a physician who would give you a maximal stress test based on getting your heart rate to 190 or higher, rather than a pre-determined protocol for your age. Data collected from physiologists on the same individual reveal the maximum heart rate varies with activity: highest for running, next for cycling and slowest for swimming. So, a stress test on the treadmill may only determine your maximum heart rate while running. To determine if you are using anaerobic metabolism (meaning without oxygen); ask yourself how your muscles feel in a set of fast 100 repeats on short rest. If you are using

anaerobic metabolism, lactic acid will have built up in the muscles and will result in muscle fatigue, which you will notice during the set. Also look at your time progression for each 100. If you are using anaerobic metabolism, your 100 time will increase as lactic acid builds up in your muscles. Basically, the more closely your recovery conforms to baseline result, the fitter you may be. Art Figur, M.D., Connecticut Masters Maximum heart rate is the maximum number of times your heart can contract in a minute. This number is genetically determined and does not reflect your level of fitness. Your maximum heart rate does not determine how you perform in competition, it cannot be accurately predicted from a mathematical formula and it may not decline with age unless you are sedentary. Physicians and exercise physiologists have observed that a significant number of people undergoing stress tests get their heart rate higher than the maximum heart rate predicted by either formula. This information emphasises that the number is just an estimate. To determine your maximum heart rate, take a maximum heart rate test. This test typically involves a graded treadmill test (gradually increasing speed and slope) and can be combined with ventilatory threshold and anaerobic threshold testing to determine your anaerobic threshold heart rate. The fact that you are exceeding your predicted maximum heart rate does not predict risk of a serious heart event with exercise. It does serve to emphasise that the mathematical formulas to estimate maximum heart rate are just that – estimates. Jody Welborn, M.D. Oregon Masters Your maximal heart rate tends to decrease as you age. However, most of the data supporting this claim have been obtained in a cross sectional manner. Thus, the results are a picture of what is rather than what should be. Cross sectional studies rely on variability in the population to identify trends in the data. By their nature, they compare apples to oranges. Within the population samples, there are big differences in physical fitness and general health. Several studies have focused on older, relatively active populations, and have reported similar declines in maximal heart rate. Interestingly, the declines in heart rate were matched by increases in heart volume. Your maximal aerobic capacity does not necessarily need to decline at the same pace as your maximal heart rate. Unfortunately, there are measurable risks associated with intensive exercise. However, the risks are very small for individuals who maintain high fitness levels. The benefits of routine physical activity far outweigh the slight risks associated with catastrophic cardiac events during heavy exercise. Joel Stager, Ph.D., Indiana University Masters


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Swim

for Fitness

Everything you ever wanted to know By Scott Rabalais

Reproduced from SWIM Magazine, Jul/Aug ‘02 STROKE MECHANICS

The Difference between Feel and Real During an instructional segment on The Golf Channel, Butch Harmon, personal golf coach for Tiger Woods, described a swing fault that Tiger had corrected early in his pro career. Harmon explained that Tiger possessed the ability to rotate or spin his hips extremely fast, which is desirable for generating power to send the ball great distances off the tee. However, his core spin was so fast that his rotation was actually ahead of his swing, which left Tiger with directional problems on his drives. In order to synchronise his rotation and his downswing, Harmon suggested to Tiger that he think of rotating his body slowly. Actually, relative to other golfers, he was still demonstrating his trademark fast rotation, but in Tiger’s mind the rotation seemed to be in slow motion. By drastically changing the perception of his rotation, Tiger made the necessary change to improve his golf swing.

CHANGING PATTERNS Quite likely, the reason why such a drastic change in perception is required is because old habits are established with thousands or even millions of repetitions. A Masters swimmer who has trained an hour per day, three days a week, for 10 years, will take in the area of one million stroke cycles. With the stroke mechanics so firmly ingrained in the psyche of the swimmer, any change to such a pattern will be resisted by the brain. But through the repetition of improved stroke mechanics, the old will make way for the new.

STROKE ADJUSTMENTS On a perceptual level, exaggeration is useful in making stroke adjustments. A typical stroke flaw in Backstroke appears as a swimmer places the hands directly above the head at entry, typically referred to as crossover. An analogy used to describe this is a swimmer placing the left hand in the water at 11.30 (hour hand on a clock). A swimmer extending the arm on entry and placing the

hand behind the shoulder is entering at 12 o’clock. An entry just outside of the shoulder is entering at one o’clock. For a swimmer to change from an 11.30 entry to a one o’clock entry is a radical change in terms of perception – a 45° change in entry position. For a swimmer to make such an adjustment requires conscious effort and a feeling of exaggerated change. Overstated cue words such as enter wide or hands in at 2 o’clock can be the appropriate mental message that results in the desired physical change.

Another example of the difference between feel and real is in the amplitude of the dolphin kicks during underwater kicking on Butterfly, Freestyle or Backstroke. Swimmers can be trained to use small kicks to adjust their kicks to their most effective size, primarily within the cylinder created by the body mass. Perhaps the cue words of short and quick would give the swimmers the input to change from large, sweeping, less-propulsive kicks to shorter, faster kicks.

A third example can occur during Breaststroke pull-downs. Often, swimmers will rush through this underwater phase of Breaststroke, thinking that movement of any type is better than streamlining and gliding. To use the pull-down effectively, swimmers may need to use the cue words wait or glide. To a swimmer who is accustomed to rushing the pull-down, the pauses after the push-off and the underwater pull may feel like an eternity.

VIDEO FEEDBACK The camera does not lie. Use of a video camera gives reliable feedback of your stroke changes. Ask your coach or another swimmer to videotape your adjusted stroke to see if your perceptions match your actual changes. If not, change your cue words until you achieve the desired effect. Even the most minute stroke changes can take a while to become second nature. Fortunately, it shouldn’t take another one million strokes to establish a new mental pattern and an improved stroke! With continued awareness, practice and analysis, your new habit will replace the old habit within a few weeks or months. Understanding the difference between feel and real has made Tiger better off the tees and will make you better off the blocks!


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Reproduced from SWIM Magazine, May/Jun ‘02

THE UNDERWATER PHASE Stay Under or Start Swimming?

At the recent USA Swimming Spring Nationals, the top two finishers in the Men’s 100m Freestyle, Jason Lezak and Scott Tucker, both of Irvine Novaquatics, spent little time underwater after the start and 50m turn. In fact, they spent less time underwater than anyone else in the field. However, at the Women’s NCAA Division I Championships, superstar Natalie Coughlin, who set American records in Freestyle, Backstroke and Butterfly, typically dolphin’d underwater near the maximum 15 metres on each 25-yard length. So what is best? Stay under and kick or pop up and swim? There are several factors that determine what type of action a swimmer should use during the underwater phase of each length. While several general principles apply, variables relating to individual traits and abilities also play a role. Consider these factors in a Freestyle race that affect one’s ability to find speed off the walls. Strength of Push-off… obviously, a strong push-off will generate a burst of speed at the outset of the length. Other than the start, a swimmer is usually moving at a faster velocity at the push-off than at any other time in the race. Though all swimmers will decelerate from this initial burst of speed, the key factor becomes the amount and rate of deceleration in the transition from push-off to kicking and kicking to swimming. Streamlining… the faster a swimmer moves off the wall, the greater are the resistive forces working against the swimmer. Streamlining plays a critical role in reducing these resistive forces and helping to reduce the rate of deceleration. Depth… near the surface, the swimmer will encounter surface friction and turbulence. If a swimmer plunges too deeply off the turn, then the swimmer is likely to climb to the surface just before the first stroke. Optimal depth – in part – should be determined by how long and how effectively a swimmer kicks off the wall. Type of Kick… particularly during Sprint Freestyle events, dolphin kicking underwater off starts and turns is growing in popularity. A Masters swimmer would be wise to determine whether his or her underwater dolphin or flutter kick is faster off a push-off. A few 8-yard time trials using these two kicks alternately should provide relevant data to help determine which is more effective.

Body Position… should the body be positioned on its side, its front or a combination of both during the underwater phase? It has been shown that kicking laterally off the walls may be slightly faster than kicking vertically. Number of Kicks… top-level swimmers may take 10 dolphin kicks off the wall but this is after training the technique sufficiently, along with effectively developing the strength and speed in the kick. Masters swimmers should determine the effectiveness of their chosen kick and compare that with their initial swimming speed to determine the optimal breakout point. Size of the Kicks… generally, faster kicks of smaller amplitude help to minimise the forward-moving surface area. Keep the body in a tight cylinder while kicking and allow the kicking action to venture just slightly outside of the surface area of the upper body. Dolphining in this manner is different than dolphining during a Butterfly stroke and should be trained as such. Timing of the Kick… since maximum speed is obtained at the push-off, any immediate kicking, or enlarging of the surface area, can create additional resistive forces. Most elite swimmers will pause ever so briefly off the wall before beginning a kicking action. Timing of the Stroke… just as important as the timing of the kick is the timing of the first Freestyle stroke. Taken too early, the swimmer is ploughing forward underwater and will likely catch water on the stroke’s recovery. Taken too late and the swimmer risks losing speed due to surface pull. Length of the Race… the demands of a specific race should be taken into account. For a 50-yard race, during which the aerobic demands are relatively low, an effective dolphin kicker may spend over half of the race underwater. However, in a 1,650-yard race, holding one’s breath underwater for long periods may be very demanding and ineffective. Some of these factors can be measured fairly accurately with a stopwatch or a trained eye to determine which suits a swimmer in a particular situation. More than likely, many decisions will be made by the feel of the swimmer – such as how deep to push off – what body position to use – when to start kicking – how long to use the kick – and when to take the first stroke. Keep in mind that many of the skills used during a push-off can be developed and improved with practice.


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Duke Kahanamoku PASSING THE CROWN

By P.H. Mullen Reproduced from Swimming World and Junior

Swimmer, August 2002 Seventy-eight years ago, two swimming legends raced in the finals of the 1924 Paris Olympics. It was the sunset of one champion’s career and the

drawn of the other’s Duke Kahanamoku stood poolside with four other finalists and prepared for the finals of the 100 metre Freestyle in the 1924 Paris Olympics. He was the event’s two-time defending champion and acknowledged “World’s Greatest Swimmer”. Surely Kahanamoku knew he could not win this race. But if he felt any sadness or regret, he hid it – as he hid most feelings. The world had watched him win gracefully for a generation; now it would see that same grace in defeat. Duke was the sport’s ancient veteran, a nearly 34-year-old man competing in a universe dominated by young warriors. Earlier in the week, he struggled to advance even beyond the preliminaries, causing the New York Times to note curtly, “The Hawaiian appeared to have slowed up greatly since his last appearance in Europe.” It’s the nature of sports that the end of a champion’s career is always more closely watched than its beginning. On this July afternoon 78 years ago, cool weather brought out the crowds. More than 12,000 fans – by far the largest audience to attend the Olympic swimming competition – arrived early to jostle and push for a view of Les Tourelles pool. Everyone wanted to see this race. They used to come to see Kahanamoku win. Today they had come to see him lose. Thirteen years earlier, in 1911, the giant Hawaiian began his swimming career at age 21. The first time he competed – in an AAU-sanctioned meet in the Honolulu Harbour – he set a world record. Later the same afternoon, he equalled another world record. The sceptical sporting world refused to believe the news. But months later, Kahanamoku barnstormed across the United States, setting world records seemingly every time he got wet. The tour culminated with an Olympic gold medal in the 100 metre Freestyle at the 1912 Stockholm Games. Kahanamoku was exotic and beautiful. His background was intriguing and his name was instantly recognisable. The cheerful swimmer was the most popular Olympian in Sweden, and

within the year, he was arguably the most recognisable athlete in the world. Kahanamoku would have been in prime condition for the 1916 Berlin Olympics, but World War I caused their cancellation. Four years later, when it came time to qualify for the 1920 Antwerp Games, some journalists suggested it was folly for a 30-year-old man to dream of such glory. But Kahanamoku had proved them wrong by making the 100 metre Freestyle, the 4x200 Freestyle Relay – and the water polo team. In

Antwerp, the “pool” was a dirty, unheated canal. The air was bitterly cold, and there were no showers. Nevertheless, he won the 100 metre Freestyle with a world record that was two seconds faster than his Olympic swim eight years earlier. He also captured a relay gold, and his water polo team finished fourth. That he fell asleep behind the bleachers during the relay finals and nearly missed his anchor leg only added to his enormous legend. Kahanamoku exited the 1920 Antwerp Olympics a certified global star. Afterward, the US team gave exhibition races in 26 cities, and he had to be assigned a bodyguard to keep the women at bay. In Paris, police were needed to break up a mob of fans. Between his first Olympics and the Antwerp Games eight years later, he had devoted much of his energy promoting his first love, surfing. Now in the post-war glow that was the Roaring 20’s, an ever-growing legion of Kahanamoku protégés all over the world were running headlong into waves with homemade surfboards.

By the 1924 Paris Olympics, Kahanamoku was the most enduring hero in US amateur sports. Yes, he was tired of competing and ready to try other things. But he was also bigger than life, a living legend who, at age 33, could swim faster than he had at 21. A man like that is incredibly difficult to race against. The 1924 Paris Olympics were a celebration full of gaiety and popular interest (“Chariots of Fire” was based on this Olympiad). World War I was long over, economic revitalisation was


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gaining momentum, and there was energy in the air, a quickening, a kind of expansive optimism that held Paris and all of Europe. The US Olympic team steamed across the Atlantic on a 10-day journey. As with previous Olympic voyages, swimmers trained en route by tying ropes around their waists and swimming in place in a saltwater-filled canvas tank. The ship’s deck had a 100-yard straightway track for the runners. Fencers and boxers practiced as the ocean swells added a degree of difficulty to their aim. The ship’s only reported mishap came when a coxswain was hit in the neck (but not badly wounded) by a bullet ricocheting off a modern pentathlete’s target. This was the first truly modern Games, and journalists from around the world were in attendance. A record 45 countries were to compete (versus 29 in 1920). Nonetheless, on the US ocean liner, Yale’s eight-man Olympic crew team was nowhere to be seen. They would show up later ... after having won their annual show-down race with Harvard, a competition that at the time was more important than the Olympic Games. (The Elis would win gold in Paris.) The US contingent was greeted by thousands of spectators when it arrived in France. “Paris Wildly Cheers US Team on Arrival,” blared the New York Times headline. As the 300-member US delegation travelled in 70 automobiles to its lodgings, villagers lined the streets to wave and applaud. Many wore American flags in straw hats and American patches over their hearts. They knew who helped them win World War I. But despite the festive happenings, the US swimming team – acknowledged as the greatest collection of talent ever assembled to that point – was having a difficult time. In the midst, of June’s Olympic Trials in Indianapolis, team officials received a terse telegram from New York stating that … due to lack of funds the size of the men’s US Olympic swimming team was reduced from 36 members to 24. It was a stinging blow to morale. Then in France, swimmers were housed with the other US athletes, despite the fact the lodgings were an astounding distance from the swimming complex. Daily bus trips to the pool required several hours over roads so rough that at least one US swimmer, Gertrude Ederle, suffered muscle spasms from the bumpy journey. Before the competition began, the frustrated team moved to closer quarters. The troubles disappeared once the racing began. The US team utterly dominated the competition, winning gold in all but three events and sweeping first, second and third places in six races.

The men’s 100 metre Freestyle was the last individual event of the meet. The finalists wore one-piece bathing suits. There were no goggles … reliable ones wouldn’t be invented for decades. Nor were there starting blocks. As Kahanamoku calmly readied himself, it’s safe to say most spectators didn’t notice him. They were instead watching the nervous rookie at his side. He was called the “Prince of Waves” and he was heir apparent to Kahanamoku’s crown of “World’s Greatest Swimmer”. But at the moment, he was clearly flustered. Johnny Weissmuller, 20, was the only person on deck with the body and size that could match Kahanamoku’s. The lad was an Adonis, and with rakish good looks and a devil-may-care smile, he seemed to hold the world by a string. Already, the Chicago Freestyler owned 20 of the unprecedented 67 world records he would set during his career. No one could match his range from sprinting to middle distance. Although he was not swimming Backstroke in the Olympics, he had set world records in the discipline. Kahanamoku may have owned three Olympic gold medals and enjoyed the stature of dominating a sport for a generation ... but on paper, Weissmuller was better. The kid was electric. From the Games’ first day, he was the most popular athlete of the Games – just as the Hawaiian had been in Stockholm 12 years earlier. It had been a good year for Weissmuller. In April, a week after he broke several of his own records with ease at US nationals, all nagging questions and rumours about his nationality suddenly resolved themselves, thanks to several high-level politicians in Washington. Weissmuller was a true-blue American, they announced, one who’d been born in the great United States of America and raised on apple pie and democracy. He was emphatically not – as some rumour mongers suggested – an Austrian who moved to the United States as a child. (Only years later would it be confirmed that Weissmuller had indeed been born in what was then Austria-Hungary [today Romania]. He was not an American citizen and therefore, technically ineligible for the US Olympic team. The powerbrokers likely knew this ... but what kind of American patriot would disqualify his country’s best swimmer?) At June’s US Olympic Trials, Weissmuller and Kahanamoku raced for the first time. Using the same powerful “flutter” kick that was the basis of Kahanamoku’s success, Weissmuller won the historic encounter. The moment was largely overlooked, although the New York


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Times did note in passing that it was a close race. Biographers of Kahanamoku and Weissmuller like to say their subjects never lost. That’s a small exaggeration for both. But until the race in Indianapolis, Kahanamoku had never lost a meaningful competition. A month later in Paris, Weissmuller clearly had the momentum in his favour as he prepared for the 100 metre Freestyle finals. He had already triumphed in the 400 metre Freestyle with what the New York Times described as a “magnificent rush” on the last lap. It had been the best race of the meet; with Weissmuller, a sprinter, trading the lead every 100 metres with Sweden’s distance ace, Arne Borg. Kahanamoku and Weissmuller ... the two winning titans stood side by side – the veteran in the sunset of a brilliant career and the rookie in the dawn of his. What made Weissmuller so nervous was that on his other side stood none other than Kahanamoku’s younger brother, 21-year-old Sam. Swimming did not then use lane lines, and Weissmuller suddenly sensed the brothers might try to box him in. How do crowns pass from one champion to another? According to the biography, “Memories of Duke,” Kahanamoku looked at the young man and said, “Johnny, good luck. The most important thing in this race is to get the American flag up there three times. Let’s do it.” The three men turned their attention to the flat, dull water of the unchlorinated Les Tourelles pool. The gun sounded, and race began. For every action there is an equal reaction, and Kahanamoku’s remarkable aquatic success was only matched by his difficulties on land. Life offered no free rides for a native islander with limited skills and a ninth-grade education, even when he was one of the most popular personalities in the world. Being treated like royalty wherever he went probably made the situation worse. Strict Olympic rules against professionalism prevented Kahanamoku from profiting from his sport; thus, he never earned a dollar swimming or surfing. After becoming a star in 1912 and touring the world, Kahanamoku returned to Honolulu to become ... a meter reader. The colour of his skin, combined with his inarticulateness (he spoke English and Hawaiian but was a man of few words), exacerbated his situation. In parts of the mainland United States, he couldn’t even be served in restaurants. The Hawaiian government also limited him, for while it was eager to leverage its favourite son’s fame as a

tourist magnet, it took advantage of his goodwill without providing meaningful compensation. In the prime of his athletic career, Kahanamoku would work as a governmental office boy, a surveyor and a beach boy running errands for rich vacationers. Later, he would be a janitor at Honolulu’s city hall. Then he operated two Honolulu gas stations until it became unbearable to have tourists snap his photograph through the windshield as he cleaned their glass. Money was always going to be a constant worry. During the day on Waikiki Beach, Kahanamoku charmed dignitaries, CEOs, vacationing heiresses and young scions. But at night, he couldn’t even afford to buy them dinner. To be a hero for those people, but not even their equal, must have been excruciating. His biographer, Joe Brennan, noted that Kahanamoku seemed to exist with plurality of an “outer” and “inner” life. On the outside, he delivered an image of island happiness and contentment. But on the inside, he struggled to reconcile his accomplishments with his poverty and inability to fit into the modern world. It was not until he became sheriff of Honolulu in 1934 that he would find a niche. The largely ceremonial job, which he held for 26 years, allowed him to act as the island’s unofficial ambassador and greeter. But long before he was sheriff, back in the early 1920s, Kahanamoku moved to Hollywood for a time. He would appear in about 30 movies through the late 1950s, always playing the same forgettable, stereotyped character. If the script called for a dark-skinned man – preferably one without a shirt and without speaking parts – Kahanamoku could land the role. Late in life, he remarked to biographer Brennan, “I played Polynesian chiefs, Aztec chiefs, Indian chiefs … all kind of chiefs”. Was it said with humour, resignation or irony? Probably all three. Meanwhile Johnny Weissmuller’s Hollywood career was going to take a distinctively different path. Weissmuller quit swimming in 1928 to become Tarzan and grew into one of the most idolised movie stars of the era. Yet while Kahanamoku’s life on land was often difficult, life in the water always came easy. The man lived for the ocean’s waves. In December 1914, he delivered a surfing demonstration in Australia that included surfing on his head, stepping from one moving board to another, and surfing with a girl on his shoulders. It was enough to introduce the sport to an entire continent, and at the time, he received more press coverage in Australia than did World War I.


