Swimmer's Ear

World Champs are starting soon, but I don't know if I'll watch all of it. I think watching 12 & under Champs was more exciting...am I alone in that sentiment? How do we make all swimming more exciting for all spectators? Coaches, athletes, and parents alone can't make the sport the extremely popular, televised extravaganza we all know it should be, so what can we do to bring in outsiders? Twitter: Coach_SarahMac Instagram: sarah.swim44 Use code SwimmersEar at ProSwimWorkouts.com to get a discounted subscription to the site! A subscription grants access to massive workout archives, and it supports contributors and other ventures.

The inner ear is responsible for our sense of balance, and that's what we're discussing this week. Last year at this time I talked about June Syndrome, and I'm realizing that June Syndrome for coaches often equates to burnout. I'm exhausted, and I need to regroup and re-energize. Use code SwimmersEar @ ProSwimWorkouts.com for 20% off your subscription to the site! Tell me on Twitter - what did you do for yourself this week? @coach_SarahMac

I've been on hiatus. The last five months were a lot to handle, and the podcast took a backseat. But now I'm back, I'm motivated, and I'm ready to dive back in (to sitting in my computer chair and talking about swimming). Let's talk about practice planning a bit, because why not? There's a lot of overlooked science behind planning the ideal practice, here I'll lay it out for you.

News! I'm starting a new role at a new club. I'm also talking about what constitutes a "hard" workout. ProSwimWorkouts.com - use code SwimmersEar for a discounted subscription Find me on Twitter @coach_SarahMac or Instagram @sarah.swim44

Basically I rant about how difficult it is for women in the world of coaching because of the Old Boys' Club. Use code SwimmersEar at ProSwimWorkouts.com for a discounted subscription! Find me on Twitter @Coach_SarahMac or Instagram @sarah.swim44

I want to briefly discuss two different scenarios I found myself faced with recently, both of which caused me to think more critically about the ways I take pride in my profession as a coach. Hopefully you can relate in some way to what I'm trying to say. Use code SwimmersEar at ProSwimWorkouts.com for a discounted subscription! Follow me on Twitter @coach_SarahMac and on Instagram @sarah.swim44

It's been a minute! This week I'm telling you why having catfish in your pool is important for you and your athletes. That's all I'm saying. You'll have to listen to figure out what I mean. Use code SwimmersEar @ ProSwimWorkouts.com for a discounted subscription! Follow me on Twitter @coach_SarahMac, and on Instagram @sarah.swim44

I took to Facebook to find the weirdest drill names that coaches have in their arsenal, and I tried to guess what the drills were! We've got some very strange ones in here... Thanks to everyone who submitted a weird drill name! Please let me know if I guessed right, and if I didn't, share the knowledge and let me know what the actual drill is! Connect with me on Twitter: twitter.com/coach_SarahMac Use code SwimmersEar at ProSwimWorkouts.com for a discounted subscription

This week I discuss some research I've been doing for my Masters project. How do parents, peers, and coaches impact a swimmer's engagement in the sport? Whose fault is it when a swimmer quits for good? Source: Jessica Fraser-Thomas, Jean Côté & Janice Deakin (2008) Examining Adolescent Sport Dropout and Prolonged Engagement from a Developmental Perspective, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 20:3, 318-333, DOI: 10.1080/10413200802163549 Find me on Twitter: twitter.com/Coach_SarahMac Subscribe to ProSwimWorkouts.com with code SwimmersEar for a discount!

Bonus podcast! It's a short one, and one wherein I solicit advice from fellow coaches.

This week I'm talking about how BAD I am at breaststroke and how my failure at it fueled my coaching of it. I've learned a lot along the way, and if you listen all the way to the end, I provide you with my number 1 drill for teaching good breaststroke to 12 and under swimmers! Find me on Twitter: twitter.com/coach_SarahMac Visit ProSwimWorkouts.com and use code SwimmersEar for a discounted subscription!

Today I discuss the age old question of quality versus quantity: we know swimmers need to swim a lot of metres, but shouldn't those metres mean something? I delve into my swimming career and the beginning of my coaching career to discuss how I came to coach the way I do currently. My dog makes an appearance in this podcast - allegedly something very serious happened outside and he just couldn't hold in his borks! Visit ProSwimWorkouts.com and use code SwimmersEar for a discounted subscription! Catch up with me on Twitter at twitter.com/Coach_SarahMac - comment on the podcast, ask questions, request topics.

This week, I'm talking about my favourite sports movie (no judgment, please) and how it helped me stay involved in sport over the years. Visit ProSwimWorkouts.com to listen to the rest of my podcasts, and use code "SwimmersEar" when you subscribe to the site! Find me at www.twitter.com/Coach_SarahMac - I'd love to hear from you!

Do you remember the first time you swam 400 IM? I imagine it wasn't the greatest. In this podcast I discuss why you should consider embracing the "worst 400 IM ever" mentality with your young swimmers.

This week I had the pleasure of discussing yoga for 12 & under swimmers with Jeff Grace from Swimming Specific Yoga! Jeff has been a swimming coach for 20+ years, a swimmer before that, and has been a champion of yoga since (at least) 2011. Additionally, he is an advocate of mental health, so this conversation encompasses any- and everything you could ever want/need to know about incorporating yoga into your swim team's regular training. www.swimmingspecificyoga.com

This week, Twitter users voted that I should discuss how to teach "feel!" As promised, this week I provide a description of "feel" as well as some tools coaches can use to teach it to their young athletes.

This week I discuss my efforts to change my coaching style to embrace my swimmer's abilities in a more positive way. I spent a week coaching my athletes to stop swimming bad butterfly - but you'll have to listen to find out how.

I had to completely throw out two consecutive practices last week. In this podcast, I talk about the reasons why and discuss how productive it was to embrace my failure and use it as a springboard into success.

What metrics are most useful to you in your coaching? Which ones give you the best sense of your athletes' development? In this episode I share the five sets I'm using this year to gauge my group's progress through my season plan.

When you swim, are you mindful of what you're doing, or mindless? Many of us use swimming as a means of "shutting off" our brains and taking some time to be without thought, without worry. I don't think this works for competitive swimming; listen to find out why.

Episode 1 is an intro to the podcast and to its host. Sarah MacDonald is a Canadian coach who has worked with 12 & under Age Group swimmers for the past 14 years. In completing her Masters in Coaching Studies, she has found great value in exchanging knowledge with others. Join her in this endeavour and get Swimmer's Ear!