#TmacSwims 'Links of the week' May 18

Links of the week May 18 Happy Victoria Day!

• 10 days till AGI
• 18 days till WOSA Regionals 
• 45 days till East Coast Championships 
• 72 days till Canadian Age Group Championships 
• 79 days till Canadian Swimming Championships 

http://swimswam.com/2015-arena-pro-swim-charlotte-watch-katinka-hosszu-break-200-im-us-open-record-all-day-4-race-videos/

Katinka Hosszu with a blazing fast 200 IM and swims the fastest time in the world this year! She will be one to watch this summer. The excitement from her time in this swim is because it’s May and a lot of clubs are in full training mode and didn’t come down in mileage and if they did it was only a couple days out of the meet. This Arena Pro Swim series meet was used as a stepping stone for competitions this summer as well a measuring stick for next summer’s Olympics in Rio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bWspo2dcSg

Phelps, Phelps, Phelps. It was obvious Phelps is in a tough training block as it was showing in his results in Charlotte, but guess what no one will remember his B final swims on Sunday night in a few months from now. With his second come back in full swing, Phelps just needs to race more and rest more. The rest will come this summer when he swim the US Nationals in August and the hope with his swims this past weekend were he can measure where he is at. Rowdie Gains mentioned in the webcast ‘Phelps is might be swimming angry, but when he does, he can pull off some good swims’ and he swam a solid 200 IM in the B final. The best part (also mentioned by Gains) Phelps was noticeably frustrated with his time because he looked up at the clock and shook his head. It will be interesting to see where Phelps is at come the summer.

http://swimswam.com/2015-michael-phelps-predictions-for-u-s-nationals-gold-medal-minute-presented-by-swimoutlet-com/

Staying with Phelps for a moment, here are the prediction times for Phelps for US Nationals this summer.

MEL PREDICTIONS FOR U.S. NATIONALS

100m butterfly – 50.49

100m freestyle – 47.87

200m IM – 1:54.9

Tyson’s Predictions for U.S. Nationals

100 butterfly – 50:89

100 freestyle 48:05

200 IM – 1:56.54

https://www.swimming.ca/NewsArticle.aspx?newsid=4603

I thought Canada had an excellent showing in Charlotte! With our spring Nationals behind us a lot of the athletes were unshaved and weren’t tapered fully for the meet as it’s a stepping stone towards the summer. With Canada having a strong showing at this meet it made for great international racing opportunities for our athletes as well a taste of what’s to come this summer in a tough training block. 

#TmacSwims 'Links of the Week' May 12th

Back from Sudbury and now catching up on my 'Links of the Week' which features a nice variety of links this week. As the Long Course season is in full swing, hard work and many meets are on the horizon. Below is a look at some important countdowns till major meets!

16 days till AGI

24 days till WOSA Regionals 

51 days till Ontario Provincial Championships 

79 days till Canadian Age Group Championships 

87 days till Canadian Swimming Championships 

Links of the week May 12

http://usaswimming.org/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&itemid=8846&mid=14491

I think someone like Katie Ledecky has a good chance at giving getting close to men’s WR. Some athletes and reports have said in the nicest way possible she’s like ‘a man’ or she races like ‘a man’ and honestly they aren’t wrong. Ledecky is now the best distance swimmer in the world! Every time she dives into the water the record books are sweating because they may have to be re written when she touches the wall. I admire Ledecky because as much as she is amazing in the 400, 800, & 1500 free, she is proving races like the 100 & 200 free can be done by someone like her. I have found this as well. I remember swimming 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, & 1500 free at a national or provincial meet. Now I just swim 50, 100, 200, 400 free but as I look at it, you need the 200 & 400 for a good 50 & 100 as well this can be flipped by needing a good 50 & 100 for a strong 200 & 400.