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As the war grew, he toured the United States providing Red Cross lifesaving lessons and introducing surfing everywhere he could. This became a pattern for his life – wherever Kahanamoku travelled (usually for swimming), he brought surfing to the people. If he was not the world’s best surfer, he was very close. He rode the waves until poor health in his last years made it impossible. And while the 1924 Paris Olympics were the last time Kahanamoku raced in the Olympic finals, he continued to swim faster and faster. His improvement was completely illogical. In 1928, he planned to compete in the US Olympic Trials, but was side-lined by illness. In 1930, he was 40 years old when he inaugurated a meet at the 100-metre Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium by swimming the 100 metre Freestyle in his fastest time (59.8). He did it without the accelerating benefit of a turn. Two years later, the Hawaiian failed to qualify for the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics in swimming but made the US water polo team as an alternate, and the team captured bronze. No swimmer before or since has been so successful, for so long. Weissmuller, for example, was 14 years younger than Kahanamoku, and by 1932 he had been retired for four years. Afterward, Duke Kahanamoku never talked much about the 1924 Paris race. But then again, neither did Weissmuller. From the first strokes, it was apparent the rookie possessed a strength no one could match. Weissmuller pulled into the lead. The crowd roared in approval while the other four men fought for second place. No one would ever accuse Johnny Weissmuller of lacking confidence. But on this day, even as his lead grew greater, on nearly every breath he looked over his shoulder for the competition. It was as if a part of him refused to recognise he was outswimming Kahanamoku. Meanwhile the Hawaiian was in a dogfight. He had barely survived his preliminary and semi final heats. He was nearly old enough to be the father of the other finalists, and his chances of medalling were slim. But he stayed even with his brother and with Borg, the Swede. With 10 metres to go, an exhausted Borg fell off the pace. Still looking over his shoulder, Weissmuller won by about three metres in 59.0. In the final strokes, Duke somehow slipped ahead of Sam and touched second (1:01.4). At the pool’s edge, Weissmuller and Kahanamoku congratulated each other. Sam was there, too. Everyone was smiling. They

turned to the crowd and let the applause rain on the pool. The crown had passed. In 1965, Kahanamoku (1890-1968) and Weissmuller (1904-1984) were the first individuals elected into the International Swimming Hall Fame. Ninety years ago, P.H. Mullen’s grandmother and Johnny Weissmuller learned to swim together in Pennsylvania. Read his acclaimed swimming book, “Gold in the Water.” Visit www.goldinthewater.com.

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Reproduced from January 2003 No.1

Mustapha Larfaoui President of the Fédération

Internationale de Natation (FINA)

During a large number of years, FINA only issued a publication mainly meant to the National Federations and officials. The distribution of this publication, elaborated under the direction of the FINA Honorary Secretary, remained at an internal level. Since the end of the 80’s, we constantly tried to enhance and diversify our information policy. Year after year, the publications of the Fédération Internationale de Natation were issued in a larger number in order to better correspond to the FINA Family expectations. Since 1990 a colour quarterly magazine aimed to a wider public was published. This magazine reached its objectives and I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to all the persons that contributed to its success. At the same time, the monthly FINA News, edited in Lausanne from November 1992, never ceased to provide more complete information to the FINA National Federations and all those related with our activities. This booklet was followed by three specialised bulletins named FINA Masters News, FINA Open Water Swimming Newsletter and FINA Sports Medicine Review. Unanimously, the FINA Bureau members considered in our last meeting held in Punta del Este (URU) that the time had come to gather this magazine and these bulletins in a single publication. The development of the FINA activities and the need for a more satisfactory communicational policy for everyone are responsible for this step forward. I am convinced that this initiative and this new conception will satisfy our wide audience. The first issue is in your hands. All the editorial team is waiting with impatience your suggestions and your help in order the FINA Aquatics World can give the most precise and complete image of our activities worldwide. The goal is set … to assure a strongest link between all the members of the FINA Family, thus contributing for a better knowledge of the numerous FINA facets and helping to the development of all our disciplines.

THE NEWCOMERS IN THE ELITE CLUB By Camillo Cametti

FINA Press Commission Chairman 2003 seems to be a promising year for some young swimmers who already made history along with the

familiar stars Swimming is always regenerating itself. In spite of being the only non Olympic Games and non World Championships year of the current quadrennium, 2002 has offered a copious flow of world records, as it has become customary in the most recent years. This was made possible by several high profile international meets staged in the past year, both long and short course. In long course competition, the European Championships, the Commonwealth Games, the Pan-Pacific Championships and the Asian Games attracted all the world’s leading swimmers. Some few others have opted for a semi sabbatical year, as the Dutch super star Inge de Bruijn, or have considered retirement, as the American king of the individual medleys, Tom Dolan. In short course competition, the various World Cup meets and the World Championships in Moscow last April proved to be good opportunities for the top swimmers to exhibit their talents. In addition, the major swimming powers’ national championships also contributed to the output of performances of excellence. Therefore, there is no wonder that even in an odd year like 2002 we were able to witness a world record spree as well as a large number of top performances. Overall, new world records were set in 34 events … 12 long course (LC), 22 short course (SC). Men and women equally shared the merit with six records each LC and 11 each SC. Should we count repetitions the totals would be higher. In addition to the number of new world records another significant benchmark should be taken into account … the number of performances that scored 1,000+ points – this figure may be considered the threshold of excellence – according to the FINA point system. Taking into account just one performance per swimmer and per event (without counting repetition) over 100 performances were recorded. We have counted 109 of them … 63 (LC 34, SC 29) among men, 46 (LC 12, SC 34) among women. Swimmers of all continents (besides Africa) contributed to the setting of both the new world records and the performances of excellence. The state of health of world swimming is indeed very good. The United States of America and Australia once more proved to be world leaders among the


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swimming powers. Close behind comes Germany, ahead of the Asian major powers, China and Japan. Many European countries also did well – Russia, Italy, Great Britain, Ukraine, Sweden, Hungary, the Netherlands … while in South America swimmers from Argentina (namely Jose Meolans in the men’s competition and Georgina Bardach among the women) challenged Brazil’s supremacy. In Africa, the traditional superiority of South Africa was confirmed. However, as a note of novelty, Tunisia and Algeria also emerged with some new promising swimmers. The biggest newsmaker was probably the prodigious 24-year-old German swimmer Franziska van Almsick who last summer, at the European Championships, made a sensational comeback. In Berlin, in front of an enthusiastic friendly crowd – and, thanks to television and the media, in front of the world – “Franzi” managed an incredible feat by conquering five titles and by bettering the 200m Freestyle World Record she had set eight years earlier in 1994 at the World Championships in Rome. She also anchored her 4x100m Freestyle Relay Team to gold and a new World Record – thanks to a great last leg. Last year there were other successful comebacks. Among them particularly relevant were those of two “veterans” – Jenny Thompson (USA) and Jani Sievinen (FIN), and that of Lenny Krayzelburg (USA).

THORPE & COUGHLIN But the frontliners – as well as the major headliners – of 2002 were the formidable Ian Thorpe (Australia) and Natalie Coughlin (USA), both 20. They provided the major highlights in terms of records beaten and quality performances. Their designation as Swimmers of the Year was uncontroversial. Thorpe, who is on top of the world since the World Championships 1998 in Perth, won 6 golds and set a world record in the 400m Freestyle with 3:40.08 for 1,026 FINA points at the Commonwealth Games. Then he added five more golds and a silver at the Pan-Pacific Championships. Coughlin, instead, may be considered almost a newcomer in the Elite Club ... indeed, she had a fantastic year. She won 5 golds at the US Nationals in August – a feat only legendary Tracy Caulkins had accomplished. She conquered the 100m Backstroke in 59.58 (1,019 points), the 200m Backstroke, the 100 and 200m Freestyle and the 100m Butterfly. Days later, at the Pan-Pacs, she confirmed herself as one of the most talented and versatile swimmers in history by conquering four golds and two silvers. Her sensational and ever

improving career culminated, for the moment, with the three world records (SC) she set at East Meadows (NY) during the second leg of the FINA World Cup 2002-2003. She started things off on the first day by bettering the 100m Butterfly World Record with a time of 56.34 (1,024 points). On the second day she set world new marks in the 100m Backstroke with an amazing time of 56.71 (1,040 points) and the 100 Individual Medley, with an equally excellent time of 58.80 (1,032 points). Coughlin now leads the all-time rankings in the 100 Backstroke, both long and short course. In short course she is on top also in the 200 Backstroke, the 100 Butterfly and the 100 IM. Moreover, in long course, she is 2nd in both the 100 Freestyle and the 50 Backstroke, 5th in the 50 Butterfly and 6th in the 200 Backstroke. In short course she is also 3rd in both the 50 Backstroke and the 50 Butterfly. Last season saw also the affirmation of 26-year-old German swimmer Thomas Rupprath, who, together with Franziska van Almsick, led Germany to victory in the European Championships. Rupprath emerged especially in short course where he set three world records … in the 50 and 100m Backstroke, respectively with 23.23 for 1,025 points and 50.58 for 1,021 points. He also shared with Michael Phelps (USA) the long course 100m Butterfly best world performance of the year, with 51.88 (1,010 points), just 0.07 seconds away from the World Record. Admiration was raised by French “veteran” Franck Esposito (30) who set the 200m Butterfly World Record with 1:50.73 (1,023 points) last December in Antibes, France. A new name on the world record table was that of 20-year-old Japanese Kosuke Kitajima who won the 200m Breaststroke at the Asian Games with 2:09.97 (1,010 points), bettering Mike Barrowman’s (USA) 10-year-old World Record.

TEENAGERS Among the teenagers who made the biggest splashes in 2002, the most impressive was a 15-year-old American swimmer, Michael Phelps. At the summer national championships he set the 400 IM World Record with 4:11.09 (1,013 points). He also contributed to the world record set at the Pan-Pacs by the USA Medley Relay, swimming the third leg (Butterfly). He was also the best performer long course last year in the 200IM, with 1:58.68 (1,011 points, second performance all time) and, as mentioned earlier, in the 100 Butterfly, with 51.88, an American record. His compatriot Aaron Peirsol (19) also deserved the headlines for having established


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the 200m Backstroke World Record, in March, at the Spring Nationals, with 1:55.15 (1,025 points). He also leads the 100m world ranking, in 2002, with 54.01 (1,005 points). From Asia, besides Kitajima, other swimmers emerged with top performances. From Japan the best was 20-year-old Sachiko Yamada who set the short course 800m Freestyle World Record in 8:14.35 and also did well in the 400 Freestyle, both long and short course. China proposed a relatively new breed of excellent swimmers, this time not only among women. The best was the well known, but just 17, Hui Qi. This tall and lean swimmer added a sensational 200m Breaststroke short course world record to the one she set long course in 2001. In Shanghai, at the third leg of the current World Cup series, she swam the event in 2:18.86 (1,023 points). In 2002 she proved her versatility also by clocking the second best time in the 200IM, SC, with 2:08.28, just a fraction of a second slower than Ukraine’s Yana Klochkova, also one the main personalities of the past season, and the third best in the 400IM, long course. She also recorded the best time in the 200m Breaststroke, long course, with 2:23.74 (1,005 points) and was an obvious protagonist at the Asian Games. Other Chinese female teenagers to be remembered were Breaststroker Xuejuan Luo and Nan Luo; Freestylers Yu Yang and Yanwei Xu, and Backstrokers Shu Zhang (1986) and Tianyi Zhang … the latter was born in 1990 and therefore is just 12 years old. She swam sensational times for her age in short course, at both the World Cup meets she took part in. In Shanghai she was second to Hui Qi in the 200IM, with 2:09.85, and to Klochkova in the 400IM, with 4:37.22. She won a bronze also in the 50m Backstroke, with 28.23. In Melbourne, Zhang won the 200 and 400IM (2:10.78, 4:35.69), was second in the 50 Backstroke (28.19) and the 100IM (1:02.69). Amazing performances were provided also by 15-year-old boy Peng Wu (he was born in 1987). He won three events at the Asian Games (LC) … the 400IM in 4:15.38 (Asian record), the 200 Butterfly in 1:56.63 (national record) and the 200 Backstroke in 2:00.40. Europeans teenagers also made waves. The No.1 among the youngsters was certainly the 17-year-old versatile Hungarian Eva Risztov. After winning seven titles at her country’s national championships, Risztov won 4 silver medals at the long course European Championships (400 and 800 Freestyle, 200 Butterfly and 400IM) and three golds and a silver at the SC European championships last December in the same events.

Among the young men noteworthy was 18-year-old Russian Yuri Prilukov. A middle-distance Freestyler, he won the 400, 800 and 1500m Freestyle titles at the SC European Championships as well as the 1500 title at the LC Europeans last summer. Others to be remembered are two 16-year-old swimmers … Breaststroker Mirna Jukic, of Austria (originally from Croatia) winner of both the LC and SC European titles in the 200m and the SC world title on the same event; Backstroker Stanislava Komarova, of Russia, also won the LC course European title in the 200m and got a silver at the SC Europeans in the same event. From Africa deserving mention is 26-year-old Algerian Salim Iles who set a new African record in the 100m Freestyle with 49.00, breaking Jonty Skinner’s 26-year-old mark … and 18-year-old Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia who won 6 golds (all Freestyle and IM events) at the LC African Championships. Finally, here are others to be mentioned, with apologies to those who have not been mentioned in this article, as they were among the main protagonists of the past season. Let us begin with Ed Moses (USA) who in January set the SC world records in the 100 and 200m Breaststroke, with 57.47 and 2:03.17, worth respectively 1,031 and 1,049 points! Lindsay Benko, also from the USA, won the 200 Freestyle SC world title in Moscow in a world record time (1:54.04). Emma Igelstrom (SWE) who won the 50, 100m Breaststroke world titles in Moscow both in world record times, and collected numerous other laurels during the season. Grant Hackett (AUS), who was formidable in both short and long course. Among his numerous feats we remember his 400 Freestyle world record, with 3:34.58. His compatriot Leisel Jones (17 years old) was also in evidence with her victories in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Yana Klochkova (UKR) won a lot and also set a great SC world record back in January, in the 400IM, with 4:27.83.

NEWS…NEWS…NEWS…NEWSAUSTRALIA… Australian Swimming has recently announced that the jewel in the domestic season swimming crown, the Telstra Australian Championships, shall be held in Sydney for the next three years. Ian Thorpe was one of the seven sporting stars nominated for the American-International Athlete Trophy, a rare distinction for a foreigner. He was also named World Swimmer of the Year for a record fourth time by Swimming World magazine and Australian Swimmer of the Year for a record fourth occasion. Thorpe, who burst on to the scene in 1997, first won this last award in 1999


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and has since added Australian Swimming’s highest award in 2000, 2001 and now 2002. AUSTRIA… Mirna Jukic has been elected Sportswoman of the Year before two skiers. It is the first time in Austrian history that a swimmer has obtained such honour. Markus Rogan took 3rd place after two skiers GERMANY… Comeback! Franziska van Almsick, winner of five titles during the 2002 European Swimming Championships has been designated German Sportswoman of the Year. INDIA… The swimming events of the 32nd Indian National Games at Hyderabad from December 14-20, 2002 saw 15 national records bettered, 11 of them by women, in the newly Swarnadhra Pradesh Swimming Pool (informed by the journalist Ram Murali Krishnan). Rehan Poncha collected five gold, three silver and one bronze medal. Among the women, Richa Mishra obliterated six national marks whereas Shikha Tandon was credited with three. Richa celebrated her birthday on December 18 with a new national record. RUSSIA… Stanislava Komarova (16), young specialist of Backstroke, and the European Champion of 1500m Freestyle, Yuri Prilukov (18) are the Russian Swimmers of 2002. SOUTH AFRICA… Sarah Poewe, a double short-course world champion for South Africa in 2000, made her victorious debut for Germany in the European Short Course Swimming Championships in Riesa. She won the 100m Breaststroke. Charlene Wittstock and Troyden Prinsloo were the December 2002 monthly swimmers of Swimming South Africa. UKRAINE… Ukrainian journalists elected Yana Klochkova as their Athlete of the Year (men and women). USA… Natalie Coughlin broke two American records in the 200y Freestyle and 200y Butterfly at the beginning of December 2002 at the Auburn Invitational in Auburn, Alabama. In the 200y Butterfly, Coughlin eliminated the oldest American record on the books, set by Mary T. Meagher on April 8, 1981. Coughlin has now broken 33 American records in her career.

DEVELOPMENT POLICY: A PRIORITY FOR ALL

By Jean-Louis Meuret FINA Press Commission Honorary Secretary

183 National Federations with the last ones in instance to be recognised by the Executive (Guiné Bissau and Lesotho) have to join the objectives of FINA. The first one of these goals – the most important – consists of the promotion and encouragement of worldwide development of the following disciplines … swimming, diving, water polo, synchronised swimming, open water swimming and the master’s movement. Year after year, since 1986, a large FINA Development Program has been growing. Courses and Clinics were organised on the five continents with the help of continental organisations and national federations. To these national or continental programs for officials,

coaches, judges, referees, athletes, we must add special FINA operations such as international seminars or symposiums or the great first of 2002, the FINA Water Polo School for Referees. Bangkok (THA), Cairo (EGY), Fort Lauderdale (USA), Sandetole (Florence) (ITA), Split (CRO), Perth (AUS) have already been host cities of such school.

NATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY Since 1994 the FINA Development Program has progressed year after year. Since 1998, we can count an average of 60-80 operations per year. 38 courses or clinics were organised in 1994. This year 78 clinics took place (see tables) and the FINA within a budget of more than $US150,000 divided approximately between swimming (36%), synchronised swimming (27%), water polo (20%), diving (13%), open water swimming (6%).

NUMBER OF CLINICS 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 Swimming 16 22 30 28 29 Synchro 9 4 10 11 19 Water polo 9 13 15 18 15 Diving 2 4 8 7 11 Others 2 1 1 2 4 Total 38 44 64 66 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 Africa 4 4 17 11 5 America 19 22 23 24 30 Asia 6 9 17 19 23 Europe 6 6 6 7 9 Oceania 2 3 1 5 11 Total 37 44 64 66 78 Under the authority and control of FINA, these clinics are always organised under the auspices of a national federation. This federation welcome a majority of national participants but also foreigners either of bordering countries or participants who speak the language of the host country.

FINA DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Continental organisations

Organised 2002

Clinics allocated 2003

AASF (Asia) 23 25 OSA (Oceania) 11 8 LEN (Europe) 9 10 ASUA/UANA (America) 30 25 CANA (Africa) 5 15 78 83

INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Special operations reinforce this program, for example during last year… • The traditional and biannual FINA World

Sports Medicine Congress held in Moscow, gathered delegates and prestigious lecturers on the theme Sports Medicine in Aquatics Sports in the XXIth Century

• 113 participants of 39 FINA Member Federations, a record, were present in Manchester (GBR) to the 5th FINA Swimming Officials Seminar;


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• A 1st FINA International Diving Judging Symposium was organised in Seville (ESP) to provide a forum and exchange of ideas for judging international diving in a more effective and unified way; 58 participants were present including 38 FINA List judges from 19 national federations and nine international diving coaches from eight countries

• A FINA Word Synchronised Swimming Seminar in Dallas (USA) assembled 101 participants from 28 National Federations – coaches, judges, evaluators, chief recorders and referees, etc.

• In 2001, in the Palau de Congresos de Catalunya, in Barcelona (ESP), more than 250 delegates from 176 FINA National Federations as well as representatives of companies associated with aquatic sports, the organising committees of future FINA events were present at the first FINA World Seminar on Sports Management, Media & Marketing; the success of this event was followed this year by a similar Seminar in Africa, in Nairobi (KEN)

• In 2000, other first, a Seminar for Press Officers was offered to help to improve the diffusion and exchange of information and a Masters Forum was organised at the occasion of the Munich World Championships.

GLOBAL PARTICIPATION A duty of FINA is to encourage the participation of a maximum of National Federations to the major FINA events. For the first time in 2001, FINA granted each National Federation two flight ticket and full board accommodation for two athletes to participate at the 9th FINA World Championships in Fukuoka. This year, for the 10th FINA World Championships, FINA, with the support of the Organising Committee Barcelona 2003, will provide four flight tickets for a minimum of three athletes and one official and 1,000 beds, full board accommodation, for a maximum period of 15 days from 13th to 27th July 2003. The distribution will be based on the National Federations’ participation, by disciplines, at the World Championships – Fukuoka 2001.

EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL This material includes videos of World Championships and Olympic Games, and various and numerous publications (Handbook, technical documents, records lists, updates of norms and regulations and illustrated brochures).

A NEW CONCEPT During the last FINA Bureau Meeting in Punta del Este (URU), the FINA President,

Mustapha Larfaoui expressed his new concept for the implementation on the FINA Development Program, as the actual system by organising a clinic of five-six days does not seem sufficient enough. A complement seems necessary. The President suggested hosting a World Seminar in the International Olympic Academy in Olympia (GRE). Each National Federation will send a representative. These delegates will be educated and formed as lecturers. They will go back to their countries with the duty to conduct similar seminars in their national languages and in the maximum of swimming pools and clubs. A second proposal seems essential: to have coaches participating a few months in a specific country conducting long clinics and courses with a theoretical and especially practical matters. It is imperative that these international coaches work directly on the pool deck with local coaches and swimmers. For the financial aspect, it seems justified that FINA and some National Federations concerned would share the support of each operation. The FINA Development Commission is considering this project but other recommendations and ideas that may come from outside the Commission will be welcome and studied.

FINA CLINICS ... WHERE IN 2003? Swimming in Algeria, Argentine, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bolivia, Burundi, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Great Britain, Honduras, Iran, Ireland, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Uganda, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe Open Water Swimming in Chile, South Africa “There is a very large gulf between the high performance athlete who stands on the podium to receive his gold medal and the school child emulating him on a tarmac yard in the back street of a city or on the sands of a desert, However, it is our ideal that from the most difficult beginnings it should be possible for everyone to eventually reach world high competition standards, although naturally it is only a small fraction who will stand on the Olympic stadium” said in 1973 Lord Killanin, President of the IOC from 1972 to 1980. (Extract of the Olympic Solidarity publication “Olympic scholarships for athletes”).

DON’T FORGET THE OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY’S OPPORTUNITIES

Thanks to the Olympic Solidarity, a number of various other actions are organised. Many opportunities are offered by this organisation. Its annual budget is more than US$50,000,000.


