| In This Issue |
| Coaching Sessions |
| Schedule your coaching session |
Quick Links
|
| Race Calculator |
| Report Card |
| Bio and Background |
| What is Dobkanize? |
| Testimonials |
This article covers what you can expect in a 1-1 session with coach Dobko. I am excited to work with athletes of all levels of expertise, from pros to first time finishers. Often, it is athletes with the least swimming ability that force me as a coach to think of swimming in a way that I have never thought of before. Or other times, it is challenging to find that little extra something that the pros need to succeed. Thus, I consider it an asset to work with all levels of the sport.
The process I follow in coaching has 5 basic steps. In the first step, I watch and listen to you so I can prepare for instruction. In the second step, we try stuff out and you get the instruction you need to get faster. In the third step, we talk about homework you need to work on in order to get faster on your own. In the fourth step, we take metrics and do a quantitative analysis of how your swimming is coming along. In the fifth step, I document everything we covered and all of your swim times so we can compare to future sessions. These 5 steps are detailed below.
Q: Do you have any tips on how and when I should take off my wetsuit?
A: The answer comes in two parts. How you take your wetsuit off is something that you should practice before race day. It is as simple as putting the suit on, and taking the suit off over and over again until you are comfortable. On race day, the biggest challenge is to take off the wetsuit below the knees. In order to make this easier, bring a can of cooking spray (like PAM) and spray all around your lower leg. This makes a slippery surface which makes the wetsuit slip off easier.
Coach Dobko will pick one of your questions each week and give you some insight into swimming. E-mail your questions to duanesworlddobko@worldnet.att.net.
When you are taking in a breath in freestyle, make sure you take a big gulp of air. Unlike running and cycling, you cannot take in air whenever you want and so you have to make every breath count. Also, when your lungs are full of air your body has more buoyancy. Therefore, you are able to maintain a higher position in the water and go faster as a result.