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What is the Meaning of Excellence for an Individual and Their Country

Presentation By Eddie Reese, Notes by Laura Matuzak
Thursday, September 6, 2001

I.                    We live in a world of theories.

A.     Coach Reese still gets nervous and cannot eat before talking to groups, because he is putting his ideas out there.

B.     Do not take and believe his theories on his word.  Investigate his theories.

C.     We have our season plan theories, our training theories, etc.

II.                 Coach Reese’s theories.

A.     Coach Reese takes his theories very personally.

1.      They are like his grandchildren, they are the best.

2.      They are the most logical and the best.

B.     In year’s past, diversity was our strength as coaches.

1.      Now, all coaches need to start with the same foundation and then build out from that foundation with our diversity.

C.     Age group coaches do the work.

1.      If a swimmer waits until college to establish an aerobic base, then an opportunity for that swimmer has been missed.

2.      The aerobic system is less changeable in the college years than in the preadolescent years.

3.      Give your swimmers a future.

D.     Be sure not to do specific training too early.

1.      Swimmers quit when they don’t get faster and they don’t improve.

2.      Don’t train them for sprinting too early.       

E.      Most world-class 400 I.M. swimmers (under 4:20) came out of a 1650 training background.

1.      The only exceptions were Mike Barrowman and Tom Wilkins who were both 200 Breaststrokers.

F.      Sprinters.

1.      The exception proves the rule.

2.      Most sprinters were distance swimmers at some point in time.

a)      Tom Jager got his first Junior National cut in the mile.

b)      Gary Hall Jr. was doing 10 plus workouts a week in ninth and tenth grade.

3.      Train against specificity.

G.     Take yourself out of the equation and put your swimmers first.

1.      12-16 year old swimmers should be training for the mile and the 400 I.M.

2.      You do not know where your swimmers will end up and how their bodies will change.

3.      Nate Dusing was doing one-a-day workouts as a 12 year old.

a)      At 15, he made the 1650 National Cut.

b)      As a senior in high school, he set the 100 Fly High School record, and was #1 in the nation in the 100 Back.

c)      At NCAA, he competed in the 200 I.M. and the 200 Back

d)      At the Olympics and World Championships, he competed in Freestyle events.

4.      If you leave out an area of training or technique, you cannot get it back.

H.     Consistency and greater stress on the body equals more muscle development.

1.      The body reacts to how it is stimulated.

2.      Josh Davis

a)      Has 8 years of over training behind him.

b)      He starts fast in workouts and doesn’t slow down.

c)      Makes positive life choices.

(1)   Good nutrition.

(2)   Proper sleep.

(3)   Makes better choices outside of the pool.

(4)   Puts the time into his workouts.

(5)   28 years old.

(6)   Matured strength.

(7)   Racing mind.

3.      Rick Carey

a)      Refused to lose in practice.

4.      Steve Lundquist

a)      Refused to lose in practice.

b)      There was a Battle Royal when Mr. Carey and Mr. Lundquist were in the water together.

c)      Mr. Lundquist would finish a 200 I.M. set with a 2:16-2:18 from a push.

5.      It is a problem if we look at the swimmer at exactly where they are without considering their past.

I.        With a beginner level swimmer, everything you do will make them better at the base.

1.      Swimmers who did dryland always improved more for a longer period of time.

J.       As swimmer progresses to closer to their full potential, fewer things that you do will make them better.

1.      If they have a bad year, even if it is their fault, they are missing an opportunity.

2.      Swimmers need to know what they need to do, not what they did last year.

3.      Sometimes swimmers can get away with bad habits relative to others, but not relative to themselves.

4.      You must improve the workouts as you go.

5.      You must go and aim beyond past levels.

6.      As swimmers get better, American men want to take more time off and do less work.

7.      Coaches have to work them harder – there is no easy way.

K.    There are four ways to get better.

1.      Get bigger and stronger (this improves until about sophomore year in college.)

2.      Improve technique – actively coach the swimmer’s technique, especially the older ones.

3.      Get them to work harder in the workouts – increased effort has to come from within them.

4.      Make the workouts harder – coach has to work harder.

L.      Find a way to make success.

1.      Trade workouts, write the best workouts.

2.      Watch great swimmers, listen to great coaches.

3.      When you have a small team/small group (20 swimmers or so), say five good things to every swimmer in every practice.

4.      If you are positive all the time with the swimmers, though, they will have no reason to change.

5.      Someone is good because they get a lot of attention.

M.   Goal setting.

1.      The coach plays a part in the formative years of a swimmer’s life.

2.      Talk to people and get the answers.

3.      Get help from USA Swimming.

4.      Age group coaches can do more for an athlete psychologically between the years of 12-16 than a college coach can.

5.      Potential for every athlete is 100%.

a)      If an athlete is at 90% of their potential and they use poor technique, then they are at 90% of their 90% potential.

N.    World Championship problems.

1.      The relays had problems with the timing system.

2.      The accidental relay entries are a devastating mistake and a human accident.  It happens.  Get over it.

Questions

1.)  Where do you get your workout ideas?

Coach Reese says that he tries to come up with sets that suit different people.  He writes sets on planes while traveling and then refers to them throughout the year.  He works on things during warm-ups and tries to cover all of the bases with his workouts. 

The year after the Olympics, the workouts are different and harder.  Their summer season was o.k., but Coach Reese has not decided what needs to be fixed.

From Summer Nationals in 1997 to the year 2000, Coach Reese made his swimmers pay the price.  In 1997, they swam o.k.  1998 was a bad summer.  1999 was a little better.  They did great in 2000.  The hard training throughout the years gave them a better chance in 2000.

The world-class standards are now set.  With our resources, we should be in the world-class ballgame with more than one swimmer.

This High School graduating class is the most talented group of men ever.

Can swimmers be world class without doing double workouts?  Maybe they can be, but they will not be AS GOOD as they can be.

The NCAA situation with men losing their swim teams is not good.  We need to do more about it.  Coach Reese does not know what we should do.  If swimming is about creating the best people, one would think we would want to create more swim teams.

2.)  When is it time for swimmers to specialize? 

E-mail Genadijus Sokolovas at USA Swimming.  Main aerobic capacity is set before puberty.  Anaerobic capacity is set before last growth spurt.  Aerobic sets have to be more than a half hour long.

Coach Reese oversees all 11 lanes of practice.

3.)  How do you determine an athletes performance versus his potential performance when recruiting?

Coach Reese looks at the athlete’s endurance and aerobic base and looks for Distance Per Stroke.

Coach Reese had to talk his swimmers out of competing in the Goodwill Games because they wouldn’t get a full season of training in this year if they traveled in August.  If they went to the Goodwill Games, they would miss a second full year of training.  Swimmers need rest and should have rest after big world competitions. 

Our goal should be GREAT International Swimming.

Team USA showed their best racing at the Goodwill Games.  It is easy to race when you are ahead.  It is hard to race when you are behind.