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The budget of the world programs included approximately 29% for athletes and 30% for coaches. For athletes … a youth development program, a team sports support grants and Olympic scholarships. For coaches, the program includes technical courses, scholarships and development of national coaching structure. Unhappily a large number of FINA National Federations don’t use it (see table). It is important to insist on the necessity for each National Federation to contact each year its National Olympic Committee to know the possibilities and to propose their projects. FINA/IOC-OLYMPIC SOLIDARITY DEVELOPMENT

PROGRAM 2002 Number of courses by continent… Africa 7 (Libya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,

Swaziland, Uganda, Zimbabwe)

Americas 5 (Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, Peru, Saint Vincent & the Grenadines)

Asia 5 (Iran, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam) Oceania 2 (Fiji, Papua New Guinea)

OLYMPIC SCHOLARSHIPS FOR ATHLETES “ATHENS 2004”

Some promising athletes profited from Olympic Solidarity Scholarships to help them in their participation in the next Olympic Games. Therefore in Sydney, FINA was happy to see the success of this project. In fact, during Sydney 2000, 91 young swimmers obtained a scholarship. 68 could be qualified for the Games and seven won at least one medal. Nutrition in aquatic sports

FUELLING YOUNG ATHLETES By Professor David Gerrard

FINA Sports Medicine Committee “Doctor, what can I take to make me faster?” “What can I take to make me stronger?” “Can you give me something to improve my endurance?” These questions are very common questions that I hear on a daily basis in my Sports Medicine practice. Athletes of all calibres – from the young athlete to the Olympic level athlete – seem to be searching for something that will make them stronger, better, and faster. My experience from attending FINA events around the world is that this quest for a Magic Potion to enhance performance is a universal one! To be a successful athlete, you do not have to use a high-tech Sports Drink or Nutraceutical. To quote a Sports Nutritionist… “The foods you choose on a daily basis have a profound impact on your health, your energy and your performance in sports. The better you fuel your body, the more energy your muscles can store, the faster you recover and therefore the harder you can train. Your fuel determines your athletic potential. Food is the foundation of your training!”

Heidi Smith, Sport Dietician from “Eating for Energy – Nutrition for the Long Run”, 2002.

When I discuss sports nutrition with aquatic athletes, I often hear this response … “Yes Doctor, but that just isn’t enough! I need something more than just food – everyone

else is taking something, and if I don’t, I will be left behind.” I find that using an example of a successful athlete who fuels their performance with healthy nutrition is the key that convinces athletes to listen to my advice. I am sure that many of you are familiar with Natalie Coughlin, recent short course World Record holder in Women’s 100m Backstroke, 100m Butterfly and 100m Individual Medley. Recently on an NBC television interview, she explained that one of the keys to her success is healthy, balanced nutrition. Natalie is a perfect example of a highly successful athlete who fuels her performance with sound, balanced nutrition. She takes this component of her training regimen very seriously ... and one cannot argue that she is very successful! Because of the importance of this topic to aquatic athletes of all disciplines, we bring you an overview of Sports Nutrition and Nutritional Supplements in this first edition of the FINA Aquatics World. In the following article, Dr. Gerrard, Professor of Sports Medicine at the University of Otago in New Zealand and member of the FINA Sports Medicine Committee, evaluates this phenomenon of nutritional supplements. The use and abuse of these are outlined, as well as the dangers and risks. The latest revisions to the List of Banned Substances are reviewed. Professor Gerrard is also a specialist in paediatric sports medicine. He concludes his article with Nutritional tips for the young athlete. Dr. Margo Mountjoy MD, CCFP, Dip Sport Med., Chairman – FINA Sports Medicine Committee Sports nutrition remains one of the hottest topics in contemporary sports medicine. Athletes spurred by anecdotal comment frequently seek a competitive edge through the use of supplements. Indiscriminate iron is commonly consumed by elite performers at the whim of coach or parent without any regard for clinically proven need. Megadoses of vitamins are swallowed by voracious athletes on scant scientific evidence and even less clinical justification. In the United States last year, recreational and competitive athletes spent nearly $1 billion on products claiming to enhance endurance, increase strength and improve physical performance. And other Western countries have not been shielded from this phenomenon, in part through use of the Internet where a simple search for sports nutritionals or nutraceuticals, yields thousands of references.

SUPPLEMENTS The ever-increasing popularity of sports supplements is frequently borne of unsolicited testimonials. Claims are usually unsubstantiated by reputable scientific investigation and the use of nutritional supplements has become so common that athletes are made to feel off the pace if they are not swallowing the latest ergogenic aid. Promotional material from the pseudoscientific literature fuels the desire to try anything from ginseng to bee venom, Echinacea to deer velvet antler extract and bovine colostrum to creatine.


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Metabolic fuels such as carbohydrate, lactate and fat, have sound physiological and biochemical basis. Dietary components such as creatine, carnitine, and vitamins are linked to improved metabolism for which there is also some research evidence. Products described as natural steroids are linked to increased lean body mass. They include protein-based supplements, amino acids, chromium, plant sterols and various herbals for which the supportive evidence is scant. Finally there are electrolyte replacement drinks considered to enhance recovery and for which there is strong supporting science. The line between acceptable science and anecdotal report remains blurred. Few randomised controlled studies support the use of many supplements. Nutritionists and health professionals continue the academic debate whilst the athlete consumers continue to buy. Consumption of an over-the-counter dietary supplement called Andro (androstenedione) has been linked with a contaminant responsible for the presence of the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone. IOC laboratories have reported over 340 positive tests for nandrolone in the last few years. Supplements manufactured overseas are frequently not well labelled and subject to far less stringent drug regulations.

LIST OF BANNED DRUGS Every healthcare professional who deals with athletes has a responsibility to provide accurate information on banned drugs to any inquiring patient. This information is readily available from the FINA and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Websites. The use of performance enhancing drugs has become one of the most vexatious problems facing modern sport. Mixed messages are frequently sent to young, aspiring athletes who perceive a higher international use of drugs. Some feel that the spread of illegal substances and the difficulties associated with their detection threaten the future of organised international sport. Athletes focused on rich financial and social gains are prime targets. WADA will eventually supersede the Medical Committee of the International Olympic Committee as the body that publishes the definitive list of banned substances. The same body will accredit international laboratories that then become the only facilities permitted to report on the status of urine and or blood samples from competitive athletes. The prohibited classes of substances are stimulants, narcotic analgesics, anabolic agents, diuretics, and peptide hormones including human growth hormone (hGH) and erythropoietin. Other substances including

alcohol, marijuana, local anaesthetics, corticosteroids and beta-blockers are subject to certain restrictions. In addition, the practice of blood doping (autologous or homologous transfusion of blood, red blood cells or related blood products) and the manipulation of urine by physical, chemical or pharmacological methods are also banned practices. A recent addition to the list of banned practices are gene transfer techniques, recognised by many as a sober portent of things to come.

NUTRITION & THE YOUNG ATHLETE Eating problems are well recognised in sport. Young female athletes in sports such as gymnastics, dance, diving and synchronised swimming are often anxious to conform to a predetermined body image. Subjective judging is also common to these activities, enticing some competitors into a vicious cycle of disordered eating and excessive exercise clinically described as anorexia athletica. For the adolescent female there may also be associated problems of menstrual dysfunction and altered bone mineral density. A bone stress reaction or fatigue (stress) fracture is frequently the first clinical pointer to the female athlete triad a syndrome of disordered eating, menstrual dysfunction and osteopenia. The need to make weight, is the technical term used to describe the requirement of sports such as wrestling, boxing and some martial arts for competitors to meet strict weight classifications. Some competitors will restrict food and fluid intake, a practice fraught with several significant cardiovascular risks, electrolyte imbalance, impaired temperature regulation and altered renal function. Coaches and advisors of young athletes must be very cautious about supporting any nutritional practice that compromises the health of the athlete. This would clearly include the inappropriate use of diuretics. With the possible exception of iron supplements for menstruating, iron-deficient female athletes and the consideration of oestrogen and calcium supplementation for those with reduced bone mineral density, nutritional supplements for young athletes are not universally recommended. There is little scientific evidence for active young people to be given nutritional supplements on the specious opinion of well-meaning coaches or anxious parents. Such advice should have a clinical basis and rest with medical and recognised sports nutrition sources, not from the popular press. In aquatic sport we must share in the responsibility to keep athletes, coaches and parents well informed. If you have any questions or comments about anything that


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you read in the “FINA Sports Medicine Pages” of the FINA Aquatics World, please direct your remarks to: FINA Sports Medicine Pages FINA Aquatics World FINA Office Avenue de l’Avant Poste 4 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland I am also keen to hear your suggestions and requests for topics for future articles. Your FINA Sports Medicine Committee is here to help you and your athletes keep healthy and injury-free! WADA NEWS…WADA NEWS…WADA NEWS… • The Foundation Board of the World Anti-

Doping Agency (WADA) approved the Agency’s 2003 budget of US$21 million, which will include $4.5 million for research projects, $5 million for out-of-competition testing and laboratory analyses, nearly $400,000 for laboratory accreditation and more than $500,000 for educational programs. Financing will also be provided for other WADA programs, such as $300,000 for the Independent Observer Program, $600,000 for the Athlete’s Passport Program, and $450,000 for the Athlete Outreach Program, through which WADA Board members, staff and volunteers work directly with athletes at major international sporting events to address their questions and concerns regarding doping. The budget is financed in equal measures by the Olympic Movement and world governments.

• The WADA has announced the launch of an educational interactive program for athletes and trainers. Information, discussion forum and an interactive game to be found at www.truegame.org. Through The True Game, an interactive multilingual game, players can enrol and test their knowledge of doping issues.

• The French version of the International standards is now available on the WADA Internet Site at www.wada-ama.org.

• WADA received almost 72 official comments on the second draft of the World Anti-Doping Code. The third version will be presented at the World Conference on Doping in Sport, to be held on March 3-5, 2003, in Copenhagen (DEN).

Reproduced from Vol. XXIX, No.13

25th December 2002 FINA Bureau Meeting

Under the direction of the FINA President Mustapha Larfaoui, the Bureau of the Federation Internationale de Natation held its

second 2002 meeting in Punta del Este (URU) from November 17-18. All members were present with the exception of Lic. Javier Ostos Mora, FINA Honorary Life President, and Abd el Rahman Amin, excused. Please find below the principal decisions…

OLYMPIC MATTERS Program Following the proposal made by the IOC Olympic Program Commission to exclude Synchronised Swimming Team events from the Olympic Program, President Larfaoui informed the Bureau that he met the IOC President and presented him a documentation prepared with the assistance of the FINA Technical Synchronised Swimming Committee and National Federations. This report contains information, arguments and statistics to support the continuation of this event in the Olympic program, thus reversing the Olympic Program Commission’s proposal on this matter. Furthermore, FINA, as an IOC partner, proposed the improvement of the FINA Competition Program in the Games by including 50m events in Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly (in swimming) and a new discipline, the Open Water Swimming.

FINA COMPETITIONS & CONGRESSES 10th FINA World Championships

Barcelona 2003 Competition Program The Opening Ceremony will take place on the evening of 12th July 2003 and the first event will start on 13th July. The Championships will end on 27th July 2003 with the swimming competition and closing ceremony. The first week of the championships will be filled with the diving, synchronised swimming and open water swimming competitions, while the second week will consist of the swimming program. The men and women water polo tournaments will be held during the duration of the competition.

7th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) – Indianapolis 2004

Presentation by the OC The report to the Bureau included the priorities of the OC for the year 2003, such as finalisation of the pool construction plan, international and domestic broadcasting plan. An operational plan to obtain the best possible athletes’ participation will be implemented with the help of the National Federations. The report included also venue operations and the marketing plan development.

11th FINA World Championships Montreal 2005

Following important changes occurred within the Organising Committee, FINA expressed its serious concern on this matter and requested


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an explanation and confirmation on the main issues in relation to the organisation of the Championships such as venues, business plan, budget, and the new format of the Organising Committee. These topics were explained during the presentation made by the Organising Committee.

8th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) 2006

Negotiations are being carried out with the Thai Amateur Swimming Association and other potential bidders. The final decision on the organiser of these Championships will be made in Barcelona in July 2003 with the occasion of the 10th FINA World Championships.

10th FINA World Masters Championships 2004

The 10th FINA World Masters Championships in Riccione (ITA) will be held from 3-13 June 2004.

FINA Extraordinary Congress 2003 Considering that the implementation of the WADA Anti-Doping Code will imply changes on the FINA Doping Rules, will be called a FINA Extraordinary Congress on doping rules to be held in Barcelona (ESP) on 11th July 2003.

15th FINA World Sports Medicine Congress 2004

To be organised in conjunction with the 7th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Indianapolis (USA) on 11-12 October 2004.

FINA General Congress & Technical Congresses 2005

The Congresses will be organised with the occasion of the 11th FINA World Championships in Montreal (CAN) on 13-15 July 2005.

OPEN WATER SWIMMING The FINA Open Water Swimming Officials List No.5, effective from 1st January 2003 until 31st December 2006, was approved.

SPORTS MEDICINE COMMITTEE The request for adopting FINA Research Guidelines was approved as well as the recommendation for the FINA SMC to develop educational material and including Clinics on Sports Medicine as part of the FINA Development Program. The SMC is to provide a list with names of possible lecturers and their speciality and qualification.

DOPING The Bureau approved the WADA/IOC List of prohibited classes and substances and prohibited methods to be enforced by FINA from 1st January 2003.

PRESS The Bureau approved the launch of a new monthly magazine that will replace the existing periodical publications – FINA News, Open Water Swimming Newsletter, Masters News,

Sports Medicine Review and The World of Swimming. The philosophy of this new project is to create a prestigious means for FINA to promote its disciplines and activities by presenting Aquatics in a more consistent, interesting and useful way. In terms of format, it will be a 36-page colour magazine, which will be published in English, with a French translation for the FINA institutional information. All the subscriptions previously established for the FINA publications will end on 31st December 2002 and all interested in receiving the new magazine must address their request to the FINA Office in Lausanne. The subscription fee will be (by issue): 5 US$ for Europe, 8 US$ for Africa, Americas and Asia, 10 US$ for Oceania.

AWARDS The Bureau approved to award … Mr Humberto Troncoso (COL) with the FINA Gold Pin – Mr Eduardo Hernandez (ESP) and Mr Luis Cillero (ESP) with FINA Honour Plaque (Certificate of Merit).

DEVELOPMENT The new concepts discussed by the Bureau are… 1. To host a World Seminar in Olympia (GRE),

in which each National Federation will send a representative. The purpose of this Seminar is to educate, instruct and form lecturers. The representatives then go back to their countries and conduct similar seminars. A report following these seminars will be done.

2. To have coaches participating a few months in a specific country conducting clinics with a theoretical and especially practical matters. Those coaches can work directly on the pool deck with athletes and local coaches.

FINA and each National Federation concerned would share the financial support for this new strategy.

NATIONALITY CHANGES The Bureau approved the change of nationality for … Ms Sarah Poewe (from South Africa to Germany) – Mr Ted Bader (from Canada to Netherlands) – Mr Corney Swanepoel (from South Africa to New Zealand).

FINA Handbook 2002-2005: Addendum The Bureau approved the following amendments to the present rules… Swimming: World Records (Doping Control)

DC 6.2 (adding): “Any swimmer establishing or breaking a World Record will be subject to both blood and urine tests (see FINA Rules DC 8.1, DC 8.3, DC 8.5 and DC 8.6). Urine samples will be analysed in an IOC accredited laboratory and must be tested for the presence of


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erythropoietin (rEPO), darbopoietin (dEPO) and related substances. A positive urine test for erythropoietin (rEPO), darbopoietin (dEPO) or related substances will be considered a Doping Offence (DC 2.1) regardless of the results of any blood sample. Blood samples will be analysed in an IOC accredited laboratory, a mobile testing unit approved by FINA, or any other testing facility approved by FINA.” (This rule shall be enforced from December 1, 2002.)

Doping Control Rules – Appendix A & B In accordance with FINA Rule DC 3.4 the Bureau upon recommendation of the FINA Doping Control Review Board (DCRB), approved the new List of banned substances based on the WADA/IOC List of Prohibited Substances and Methods.

EQUIPMENT The Bureau, considering the IOC Manufacturer Trademark Identification on Equipment and Clothing to be applied at the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens 2004, decided a temporary rule concerning the identification of the manufacturers subject to final approval by the FINA Congress… 1. To increase the identification of the

manufacturer from 16 square centimetres to maximum 20 square centimetres.

2. Where one-piece body suits are used in competition, one manufacturer’s trademark shall be permitted above the waist and one below the waist, each in accordance with the maximum size noted above. However, these trademarks shall not be placed immediately adjacent to each other.

NEXT BUREAU MEETING The next FINA Bureau Meeting will be held in Barcelona with the occasion of the 10th FINA World Championships 2003.

FINA Swimming World Cup 2002/2003 4th Meeting – Melbourne (AUS)

December 6-8, 2003 Thomas Rupprath (GER) was the swimmer in evidence in Melbourne (AUS), while in the women’s events, the attention was divided between Elka Graham (AUS) and Emma Igelstrom (SWE). With four victories in the 50m Backstroke, 50m Butterfly, 100m Butterfly and 200m Individual Medley, Rupprath also added one World Record in the preliminaries of the 100m Backstroke (50.58) and two World Cup Records in the 50m Backstroke (23.53 in the morning session and 23.49 in the final). The other men’s highlights were Pieter van den Hoogenband (NED) – wins in the 50m and 100m Freestyle – Grant Hackett (AUS) victories in the 200m and

400m Freestyle – and David Denniston (USA) first in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke. In the women’s competition, Elka Graham (AUS) won the 100m, 200m and 400m Freestyle (with a World Cup Record of 1:55.12 on the 200m) and Emma Igelstrom left no chances to her opponents in the three distances of Breaststroke (50m, 100m and 200m). The Swedish swimmer is now the first in the overall ranking, with 1013 points (her 200m Breaststroke’s time of 2:19.85).

WINNERS – MEN 50m Freestyle P. v d Hoogenband (NED) 21.72

100m Freestyle P. v d Hoogenband (NED) 47.20 200m Freestyle G. Hackett (AUS) 1:42.48 400m Freestyle G. Hackett (AUS) 3:36.17

1500m Freestyle S. Penfold (AUS) 14:47.49 50m Backstroke T. Rupprath (GER) 23.49 (WR)

100m Backstroke M. Welsh (AUS) 51.56 200m Backstroke S. Parry (GBR) 1:54.31 50m Breaststroke R. Sloudnov (RUS) 27.48

100m Breaststroke D. Denniston (USA) 59.20 200m Breaststroke D. Denniston (USA) 2:07.53

50m Butterfly T. Rupprath (GER) 23.21 100m Butterfly T. Rupprath (GER) 50.82 200m Butterfly S. Parry (GBR) 1:53.71

100m IM R. v d Zant (AUS) 55.45 200m IM T. Rupprath (GER) 1:56.41 400m IM B. Levaillant (FRA) 4:12.53

WINNERS – WOMEN

50m Freestyle T. Alshammar (SWE) 24.58 100m Freestyle E. Graham (AUS) 54.42 200m Freestyle E. Graham (AUS) 1:55.12 (WCR) 400m Freestyle E. Graham (AUS) 4:01.17 800m Freestyle K-A. Payne (GBR) 8:23.58

50m Backstroke G. Rooney (AUS) 28.04 100m Backstroke C. Wittstock (RSA) 1:00.32 200m Backstroke S. Proud (GBR) 2:08.00 50m Breaststroke E. Igelstrom (SWE) 30.58

100m Breaststroke E. Igelstrom (SWE) 1:05.55 (WCR) 200m Breaststroke E. Igelstrom (SWE) 2:19.85

50m Butterfly T. Alshammar (SWE) 26.38 100m Butterfly R. Komisarz (USA) 58.67 200m Butterfly F. Galvez (AUS) 2:08.62

100m IM B. Hanson (AUS) 1:01.85 200m IM T. Zhang (CHN) 2:10.78 400m IM T. Zhang (CHN) 4:35.69

DOPING

Please find below the new Appendix A and B of the FINA Doping Control Rules that will be enforced from January 1, 2003.

APPENDIX A I. PROHIBITED SUBSTANCES – IN

COMPETITION (SEE DC 3.1) The substances listed below are prohibited by FINA in competition. This is not an exhaustive list of prohibited substances but includes relates substances, which are substances that are related to the respective class by their pharmacological action, chemical structure, or both. A. STIMULANTS (a) Prohibited substances in class A.a include

the following examples with both their L- and D- isomers.


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Amfepramone Methamphetamine Amiphenazole Methoxyphenamine Amphetamines Methylenedioxyamphetamine Bambuterol Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Bromantan Methylephedrine ** Caffeine * Methylphenidate Carphedon Nikethamide Cathine ** Norfenfluramine Clobenzorex Parahydroxyamphetamine Cocaine Pemoline Cropropamide Pentetrazol Crotethamide Phendimetrazine Ephedrine ** Phenmetrazine Etamivan Phentermine Etilamphetamine Phenylpropanolamine ** Etilefrine Pholedrine Fencamfamine Pipradol Fenetylline Prolintane Fenfluramine Propylhexedrine Fenproporex Pseudoephedrine ** Heptaminol Reproterol Mefenorex Selegline Mephentermine Strychnine Mesocarb

… and related substances * For caffeine the definition of a positive is a concentration in urine greater than 12 micrograms per millilitre. ** For Ephedrine and Methylephedrine, the definition of a positive is a concentration in urine greater than 10 micrograms per millilitre. For Cathine, the definition of a positive is a concentration in urine greater than 5 micrograms per millilitre. For Phenylpropanolamine and Pseudoephedrine, the definition of a positive is a concentration in urine greater than 25 micrograms per millilitre. Note: All imidazole preparations are acceptable for topical use. Vasoconstrictors may be administered with local anaesthetic agents. Topical preparations – e.g. nasal, ophthalmological, rectal – of adrenaline are permitted. Bupropion, Synephrine and Phenylephrine are permitted. (b) Prohibited substances in class A.b include

the following examples with both their L- and D- isomers.

