A championship season for swimming is a way for all the student-athletes to see whether or not all of their hard work has paid off throughout the year. Well, this year was like any other year and was successful because of the work ethic of all involved. As the team got closer to the tournament season, many of the swimmers used devices to bring their speed up including the Long Belt Slider. This device enables the coach to have the swimmer swim against it from the block end to work on keeping the stroke long and powerful. Once they reach the other end, they switch the belt to the front of the body and they are assisted by the tension of the cord to the block end. This device enables to “feel” what it feels like to swim fast! This type of training gives the swimmer confidence going in to the last part of the season. They are able to feel the speed and given confidence to keep up the speed. All swimming strokes may be used with this device as long as the coach follows general guidelines. As a coach for the Cuyahoga Falls High School, we used this for many of our student-athletes to promote what they are able to do and make them realize how strong they are. When I coach the CFYN-USA team members, we still use this device but sometimes in different strengths to match the needs of the swimmer to the piece of equipment.
Another product that we used quite a bit were the StretchCordz with Handles. This product was used as part of our dryland program to reinforce proper mechanics and technique out of the water. One use that we always try to reinforce is to complete the routine with speed. The swimmer needs to remember to not slow down when they are out of water. They were asked to complete a set of either 30 seconds or complete a set of how many strokes that you take in the 50 or 100 according the stroke that you are swimming. This exercise gives confidence to the swimmer in preparation for the championship season.
As a coaching staff, we had great performances at all levels of competition including but not limited to at Sectionals, Districts, State, Leagues, Zones, USA Silver and Gold, and Y Nationals. I believe part of our success was hinged on the products that we use from NZ Manufacturing on a weekly basis.
Whether the products give our swimmers aid in performance, speed, strength, or endurance it is clear that the use of products aided their performance at the end of the year. Many of the athletes competed as well as they did because of the assistance of these products and the knowledge they obtained from using them. As a coach, I was pleased with the results this year and am already looking forward to what we are able to do next year!
