Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Links Of The Day With Jocelyn Jay

Cramps in swimming...what is the cause? http://ow.ly/ypLGp

When does routine become habit? http://ow.ly/ypLHy

Nutrition for swimmers - a Swimming Science interview - http://ow.ly/ypLIq

Finn Gunderson On Building Successful Coaching Staffs - http://ow.ly/ypLJA

High water content foods - becoming hydrated with more than just water 

Friday, June 20, 2014

More Things That Coaching Has Taught Me


A lot of coaching knowledge has been rattling around in my brain. While I try to categorize it, here is the ongoing list of great lessons I have learned in the 10 seasons I’ve been back into it. Some of these are messages from great coaches (who would not appreciate being quoted here, I’m sure), while others are rules and lessons I have learned (sometimes the hard way):
Lessons 1-10 can be found HERE.
Lessons 11-20 can be found HERE.
Lessons 21-25 can be found HERE.
Lessons 26-31 can be found HERE.
Lessons 32-38 can be found HERE.

Lessons 39-44 can be found HERE. 

45.) Some coaches look poorly nourished, however I would attribute some of that to swallowing a lot of pride rather than poor nutrition...

46.) ...although some coaches are genuinely poorly nourished. I learned a lot from doing this interview with CSIO's Nutritionist.

47.) Not everyone will understand why you do what you do. Communication can help, but sometimes it's best to move on and ignore the detractors. You'll likely outlast them. 

48.) Athletes always perform their best when they are excited and believe in what they're doing... the trick is to keep them that way.

49.) There is a negative relationship between how long it has been since you've retired from swimming and your ability to beat your athletes in a race. Remember that... particularly because there seems to be an inverse relationship in your stronger belief that you can beat them as more time goes by.

50.) This is the best job in the world, despite all of the challenges, and I don't want to do anything else.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Keep Learning Lessons From Other Sports!

As an unabashed Raptors and Spurs fan, the 2014 NBA Playoffs were unbelievable for me! I really enjoyed watching my favorite teams, under dogs, go up against "stronger" opponents. Since I already posted what we could learn from the Raptors run in the playoffs, I will not do the same thing again, but I will link to a column from Bill Simmons about the 2014 Finals [via Grantland...]. My favorite quote from this column was the following:

Q: What’s the best lesson of the 2014 Spurs that wasn’t ridiculously obvious? 
Five words: Don’t feel sorry for yourself. 
Instead of moping around after blowing last year’s title, they looked at everything logically and wondered, “Hmmmmm … why did we REALLY lose?” The conclusion: They weren’t good enough at small ball; they couldn’t play two point guards at once; they didn’t rest their veterans enough; and they didn’t exploit Boris Diaw’s offensive skills enough. They spent the regular season working on those issues and transforming themselves into a superior version of the Seven Seconds or Less Suns. The end result: They treated the 2014 Heat the same way those slash-and-kick international teams treated American basketball in the mid-2000s. It almost looked like they were playing a different sport.

I think that this is an important to recognize that even the biggest disappointments can be salvaged and it is important to take cues from outside of your own sport watching the San Antonio Spurs come back from such a disappointing finish last season is inspiring! I think that it feeds hope that disappointments are not final and that working to fix flaws pays off. When reviewing your season, what will you change next season to make it better? Ask yourself "Hmmmmm... what really happened this season?"

I also have a link to a podcast that I produce for Dr. Greg Wells featuring an interview with 2012 Olympic Champion, Rosie MacLennan. Here, she talks about her career upto her 2012 Olympic win. Very inspirational for all athletes. Available for FREE download from iTunes or from Dr. Wells' website.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

King Sized Links Of The Day With Jocelyn Jay

How hard should you push your child in sports? http://ow.ly/xRezi 

Help your kids achieve success...but not today! http://ow.ly/xRevz 

Brains of successful vs unsuccessful people actually look very different - http://ow.ly/xRe66

Be a great individual and a team player - this applies to all sports!! - http://ow.ly/xRe9W 

Morality can be taught within the realm of sports too!! http://ow.ly/xRegU 

7 quotes for the struggling swimmer - It's coming down to the last few weeks of the season, and last meets for many - http://ow.ly/xC2hp

We need more tough coaches like Mike Spracklen - http://ow.ly/xReoZ 

A great interview of Terry McKeever about her coaching methods, the lonely world of coaching and female colleagues and how she is being true to herself - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02042r7

Friday, June 6, 2014

Links Of The Day WIth Jocelyn Jay

A little late... but better late than never right guys..?

Great interview with Dr Alan Goldberg on pre-race rituals and how they can help performance anxiety and coaches working with parents (5:00 mark) - Dr. Alan Goldberg from the Central States Clinic




Why swimmers need to be on time and ready for practice - http://ow.ly/xAXKy 

What to eat before, during and after exercise - http://ow.ly/xAXVw 

Being a good swim parent: Part I - http://ow.ly/xAY0T 

Being a good swim parent: Part II - http://ow.ly/xAYaW