Formoterol *** Salbutamol *** Salmeterol *** Terbutaline ***

… and related substances *** Permitted by inhaler only to prevent and/or treat asthma and exercise-induced asthma. Use must be declared on form at the time of any testing, and verification of medical necessity shall be required. Written notification by a respiratory or team physician that the athlete has asthma and/or exercise-induced asthma is necessary to the relevant medical authority. B. NARCOTICS Prohibited substances in class (B) include the following examples…

Buprenorphine Methadone Dextromoramide Morphine Diamorphine (heroin) Pentazocine Hydrocodone Pethidine

… and related substances

Note: Codeine, Dextromethorphan, Dextropropoxyphene, Dihydrocodeine, Diphenoxylate, Ethylmorphine, Pholcodine, Propoxyphene and Tramadol are permitted. C. ANABOLIC AGENTS Prohibited substances in class © include the following examples… 1. Anabolic androgenic steroids and other

products Androstenediol Methandriol Androstenedione Methyltestosterone Bolasterone Mibolerone Boldenone Nandrolone Clostebol L9-norandrostenediol Danazol L9-norandrostenedione Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone Norbolethone Dehydroepiandrosterone (dhea) Norethandrolone Dihydrotestosterone (dht) Oxandrolone Drostanolone Oxymesterone Fenoterol Oxymetholone Fluoxymesterone Reproterol Formebolone Salmeterol Gestrinone Stanozolol Mesterolone Testosterone * Metandienone Trenbolone Metenolone

… and related substances Evidence obtained from metabolic profiles and/or isotopic ratio measurements may be used to draw definitive conclusions. * The presence of a Testosterone (T) to Epitestosterone (E) ratio greater than six (6) to one (1) in the urine of a competitor constitutes an offence unless there is evidence that this ratio is due to a physiological or pathological condition – e.g. low Epitestosterone excretion, Androgen-producing tumour, or enzyme deficiencies. In the case of a T/E greater than 6, and in the absence of an isotope ratio measurement analysis establishing the presence of exogenous testosterone, or its metabolites, or establishing that the testosterone analysed is endogenous, it is mandatory that the relevant medical authority conduct an investigation before the sample is declared positive. A full report will be written and will include a review of previous tests, subsequent tests and any results of endocrine investigations. In the event that previous tests are not available, the athlete should be tested, on an unannounced basis, at least once per month for three months. The results of these investigations should be included in the report. Failure to cooperate in the investigations will result in the initial sample being declared positive. 2. Other anabolic agents

Clenbuterol Salbutamol * * For Salbutamol, a concentration in urine greater than 1000 nanograms per millilitre of non-sulphated Salbutamol constitutes a doping violation. D. DIURETICS


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Prohibited substances in class (D) include the following examples…

Acetazolamide Furosemide Amiloride Hydrochlorothiazide Bendroflumethiazide Indapamide Bumetanide Mannitol * Canrenone Mersalyl Chlortalidone Spironolactone Ethacrynic Acid Triamterene

… and related substances * Prohibited by intravenous injection. E. PEPTIDE NORMONES, MIMETICS AND

ANALOGUES Prohibited substances in class (E) include the following examples and their analogues and mimetics… 1. Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG-human chorionic

gonadotrophin) prohibited in males only 2. Pituitary and Synthetic Gonadotrophins (LH) prohibited in

males only 3. Corticotrophins (ACTH, Tetracosactide) 4. Growth Hormone (hGH) 5. Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF-1) … and all the respective

releasing factors and their analogues 6. Erythropoietin (EPO) 7. Insulin* * Permitted only to treat athletes with certified insulin-dependent diabetes. The term “insulin-dependent” is used here to describe people with diabetes in whom insulin treatment is required, in the judgement of a suitably qualified physician. It will always be the case in Type 1 and sometimes in Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Written certification of insulin-dependent diabetes must be obtained from an endocrinologist or team physician. The presence of an abnormal concentration of an endogenous hormone in class (E) or its diagnostic marker(s) in the urine of a competitor constitutes an offence unless it has been proven to be due to a physiological or pathological condition. F. AGENTS WITH ANTI-OESTROGENIC

ACTIVITY Aromatase inhibitors, clomiphene, cyclofenil, tamoxifen are prohibited only in males. G. MASKING AGENTS Prohibited substances in class (G) include the following examples…

Diuretics (see above) Epitestosterone *

Probenecid Hydroxyl Ethyl Starch

Masking agents are prohibited. They are products that have the potential to impair the excretion of prohibited substances or to conceal their presence in urine or other samples used in doping control. * The presence of a urinary concentration of Epitestosterone greater than 200ng/ml constitutes an anti-doping violation unless there is evidence that it is due to a physiological condition. Isotopic Ration Mass Spectrometry (IRMS) may be used to draw definitive conclusions. If the results of the IRMS are

inconclusive, the relevant medical authority shall conduct an investigation before the sample is declared positive. H. CANNABINOIDS

Marijuana Hashish

A concentration in urine of 11 – nor – delta – 9 - Tetrahydrocannabinol – 9 - Carboxylic Acid (carboxy - THC) greater than 15 nanograms per millilitre constitutes doping. I. LOCAL ANAETHETICS Injectable local anaesthetics are permitted under the following conditions… (a) Bupivacaine, Lidocaine, Mepivacaine,

Procaine and related substances can be used but not Cocaine. Vasoconstrictor agents may be used in conjunction with local anaesthetics.

(b) Only local or intra-articular injections may be administered.

(c) Use (including diagnosis, dose, and route of administration) must be declared on form at the time of testing and verification of medical necessity shall be required.

J. GLUCOCORTICOSTEROIDS The systemic use of Glucocorticosteroids is prohibited when administered orally, rectally, or by intravenous or intramuscular injection. Glucocorticosteroids may be taken by inhalation, anal, aural, dermatological, nasal and ophthalmological administration. Such use must be declared on the form at the time of any testing and verification of medical necessity shall be required. K. BETA-BLOCKERS Prohibited substances in class (K) include the following examples…

Acebutolol Labetalol Alprenolol Levobunolol Atenolol Metipranolol Betaxolol Metoprolol Bisoprolol Nadolol Bunolol Oxprenolol Carteolol Pindolol Carvedilol Propranolol Celiprolol Sotalol Esmolol Timolol … and related substances

All beta-blockers from the Martindale Pharmacopoeia are now considered to be on the list of prohibited substances. II. PROHIBITED METHODS IN

COMPETITION (SEE DC 4.1) The following procedures are prohibited… A. Enhancement of Oxygen Transfer (a) Blood doping. Blood doping is the

administration of autologous, homologous or heterologous blood or red blood cell products of any origin, other than for legitimate medical treatment.

(b) The administration of products that enhance the uptake, transport or delivery


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of oxygen – e.g. modified haemoglobin products including but not limited to bovine and cross-linked haemoglobins, microencapsulated haemoglobin products, perfluorochemicals and RSR13.

B. Pharmacological, Chemical & Physical Manipulation

Pharmacological, chemical and physical manipulation is the use of substances and methods, including masking agents (see above), which alter, attempt to alter or may reasonably be expected to alter the integrity and validity of specimens collected in doping controls. These include, without limitation, catheterisation, urine substitution and/or tampering, inhibition of renal excretion and alterations of testosterone and epitestosterone measurements. C. Gene Doping Gene or cell doping is defined as the non-therapeutic use of genes, genetic elements and/or cells that have the capacity to enhance athletic performance.

APPENDIX B I. SUBSTANCES & METHODS

PROHIBITED – OUT OF COMPETITION A. ANABOLIC AGENTS Prohibited substances in class (A) include the following examples… 1. Anabolic androgenic steroids and other

products Androstenediol Methandriol Androstenedione Methyltestosterone Bolasterone Mibolerone Boldenone Nandrolone Clostebol 19-norandrostenediol Danazol 19-norandrostenedione Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone Norbolethone Dehydroepiandrosterone (dhea) Norethandrolone Dihydrotestosterone (dht) Oxandrolone Drostanolone Oxymesterone Fenoterol Oxymetholone Fluoxymesterone Reproterol Formebolone Salmeterol Gestrinone Stanozolol Mesterolone Testosterone* Metandienone Trenbolone Metenolone

… and related substances Evidence obtained from metabolic profiles and/or isotopic ratio measurements may be used to draw definitive conclusions. * The presence of a testosterone (T) to epitestosterone (E) ratio greater than six (6) to one (1) in the urine of a competitor constitutes an offence unless there is evidence that this ratio is due to a physiological or pathological condition – e.g. low epitestosterone excretion, androgen producing tumour, or enzyme deficiencies. In the case of a T/E greater than 6, and in the absence of an isotope ratio measurement analysis establishing the presence of exogenous testosterone or its metabolites or establishing

that the testosterone analysed is endogenous, it is mandatory that the relevant medical authority conduct an investigation before the sample is declared positive. A full report will be written and will include a review of previous tests, subsequent tests and any results of endocrine investigations. In the event that previous tests are not available, the athlete should be tested, on an unannounced basis, at least once per month for three months. The results of these investigations should be included in the report. Failure to cooperate in the investigations will result in the initial sample being declared positive. 2. Other anabolic agents

Clenbuterol Salbutamol* * For salbutamol, a concentration in urine greater than 1000 nanograms per millilitre of non-sulphated salbutamol constitutes a doping violation. B. DIURETICS Prohibited substances in class (B) include the following examples…

Acetazolamide Furosemide Amiloride Hydrochlorothiazide Bendroflumethiazide Indapamide Bumetanide Mannitol* Canrenone Mersalyl Chlortalidone Spironolactone Ethacrynic Acid Triamterene

… and related substances * Prohibited by intravenous injection. C. PEPTIDE HORMONES, MIMETICS &

ANALOGUES Prohibited substances in class © include the following examples and their analogues and mimetics… 1. Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG-human

chorionic gonadotrophin) prohibited in males only

2. Pituitary and Synthetic Gonadotrophins (LH) prohibited in males only

3. Corticotrophins (ACTH, Tetracosactide) 4. Growth Hormone (hGH) 5. Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF-1) – and all

the respective releasing factors and their analogues

6. Erythropoietin (EPO) 7. Insulin* * Permitted only to treat athletes with certified insulin-dependent diabetes. The term “insulin-dependent” is used here to describe people with diabetes in whom insulin treatment is required, in the judgement of a suitably qualified physician. It will always be the case in Type 1 and sometimes in Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Written certification of insulin-dependent diabetes must be obtained from an endocrinologist or team physician. The presence of an abnormal concentration of an endogenous hormone in class (C) or its


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diagnostic marker(s) in the urine of a competitor constitutes an offence unless it has been proven to be due to a physiological or pathological condition. D. AGENTS WITH ANTI-OESTROGENIC

ACTIVITY Aromatase Inhibitors, Clomiphene, Cyclofenil, Tamoxifen are

prohibited only in males. E. MASKING AGENTS Prohibited substances in class (E) include the following examples…

Diuretics (see above), Epitestosterone*, Probenecid, Hydroxyl Ethyl Starch

Masking agents are prohibited. They are products that have the potential to impair the excretion of prohibited substances or to conceal their presence in urine or other samples used in doping control. * The presence of a urinary concentration of epitestosterone greater than 200ng/ml constitutes an anti-doping violation unless there is evidence that it is due to a physiological condition. Isotopic ration mass spectrometry (IRMS) may be used to draw definitive conclusions. If the results of the IRMS are inconclusive, the relevant medical authority shall conduct an investigation before the sample is declared positive. II. PROHIBITED METHODS OUT OF

COMPETITION (SEE DC 4.1) The following procedures are prohibited… A. Enhance of Oxygen Transfer (a) Blood doping. Blood doping is the

administration of autologous, homologous or heterologous blood or red blood cell products of any origin, other than for legitimate medical treatment.

(b) The administration of products that enhance the uptake, transport or delivery of oxygen – e.g. modified haemoglobin products including but not limited to bovine and cross-linked haemoglobins, microencapsulated haemoglobin products, perfluorochemicals, and RSR13.

B. Pharmacological, Chemical & Physical Manipulation

Pharmacological, chemical and physical manipulation is the use of substances and methods, including masking agents (see above), which alter, attempt to alter or may reasonably be expected to alter the integrity and validity of specimens collected in doping controls. These include, without limitation, catheterisation, urine substitution and/or tampering, inhibition of renal excretion and alterations of testosterone and epitestosterone measurements. C. Gene Doping Gene or cell doping is defined as the non-therapeutic use of genes, genetic elements

and/or cells that have the capacity to enhance athletic performance. SUMMARY OF URINARY CONCENTRATIONS ABOVE WHICH A DOPING VIOLATION HAS

OCCURRED Caffeine >12 micrograms/millilitre Carboxy-THC >15 nanograms/millilitre Cathine > 5 micrograms/millilitre Ephedrine > 10 micrograms/millilitre Epitestosterone > 200 nanograms/millilitre Methylephedrine > 10 micrograms/millilitre Morphine > 1 microgram/millilitre 19-Norandrosterone > 2 nanograms/millilitre in males 19-Norandrosterone > 5 nanograms/millilitre in females Phenylpropanolamine > 25 micrograms/millilitre Salbutamol (as an anabolic agent)

> 1000 nanograms/millilitre

T/E ratio > 6

CAUTION This is not an exhaustive list. Many substances that do not appear on this list are considered to be prohibited through the use of the term and related substances. Athletes must ensure that any medicine, supplement, over-the-counter preparation, nutritional product or any other substance they use does not contain any Prohibited Substance(s).

NATIONAL FEDERATIONS DOPING CONTROL PROGRAM Fed. Athlete Prohibited

substance Event Test

date Sanction

IRI Reza Ojagh Nandrolone Int. Champ. ISSF

Feb 02

4 years

SIN Derek Eng Hao Lee

Pseudoephedrine Commonwealth WP Champ

Mar 02

Warning

GRE Petros Petropoulos

Nandrolone Nat Swim Winter Champ

Mar 02

4 years (starting on 2/11/02)

PER Jose Langberg

Cannabis 7th Juegos Sudamericanos

Aug 02

Warning

OLYMPIC GAMES

August 13-29, 2004 – Athens (GRE) QUALIFYING PROCEDURE … Swimming

FINA “A” & “B” SWIMMING QUALIFYING TIME STANDARDS

The swimming qualifying time standards must be obtained at any of the competitions specified below held in the period from 1st April 2003 to 15th July 2004 (the deadline for presenting the final entries for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games is 21st July 2004). • 10th FINA World Championships –

Barcelona 2003 • Continental Championships 2003 and

2004 • National Olympic Trials,, to be approved

in advance by FINA • International Competitions, to be

approved in advance by FINA Only swimming qualifying times achieved at competitions approved by FINA can be accepted as entry times for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. If a National Federation will organise a Qualifying Meet where the swimmers could


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achieve the FINA “A” and “B” Qualifying Standard Times, it must inform the FINA Office in Lausanne (SUI) as soon as possible but no later than 31st December 2003.

10th FINA World Championships July 13-27, 2003 – Barcelona (ESP)

LIST OF OFFICIALS … Swimming ANG Lourenco Candido Lino Judge CIV Kouassi Jean Boka Judge RSA Bird Daphne Judge SEY Fanchette Paul Judge (Reserve) BRA Dinard Ruben Judge CAN Hogan Bill Judge DOM Garrido Francisca Judge PUR Rodriguez Mario Judge VEN Guzman Gilberto Judge USA Saltzstein Michael J Judge PAN Silvestri Frank Judge (Reserve) CHN Yuling Zhao Judge IND Nanavati Virendra Judge KOR Kim Bong-Jo Judge UZB Bugakov Grigoriy Judge LIB Yamout Adel Judge (Reserve) ESP Rodriguez Jose Luiz Judge ESP Casales Delia Judge ESP Gonzalez A. Manual Judge ESP Lopez Rosario Judge GBR Adams Ann Judge GER Belhustede Gerhard Judge GRE Konstantinidou Endoxia Judge ISL G Johannsdottir Svanhvit Judge ISR Bakalash Michael Judge RUS Erokhin Georguiy Judge SUI Ulrich Jorg Judge SVK Moravec Karol Judge SWE Nordlund Jan Judge ITA Dolfini Gianni Judge (Reserve) AUS Hare Geoff Judge PNG Huckins Lesley Mary Judge NZL Davidson Joanne Judge AUS Arrowsmith Lesley Judge (Reserve

Referees CAN MacFarlane William Bill UKR Vlaskov Andriy AUS Blew Don SIN Sui Kut Woon

Starter ESP Espinosa Jorge AUS Lawless Peter

Announcer USA Fishback Price

OPEN WATER SWIMMING AUS Bill Ford ARG Silvia Dallotto CAN Christa Brueggemann EGY Magdi Farid GBR David Harman GER Martin Schneck HKG Ping Hang Szeto ITA Adriana Angeli NZL John West SUI Jacobi Andras ESP Manual Arias ESP Dolores Ortega ESP Maria Paz Belenguer ESP Ana Jaqueti ESP Elena Grinon ESP Manual Garcia ESP Elena Sanchez ESP Eva Bernal

2002 WORLD RECORDS LONG COURSE (50M)

MEN Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 200m Backstroke 1:55.15 – 20th March – Minneapolis (USA)

Ian Thorpe (AUS) – 400m Freestyle 3:40.08 – 30th July – Manchester (GBR) Oleg Lisogor (UKR) – 50m Breaststroke 27:18 – 2nd August – Berlin (GER) Michael Phelps (USA) – 400m Individual Medley 4:11.09 – 15th August – Fort Lauderdale (USA) USA (Aaron Peirsol, Brendon Hansen, Michael Phelps, Jason Lezak) – 4x100m Medley Relay 3:33.48 – 29th August – Jokohama (JPN) Kosuke Kitajima (JPN) – 200m Breaststroke 2:09.97 – 2nd October – Busan (KOR) WOMEN GER (Kathrin Meissner, Petra Dallmann, Sandra Volker, Franziska van Almsick) – 4x100m Freestyle Relay 3:36.00 – 29th July – Berlin (GER) Zoe Baker (GBR) – 50m Breaststroke 30.57 – 30th July – Manchester (GBR) A-K Kammerling (SWE) – 50m Butterfly 25.57 – 30th July – Berlin (GER) F. van Almsick (GER) – 200m Freestyle 1:56.64 – 3rd August – Berlin (GER) Otylia Jedrzejczak (POL) – 200m Butterfly 2:05.78 – 4th August – Berlin (GER) Natalia Coughlin (USA) – 100m Backstroke 59.58 – 13TH August – Fort Lauderdale (USA)

SHORT COURSE (25M) MEN Ed Moses (USA) – 200m Breaststroke 2:04.37 – 18th January – Paris (FRA) Ed Moses (USA) – 50m Breaststroke 26.28 – 22nd January – Stockholm (SWE) Ed Moses (USA) – 200m Breaststroke 2:03.28 – 22nd January – Stockholm (SWE) Ed Moses (USA) – 100m Breaststroke 57.47 – 23rd January – Stockholm (SWE) Ed Moses (USA) – 200m Breaststroke 2:03.17 – 26th January – Berlin (GER) Geoff Huegill (AUS) – 50m Butterfly 22.84 (eq.) – 22nd January – Stockholm (SWE) Geoff Huegill (AUS) – 50m Butterfly 22.74 – 26th January – Berlin (GER) Thomas Rupprath (GER) – 100m Butterfly 50.10 – 27th January – Berlin (GER) Thomas Rupprath (GER) - * 50m Backstroke 23.23 – 30th November – Goslar (GER) Thomas Rupprath (GER) – * 100m Backstroke 50.58 – 8th December – Melbourne (AUS) Oleg Lisogor (UKR) – 50m Breaststroke 26.20 – 26th January – Berlin (GER) Aaron Peirsol (USA) – 200m Backstroke 1:51.17 – 7th April – Moscow (RUS) USA (Aaron Peirsol, David Denniston, Peter Marshall, Jason Lezak) – 4x100m Medley Relay 3:29.00 – 7th April – Moscow (RUS) Grant Hackett (AUS) – 400m Freestyle 3:34.58 – 18th July – Sydney (AUS) Matt Welsh (AUS) – 50m Backstroke 23.31 – 2nd September – Melbourne (AUS) AUS (Matt Welsh, Jim Piper, Geoff Huegill, Ashley Callus) – 4x100m Medley Relay 3:28.12 – 4th September – Melbourne (AUS) Franck Esposito (FRA) – * 200m Butterfly 1:50.73 – 8th December – Antibes (FRA) WOMEN Zoe Baker (GBR) – 50m Breaststroke 30.53 – 4th January – Durban (RSA) Zoe Baker (GBR) – 50m Breaststroke 30.51 – 15th January – Imperia (ITA) Zoe Baker (GBR) – 50m Breaststroke 30.31 – 27th January – Berlin (GER) Emma Igelstrom (SWE) – 50m Breaststroke 30.43 – 23rd January – Stockholm (SWE) Emma Igelstrom (SWE) – 50m Breaststroke 30.24 – 14th March – Gothenburg (SWE) Emma Igelstrom (SWE) – 50m Breaststroke


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29.96 – 4th April – Moscow (RUS) Emma Igelstrom (SWE) – 100m Breaststroke 1:05.38 – 6th April – Moscow (RUS) Xuejuan Luo (CHN) – 50m Breaststroke 30.47 – 19th January – Paris (FRA) Yana Klochkova (UKR) – 400m Individual Medley 4:27.83 – 19th January – Paris (FRA) Martina Moravcova (SVK) – 100m Butterfly 56.55 – 26th January – Berlin (GER) Sachiko Yamada (JPN) – 800m Freestyle 8:14.35 – 2nd April – Tokyo (JPN) CHN (Yanvei Zu, Yingven Zhu, Jingzhi Tang, Yu Yang) – 4x200m Freestyle Relay 7:46.30 – 3rd April – Moscow (RUS) SWE (Therese Alshammar, Emma Igelstrom, Anna-Karin Kammerling, Joanna Sjoberg) – 4x100m Medley Relay 3:55.78 – 5th April – Moscow (RUS) Lindsay Benko (USA) – 200m Freestyle 1:54.04 – 7th April – Moscow (RUS) Natalie Coughlin (USA) – * 100m Butterfly 56.34 – 22nd November – New York (USA) Natalie Coughlin (USA) – * 100m Backstroke 56.71 – 23rd November – New York (USA) Natalie Coughlin (USA) – * 100m Individual Medley 58.80 – 23rd November – New York (USA) Hui Qi (CHN) – * 200m Breaststroke 2:18.86 – 2nd December – Shanghai (CHN) * Pending FINA ratification

FINA CHAMPIONSHIPS, WORLD CUPS, GAMES 2003 Jun 29 MSWC No.5 Hong Kong

(10km) HKG**

Jul 6 MSWC No.6 Ginzhen City (10km)

CHN

Jul 13-27 10th FINA World Championships

Barcelona ESP

Jul 26 MSWC No.7 Lac St-Jean (32km)

CAN

Aug 2 MSWC No.8 Lac Memphremagog (40km)

CAN

Aug 9 MSWC No.9 Atlantic City (37km)

USA**

Aug 16 MSWC No.10 Moscow (10km) RUS** Aug 23 or 24 MSWC No.11 Capri-Napoli

(36km) ITA

Sep 26 MSWC No.12 Alexandria (10km)

EGY

2004 Jun 3-13 10th FINA

Masters World Championships

Riccione ITA

Aug 13-29 OLYMPIC GAMES

Athens GRE

Oct 7-10 7th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m)

Indianapolis USA

2005 Jul 17-31 11th FINA World

Championships Montreal CAN

MEETINGS

2003 Jul 11 FINA Extraordinary

Congress Barcelona ESP*

2004 Oct 11-12 15th FINA World Sports

Medicine Congress Indianapolis USA

2005 Jul 13-15 FINA General Congress Montreal CAN Jul 13-15 FINA Technical Congress Montreal CAN * = Additions … ** = Modifications

WSCA NEWSLETTER WORLD SWIMMING COACHES ASSOCIATION

1st Floor, 461 Olive Street, Albury NSW 2640 Phone: (02) 6041 6077 – Fax: (02) 6041 4282

Email: [email protected]

Attention Class! 16 ways to be a Smarter Teacher

By Chuck Salter Reproduced from ASCA Newsletter Vol. #2002-02 In an economy filled with surprise and uncertainty, being an effective leader means being a good teacher. But how do you lead and teach at the same time? Who are your most important students? And what about recess? George Bernard Shaw could not have been more wrong when he coined the famous maxim, “He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.” In a fast-moving economy that is driven by ideas, an essential part of being a leader is being a good teacher. How else do you persuade everyone in an organisation – whether that means 50 employees or 50, 000 – to move in the same direction? How do you refocus the staff around a scaled-down strategy to survive an economic slump? How do you ensure that people at every level understand the priorities of the moment? How do you develop the leaders of tomorrow? SIMPLE … YOU TEACH. That’s different from giving a speech in a company wide meeting or giving orders to a subordinate. That’s not teaching … that’s dictating. Telling people what to do does not guarantee that they will learn enough to think for themselves in the future. Instead, it may mean that they will depend on you or their superiors even more and they will stop taking chances, stop innovating, stop learning. What do great teachers do that you should be doing in your role as a leader? Read on. We consulted the people who know best … teachers themselves ... all sorts of teachers.


