The Natural Talent Myth- And How This Is Great for your Swimming
I’m in the midst of reading a book called The Talent Code, by Daniel Coyle, which is about how greatness is not born, it’s grown. The author uses many examples from the world of sports to show where some of the so-called “super talents” have come from, and why it’s much more about “deep practice” than any kind of innate skill. 
Granted, if you are 5’3, your odds of making the NBA are pretty much zero (although, 5’3 Mugsy Bogues even proved this possibility several years ago as an NBA guard!).
And look at some examples in the sport of swimming. Was it likely that 5’2 Sheila Taormina would win a gold medal in swimming in the Olympics? Or compete in triathlon at that high level? Was it natural talent that led to Janet Evans setting world records with her unconventional stroke that went against what people thought was proper freestyle?
The idea of deep practice involves these concepts:
1. Practicing your new desired skill in chunks. The learning first needs to develop a vision of what that particular performance looks like- whether it’s learning to ski, learning a new song on the guitar, or going from a back of the pack swimmer to hitting a nice stride in the open water. From there, the learner needs to break the skill down into chunks, learning each segment at a time, gradually adding the pieces over time, then putting it together for a smooth performance. In the book, Coyle emphasizes that the skills should be practiced slowly, so that the learner fully understands each of the chunks and how they fit together and flow. (sound familiar with swimming??)
2. Rinse and repeat. In his best-selling book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell discusses the now-famous 10,000-hour rule. Simply, a person needs about 10,000 hours of practice to master a desired skill. The key is dedicating the time and energy to the deep practice that it will take to pay off. Individual, high intensity practice sessions will dramatically increase this skill acquisition. Since we don’t all have 10,000 hours to spend in the pool, we can spend less time on very specific drills, and use video to allow visualization to expedite learning (such as what I’ve put together in Tri Swim Secrets). The point here as it relates to swimming is that practicing often, and practicing correctly, will more quickly lead to your desired outcome- as opposed to simply swimming laps or reading books.
3. Really “feel” your mistakes. “Learning to learn” is the key here. What I mean is, the pros, experts, or Olympians were just as bad as the rest of us to begin with, however, they were able to first identify their mistakes, then correct them. (This is why I’m so in love with swim video critiques!). When this cycle is repeated over the course of time, mastery begins to develop.
Bringing these 3 elements together results in the learner finding a “sweet spot”- where a “flow” state is achieved, and each chunk or step of the way requires no thought to execute.
To bring this to swimming, you may see the pro triathletes, or Olympic level swimmers, or even some of your fellow masters or lap swimmers who make it look easy. And it’s very easy to be of the mindset that they were simply born with more talent than you were, or they have some genetic advantage that you were unlucky not to get.
Admittedly, it is harder to learn swimming as an adult than as a child. (Coyle would say this is because children have a higher level of “myellin”, or the material that forums around neurons as we execute deep practice). But this myellin does not even begin to decline until age 50, and even then it does not drop off rapidly.
And swimming is a perfect sport to test out the whole theory presented in the book.
If you are reading this article, you may be preparing for a triathlon and struggling with swimming. How can this information help you? Well, once you have done 10,000 hours of practice, come talk to me! Seriously, it comes down to this:
In order to get better at swimming, you must break it down into segments, or chunks. Then, you must practice each of those chunks for many hours in the pool, as well as understand how they fit together. Watching video, and watching live swimmers with good strokes can really help you along in this process. Finally, putting all the parts together and developing your stroke gradually, going back and fixing mistakes (or stroke flaws) by isolating them and practicing specific drills will result in personal success.
And by personal success, this doesn’t mean winning the swim, making the Olympic team, or even qualifying for the Ironman. You get to define what this is, and just letting go of all the thoughts and talk of natural talent will go a long way in getting you there.
What do you think? Has believing in the talent myth held back your swimming?
Creative Triathlon Training in February
by Chris Hague
T.S. Elliot was full of shit; February is by far the cruelest month. At least in April, it is warm and sunny, but in February, for most of the 
U.S., the days are short, cold, wet, and dark, all of which makes training a little bit more exhausting. It is definitely harder when it is snowing outside to get out of bed, bundle up, and head out for a run, ride, or even just to go to the pool when all we really want to do is curl up in bed with our significant other (or, in my case, my large Speedo wearing teddy bear).
Moreover, it maybe even more tempting to cut our workouts short and head in early to the fire and a cup of soup or hop out of the pool halfway through the last swim set for a soak in the hot tub. However, February is when racing seasons are either made or broken. It might be easier to cut our workouts short, but since when has training ever been easy? If training was easy, everyone would be pros.
What sets apart the elite from the amateurs and the elite from the rest of the pros is not necessarily their physical abilities but their mental toughness. Those who can push themselves through these hard winter days of training, do the workouts in rain, sleet, snow, lethargy, sniffles, and early morning mental fog, are the ones who are going to be that much better when the first race arrives. They are the ones going to be able to push themselves through the dark valley of physical pain and summit the mental mountain come race day. Here are some tips to keep in mind when those winter demons of self-doubt and weakness come calling:
1. Remind yourself of your goals: Remember those goals you set down (and hopefully wrote down for yourself this season back in December and January)? Whip them out and refresh your mind about why you are training. Although your “A” race maybe months away, keeping the image of yourself crossing the finish line with a PR or making the podium will help boost your morale.
