This is the time of year when many people make resolutions. “I’m going to reach my goals this year!” “I’m going to get in better shape, be stronger.” “I’m going to swim faster.”

This season’s artic temperatures are a perfect recipe for icy walkways. And icy walkways can easily lead to slips and falls, resulting in anything from minor bruising to severe hip fractures. While the number of injuries or deaths from falls due to winter conditions is not recorded by the National Safety Council, safety experts agree that many injuries result from falls on ice-covered surfaces.

As we enter the winter season for the swimming season, many athletes need to remember a few key items. Right now, as a swim coach for a high school team, I am preaching to my athletes the fundamentals of the sport. The fundamentals that I am preaching include: technique, form, strength and flexibility. Whether we are in the water or on dry land, I am constantly reminding the athletes these four key words.

With the high school swim season starting back up, now is the perfect time to review your team’s workout program and incorporate resistance into its training routine.

Ways to Get (& Keep) Young Athletes In Shape
It’s time to return to the classroom – and playing field – for many kids and young adults. In fact, more than 38 million children and adolescents participate in organized sports in the U.S. each year. Like anything, preparation is key. Here are some tips to help student athletes achieve top performance and remain safe no matter what the sport – basketball, football, hockey, cross country or soccer.

Since more babies are born in August than any other month, NZ Manufacturing wants to use this opportunity to address how new moms can get back into shape and better cope with the stress of motherhood.

I began my 100 mile journey in by boarding a bus at 3:00am to transport the runners up to the start line in Cleveland. I was ready for this after 7 straight months of training. The course was absolutely beautiful. The course took you through some of Ohio’s most scenic parks including the Cuyahoga Valley national Park, Summit County Metro parks, Towpath Trail, Buckeye Trail, Hike and Bike Trail and The Bridal Valley Trail. The course consisted of 75% trail and 25% street routes.

As a swim coach for Cuyahoga Falls High School and an age group coach for CFYN-USA I have had the opportunity to work with products from NZ Manufacturing. The products are not only tools for training but aid in the development of the overall swimmer.

I wrote about a month ago the ‘running’ account of my journey toward the 100 mile race that will take place on July 30. The event is The Burning River 100 Mile Run that begins in Cleveland and takes you along a route ending in Cuyahoga Falls Ohio, spanning a 30 hour period of continuous running.

Football, basketball, soccer and hockey are all fast-paced sports involving a lot of quick starts and abrupt stops. Players must be able to move forward, sideways and sometimes even backward – all while managing to stay balanced and maneuvering around the opposition. For this reason, off-season agility workouts can pay big dividends in increasing a player's effectiveness.

Why would anyone want to run 100 miles at once? I am often asked this question, especially now that I am less than 100 days away from the date of The Burning River 100 mile event.

Since endurance is a crucial component of open-water, long-distance and triathlon swimming success, it’s essential to increase your threshold through proper training. And NZ Manufacturing is here to help. Our StrechCordz® products can complement your endurance workout and improve your overall performance.

The rate of force development, commonly called power, is crucial to many sport performances. Running athletes develop power by generating the maximum amount of force over the shortest period of time. The product of stride length (force applied) and stride frequency (motion) will determine running speed. To optimize performance in running it takes mobility and strength. One of the best ways to increase mobility and strength to specifically carry over to running is to use elastic resistance training.

Flexibility is one component of a well-designed fitness program that’s often overlooked. Flexibility refers to ability of the joints to move through their full range of motion (ROM), which is enhanced by stretching. Since movement is only as possible as flexibility allows, it’s vital to the body’s sound structure.

Everyone knows that aerobic exercise, strength training and good nutrition are key to a balanced fitness program. But there's another one just as significant. One that’s often overlooked … flexibility.

Hi,
I use my coach's (a UK member of Noth America Swim Coarch Assocaition) 'long belt slider' but struggle at around 18 meters to progress much further down the pool- especially compared to some other club members who are slower than me in both training / racing. 20 metres is about as much as I can manage. Although I know that I need to fine tune my vertical forearm a little more (it's not bad) , I'm wondering if having a 'front quadrant' freestyle stoke' as I do (mine's almost 'catchup' ... and quite a long stoke) whether this has the effect of making me more streamlined 'in reverse' and therefore makes it easier for the 'long belt slider' to pull me backwards more so than someone with a less pronounced 'front quadrant' freestyle stoke' Is my thinking; correct, or flawed and it's my stoke that needs fine tuning - any ideas (if it helps I can make it much easier on breaststroke and a little easier on backstoke - haven't tried fly!). Obviously I don't want to make major changes to my stroke if this is a quirk of the 'long belt slider'.

Kind regards

Richard
Master Swimmer
Age 45
100m Free PB 1.00:00
1500m Free 18.45:00
Mileage 12 - 18miles / week

One session with a Kick Trainer is not magic and is unlikely to instantly solve the problem. But, it will get the swimmer feeling his kick and better understanding how the foot is supposed to press against the water.

Hello Dr. Arata,

Why would stretch cords be more beneficial than weight training for swimming? Is there a noticeable advantage? And how many stretch cord pulls should be done in place of weight training if it is more beneficial? Finally, would using stretch cords over weights be more beneficial for water polo? Thanks for your time.

-Jonathan