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Some of them teach formally in classrooms ... some teach informally – in their offices, during dinner, on the fly – as they are running companies. Our experts have taught senior executives, software developers, sales reps, and MBA students, as well as middle-school students, musicians, surgeons, and other teachers. Good teaching, it turns out, is universal. Whether the topic is a new-product launch, social studies, or a triple bypass, the same principles – and many of the same techniques – apply. Are you ready to learn? Grab a desk, and open your notebooks. 1. IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU; IT’S ABOUT THEM.

Some teachers see themselves as the designated expert whose role is to impart their knowledge to students who are empty vessels. That’s the wrong metaphor, says William Rando, who has been training college level teachers for 15 years.

The best instructors see themselves as guides. They share what they know, but they understand that they are not the focus. Their students are. “It’s hard for some teachers to understand that teaching is really not about them,” says Rando, who runs the Office of Teaching Fellow Preparation and Development at Yale University. “There’s something counteractive about that. But it doesn’t mean that you don’t matter. It means that instead of asking, What am I going to do today? You ask, What are my students going to do today?” 2. STUDY YOUR STUDENTS. It’s not enough

to know your material, you need to know the people you are teaching – their talents, prior experience, and needs. Otherwise, how can you know for certain what they already know and what they need to learn.

“I tell my teachers to imagine that someone called and said, I’m trying to get to Yale,” says Rando. “The first question you have to ask is, Where are you? You have to know where the person is starting from before you can help him reach the destination. It may sound obvious, but as teachers, we sometimes begin the journey and forget to ask our students, Where are you? Where are you starting from?” Yoheved Kaplinsky, Chair of the Piano Department at the Juilliard School, pays attention to her students’ self-awareness. “I want to see my students evaluate their own playing,” she says. “That gives me an idea of how astute or delusional they are. You can listen between the lines and get a sense of their personality”. 3. STUDENTS TAKE RISKS WHEN

TEACHERS CREATE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT. Learning requires

vulnerability, says Michele Forman, who teaches social studies at Middlebury Union High School in Middlebury, Vermont.

Students have to acknowledge what they don’t know, take risks, and rethink what they thought they knew. That can be an uncomfortable – even scary – situation for anyone. “A little warmth goes a long way”, says Forman, the 2001 National Teacher of the Year. Like having a couch and floor pillows in one corner of the classroom. Or decorating the walls with her students’ work, because it’s their space. The result is a learning environment that is emotionally, intellectually, and psychologically safe. “If they aren’t feeling well, I make them a cup of peppermint tea. If they’re hungry, I feed them”, says Forman. “It can be the simplest thing, but it sends an important message.” Students need to know that they can trust the instructor. Hence, another Forman rule … no sarcasm in the classroom. “It creates the fear that you’re going to make them look bad,” she says. 4. GREAT TEACHERS EXUDE PASSION AS

WELL AS PURPOSE. The difference between a good teacher and a great one is not expertise ... it comes down to passion. Passion for the material ... passion for teaching.

The desire is infectious, says H. Muir, Global Marketing Training Manager at SC Johnson, in Racine, Wisconsin. If the teacher has it, the students will most likely catch it. “Both of my parents were high-school teachers,” Muir says. “My mother taught behaviourally disabled students, and my father taught history and government. The most important thing I learned from them is that you need to have passion, and it has to be genuine. It isn’t something you can fake. Students can tell whether you care or not.” 5. STUDENTS LEARN WHEN TEACHERS

SHOW THEM HOW MUCH THEY NEED TO LEARN. Teaching adults has given Tom McCarty, Director of Consulting Services at Motorola University, an appreciation for the old adage, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”.

Some of the people who show up for the Six Sigma continuous-improvement workshop aren’t ready, because they don’t think they need to improve. They don’t see the gap between where they are and where they need to be. Making them aware of that gap is one of McCarty’s first objectives “Is your team aligned around customer expectations?” he’ll ask. “Of course we are,” one of the team leaders will reply. McCarty will then ask each team member


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to write down the top-four customer priorities and post them on the wall so that everyone can read them. “If there are 15 team members, you’ll get 60 different priorities,” he says. “Once they see that for themselves, they’ll turn to me and ask, Can you help us here?” 6. KEEP IT CLEAR EVEN IF YOU CAN’T

KEEP IT SIMPLE. One of the chief attributes of a great teacher is the ability to break down complex ideas and make them understandable.

These days, the same can be said for business leaders, says Gary Grates, Executive Director of Internal Communications for General Motors. In fact, he says that the essence of teaching – and learning – is communication. “The biggest issue that leaders face is whether people understand them,” says Grates. “Whether you’re talking about Wall Street, partners, customers, or employees, people must understand the organisation’s story – where it’s headed, why you are making these changes, how you work, and how you think. Otherwise, you’re going to lose valuation, sales, new opportunities, or employees. That’s why teaching is important.” 7. PRACTICE VULNERABILITY WITHOUT

SACRIFICING CREDIBILITY. To some people, being a teacher – or a leader – means appearing as though you have all the answers. Any sign of vulnerability or ignorance is seen as a sign of weakness.

Those people can make the worst teachers, says Parker Palmer, a long-time instructor and author of The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher’s Life (Jossey-Bass, 1997). Sometimes the best answer a teacher can give is, “I don’t know.” Instead of losing credibility, she gains students’ trust, and that trust is the basis of a productive relationship. “We all know that perfection is a mask”, says Palmer. “So we don’t trust the people behind know-it-all masks. They’re not being honest with us. The people with whom we have the deepest connection are those who acknowledge their struggles to us”. Acknowledging what you don’t know shows that you’re still learning, that the teacher is, in fact, still a student. For the leader of an organisation, this is a delicate balancing act, says Mike Leven, former president of Holiday Inn Worldwide and now Chairman and CEO of US Franchise Systems Inc. “While it’s okay not to know a lot of things, people do depend on you to know the answers to certain questions. You don’t want people asking, Why is he running the company?”

8. TEACH FROM THE HEART. The best teaching isn’t formulaic; it’s personal. Different people teach Shakespeare in different ways because of who they are and how they see the world.

Or, as Palmer says, “We teach who we are.” The act of teaching requires the courage to explore one’s sense of identity. If you don’t fully know yourself, Palmer says, you can’t fully know your students, and therefore, you can’t connect with them. People compensate by using clever technique until they figure this out. Maybe, he says, the jazz musician Charlie Parker put it best, “If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn”. 9. REPEAT THE IMPORTANT POINTS. If you

want your employees to remember that new mission statement or market strategy, you need to give it to them more than once.

“The first time you say something, it’s heard,” says William H. Rastetter, who taught at MIT and Harvard before becoming CEO of Idec Pharmaceuticals Corp. “The second time it’s recognised, and the third time, it’s learned”. The challenge, then, is to be consistent without becoming predictable or boring”. The best teachers keep it fresh by finding new ways to express the same points. For Craig E. Weatherup, Chairman and CEO of the Pepsi Bottling Group, the message that he is constantly pushing is that bottled water – not cola – represents the biggest future growth potential for the company. The 25-member operating council has heard him expound on this strategy repeatedly – but he hasn’t repeated himself too much. “You have to cheat a little bit and disguise the themes so that people think, I haven’t heard this before,” he says. “I always try to find a new slant on the water category, but the underlying message doesn’t change … It’s important to the success of this company.” 10. GOOD TEACHERS ASK GOOD

QUESTIONS. Effective teachers understand that learning is about exploring the unknown and that such exploration begins with questions.

Not questions that are simply lectures in disguise. Not yes-or-no questions that don’t spark lively discussion. But questions that open a door to deeper understanding, such as, “How does that work?” and “What does that mean?” And GM’s Grates’s personal favourite, “Why?” “If you want to get to the heart of something, ask why five times,” he says. David Garvin, who teaches at Harvard Business School, interviewed a number of teaching executives for his book Learning in Action: A guide to Duttina the learning


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organisation to work (Harvard Business School Press, 2000). He found that one way they teach sound decision-making is by playing devil’s advocate. Teaching executives ask colleagues, “What if we did the opposite of what you’re suggesting?” The idea is not to undermine a decision but to bolster it through a thorough examination of the options – even the outlandish ones. “Although you get promoted by having the right answer,” he says, “It’s more important to ask the right questions as you climb higher.” 11. YOU ARE NOT PASSING OUT

INFORMATION. YOU ARE TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO THINK. The last thing you want to do is stand up and tell people what to do, or give them the answers that you want to hear. The best instructors are less interested in the answers than in the thinking behind them.

What leaders have to offer is a “teachable point of view”, says Noel Tichy, a Professor at the University of Michigan Business School and author of The Leadership Engine: How Winning Companies Build Leaders at Every Level (Harperbusiness. 1997). It’s how they look at the world, interpret information, and thinks through problems. The best teaching leaders help people learn how to think on their own rather then telling them what to think. “You want a forceful group of people who know what you want but at the same time feel free enough to make the day-to-day judgements themselves,” says Gene Roberts, a long-time editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer and the New York Times who now teaches journalism at the University of Maryland at College Park. (During his 18 years at the Inquirer, the paper won 17 Pulitzer Prizes.) “You have to know when to let go so that people don’t become dependent on you. In the newspaper business, speed is everything, and if you have people waiting to hear what you have to say before they will react, you’ll get beat.” 12. STOP TALKING – AND START LISTENING.

When it comes to teaching, what you do is nearly as important as what you say. After all, your students are watching you.

One way to show that you’re interested in them and that you care about them and that you’re interested in them is by listening. Effective learning is a two way street. It’s a dialogue, not a monologue. After asking a question, bad teachers fill in the silence rather than wait for a response. Instead, says Muir, the Training Manager at SC Johnson, try this … wait 10 seconds. “If you want to be a good teacher, you need to get comfortable with silence,” he says. It’s in those quiet, perhaps

awkward, moments that some of the most productive thinking occurs. Don’t interrupt it”. 13. LEARN WHAT TO LISTEN FOR. Levi

Watkins teaches heart surgery at John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where the residents learn by working side-by-side with attending and faculty surgeons.

Before surgery, Watkins asks a resident to walk him through the diagnosis and procedure, as if the tables were turned and he was assisting the trainee. “I’m listening for how the resident assembles all of this information, how well she organises her thoughts”, says Watkins. “Choosing to operate on someone’s heart is a very complex decision. You may have a difference of opinion among doctors, but the buck stops there. We’re the ones who decide which vessels are worthy or not worthy of a bypass procedure.” When Pepsi’s Weatherup visits General Managers at one of the company’s 300 sites, he pays particular attention to the language he hears. In a manager’s analysis of the local market, for example, Weatherup listens for references to the company’s overall Mission Statement or to a new strategy that he has laid out. He’s not interested in mimicry. He wants a sense that the manager is thinking about their piece of the business in the right framework. “If I hear the language of the company coming back to me, know that I’m reaching people”, Weatherup says. He was forced to become a good listener while working in Japan, his first assignment with Pepsi. Because English was a second language to his colleagues, he became sensitive to the emotion behind people’s words. He still listens for it today. “I’m interested in people’s feelings, not just the latest volume and pricing numbers. I want to know what frustrates them and what they feel good about.” 14. LET YOUR STUDENTS TEACH EACH

OTHER. You are not the only one your students learn from. They also learn on their own and from their peers.

“That’s how the triangle of learning works,” says Marilyn Whirry, who teaches 12th grade AP English at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, California. She’s a big believer in small groups. She’ll give the groups a question that is based on the book the students are reading, and they have to respond to the previous comment before making a new point. “They listen to each other,” says Whirry, the 2000 National Teacher of the Year. “Maybe their friend has an insight that they hadn’t thought of. Maybe it’s something that they can build on. It’s exciting to watch.” Yale’s Rando has taken the idea one step further. He has designated small groups to become experts on different


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topics and then intermingled students in new groups so that they have to teach another person what they’ve learned. “This method replicates how problems occur in life,” he says. “Everybody has a piece of relevant information, making everyone a teacher and a learner.” 15. AVOID USING THE SAME APPROACH FOR

EVERYONE. Good teachers believe that every student can learn, but they understand that students learn differently. Some are visual ... some grasp the abstract ... some learn best by reading.

So the instructor might adopt a multidimensional approach, something along these lines: Lecture for 20 minutes, then pose a multiple-choice question to the class, which is displayed on the board or on a slide. Next, ask everyone to write down an answer to the question, and then have people take turns explaining it to someone else in class. After several minutes, poll the class to find out who chose which answer. Then ask someone from each of those groups to explain their answer. Rando calls this active lecturing. 16. NEVER STOP TEACHING. Effective

teaching is about the quality of the relationship between the teacher and the student. It doesn’t end when the class or the workday is over.

“I try to stay away for a 9-to-5 attitude, which means that for the hour you’re here, I care about you, but don’t bother me afterwards,” says Kaplinsky, the Juilliard professor. “One of the most important ingredients of teaching is loving it. I came from Israel, where we have a saying, More than the calf wants to suck its mother’s milk, the mother wants to impart the milk to the calf.” That concludes our lesson on teaching. Any questions? Anyone? All right then. Class dismissed. Chuck Salter, a Fast Company senior writer, tries to teach the fundamentals of baseball, softball, and soccer to kids in Baltimore. The Business of Teaching Craig E. Weatherup has about 40,000 employees, which means that he has about 40,000 students. As Chairman and CEO of the Pepsi Bottling Group, he believes in trying to teach every chance he gets. “I don’t know if it’s my number-one job, but it’s pretty close,” says Weatherup. “I could talk about this for days.” In his job, teaching is vital, he says, because 25,000 of his employees work unsupervised while delivering or selling Pepsi products. If they don’t understand what’s important to PBG’s executive team, the strategy won’t drive the front line.

As well as attending meetings with the company’s 25-member operating council, Weatherup squeezes in informal one-on-one sessions with employees in the field, something he learned from former PepsiCo President Andy Pearson after joining the company in 1974. “You can’t teach unless people believe you care about them,” Weatherup says. Clearly, his most challenging teaching opportunity occurred when PBG split off from PepsiCo in 1998 and then went public the following year. He knew that changes of this magnitude could cause widespread confusion. The newly formed company needed a mission statement. In record time, he and the management team crafted a new set of operating principles, dubbed the rules of the road. On April 7, 1999, Weatherup assembled all 400 location managers. He explained the importance of these rules, along with PBG’s to-the-point new Mission Statement, “We sell soda”. One week later, those 400 managers taught the remaining 39,600 or so employees. Each location had a poster featuring the Mission Statement, and each employee in attendance enrolled in the new PBG by signing the poster. “When you’re teaching something this important, it has to be personal and public,” Weatherup says. The Keys to Good Teaching How do you help rising superstars fulfil their potential? That’s the challenge facing Yoheved Kaplinsky, Chair of the Piano Department at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York. She teaches some of the most talented young musicians in the country. For Kaplinsky, the key is relating to her students as individuals, not simply as prodigies. “Talent is often coupled with a high level of sensitivity,” she says. “You need a varied vocabulary to express the same ideas with different students.” As a result, she is as interested in her students’ psychology as in their music. “You’re teaching them to become comfortable with themselves and to express what they feel,” she says. Kaplinsky encourages students to critically evaluate their own playing and to maintain high standards while avoiding a perfectionism that can never be satisfied. She knows that this is tricky. The solution, she suggests, is inspiring them to be lifelong students, ever curious, always striving, never complacent. Such students are eager to improve, rather than discouraged. “I tell my students, judge yourself by two standards … Where you are today compared with last week and where you want to be next week.”’


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Kaplinsky is particularly aware of her students’ perspective, because she was a prodigy herself. Born in Israel, she began playing as a 5-year-old and later studied with an instructor who was considered to be one of the best in the country. At 16, Kaplinsky left home for Juilliard, where she earned her doctorate. She has been teaching there for eight years. “What it takes to be a good teacher is what it takes to be a good artist: creativity and the ability to express yourself and your emotions,” she says. “Some people have a wonderful artistic sense, but they can’t communicate it. Some teachers have a huge amount of knowledge, but they can’t express it or create the spark in their students to learn.” Teacher with Heart Levi Watkins teaches all day, every day. He is a cardiac surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, which is a teaching hospital. Residents there learn by working alongside veteran physicians like Watkins as they diagnose and treat patients. Watkins, who also lectures at John Hopkins Medical School, where he is associate dean, takes particular pride in teaching by example. As the poem on the wall of his office says, “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one.” He understands that what he does is just as important as what he says. “If I had to prioritise what I teach, I’d say that caring is the most important thing,” he says. “Any fine program can teach you surgical procedure.” In addition to showing residents his habit of triple checking in the OR, Watkins demonstrates what it means to be close. “I sit down on the bed with my patients, like an old family doctor,” says Watkins. “My residents see me touch someone’s hand or cheek. Those are reassuring things. You can’t be emotionally close unless you’re physically close.” His residents also see him teaching his patients and their families about heart surgery, the potential risks, and his backup plans (another Watkins rule: Have more than one plan). Watkins attributes his empathy to growing up in Montgomery, Alabama, where as a boy he marched with Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil-rights movement. In the 1960s, Watkins became the first black student at and first black graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “You have to struggle a little bit to appreciate other people’s struggles,” he says. Or at the very least, you need a strong role model. When he came to Hopkins as a resident, Watkins worked alongside Vincent Gott, the chief cardiac surgeon at the time. “Dr. Gott taught me how to show compassion for

patients,” says Watkins. “He was a sermon that I enjoyed seeing.”

ASCA World Clinic 2003

San Diego, CA September 2nd-7th 2003

EARLY REGISTRATION PRICE … $149 Save $50 off of Regular Registration ($199)Save $100 off of On-site Registration ($249)

This deal is good until March 1, and then rates will go up.

Complete registration packets will be sent in May.

Check our web page for clinic program updates.

To register call us at 1-800-356-2722 Or go to

www.swimmingcoach.org/worldclinic/ASCA2003/registration.asp

YOUTH SPORT BURNOUT Symptoms & Strategies

Guy Edson at American Swim Coaches Assoc., sent us this very interesting article which can also be viewed

at pelinks4u.org/sections/coaching/coaching.htm A Case Study of Deena Jenelle N. Gilbert,

California State University, Fresno. When an athlete’s stress is ongoing, excessive and not dealt with effectively, there is a higher likelihood that the athlete will withdraw from sport. This is often described as burnout. Unfortunately, many youth athletes experience this phenomenon. This article is a case study describing one youth sport soccer player’s experience, including the factors contributing to her burnout and what was done to help her with this difficult situation. It is hoped that the information will… (a) Provide an opportunity for youth sport

coaches to recognise possible burnout symptoms in their athletes and…

(b) Offer strategies that can be used to help athletes avoid burnout.


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THE CONTEXT I first met Deena (a pseudonym) when she was a 15-year-old athlete playing club soccer. Deena’s team played year-round in an indoor league (October to March) and an outdoor league (March to September). In addition to all of the regularly scheduled games, practices and training sessions, Deena’s team also participated in 10 local, national and/or international tournaments on the weekends during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Because Deena’s burnout symptoms were greatest during the outdoor season, the discussion will emphasise this involvement.

FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO DEENA’S BURNOUT

1. Responsibility of Position Athletes in key positions can experience high levels of stress (Newman, 1992). This is due to the high visibility of the positions and the ease with which a spectator can identify when a mistake is made. During the outdoor season, Deena played wing-half. A wing-half is involved in all aspects of the play. This midfield player generally controls the pace of the game because her duties include offending and defending. A quote from Deena supports the sometimes overwhelming responsibilities associated with this difficult position… “Yeah, there is a lot of pressure because you have to play three different positions, when you are offending you have to be a forward and then you have to play defensively as well. You have to get back and defend and then run up and sprint and if you don’t get back you get yelled at by the coaches and the players.” 2. Striving to meet expectations of Self and Coaches Most athletes note that failing to achieve their performance goals (or meet their own expectations) is a significant stressor (James & Collins, 1997). Meeting her own performance expectations was a critical source of stress for Deena. When discussing a practice session she said, “My overall performance was not very good at all and I was very disappointed in myself.” Meeting the expectations of coaches as a significant source of stress has also been found (Thompson, 1995). Deena was a starter on the team. She was very talented, but felt a great deal of stress about meeting the coaches’ expectations. When asked about her stress in soccer she said… “To play consistently and feel that I am doing my job on the team in what position I am in, you know? Making sure that the coaches are happy with my performance” [Background Interview (BI)].