2. Make sure you take care of yourself: Usually, low motivation arises when you are under-fueled, dehydrated, or sleep deprived. Making sure you are adequately nourished (with clean, unprocessed food), hydrated, and well rested will help keep your motivation stoked.
3. Get some vitamin-D: Since winter days can be lacking in sun light, our stores of vitamin D naturally go down. Get out into the sunlight for a lunch time walk and even investigate supplementing with a pill or investing in a full spectrum light, which are just as effective.
4. “Fatten” up: Yes, I know, many of you want to slim down this winter season to get in peak racing shape, but cutting out the fat will not help and may even hinder yourself. Many studies (too many to site!) show that a diet rich in healthy fats will keep your muscles healthy and primed, your energy stoked, and your mood up. Consider including some extra fish (like salmon), olive oil, (both of these will help with your complexion too until you can begin working on your beach tan), and nuts/seeds. (and don’t worry about calories, you will likely lose weight on a high-fat diet!)
5. Look over your training log (or get one!): Looking back at tough workouts or how much training you have done can remind you of all the effort you have already put into this season. Moreover, writing down your workouts can keep you accountable since there is nothing more disappointing than writing down a skipped workout or a DNF. An online log like TrainingPeaks, which just added some awesome features, is one of the best especially since you can bring it anywhere using their mobile app.
Good luck in your training this week and remember these words from Christopher Robin (the great sage of all triathlon training of course): “You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
Chris Hague is the assistant coach for triswimcoach.com and competitive triathlete in both the half and full Ironman distances. For more, check out http://triswimcoachonline.com/tri/about/
11 Tips to Becoming a Fearless Swimmer with Ingrid Loos Miller
On this podcast, I interview swim instructor/coach Ingrid Loos Miller about how to become a Fearless Swimmer. 
References:
Sign up for the Tri Swim Secrets 6-month Course at: http://www.triswimsecrets.com
Click here to order copy of Ingrid’s new book, Fearless Swimming For Triathletes
Email me with your comments: kevin at triswimcoach.com
Please comment on this podcast!
Tri Swim Coach podcast comments: Click here to open up itunes and add a rating/comment!
11 Tips to Becoming a Fearless Swimmer with Ingrid Loos Miller [43:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadTabata for Swimming for an Efficient Workout
You may have heard about Tabata training in various exercise or training programs. It’s something that I think many triathletes should be incorporating into their swim workouts on a regular basis. 
So what are Tabatas and how can they be used in swim workouts?
Tabata is an exercise program with extremely focused short burts using intervals.
Basically, it’s a set of 8 (or 16 or 32) 20 second all out sprints followed by 10 seconds of active recovery. The active recovery could consist of easy swimming or treading water.
These types of workouts can not only help you get faster in the water, but also allow you to burn more fat than in a typical long aerobic session.
You will burn more calories in a long aerobic training session, however, Tabatas will allow you to burn more fat. A recent study showed that subcutaneous fat loss was ninefold greater in the test group doing Tabata workouts vs. those doing longer aerobic workouts.
Keep in mind that if you have poor technique, there is no point in doing Tabatas for swimming. However, if you have worked on your technique but feel like you’ve hit a plateau in swimming, this could be a nice substitute for boring laps in the pool, giving you the ability to burn more fat and get faster in the water.
Have you tried doing Tabatas in any way? What is your experience?
Tri Swim Coach Podcast #11- Interview with Coach Patrick McCrann
In this episode, I interview Ironman Triathlon Coach Patrick Mcrann of Endurance Nation.
References:
Endurance Nation: http://www.endurancenation.us
Book: 10 Hours a Week: The Age Grouper’s Guide to Competitive Triathlon
DVD: The 4 Keys To Long Distance Triathlon Training
Tri Swim Coach podcast comments: Open up iTunes and type in ‘Tri Swim Coach’ in the search field. Click on the Tri Swim Coach podcast and add your comments/ratings
Music:
Thievery Corporation- “Resolution”
Play Free Golf for a better, faster freestyle
Open water swimmers and triathletes are often confused on how to get faster. Often, they think that they need to swim fast to go fast. In other words, just train harder and do sprints at workouts.
Since swimming is so technique-focused, the fastest way to getting faster in the water is to play a game called “Free Golf”.
If you haven’t learned it yet, here are the basics:
Do a set of 50′s, around 6 is good.
Count your strokes on each 50 and get your time.
Add these two numbers together to get your “score”.
Lower your score each round by decreasing your stroke count, decreasing your time, or a combination of both.
Keep going until you can’t go any lower.
Hint: Make sure you are not just kicking harder to get your stroke count down. Focus on hip rotation, hand extension, and glide (distance per stroke.
There are several variations of this depending on what level swimmer you are. For many of my beginner and intermediate-level swimmers, I may have them do a set with Zoomers fins on, and a set with hands in fists, followed by a straight swimming set.
How low can you go?
For more tips and workouts on training for a triathlon swim, and for 4 free triathlon swimming workouts, sign up for the newsletter at www.triswimcoach.com/newsletters.php
