Working with a Coach
If you haven't already decided to get a coach after reading Chapter 8, it bears repeating here: it's a rare athlete who knows instinctively the right way to do everything. To take it to the next level, having someone assess your performance will pay huge dividends. Technique is critical in many areas, none more so than in swimming. As noted in Chapter 8, poor technique can result in more fruitless effort in the water than you would care to contemplate, and it's hard to see where you're going wrong when you're just trying to make it from one end of the pool to the other faster than you did last week.
A good coach will detect your flaws and give you drills to help promote good habits, smoother moves, and easier laps. All that will pay off on race day with a much better swim. Most health clubs with pools also have coaches, giving you greater access to assistance where you need help the most.
I've heard there is coaching available on the Internet for different sports. Could I get that kind of help to improve my swimming?
Stick to live coaches to help you with swim technique. The coach needs to observe you in the water to get a grip on what you're doing wrong and to see where you need the most work. Swimmers need hands-on, not virtual, coaching.
If your swim practice occurs where a coach is not available, you can get help from some of the more experienced swimmers. They might not be certified coaches, but they can help you with technique or at least answer some of your questions. They probably also know some good workouts to share with you.
Cyberworkouts
For most runners and bikers, it's not problems with technique that slow them down or leave them short of their potential. It's the design and quality of the workouts that matter, assuming that the work ethic is there.
If you look around, you can find goal-specific programs that are designed to help you achieve a certain time at a specified distance. There are plenty of these in books and training manuals, but they are becoming more and more available nowadays on the Internet.
There are even software programs that allow you to enter data about yourself along with your specific goals. The end product is a training program for what you want to accomplish. Many of these programs are free. Some online coaching programs are packaged with the opportunity to interact with a real person from time to time. The coach on the other end can answer questions and provide advice and encouragement. The cost of this kind of coaching varies, but it's usually in the range of $30 to $40 per week.
Accountability
Besides the obvious advantage of personal attention, having a coach can also serve as a motivator through encouragement as you go and from your natural urge to want to work harder to meet expectations. A good coach will assess your overall fitness and the likelihood that you can meet the goal you have in mind, then custom design a program to help you get there. Even if you are just part of a group under the care of a coach, a small amount of individual attention can change you from a wannabe to an accomplished athlete.