3. Perceived lack of caring from Coaches Athletes can experience frustration or anxiety when there is a difference in perception between the athlete and a significant other, such as the coach. Unfortunately, this occurred with Deena. The coaches believed that Deena had the potential to be an excellent performer, and they pushed her to work harder than some of her teammates. However, this resulted in her incorrect perception that they didn’t care about her. “I feel that Coach thinks of me differently on the team. Like he doesn’t have the same attitude towards me. I found this out. If I get hurt or something and I come off the field, I am pretty sure he thinks that I am faking it or he thinks I am a wimp because if I have to come off the field because I am hurt he doesn’t pay any attention to me.” 4. Too much Soccer As previously discussed, Deena’s involvement in soccer was year-round. The outdoor season consisted of a tryout period, pre-season training, regular season and post-season training and included a minimum of one game and one or two training sessions per week. The team also competed in several tournaments and was involved in fundraising activities (e.g. car washes, bingo nights, etc.). This meant several hours of soccer and soccer-related activities each week. Over time, Deena’s reaction to this engagement was the following… “I was basically to the point where I didn’t like soccer anymore because I did so much of it and everything and I just got totally sick of it.” 5. Competing demands for time (other responsibilities outside of sport) Like many adolescent females, Deena was involved in many extracurricular activities. For example, in addition to club soccer, she also participated in practices for a school fashion show, played soccer for her high school team, had her regular homework schedule and was in the process of trying to find a part-time job. She wrote the following in her journal about this situation… “I’m going to get very run-down. I already don’t get enough sleep, so how am I going to manage with this extra load on?” Fortunately, the coaches and I recognised these burnout symptoms in Deena. We then employed the following strategies to help her alleviate her ongoing stress.

STRATEGIES USED TO HELP ALLEVIATE DEENA’S STRESS AND PREVENT BURNOUT

1. Mental Skills Training and/or Venting Outlet


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One of the first things that I did was offer to teach Deena some coping strategies that she could use to help her with her stress. If coaches recognise burnout symptoms, they could contact local sport psychologists and ask for similar coping assistance. If local professionals are not available, perhaps students enrolled in graduate sport psychology programs could work with the stressed athlete(s) via an internship (paid or unpaid) that can count toward school credit. The other way that I helped Deena was by continuing to talk to her about our research. Before I got involved with the athletes, I made it clear that everything that we spoke about in our interviews or other discussions would be confidential. Thus, I became a kind of sounding board or outlet that the athletes used to vent and problem solve. This was helpful for Deena and she had the following to say, “Me being able to talk to you about things, I guess relieves some of my stress that way ... so just talking to you and you not saying anything is just what I need.” Therefore, coaches could help athletes identify significant people in their lives that can act as sounding boards for the athletes and allow them to work through any stressors they are experiencing. 2. Individual discussion with Coach A second strategy used was for the head coach to have an individual discussion with Deena to talk about her performance as well as any other concerns that she had. It was hoped that this procedure would help alleviate the stress that Deena was feeling about meeting the coaches’ expectations. I spoke to Deena briefly following this conversation and asked her how she felt it went. She told me that she felt a lot better because it helped to reassure her about her performance and her role on the team, as the coach clarified his thoughts about these issues. Therefore, upon recognising stress symptoms in their athletes, coaches may want to individually talk to athletes and provide information and reassurance whenever possible. 3. Take a break During the individual discussion with the coach, Deena was encouraged to take some time off. The coach could see that Deena was overwhelmed by the stress associated with her soccer participation and he wanted to get her away from this environment and give her an opportunity to relax. Deena was told to stay away from the soccer environment for a minimum of one week and could take more time if she needed it. The coaches were hoping that this time away would allow her to return with renewed energy and enthusiasm for soccer. This

strategy worked for Deena. Hence, when possible, coaches could offer time-off to their athletes who are experiencing a great deal of stress. 4. Change positions One of the first things that the coaches did upon Deena’s return to the soccer context was to move her into a less physically demanding position. The move from wing-half to forward resulted in more opportunities to score goals. Furthermore, as a forward, Deena was not expected to do as much defensively. While some may consider the added pressure of having to score goals stressful, this was not the case for Deena as she had missed this aspect of the performance and found the position switch fun and exciting. Thus, moving athletes into positions with less responsibility may allow them to experience less stress and more fun. 5. Positive feedback and praise In her new position as forward, and the occasional time when she returned to the wing-half position, the coaches made sure to give Deena lots of praise and feedback on her performance. This positive encouragement made a key impact as Deena started to enjoy playing soccer again. Thus, coach communication in the form of simple, positive feedback can help athletes feel better about their performance and lessen burnout or stress symptoms. In conclusion, chronic stress in the sporting environment can lead to burnout. The case study of Deena is used to outline symptoms and strategies that coaches can use to help athletes avoid this destructive situation. Coaches are encouraged to reflect on their interaction with athletes, identify the athlete’s stress symptoms and help athletes by engaging in behaviours that promote athlete coping. References • James, B., & Collins, D. (1997). Self-

presentational sources of competitive stress during performance. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 19, 17-35.

• Newman, M. A. (1992). Perspectives on the psychological dimension of goalkeeping: Case studies of two exceptional performers in soccer. Contemporary Thought on Performance Enhancement, 1, 71-105.

• Thompson, J. (1995). Positive coaching: Building character and self-esteem through sports. Portola Valley, CA: Warde.


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Great Talks from History WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A SUCCESSFUL

SWIMMING COACH By Peter Daland

University of Southern California Reproduced from ASCA Newsletter #2002-6

1975 Hollywood, FL Editor’s Note: Peter Daland’s outstanding achievements as a swimming coach more than qualify him to speak on this subject. During his 18 years at the University of Southern California (USC), his teams have won the NCAA Championships six times and finished second seven times. During this same period his USC men have won 12 National AAU Championships. In the Pac-8 Conference the USC dual meet record is an astounding 143-5-1, and they have won the Pac-8 Championship 12 of the last 14 years. The material for my topic has come from my observations of a lot of different people in the coaching field. This is not a personal thing at all and each person has his own measurement of success. A person may appear to be successful to one of us and yet in his own mind may not be successful. You’d be surprised how many coaches apparently on top who really – in their own minds – are not on top. So, in looking at a lot of the people around the country I’ve tried to put together in some sort of semblance of order some of the factors that I think are important in being a successful swimming coach. This talk is aimed primarily at the young coaches in the hope that some of these factors may be important to them in the near or far future. First of all, let’s talk about the simple points, most of which are obvious, but I think are worthy of discussion, that have to do with coaching success. Naturally the first has to be coaching knowledge. I’m talking about technique training first of all. The ability to teach strokes and the ability to make stroke corrections. This is where it all begins. It begins with Swimming Teachers of course. Each of us has to have some knowledge of swimming teaching and the more you have the better. You also have to have knowledge of stroke correction. If a person has been improperly taught, or has a stroke that is not correct for him, then you have to make an adjustment and these adjustments are not easy, particularly if the pattern has worn deep. You need, of course, to be able to teach up-to-date methods of starting and turning. The nice thing about starting and turning is it keeps changing all the time. Just about the time you have mastered all of the latest techniques, you read a publication somewhere or go to a meet and somebody is trying a new start. The last one I saw was a track start … one foot forward and one foot back … and I’m sure there will be a lot more coming up. The coach also has to develop knowledge of conditioning, and the more advanced the

program the more important this factor becomes.

How much training ? What kind of training ? When do you do what kind of training ? And for whom ? For the sprinters ? For the distance swimmers ? For the 8-year-olds ? For the 17-year-olds ?

And this, of course, requires years of learning and is a subject you never fully learn because somebody else always comes up with a better idea that you should incorporate into your program. That’s one of the great values of meetings like this where we can get a lot of different people on the rostrum and we can get a lot of ideas sitting around and listening to other people talk. Now another important factor in coaching success is the ability to work with swimmers. You’ve got to work with other people. It’s not a laboratory deal where you are working with test tubes and beakers. You are working with people. You have to show some leadership because they are young people for the most part, unless you are running a Master’s Program. You have got to generate their respect and their affection. You don’t want all the girls to be in love with you, but you do want them to have a warm feeling about you, even though you may have a grouchy exterior. You certainly want them to respect you as a human being and as a leader so that when you say something they are very apt to give it very serious consideration and to act upon it. Then there’s the question of inspiration. I think this is very important. You can look at coaches in any field, whether it’s Vince Lombardi at Green Bay in football, or Johnny Wooden at UCLA in basketball, or a coach in swimming. Inspiration is the ability to get the athlete to go beyond the call of duty in both practice and competition. Then the coach has to be an organiser. There’s a tremendous amount of organisational work necessary in most swimming programs. You have to set forth the training program. When are we going to practice? And which facilities are we going to use in this practice? Then you have to set up the competition program. If you are a high school coach there’s a little bit of option. College coaches usually make their own schedules. Club coaches decide which AAU Meets they will go to and then decide which events and which swimmers will swim. This is a very involved business and you can just spend days and days on programming but, of course, you don’t have that kind of time. Then a coach has to have energy. You have


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to be able to get up and go at 6:00 in the morning and you have to be able to be effective when the meet closes at 11:00 or 12:00 at night. There’s no way around it. You have long days. There’s a great emotional output and you have to be ready for this. You have to be ready to face crises. “My girlfriend just left me, what am I gonna do?” The parent comes storming down to the pool deck … “My kid was left off the A Relay, what’s the story?” And there you are in the middle of a Meet and you need to come up with an answer. So, you have to be ready for all of this and this takes a lot of energy on the part of the coach. This is why you don’t see many 75-year-old coaches. You might see a 75-year-old Senator, but you won’t see a 75-year-old coach. I guess the oldest ones I ever knew were Matt Mann in his days at Oklahoma where he was in his middle 70’s, and Bob Kiphuth who coached the New Haven Swim Club up until about the age of 73 or 74. I really didn’t envy them. I kinda felt sorry for them or I was just jealous or admired them. I don’t know, but t seems awfully tough to be doing it at that age. A man deserves something better. Then dedication is absolutely necessary in this sport. You have to be a little bit in love with coaching. You have to be a little bit crazy because if you go around explaining to your conventional friends how you are spending your life, of course it’s embarrassing because you really can’t justify it. You can’t justify that kind of dedication over a bunch of 10-year-olds or a bunch of 20-year-olds. It doesn’t matter, it’s still the same. You have to be prepared to sacrifice some of the normal, simple pleasures of life which the man in the house next door has because he gets home at five o’clock which you are denied because you get home at 7:30. You have to find new ways of getting to know your family because if your kids are young they will be in bed when you get home. There are a lot of problems involved in this dedication towards coaching. You have to be able to give your swimmers psychological preparation because the average human doesn’t just dive into the water and love to go 14,000, 15,000, or 16,000 yards or metres. That is not something the average human just wants to do. It takes some preparation. It takes some selling and most of you fellows are doing an outstanding job or America wouldn’t be doing as well as we are doing now. You must be an amateur psychologist. You must be … well, I hate to use the word, but a nice con man. Con man in the nice sense of the word because you are really getting people to do things that they certainly wouldn’t consider doing unless you are out

selling it to them. You have to have a willingness to continue to learn. You never know coaching. Doc Counsilman, probably one of our most learned coaches, doesn’t have all the answers. He’s always coming up with new ideas, either his own or some he’s run across. So, it is with all the coaches in the world, the little and the big. You must be learning all the time and you must have an open mind. You must never say, “I have the answer, this is it,” because that’s just about the time you are going to be in for a horrendous surprise when you find out you don’t have the answer. You can never be dogmatic because everything is changing all the time. Now getting into the practical aspects of coaching, you really should try and be careful in the selection of the right job situation. Most of us are coaching just where we happened to be and that isn’t very smart. We could better ourselves if we kept the weather eye open for the right job situation. One reason I left the Los Angeles Athletic Club after 16 years of coaching, was because I saw a declining situation. Age Groupers and Age Group Parents didn’t want to come to downtown Los Angeles when we had Ron Ballatore, Don Gambril and Jim Montrella running excellent programs in the suburbs near where the people lived. I saw this was going to be a more and more downhill situation so I got out. Now I probably got out about five years too late and probably should have gotten started sooner, but it was difficult for me to adjust and to realise the very thing I’m telling you about, that I had a situation that had been good, but was no longer a strong one. In this selection of right job situations, you have to ask, “Does this club, high school or university have the potential to succeed?” There might be some factors mitigating against it. For example, you might be running a club in an income area which really couldn’t support the kind of club you want to have. You might be in a high school where there is some sort of antipathy to swimming. You might be at a university where the athletic director is not going to give you enough financial aid to be able to compete against your immediate rivals in the same conference, let alone the people across the country. In which case, it is not a right job situation and you’d better stay out of it. There were many times when I was wondering is USC a right job situation for me. I asked myself many times, “Is this a good job situation?” Sometimes I said it wasn’t and those were the times when I kept looking around the world to see if there were other jobs that might be better. I hope you will do the same. When a job opens up, put your hat in the ring. Let them


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know you are interested. You don’t have to make a commitment until they offer you the job. Then you have to make a commitment. Up until then you can throw your hat in the ring. It doesn’t cost anything and it might help you in bettering yourself and in any event you will learn more about other jobs and the kind of job you might ultimately want. Then you have to look at the area. Can the area support swimming? Are there enough people? Are the people interested enough? Will they pay the prices? Then you have to look at the job conditions. Is this a parent-run club where I’m going to be battling with the parents from start to finish? There are certain clubs in the United States of America, unfortunately a large percentage, that are parent-run and most of them are coach death traps. You can look at the long list of coaches’ bodies strewn back through the history of those clubs. They just couldn’t get on top of the parent situation and they were silly to try. Most of our successful clubs are coach-dominated clubs where the coach is running the club and controlling it and the parents are supporting part of it. Don’t think we don’t need parents because we do. Then you have to look at pay and you have to look at pool hours. What kind of hours are you going to be running? There are other jobs where you don’t have to work 3:30 to 5:00, and you can still be a swimming coach. So, look at the workout hours and look at the money. Everybody has to live by earning money and you’d better look at it and think about it. Most of us when we start coaching are dreamers, we are idealists. To hell with the money, I just want to succeed. I remember my first year at USC – $300. I hope none of you will be that stupid. I was very young, impressionable and really didn’t get the picture. I should have said, “no – $400”. Now the delegation of authority is critical in coaching and it is certainly a factor that you must never forget. Try and have as much as possible done by other people. You are only one human. You can only do so much. You are probably overloaded. Try to get other people trained to handle as much of the routine work as possible. Assistants to handle some of the workouts. For example, at USC we run four workouts a day. I can’t run four workouts a day. I don’t intend to run four workouts a day. Certainly not at my present stage of life and so I hire a competent assistant, a totally qualified person. He runs two and I run two. I think two is enough. So don’t get overloaded with workouts. Don’t try to run every phase of your program. Try to get other people to do it. Train them your way. If you have a team captain on

your high school or your college team, give him some things to do. Don’t just let him walk around saying, “I’m Team Captain”. Give him some jobs; load him up with a few administrative details. Let him be the communicator with the troops. Let him be a good pipeline into the troops so that some of the complaints you might get he can handle for you and will probably do as good a job as you’d do. Team parents. Team parents are like splendid work horses. Put them to work. Let them have a job. A lot of them want to work. They thank you for it. They are honoured to do it. Particularly if you are doing a good job with their kids, they want to do a good job for you so don’t be afraid to give them little jobs, but don’t let them take over the kingdom, just keep them busy. Finally, there has to be a blending of professional and personal life. Man cannot live only by coaching. He has to have other things in his life. This is a critical factor in the longevity of the coaching career of the individual. If you have not arranged that your personal life can blend with your professional life, either you are going to have a terrible life or a short coaching career. And as Dr. Counsilman mentioned earlier, stealing my thunder, there is a high divorce rate in coaching and a lot of this is because of the long hours and the limited pay. We are not paid the way the golf and tennis pros are paid. We are not paid properly and as John Spannuth told us years ago, swimming coaches should be earning $30,000 at least. There are people in swimming who earn $30,000, but they don’t do it through coaching. They have all sorts of little side deals cooking. You shouldn’t have to have all those side deals to make $30,000 so let’s get the rates up. Now I really am full of sympathy for Age Group Coaches because I’m a pretty stupid guy. I’ve been running down to Ventura College twice a day all summer, 2½ hours a day of driving to run a long course program twice a day for some kids in my club and I’m paid about $250 a month to do it. That isn’t smart, but I write it down as sort of a community effort because I live in the town and they are town kids, but I don’t know how long I can be generous and keep doing that. I hope that if you don’t have another job that you won’t get involved in that kind of situation. Now, I’m going to look at this question another way. I want to talk about the job requirements of the coach. This is another way of viewing the same problem. First of all, he has to develop the individual talents of his swimmers to their fullest whether it be the 8-year-old girl or the 20-year-old college junior


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who is back for the summer, or the boys on the high school team, the girls on the high school team, whoever it is. Your job and your promise to your athletes is … “I will do my best to develop you to the highest possible level of performance”. That has to be our pledge to our people in swimming. Secondly, you want to create some sort of a team spirit or esprit de corps. In my opinion, this is one of the greatest secrets of American success. If we have had success in this country over other countries, one of the main reasons has been the team impetus. All of our swimming, high school, college and AAU are team-oriented. You go to the Nationals, watch the team battle. One coach was telling me this morning how his club lost out from I think third place in men’s swimming based on the little thing of their relay team having to swim in the afternoon rather than at night. That’s really cutting it right down to the fine point when you are talking about a couple of hundred points. But, this was very important to this coach and I’m sure it was very important to the other coach who came out on top in that battle. But, team swimming is really great and I think it is one of the finest features of our American program. I also think it is one of the greatest weaknesses in the swimming in most other countries. In most other countries, people swim for themselves, for their own honour and glory and sometimes for that of their country, but they usually are not too bound up in club, high school or university competition. This gives us an enormous advantage, in my opinion. Many of our Olympic Teams have carried on this same team spirit and had wonderful results. We want to establish adequate coaching hours that are somewhat convenient. I wouldn’t just say straight convenient because convenient hours certainly are not 6am, when most morning workouts start, but you do want to get the best possible hours. This is the job of the coach because he has to provide a service for the athletes. You don’t want to run 3am workouts, not because of just yourself, but because your people aren’t going to show up and therefore you are going to fall down on the program. So you need to get adequate hours. Enough time in the pool to do the job and that means to do the job so that it is not too crowded at any point in the program and so that everybody has enough workout hours per day. At the same time the hours have to be within reason so that the lives of the athletes and their parents are not completely ripped up by the program you are proposing, because if they are, swimming is going out the window. You need to arrange for the use of the best

possible equipment. If we look in the room right ahead of me (the Exhibit Hall) there lies marvellous equipment and all of you should be looking at it and deciding which piece of equipment you want to add to your team’s supply for the next season. Whether it is high school, college or club, we all need equipment. We need access to weight equipment for land exercises. We know that weight work will develop muscles much more rapidly than water work and therefore, we need to have this available. One of your jobs as a coach is to make available the best possible equipment for your athletes, whether it is hand paddles, pulling tubes, goggles, weight equipment and all the various items that we have and are using in swimming today. You need to work out some fair coaching fees or salaries because you are going to have assistants; you are going to have to hire them, you are going to have to pay them or see that they get paid. Don’t try to hire people for $100 a month or you won’t get good coaches. You’ll just get people who can’t figure out anything else to do. In fact even those aren’t too smart because they would make more money on relief. So, try to arrange that the coaching fees are good. Also, you need to be paid yourself so that you will stay in the sport. If you are not paid enough money and you get married, your wife will soon have you out of that activity. Now a coach needs to organise a Booster Group. I don’t care whether you are in high school, college or club, you need a Booster Group and don’t duck it because you have to get out and do it. We all have to be fund raisers and the Booster Group is the best way to do it. They can do a lot more than raise funds. They can do a lot of other things. They can put on meets. They can put on receptions for alumni if you are involved in a college situation. They can do a lot of other things that can be very helpful to your program. Certainly the development of the team finances is paramount. The team has to have money. You have to get to the Nationals if you are a National Level Team. You have to get to the Regional meets even if you are not a National Level Team. High School Teams need money for sweat suits, for this, for that and for the other thing. You’d like to get an automatic judging and timing device. This costs money. The Booster Group can put on meets. They can do a great job if it’s an Age Group Team. I know in my club our parents are fantastic in putting on meets. I wish they were better at raising salaries, but they really can put on meets. They put on one of the best Junior Olympics ever seen in the Los Angeles area.