http://swimswam.com/8-michael-phelps-quotes-get-fired/

Swimmers no matter how good or bad they are always need a boost in energy or mental wakeup call. These quotes from the greatest swimmer ever will make you feel better about your swimming and help ease the stress of the sports. All swimmers have ups and downs in swimming; it’s all part of the growth and development of a swimmer.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/samstryker/all-the-chlorine#.jsbjMRad2

This article is one of those ‘LOL’ articles I found on buzzfeed one day and made me think there is a lot of lingo or statements swimmers would never say. If you’re having a bad day at the office or in the classroom, take 5 minutes and look at this link, I can guarantee laughter.

http://swimswam.com/7-tips-for-swim-parents-on-the-college-recruiting-process/

This article is based off the NCAA in the States but most of the tips are relatable towards Canadian athletes staying in Canada and Ontario. The most important part of being a successful swimmer is being proactive and responsible for your actions and taking initiative on your future in the pool.  

#Tmacswims 'Links of The Week' May 4th

Another Monday, another Links of The Week with Tyson MacDonald.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul9t_K88TGo

An excellent inspirational video I first saw on SwimSwam regarding the 2015 Pan Am Games. These Games will electrify the GTA and enhance sports in Ontario as well Canada. Thanks to the Pan Am and Para Pan Am Games many facilities have underwent extensive renovation or brand new facilities have been built which will serve different sports for years to come.  It’s going to an exciting summer to watch sports on TV, don’t miss a second of it!

http://swimming.about.com/od/swimworkoutsandskills/tp/4-Tips-for-a-Better-Swimming-Start.htm

We can all benefit from a faster start in a race. The worst thing is looking at results and finding out your reaction time off the blocks was over 0.75 and you think if I was 0.65 or even 0.70 I could have went a best time in the 50. Here are some tips on how to have a faster start. The most important goal is to be working on race quality starts often in practice, because whatever you do in practice reflects your performance in a meet.

http://swimming.about.com/od/swimworkoutsandskills/tp/4-Elite-Freestyle-Flip-Turn-Tips.htm

Here is another technical link for everyone to consider. Flip turns are another excellent spot to save time and clean up technique and like starts it’s a technical unit that is overlooked by 95+% of clubs because meters take place of technical work. Another one is coaches will argue swimmers do hundreds of turns a practice. My question to those coaches is “Are all your swimmers doing international quality turns on every single wall during a workout?” The answer is likely no. The next time your coach wants to work on turns make sure they are fast and efficient as well try to work on them often, even if it means taking 2-5 minutes out of warm up to practice fast spins in the mid pool.

 http://swimswam.com/6-questions-to-ask-to-make-yourself-a-mentally-tough-swimmer/

As the season continues on and some people are finding it tougher and tougher to get in the pool or the weight room here are some tips to help put things into perspective. We all have to understand whatever we put into performance in practice is what shows in a meet. If you’re holding 30 seconds for pace 200 50s then it’s likely you will go 2:00 in a meet. It’s important to think about your performance before reacting to it. I’ve scene a lot of swimmers over the years have meltdowns and arguments with coaches (I’m included in this) and it’s unfortunate it has to happen. I’ve learned to take the performance into consideration, where I’m at in the season, and how it lines up with my goals. This has helped me a lot this season as I’ve been dealing with shoulder injuries.

http://swimming.about.com/od/swimworkoutsandskills/tp/5-Tips-for-Massive-Time-Drop-and-a-Faster-50-Freestyle.htm

Looking for a massive time drop in your sprint 50s? This link gives you 5 tips on how to take time off. A 50 is a race where you can’t think about anything and if something goes wrong like a start, under water, turn if it’s short course, or a finish can put you first or tenth.

http://swimswam.com/11-reasons-to-love-swimming-outside/

The weather is finally getting warmer and it will soon be time to train outside. I love training outside, you get sun, you can breathe fresh air, and it’s just all around better than inside. Many championship meets today are outside and having the opportunity to train outside makes competing easier as you are used to it. Training outside allows for different types of training, you may train in sun, cloud, rain, wind, fog, or yes even snow. Next time you swim outside work hard but enjoy the change in venue.