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Social functions for the Team ... Team Parties ... Team Banquets. You’re not going to do it. Don’t even try. All you do is get yourself tied up with something that should be done by somebody else. The Booster Group will do it and they will do it better than you. Then, of course, the travel costs which I mentioned earlier. Now you should appoint a Team Manager or Secretary or someone who is your right hand man. A person who makes travel arrangements. You’re going to travel – are you going to deal with the Travel Agent, are you going to call up the airlines, are you going to do all that? A lot of you do. I think you’d be a lot smarter if you got someone in your organisation trained to do it so that you would be relieved of that chore and this would be a Team Manager or Secretary, whatever you want to call it. You also need somebody to maintain the records ... to keep the books ... to keep the best times of the club. You can’t do that with an Age Group Club. It’s an enormous job. Keep a list of the workouts. Somebody can record the workouts. There is a lot of other paper work that needs to be taken care of where a Team Manager or Secretary can help out. It doesn’t matter whether it’s high school, college or AAU. You still need a person or persons doing this work. Then you have to develop some public relations for the team. There has to be a connection with the local news media. Again, you can do it yourself or you can get a publicity chairman or a PR man. Of course, if you are college, they provide you with a very fancy fellow who is an expert on football and basketball, but probably will never come to your meets so you’ll wind up naming your own person anyway. This is something that is important and this is one of swimming’s weakest areas. American swimming, if it were not for Swimming World, would be one of the best kept secrets in sports. Swimming World has let the cat out of the bag and Al Schoenfield should probable be scolded for it because he has told everybody about all the things we are doing over here. But really, before Bob Kiphuth and some other people started that magazine, American swimming was a great mystery. We suddenly appeared abroad periodically and everybody was surprised how well we had done because we didn’t publish them. Our press was more concerned with the broken thumb of the wife of the baseball pitcher, which to our public is more important. It’s important for the coach to participate in and to attend Clinics like this. And also Clinics that aren’t as fancy as this – the little simple home-town clinics. This keeps you in contact

with other coaches, nationally and regionally. You also upgrade your knowledge by attending Clinics and you have a chance to contribute to the knowledge of others. There is not a person here that can’t contribute to the knowledge of another person in coaching that is also here. You’d be amazed at how many contributions come from people that don’t think they are contributing. I had lunch with three people who got in a great big discussion about different means of weight training. I just listened and said nothing and it was very beneficial to me, and I think it will help my program. I do want to thank all three of them. I’m sure this wasn’t the object of their conversation, but it was one of the by-products. Then our coach or coaches, I think, are obligated to participate in swimming administration. We should run our own sport or at least have a strong say in its management. If we don’t we’re a pretty sad bunch and one of the keys again to our American swimming success has been coaches getting active in swimming administration and learning about some of the administrative problems. I realise that most of you don’t have the secretarial help that some of our national figures have in swimming administration, but you can be active. I think one of the most gratifying things is the number of active coaches on the International Section, which is the key to our foreign travel. Mike Troy is the Chairman of this section. The all powerful Chairmanship is in the hands of a professional coach and Mike does an outstanding job. The Olympic Committee. About 70% of the members of our Olympic Swimming Committee are professional coaches putting in their time in swimming administration. In many of the local AAU Districts, the majority on the committees, or a large percentage of them, are professional coaches. So, get active and don’t sit back and criticise. Get in and talk within the meeting, not outside it. AAU Committees. Get on AAU committees. If you are a high school or college griper, get in the AAU and get active and do your griping within the swimming committees, conference groups, league groups and so forth. Get into the swim and participate. They need your help and knowledge. One of the sad things about many of the swimming countries, British Commonwealth countries in particular, is the fact that coaches have almost no say and mismanagement is rampant. Why shouldn’t we use the most knowledgeable people, namely the people who live by the sport – our coaches? Now be active in Coaches Associations. Join the American Swimming Coaches Association.


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You people will have joined, of course, but when the tape gets back to other people, there might be somebody who hasn’t and maybe he’ll join. Join your High School Coaches Association. Join your College Coaches Association. If it’s not active, make it so. If it’s not good, make it better. Try to be a leader in swimming administration. Our American Swimming Coaches Association has become our lobby for our sport. In the last five or six years ASCA has assumed a strong leadership in bringing about needed improvements and changes in rules and the administration of our sport. My congratulations to the people running this organisation because they have done a great job. They are a force in American Swimming and one to be reckoned with. Also, Coaches’ Associations promote the exchange of knowledge. They have newsletters. They tell you about what other coaches are thinking and doing and they send you all sorts of magazines, free of charge if you pay their membership fee. You get things like Swimming World and Swimming Technique and Australian magazines and all sorts of things that can help you be more knowledgeable. So, be active in Coaches Associations. I just talked to one fellow today. This guy is so thirsty for knowledge that he’s an active member, or inactive member, of both the Rhodesian and South African Coaches Associations and he said he still gets all the information from those two groups as well as being an active member here in the U.S. So there is a fellow who is looking for more knowledge beyond what we offer here. Now, in talking about all of these points, you have to have a central theme or something that you hang onto which Doc called the Philosophy of Coaching this morning. I feel that swimming is nothing more than training for life. We are really not coaching to make people just look beautiful in the water, we are not coaching just so kids can win medals, and so we can stand up and take bows because our swimmers won the medals; we are coaching because we are trying to get kids prepared for the battles of life that lie ahead of them. This really is the central issue in coaching. We are trying to teach young people to perform and to work without us. We are trying to teach them self-reliance. We are trying to get them to the point where they are no longer dependent on us so that we will not be the crutch they lean upon, because they cannot go through life without us. When they leave the team they leave us. Sure, they can come back and see us, but our time is obsessed with the current members of the team. So the real objective, from my way of thinking, is that you want to train the boy or the girl to do it on his

own so that when he gets out into the adult world he can make his own decisions, he can train himself for life, and he can face the crisis better thanks to the training you gave him, but without your active present help. I think that’s a very important point. Too often we see coaches hanging onto the kid and the kid becoming totally dependent. We’ve seen Olympic Team Members who could not operate effectively without the presence of their coach and I feel the coach did the athlete a great disservice. Cut the umbilical cords; teach them to do it with Doc or Jack or whoever the coach is because you can’t always be there. Neither can mummy or daddy. A swimmer has to learn to perform on his own and under other coaches.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Q. How much should a full-time coach be paid? A. I really feel that a full-time head coach

shouldn’t work for less that $10,000 and certainly should very quickly be aiming for more than $15,000. I hope that will help somebody.

Q. How would you go about getting involved on local and national committees?

A. I think the first thing to do is to let people know of your interest in serving. There’s a lack of people who are qualified for this work so if you let them know of your interest, you’ll get jobs. Let them know locally and let them know nationally. Go around national meetings and hang around on the fringes, which is the way we all began. You are hanging around with an expectant look and finally somebody puts you on a committee somewhere and you are part of it.

Q. What are your criteria in the selection of an assistant coach?

A. I will take an assistant coach wherever I can find him or her as long as I am convinced they can do the job. I have one assistant coach who is a housewife and she does a fantastic job. I have another assistant coach who is a salesman. I have another assistant coach who is a Physical Education teacher. I don’t think you should restrict yourself. You want to say, “Can this man or woman do the job or, can I teach them to do the job in a short period of time.”

Q. What should we be charging for coaching fees in our clubs?

A. I’m glad you brought that up because that is very dear to my heart because our club is too low and I really think about that a lot. In fact, we know why our club is too low because the leading swimming coach in our area charged $10 for the first kid and $5 for every kid thereafter up to three and the fourth one came free. That was no way to make money, so the whole county has been a financial disaster area for coaches. In the next county, with teams only 15 minutes from our club, the rate is $35 per kid per month right down the line and they only give workouts five days a week. There are at least six clubs charging this. You can multiply


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$35 times 100 swimmers and you get $3,500 a month or $42,000 a year. You can pay your assistants $10,000 and put $25,000 in your pocket. It’s a good deal. I really feel that $20 is a fair starting price and that was a fair starting price 15 years ago in the Los Angeles area. I think it’s ridiculous how low the coaching fees charged by many coaches in this country and I’m very upset with my own club because we are now charging $20 for the first kid and $10 for the others.

Powering

MMUUSSCCLLEESSUsing Nutrition to Enhance Muscle Performance

Reproduced from American Swimming Magazine Volume 2002 Issue No.3

Powering Muscles is a new CSCAA program that was developed by leading exercise physiologists, nutritionists, and swim coaches to teach other coaches, trainers and athletes about the role nutrition plays in improving athletic performance. Our overall goal is to reduce athletes’ use of performance-enhancing drugs by demonstrating that sound nutrition offers a safer and more effective alternative. This is the first in a series that will address various topics in sports nutrition, from optimal muscle recovery to the dangers of banned substances. Powering Muscles was developed by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America under grant from PacificHealth laboratories, Inc., makers of Endurox®. R4® and ACCELERADE®.

REFUELLING MUSCLES Over the past 20 years, the sport of swimming has seen major advances in the training of athletes. We now have an impressive array of tools to help athletes optimise their performance. Yet one tool that is still not fully utilised is muscle nutrition. It is an area that is often surrounded by misconceptions and inaccurate information. Muscle nutrition is as integral to optimising performance as fitness and technique. Cutting-edge research coming out of leading exercise physiology laboratories, in the past two decades, has dramatically reshaped our views of how nutrition can improve muscle performance. Unfortunately, although this information is readily available, we have not done an effective job in communicating it to our coaches and athletes. This instalment of POWERING MUSCLES deals with the energy and fluid needs of muscles. It also reviews some exciting research on how carbohydrate replenishment during exercise can blunt the effect of cortisol, a hormone released during exercise that breaks down muscle protein. Some of the information you may be very familiar with and already using ... much of it you may find surprising.

Muscle refuelling has two components, fluid and energy ... both are essential. The benefits of replenishing energy and fluid during intense exercise include delay of fatigue, reduction in post-exercise muscle damage, improvement in endurance and even a decrease in stress hormones that can break down muscle protein.

THE INS & OUTS OF FLUIDS Water plays an important role in nearly every function in the body. An adult swimmer can lose as much as three quarts of water a day through breathing, urination, and sweating … both within and outside the context of workouts. Failure to fully replace these losses on a daily basis can compromise a swimmer’s performance and overall health. The bad news is that dehydration can be cumulative – that is, repeated failure to hydrate properly can make dehydration progressively worse over a period of hours and days, until the condition becomes dangerous. In terms of performance, a swimmer who is dehydrated loses the ability to use perspiration to effectively regulate body temperature. During an intense workout, the muscles generate heat, which is carried by the blood through capillaries near the surface of the skin. Sweat glands release sweat (made up of water and electrolyte minerals) that evaporates, cooling the skin and the blood just underneath. Cooled blood then flows back to cool the body’s core. As dehydration progresses, body temperature rises and performance suffers. Although overheating is not as great a problem for swimmers as it is for other athletes due to the medium in which swimming occurs, the threat exists and cannot be ignored altogether. The blood is normally 70% water. With dehydration, the water concentration of the blood decreases, limiting the capacity of the blood to carry vital nutrients, such as glucose, fatty acids, and oxygen, to working muscles. The capacity of the blood to remove the by-products of metabolism, including carbon dioxide and lactic acid, is compromised as well. Research has shown that the loss of even just 1-2% of body fluids can have a negative impact on athletic performance. While swimmers definitely tend to lose less fluid during exercise than athletes in other sports, a 2% loss of body fluids during a long, outdoor workout in summer is within the realm of possibility. And for that matter, many swimmers unknowingly begin workouts 1-2% dehydrated.

WATER IS NOT ENOUGH Through sweating, not only is water lost, but important minerals called electrolytes are lost, as well. Sodium and chloride are electrolytes that help maintain the volume and balance of


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all the fluids outside the body’s cells, such as blood. Sodium plays a particularly important role because it helps transport nutrients into cells, so they can be used for energy production as well as tissue growth and repair. In addition, sodium functions in muscle contraction and nerve impulse transmission. Excessive loss of body salts is known as hyponatremia, and it can be dangerous. Potassium is necessary for nerve transmission, muscle contraction, and glycogen formation. It also aids in maintaining cardiovascular system function. Excessive potassium loss can cause muscles to contract involuntarily, resulting in painful cramps that can stop you in your tracks. In addition, potassium losses can lead to heat intolerance. Magnesium is found in all of the body’s cells, although it is most concentrated in the bones, muscles and soft tissues. It’s a necessary element in over 300 enzyme reactions involving nerve transmission, muscle contraction, and especially ATP production. Low blood magnesium levels during exercise have also been cited as causes of muscle fatigue and irregular heartbeat. Due to the electrolyte factor, drinking water is not sufficient to restore body fluids in circumstances where sweating is the primary cause of fluid loss. There are no electrolytes in plain drinking water. Sports drinks are a better choice. Most sports drinks are formulated to provide electrolytes and water in the proper ratio to make up for the effects of perspiration. A well-formulated sports drink should contain about 15mg of sodium per ounce and about 5mg of potassium per ounce. Swimmers should use sports drinks during all long practices and meets. Even though the rate of fluid loss during swimming is relatively low, a workout of 4,000 yards or more is long enough for this slow rate of fluid loss to add up. By drinking three or four ounces every 15 minutes throughout practice, swimmers can offset fluid depletion and keep their performance level high from start to finish. The drink should be consumed at a cool temperature for faster gastric emptying.

THE CHALLENGE OF LONG MEETS Long meets present a different kind of challenge. Here, it’s not so much the swimming itself that can lead to dehydration. Even swimmers involved in multiple heats plus relays do not swim enough during a typical meet to become dehydrated. But several races combined with hours of waiting around can result in an appreciable loss of fluids through sweating, breathing, and urination, and an appreciable decrease in performance capacity by the last

event of the day. Again, swimmers can offset these losses by keeping a bottle of sports drink handy throughout the day and sipping from it frequently. One might ask why a swimmer should consume a sports drink instead of water when perspiration is not the primary cause of fluid loss, as can be the case during long meets. The answer is that drinking water is perfectly acceptable in such a situation, as long as the swimmer drinks enough of it. However, studies have shown that athletes tend to consume more fluid and thus stay better hydrated when provided with a sports drink than they do when they are given only water. There are two reasons. First, the sodium content in sports drinks actually stimulates thirst, even though it hydrates the body better than water, which quenches thirst. Second, water has no flavour, and athletes tend to drink more when they like the flavour of what they’re drinking. For this reason, swimmers should be encouraged to proactively sample sports drink flavours until they find one or two favourites, which they can use from then on. Outside the contexts of meets and practices, water is the preferable means of staying hydrated. Daily water requirements are highly individual and depend on many factors, including weight, activity level, environmental temperature, and dietary factors such as caffeine intake. The “8 glasses a day” rule has no backing in science. You’re better off simply keeping water with you and drinking it at a slow, steady rate all day, every day.

FUEL TO BURN The primary fuel sources for moderate-to high-intensity exercise are glycogen stored in the muscles and liver and glucose carried to working muscles through the blood. Both glycogen and glucose are products of carbohydrate breakdown, and for this reason they are often referred to collectively as “carbohydrate fuel”. Not all muscle fibres metabolise carbohydrate fuel in the same way. Type I or “slow-twitch” muscle fibres have a higher blood flow capacity, higher capillary density, and greater number of mitochondria, making them better able to oxidise carbohydrate fuel (that is, metabolise carbohydrate fuel in the presence of oxygen) and therefore more fatigue-resistant. Type II or “fast-twitch” muscle fibres are better suited to producing energy in the absence of oxygen, allowing them to produce energy much more rapidly and making them better able to support efforts of maximum or near-maximum intensity. But these muscle fibres deplete their glycogen stores, and thus fatigue, very quickly.


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During endurance-type exercise, use of Type I muscle fibres predominates. During speed- and strength-type exercise, Type II fibres are also recruited. In both cases, depletion of muscle glycogen stores causes fatigue. A typical swimmer’s muscles can store about 2,000 calories of glycogen. However, only about 80% of these calories are available for energy. At an exercise intensity of 80% of VO2 max, available muscle glycogen will be depleted within roughly three hours. However, just a few maximum-intensity sprints, can result in depletion of glycogen supplies in Type II fibres.

A LIMITED SUPPLY Blood glucose is available in more limited amounts than muscle and liver glycogen, but it can be replenished much more rapidly. It takes many hours to replenish glycogen through carbohydrate consumption, while it takes only about 20 minutes for the sugars consumed in a sports drink to pass through the stomach and become broken down into glucose in the bloodstream. This is why consuming carbohydrate during exercise is essential for prolonging endurance. While a swimmer cannot consume enough carbohydrate to completely halt the use of glycogen for energy, he or she can consume enough to slow its depletion significantly. Studies have consistently shown that consuming the proper carbohydrate sources in the proper amounts can delay fatigue in endurance athletes and improve the performance of sprint and strength athletes. For example, in an English university study involving treadmill running to exhaustion at 70% VO2 max, athletes who consumed a sports drink containing carbohydrate lasted on average 15 minutes longer than those who drank only water. Similarly, in a sprint-oriented study performed by researchers at the University of South Carolina, carbohydrate consumption prior to and during exercise allowed subjects to continue 45% longer during repeated one-minute sprints separated by three-minute rest intervals. The greatest performance benefits result when up to 70 grams of carbohydrate are consumed per hour of intense exercise. Research has shown that the gastrointestinal tract generally cannot absorb carbohydrate at a rate exceeding 1.2 grams per minute, and when greater amounts are consumed, gastrointestinal distress often occurs. Consuming less than 30-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour fails to take advantage of the muscle glycogen sparing effect that results when blood glucose levels are maximised during exercise. Sports drinks that are formulated to take care of athletes’ fluid,

electrolyte and carbohydrate needs should contain 6-8% carbohydrate to ensure that carbohydrate is delivered at the appropriate rate.

FASTER ENERGY Physiologists believe that the muscles’ ability to take up glucose from the blood far exceeds the ability of the gastrointestinal system to deliver carbohydrate to the blood. For this reason, once glucose enters the bloodstream, it is vital that it be delivered to the working muscles as quickly as possible. The hormone insulin plays a key role in this process. In response to the presence of glucose, insulin is released by the pancreas into the bloodstream, where it stimulates muscle blood flow and assists with muscle glucose uptake. Conventional sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade that contain 6-8% carbohydrate produce a significant insulin response. Recently, however, some exercise physiologists began searching for ways to reformulate sports drinks to stimulate greater insulin release, and therefore faster glucose uptake, and they found one: protein. Like carbohydrate, protein is a potent stimulator of insulin release. When protein is added to a carbohydrate drink, more insulin is released than with carbohydrate alone. The obvious question is why protein isn’t an essential component of every sports drink. When protein is consumed in large amounts, gastric emptying slows. Slowing of gastric emptying delays water and carbohydrate absorption; the last thing you want to do during performance. This could be a major problem if a sports drink contains a high concentration of protein per serving. Per 12oz Water Gatorade® Powerade® ACCELERADE®Calories 0 75 108 140 Carb (gram) 0 21 28 26

Protein Carb/ Protein Ratio

4:1

Sodium Potassium Magnesium Vitamin C Vitamin E Exercise physiologists have shown that the ideal ratio of carbohydrate to protein for a sports drink is four grams of carbohydrate per gram of protein. With this ratio, a sports drink can deliver the benefits of protein (greater stimulation of insulin) without negatively impacting fluid and carbohydrate replenishment. The superiority of this special ratio has been demonstrated in scientific studies. In one study, athletes were given either water, a standard carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink, or a


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sports drink containing electrolytes as well as carbohydrate and protein in a 4 to 1 ratio (Accelerade) during exercise of varying intensities. The results were quite dramatic. The athletes consuming the electrolyte-carbohydrate-protein drink in the 4 to 1 ratio had an amazing 24% improvement in endurance compared to those consuming the electrolyte-carbohydrate drink and a whopping 54% improvement compared to those who drank only water.

EXERCISE & MUSCLE DAMAGE Dehydration, hyponatremia, and glycogen depletion are not the only factors that limit performance in swimming events. Another factor is muscle tissue damage. High-intensity and repetitive muscle contractions cause microscopic tears to occur in muscle fibres. These damaged fibres can no longer participate in muscle contractions. Therefore, when a large number of such damaged fibres accumulate, performance begins to diminish. Micro-tearing is not the only cause of muscle tissue damage during exercise, however. There is also evidence that long-duration exercise produces free radicals, which also contribute to muscle damage. Free radicals are molecules in the body (usually oxygen molecules) that have become highly unstable due to the loss of an electron. In order to stabilise themselves, these molecules steal electrons from other molecules in muscle cells, causing muscle protein breakdown. A third cause of muscle tissue damage during exercise is catabolism, which is the breakdown of muscle protein for energy. Protein is not a preferred source of energy for the body, but when carbohydrate fuel is running low, the body has little choice. The hormone cortisol is the primary agent of catabolism. When muscle glycogen reserves run low, the adrenal glands release cortisol, which attacks muscle tissue directly, releasing usable energy. Carbohydrate consumption during exercise can minimise the release of cortisol and the breakdown of muscle protein, in two ways. First, carbohydrate consumption increases blood glucose levels and thereby conserves muscle glycogen. Second, carbohydrate consumption causes insulin release, and insulin counteracts the catabolic effect of cortisol. In a 1998 study conducted at Appalachian State University, athletes who consumed a 6% carbohydrate sports drink during an extended workout maintained resting levels of insulin and had lower levels of cortisol not only during but even after the workout than controls who drank only water.

HOW MUSCLES WORK DURING EXERCISE All voluntary movement begins in the brain. The motor cortex of the brain stores movement patterns, such as the pattern for running, in much the same way a computer can store individual programs. When an athlete wishes to swim, the brain sends bioelectrical impulses to motor nerves in muscles throughout the body. These impulses basically serve as commands to contract. Each motor nerve is connected to a number of muscle fibres (usually several thousand). Together, these fibres and their associated nerve comprise a motor unit. Each muscle contains hundreds or thousands of motor units. The muscle fibres in any given motor unit contract according to an all-or-nothing law. If the impulse received is strong enough, all of the fibres in the unit contract together. If it is weak, none of them contract. The difference between strong muscle contractions, such as those involved in sprinting, and weaker contractions, such as those involved in long-distance swimming, is in the strength of the impulses and the number of motor units in the muscle that participate. The energy required for muscle contractions is released when molecules of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) stored in muscle cells are broken up. Because there is only a limited amount of ATP stored in the muscles, it must be continually replenished during exercise. During moderate- to high-intensity exercise lasting more than several seconds, ATP is restocked through the breakdown of glycogen stored in the muscles and liver and glucose transported in the blood, as well as stored fatty acids. Glycogen and glucose, in turn, are derived from the metabolism of carbohydrate in food. The muscles receive the nutrients they need for energy metabolism (fats, amino acids, glucose, etc.) from the circulatory system, which also removes the waste products of energy metabolism from the muscles. Except in very short, maximum-intensity efforts, the most important substance delivered to the muscles through the blood is oxygen. Individual oxygen molecules are delivered into the muscles through capillaries, penetrate into muscle cells, and assist in glucose breakdown inside structures called mitochondria. The primary waste products produced by aerobic muscle contractions are carbon dioxide, which is expelled via exhalation, and water, which is expelled via perspiration. The primary cause of muscle fatigue during prolonged endurance exercise is depletion of available glycogen in the liver and the working muscles. Even though the muscles can draw


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energy from glucose, fat, and protein, some amount of available glycogen is required even for the use of these alternative fuels, which is why glycogen supplies are the primary limiter of endurance.

GET READY TO WIN Every swimmer wants to get better. And every swimmer knows the best way to improve is by training smart and hard. But there’s another way, and that’s by fuelling your muscles. By fuelling your muscles in the best possible way during and after practice, you will have more energy and perform better in your workouts, and you will compete better, too! An athlete’s muscles are like a car’s engine. A car gets its energy from petrol. Athletes get their energy from carbohydrate, which comes from foods like fruit and bread. When a car runs out of petrol, it stops moving. The same thing happens when your muscles run out of carbohydrate. Besides fuel, cars also need things like oil to run smoothly. Athletes need other things, too. The main ones are water and electrolytes. When exercising, you lose water through sweat. This process is known as dehydration. The more water you lose, the more your body heats up, and the worse you feel and perform.

AND THAT’S NOT ALL Along with water, certain minerals called electrolytes are also lost on sweat. If you don’t replace the electrolytes you lose, you will get tired faster. Swim practice can last a long time. During practice you burn a lot of carbohydrate fuel and can lose a lot of water and electrolytes. Years ago, swimmers only drank water during workouts. But water gives swimmers just one of the three things they need to help their muscles work best. Today, smart swimmers drink sports drinks during practice. Sports drinks contain the water, the electrolytes, and the carbohydrate you need to fuel your muscles. Drinking a sports drink during practice will give you more energy and help you train harder, especially at the end of the workout. And the better you train, the better you will compete.

CHOOSE WISELY But not all sports drinks are the same. There is a new sports drink around that works better than the old ones such as Gatorade. The new drink is called Accelerade, and what makes it special is that it has a little protein in it. Scientists found out that putting a little protein in a sports drink is like putting a fuel injector in your car. It gets the carbohydrate fuel to your muscles faster, which helps you train harder and longer and makes you less tired.

It is also a good idea to drink a sports drink like Accelerade after training and competing. This will help you replace the fluids you have lost and the carbohydrate you have burned more quickly. Swim meets can last hours. That is enough time to become dehydrated and to run low on muscle fuel – even without competing much. By sipping on a sports drink throughout the day, you will be as fresh for your last event as you were for your first. Here’s the bottom line … your body is like a machine. In order to train and compete well, you need to give your muscles fuel for energy. The new sports drinks like Accelerade are the best way to get the energy you need before and after practice and races. Give them a try – and get ready to win!

TIPS FOR USING SPORTS DRINKS • Always keep a squeeze bottle of sports

drink handy on deck during all practices and meets.

• Take a few gulps from the bottle about every 10 minutes from the beginning of practice to the end.

• When you finish your workout, keep drinking the sports drink. In the first hour after practice, you should drink at least 12 ounces (that’s the size of a regular soda can).

• There are many different flavours of sports drinks. Try a few and then drink the one you like best. You will drink more if you like the flavour.

• Keep in mind that not all sports drinks are the same. The best sports drinks are the ones such as Accelerade that have a little protein in them. Protein helps get carbohydrate fuel to your muscles faster – giving you more energy.

GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX

DISEASE & ITS EFFECTS ON SWIMMING By Edward H Nessel R P M S., MPH

Garden State Masters Reproduced from ASCA Newsletter, Vol.2001-12 Those of you who have experienced some form of heartburn, indigestion, and/or acid reflux on a recurring basis realise something is not right with the world; this writing will hopefully enlighten and council as to lessening of, and dealing with, the harmful effects (that can develop over time) on everyday functioning and especially during a swim session. How is this related to swimming? First, Masters has, as a majority of its 40,000 nationwide membership, a determined but ever-aging body of men and women seeking the path to a healthy lifestyle; and as one ages, negative


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physiologic changes develop (even in the best of us). GERD happens to increase in frequency with age for several reasons. Secondly, swimming, by its nature, forces us to do our workouts in a prone position, (no gravity to help us keep things down in the stomach) which can place a lot of pressure in the gastrointestinal tract and allow for an easier path of acid reflux to go back up the esophageus and produce a whole series of discomforting symptoms.

WHO SUFFERS FROM GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE?

Up to 15 million Americans experience heartburn and other discomforting symptoms daily. Reflux with a pattern or with ever-increasing frequency needs to be addressed. Studies have reported that across the general population 36-44% of adults experience heartburn at least once a month, 14% every week, and 7% once daily. But the statistics rise sharply as age progresses to where it is seen that up to 67% of those over 65 have symptoms of GERD (though not necessarily heartburn) at least monthly and as much as 20% are weekly sufferers. With aging, the oesophageal lining can become less sensitive to the irritative effects of acid and digestive enzymes, yet sustain moderate to severe damage, which can present as intense inflammation, which can then lead to strictures, ulcers, and even pre- and cancerous cellular changes. But, even the young can suffer. Often during the training season, my age groupers would complain of stomach distress and/or indigestion at swim practice. I would often find that they ate incorrectly (fatty, spicy, extra rich foods, and in too great a quantity) before a vigorous workout. They may not have been suffering from GERD, but they were placing themselves in a compromising position allowing for GERD’s symptoms to take place. Keep this up, and they could very well develop a propensity for reflux by stressing the area that joins the esophageus with the stomach. Telltale symptoms here show as chronic cough, a feeling of chest irritation, frequent respiratory infections, wheezing, and disturbed breathing while asleep. Anyone who eats a heavy meal then lies on their back or bends over from the waist, is at risk for heartburn. Increased pressure on the abdomen due to excess weight, a tight belt or clothing, sitting for a long period after eating or snacking at bedtime can all lead to reflux. GERD, itself, is quite common; just two years ago, the largest selling prescription drug of the year was an acid inhibitor to treat it. A purple pill called Prilosec. Another example of

heartburn’s popularity is the extended series of radio and TV commercials extolling the wonders of prescription (e.g. Nexium) and formerly-prescription (Tagamet, Zantac, Pepcid) medications that can simply bring relief with one swallow.

WHAT CAUSES (OR AGGRAVATES) GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX DISEASE?

Mild temporary heartburn, caused by several of the reasons stated above, can happen to anyone. Persistent Gastroesophageal reflux, however, may be due to abnormal biologic or structural factors which include malfunction of the lower oesophageal sphincter (LES) muscles, defects or injuries in the lining of the esophageus, poor motility of the stomach contents leading further down into the gastrointestinal tract, over-acidic stomach contents, and sensitivity to the other elements of digestion (enzymes, etc.). The band of smooth muscle tissue at the base of the esophageus (where it approaches the stomach) is called the lower oesophageal sphincter (LES) and is responsible for closing and opening the lower end of the esophageus; it is essential for maintaining a pressure barrier against contents from the stomach. If it loses tone or tears (a hiatal hernia causing the LES to rise above the diaphragm), the LES cannot close up completely after food empties into the stomach. Then digestive enzymes and acid from the stomach are able to back up into the esophageus and cause the irritative effects that comprise Gastroesophageal reflux disease. The LES is a complex area of tissue, and various substances can act to disrupt its function. Adrenaline, or anything that acts to release this powerful stimulating hormone, (e.g. decongestants like pseudoephedrine) can work to relax the LES muscles as can spearmint, peppermint, onions, garlic, chocolate, acidic citrus and tomato products. Caffeinated coffee produces a double whammy in that certain aromatic oils found there (whether caffeinated or not) increase stomach acidity, and the caffeine acts to relax the LES. Asthma inhalers (that relax the bronchial tubes), sedatives and common pain relievers also weaken the LES. Medicines that stop acid secretion and relax the gut in spastic conditions (anticholinergics), and drugs that reduce blood pressure and ease the work on a compromised heart (calcium channel blockers) weaken the LES and slow down the movement of food through the stomach which can cause a food back-up and increase abdominal pressure. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIOS) can produce ulcerations in mucous membranes lining both the stomach and the esophageus if


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taken often because they inhibit a protective substance, prostaglandin. Elderly patients with GERD and taking NSAIDS are at an increased risk of oesophageal damage which could be life threatening. An occasional NSAID will usually do no harm. A safer alternative for pain relief would be acetaminophen products (e.g. Tylenol). About half of asthmatic patients also have GERD. It is still not entirely clear, however, whether asthma is a cause or effect of GERD. Some experts speculate that the coughing, choking, and sneezing seen in asthma attacks cause changes in pressure in the chest that can trigger reflux. Exercised-induced asthma does not appear to be related to GERD. Others feel that the irritative effect of the refluxed acid causes inflammation in the mucous membranes allowing for asthma to occur. Alcohol and smoking adversely affect the body with relation to GERD. Alcohol relaxes the LES muscles and can also irritate the mucous membrane of the esophageus. Smoking can also relax LES muscle function, increase acid secretion, reduce the intestinal-lining protective substances prostaglandins and bicarbonate, and decrease mucosal blood flow.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF GERD? Typical symptoms include … heartburn and regurgitation. With heartburn, a burning sensation radiates up from the stomach to the chest and throat. Regurgitation actually causes the patient to feel the acid backing up, sometimes forcefully shooting all the way up to the mouth with a wet burp or small amount of vomit. Re-tasting swallowed food is a dead giveaway that regurgitation is happening. Up to half of GERD sufferers experience dyspepsia, seen as heartburn, fullness in the stomach, and nausea after eating and is aggravated by bending over, lifting a heavy weight, or lying down particularly on the back. Chest pain can be a common symptom of GERD, and it is very important to differentiate it from angina or an impending heart attack. In general, if the pain is not made worse after exercise or is worse at night while lying down odds favour reflux disease. Trouble swallowing, choking, and hoarseness are seen in almost half of GERD patients. Many experience what they feel is a lump of food trapped behind the breastbone. This could be only a spasm of the esophageus or it could mean more serious damage in the form of stricture or tumour. Chronic sore throat usually results and hiccups often evolve without warning. Completing the gastrointestinal syndromes are nausea and vomiting. A chronic symptomatology of these two needs a differential diagnosis to rule out other potentially serious conditions such as

ulcers and cancer of the stomach. Finally, our old friend, asthma, is once again seen quite often in the GERD population. In fact, GERD is the second most common cause of persistent coughing, which can occur without the other classic symptoms of asthma. Diagnostics by an experienced physician is absolutely necessary to prevent danger that can develop from long-term untreated GERD. In the great majority of cases, a diagnosis of GERD is relatively straightforward if the major symptoms are lessened by taking antacids for short periods. About 600,000 people come to emergency rooms each year with chest pains. Over 100,000 of these people are believed to actually have GERD. A one week’s trial of any of the stomach acid-inhibitors (Prilosec, Nexium, Protonix, Prevacid), has proven to have a high rate of correlation with the presence of GERD if relief happens quickly and lasts as long as the medication is taken. But this does not show the condition of the esophageus at that particular state in time. Symptoms can dissipate, and sometimes give the patient a false sense of recovery, but serious underlying cellular changes may have already occurred. An additional cause for possible concern is the questionable characteristics. association of the presence of the gut bacteria Helico Pylon (H. Pylori) and the patient taking anti-secretories to lessen the acid content in the stomach. Cause and effect has now been shown, only an association. But elimination of the H. pylori should be sought since it is not a normal resident of the GI tract and it can cause gastritis leading to ulcers or cancer. The best method of ascertaining the state of the patient is to do an upper endoscopy. It is state-of-the-art and the preferred method of diagnosis. Biopsies are also taken either in the esophageus and/or the stomach to rule out dangerous cellular changes and look for possible infecting organisms that can bring on GERD. Another test is to look for acid content by means of a probe (ph monitor) inserted into the esophageus for 24 hours. This can be especially useful if one is looking for a cause of night-time asthmatic symptoms (wheezing, coughing, burning throat, etc.) while suffering from suspected GERD. JUST HOW SERIOUS IS GASTROESOPHAGEAL

REFLUX DISEASE? In the vast majority of cases, the condition is temporary and mild, causing only transient discomfort. If patients have frequent relapses, however, and it remains untreated, serious problems can develop over time. These can include severe narrowing (strictures) of the


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esophageus, erosion of the esophageus lining, ulcers, and pre-cancerous changes in the cells of the esophageus (Barrett’s Esophageus). The risk for serious GERD increases if the esophageus becomes inflamed, if the initial symptoms are severe, if they persist in spite of treatments that are successfully healing the esophageus, or if there are severe underlying muscular abnormalities. GERD can also cause complications in other areas, including the teeth, the throat, and the airways leading to the lungs. All these become more severe in the elderly. Barrett’s Esophageus is caused by chronic and severe exposure to acid and bile reflux cause by GERD. In such cases, cellular changes may develop into one of the most rapidly increasing cancers in North America. Most at risk are patients who develop GERD at an early age and whose symptoms last longer than average. There are no treatments to reverse Barrett’s Esophageus, only surgery to remove it as it takes on cancerous characteristics. Acid reflux can also cause spasms of the vocal cords (larynx), thereby blocking the flow of air to the lungs. In addition to hoarseness and the need to constantly clear the throat of mucus, this can cause sleep apnoea where one stops breathing temporarily during the night. The patient often experiences restless sleep, morning headaches and afternoon drowsiness. In time, they are prime candidates for increased blood pressure. In regards to asthma, some experts feel that the acid leaking from the lower esophageus stimulates the vagus nerve endings located nearby which then cause the airways to constrict producing difficult breathing. Asthma can also be triggered if regurgitation is aspirated into the lungs. There are those who feel asthma actually is a cause of GERD. People with both asthma and GERD report higher than normal rates of choking during the night, burning at the back of the throat, regurgitation, and hoarseness. In addition to asthma, people with GERD appear to have an above-average risk for other respiratory disorders like chronic bronchitis, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, and pneumonia. Dental erosion is a very common problem in GERD patients due to the acid backing up the mouth and eroding enamel in the teeth. HOW CAN ONE TREAT GERD AND LESSEN ITS

OCCURRENCE? The two main types of medication incorporate, first, the function of H2-blockers (interfering with the receptor sites of histamine in the gut tissue) which indirectly reduces acid production and secondly, the proton-pump or

acid-pump inhibitors which directly reduce acid by shutting down the enzymatic activation of the acid-forming cells in the lining of the stomach. Across the board, the acid or proton-pump inhibitors are stronger than the histamine blockers, but both definitely work to reduce acid content in the stomach. There are four H2-blockers marketed in the U.S. for over-the-counter purchase … famotidine (Pepcid AC), cimetidine (Tagamet), ranitidine (Zantac), and nizatidine (AXID). Their acid-suppressing activity lasts from 6-24 hours (Pepcid being the strongest acting) and are very useful for people who need persistent acid suppression; they may also prevent heartburn episodes in people who are able to predict its occurrence. With mild symptoms, this class of drugs works in about 70% of patients; with moderate symptoms the efficacy declines to 50%. The proton-pump inhibitors are the major league players that keep GERD under manageable conditions. Studies have shown that at least 93% of GERD patients are benefited by this class of drugs. The products available are omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoprazole (Prevacid), pantropazole (Protonix), rabeprazole (Aciphex), and esomeprazole (Nexium). Advertisements for this class of medications thankfully have the caution added about the need for physician intervention. Though these drugs can virtually eliminate many of the distressing symptoms of GERD, they cannot fully control regurgitation; this has to be controlled by an altered lifestyle as explained below. The addition of the antacid class of medications to help lessen the effects of excess acid in the GI tract is both logical and correct. Readily available, inexpensive, and mostly without negative side effects, antacids can be utilised to coat the esophageus and stomach a few times per day and at specific times when trouble can be anticipated. Gaviscon is a drug that can provide a unique beneficial function. This is a tablet foaming agent that needs to be chewed and taken with water to put a protective barrier between the stomach and the esophageus; it works quite well to temporarily keep the acid in its place. The lifestyle and dietary changes that help lessen the effect of GERD can have an effect where almost half the sufferers can experience relief. There are certain foods (some listed previously) known to relax the LES and allow acid to reflux back up the esophageus. Among the worst offenders are chocolate, products with caffeine, any kind of flavour of mint (e.g. spearmint, peppermint), all coffees (even


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decaffeinated which increase acid secretion due to the volatile oils in the beans), all carbonated drinks (which increase pressure on the LES), and the typical spices, condiments, and flavourings. Alcohol and smoking must be eliminated from daily (or even occasional) consumption. Certain physical measures can be instituted into daily life that can break or lessen the cycle of acid reflux, irritation, discomfort, and cellular damage. The simple procedure of chewing gum after eating or as reflux is about to begin produces more saliva, which is a known acid-neutralizer and protector of the oesophageal lining. Avoiding tight-fitting clothing especially around the waist will reduce pressure on the LES, as will the act of losing weight around the middle and avoiding full bending at the waist, especially while lifting or moving heavy weights. Also, avoiding ingesting a large amount of food before physical exercise will definitely reduce the volume/pressure build up in the GI tract. And avoid, or at least lessen, the conditions for the absolute worst time for reflux, never go to bed right after ingesting large amounts of food and/or drink. In fact, all bedtime snacks must be stopped if one is to keep GERD down to a minimum. The rule of thumb is that three hours must pass between food ingestion and bedtime. While in the bed, certain physical measures can be taken to lessen the chances for reflux. Elevating the head of the bed at least six inches or utilising a wedge-shaped support to do the same to the body while asleep will allow gravity to aid in keeping acid down. But making the mistake of just adding a few pillows to the head can actually worsen the situation because of an increased bending at the waist. Finally, the actual position in which one sleeps can make a difference. Lying on one’s left side, allows for the physical fact that where the esophageus enters the stomach, it is at a higher angle than most of the food contents. The food would pool away from the oesophageal opening into the stomach and have less chance of spilling back over into the esophageus. Gastroesophageal reflux is all around us in our everyday lives. Probably many more people have it than they realise. It may seem unfair (who said life was fair) that something like this should occur with more frequency as we age; but that is physiologic life. To ignore same is to play the fool. There are several measures that can be taken to help alleviate the condition and hopefully lessen the consequences of constant irritations to mucous membranes not intended for such abuse.

Those with GERD who train in the water regularly and realise they have experienced some, many, or all of what has been mentioned in this article, must make appropriate life changes to assure that all the benefits of swim training are experienced without these negative tradeoffs.

HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS BY

REALLY TRYING

By Bruce Hetrick Reproduced from ASCA Newsletter 2002-06

Hetrick is President and Creative Director at Hetrick Communications Inc., a local public relations and marketing communications firm. He can be reached by email at [email protected]. In my very amateur acting career, I’ve twice appeared in the musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” The first time, I played “The Book Voice,” the invisible narrator who instructs J. Pierpont Finch on the nuances of corporate ladder-climbing. (To make this minor part sound meaty, I remind folks that Waiter Cronkite read the part for the Broadway revival.) If memory serves, The Book Voice first intones: “Dear Reader: This little book is designed to tell you everything you need to know about the science of getting ahead. Now let us assume you are young, clear-eyed, healthy and eager – anxious to rise quickly and easily to the top of the business world. You can!” To which Finch replies, “I can!” When I began working, I quickly discovered there’s no book voice in one’s head – no sage advice, no easy outs, no timely warnings. Instead, the real-world Finch must actually learn on the job, read insightful columns in Indianapolis Business Journal or listen to folks who’ve been around the business block. Of late, I’ve listened to Jim Thorne, who has viewed workplace highs and lows from many perspectives – as a corporate human resources executive, advisor to CEOs and consultant to manufacturers, sales companies, high-tech firms, law firms, physicians, university presidents and more. Jim’s also a father whose youngest daughter is embarking on a job search. Inspired by a recent column in this space about resumes, cover letters and other tools of the job seeking trade, Jim took things a step further. He wrote down his own “How to Succeed in Business” advice – tips not only for his daughter and other newly hired employees, but also for veterans who want to keep ahead of those thundering youngsters. This stuff isn’t rocket science. It is, however, often ignored. So, establish these good habits early refresh them often and revisit them


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if you’re not getting what you want at work. Jim Thorne’s “Exceptional Actions” for

Workplace Success SHOW UP. Demonstrate to your manager and others that you care about your job and take work seriously by being on time, rarely missing work and not leaving early. These may seem obvious, but they must not be, given the numbers of employees who don’t do so. SPEAK UP. Create value for the organisation by contributing whenever and wherever you can. Be sure you have something valuable to say and then say it. Actively participating in teams and meetings will set you apart. It also may set an example for those who remain quiet and those who speak when they don’t have anything to add. BUILD UP. Positive relationships make work more enjoyable and help you get things done. Look at it this way: Most work will be done by others. Others want to be respected. You can choose to respect them regardless of their education, pay and position. The relationships you build will encourage others to support your projects and make them more willing to alert and help you when you’re about to get into trouble. You, in turn, earn respect by showing it to others. BE UP. You have a choice each day about your attitude. Choose to be a positive player. Steer clear of those who are sour or cynical and who drain your energy and the energy of others. STEP UP. Learn your job quickly and do your work well. Find ways to improve your work’s quality, speed and cost. Understand how your job contributes to the success of your organisation, then find ways to create more value. LISTEN UP. Learning to really listen will set you apart. People gravitate to those who are good listeners. Listening will help you respond appropriately to requests from others. That means fewer dropped balls, less reworking and fewer missed deadlines. And by listening, you’ll learn something. STAND UP. Be clear about your principles and defend them. People who are honest, forthright and willing to stand up for others are valued in organisations. When you demonstrate and earn trust, you can contribute more as an individual and as a team member. Giving credit to others when it is due earns gratitude and respect. Honest people needn’t worry about what they said or did. When a situation seems murky, ask yourself: “If this situation were to appear in the media, would I still feel I did the right thing in the right way?” FINISH UP. Do your work. Do it completely. Do it on time. Do what you say you’ll do and you’ll

move into the top 5% of performers anywhere. Be your word. In “How to Succeed...” the Book Voice says, “If you have education, intelligence and ability, so much the better. But remember, thousands have reached the top without any of these qualities.” But not, I’d submit, without putting Jim Thorne’s advice to work.

BBooookk RReevviieeww

By Peter Ruddock

A Swimming Coaches

Guidebook By Dr Ralph

Richards

Over the past 20 years there have been some excellent books by Dr James Counsilman and Ernest Maglischo. These books have covered swimming in fine detail. Both authors have written excellent books that are the bibles of coaching, but their books are written in very technical detail that requires much reading to understand and follow the information.

Ralph’s book is easy to read and understand … he has simplified the topics to make them easy to follow. He has covered the areas that coaches should be aware of and he has used up-to-date references to back up his writing. In this book the information that has been presented around the world has been brought together into easy-to-read material. This is a great beginner’s text that is not too technical. It is a book that is most useful for all coaches to read.

contents€¦ · guide to a coach’s contract – part 3.....18 croc’s from top end visit...

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