Mach3Multisport.com

How many times have you seen/heard/been a part of this scenario:

Coach:  “You’re making X mistake.  Try it again and do it this way.” 

Athlete: “OK”

The athlete attempts to carry out the coach’s orders. 

Athlete:  “How did that look?”

Coach:  “Exactly the same as it did before.”

This situation is exasperating to the athlete because he’s trying his best to do what the coach is asking him to do, but he isn’t receiving the positive reinforcement he expects.  It’s exasperating to the coach because it looks for all the world as though his athlete isn’t even making an effort to change.  Why does this happen?

A quick anecdote; several years ago, way too many years ago, I played a lot of golf.  I was never particularly good at it, but that didn’t stop me from spending an excessive amount of time on the links.  Over the course of one summer, I developed a severe hook that was magnificent to behold.  I’d swing the driver with all my might sending the ball on what looked like a fairly straight trajectory for the first 50 yards or so of flight.  At that point, the ball would make a physics-defying bend to the left causing it to land somewhere on a neighboring fairway or parking lot or swimming pool, etc. 

I hit countless buckets of golf balls on the driving range trying to solve that hook.  I’d think through all the possible combinations of body position, head position, foot position, etc. that might be causing it, but I couldn’t get straightened out.  Then one day, a friend of mine saw me struggling and gave me what seemed like an insignificant piece of advice to rotate my right hand forward on the club.  It felt really awkward as I took my backswing.  As I started to swing the club forward I thought “This is stupid.  This feels so WEIRD.”  And then, THWACK!  The ball flew straight as an arrow and landed past the 200 yard marker.  As I went through the rest of the bucket, that weird feeling was replaced by the exhilaration of having solved the hook problem.  After that, I rarely hooked another ball (although I have struggled with a nasty slice. . .of course). 

There were two main reasons why I couldn’t solve my problem and why it developed in the first place.  1) I didn’t have a coach or anyone else to guide my practice and 2) I couldn’t stand the “weird” feeling of doing something different. 

In triathlon, depending on your background, you probably don’t need constant oversight by a coach for running and biking skills.  That’s not to say you shouldn’t seek one out.  In fact, it might save you from an injury if you’re doing something wrong, but in general, you can most likely get by without it.  Swimming, on the other hand, is a completely different animal because it’s so technique-dependent.  If you’re an average triathlete, right now, you’re probably making a mistake that is imperceptible to you while you’re in the water, but is painfully obvious to anyone standing on the deck.  If you don’t have access to a coach, or don’t want to pay for a coach’s services, have a friend videotape you so you can objectively see what you’re doing.  A picture really is worth 1000 words—especially a moving picture. 

Once your coach recommends a change, it doesn’t do you any good unless you actually take action to make that change happen.  What most people do, myself included, when they try to make a change is that while they’re doing it, they think about what they should be doing, but they make it feel normal.  If what you have been doing isn’t working, and when you try to fix it, it doesn’t feel any different, then you are probably doing it the exact same way you always have.  Doing something correctly is going to feel weird when you’re used to doing that thing incorrectly.  I never would have straightened out my hook problem if I would have stayed in my comfort zone.  The instant I made a change, it felt awkward, but it worked perfectly on the very first attempt. 

If it feels weird, do it!  If it feels the same as always, guess what, it probably IS the same as always.  Just remember that when I say “feeling weird” I do not, under any circumstance mean “feeling pain.”  If something hurts, stop.  Also, if what you’re doing is correct, it’s only going to feel weird for a little bit before it starts feeling oh so right.  If you continue to feel awkward after working on it for a while, consult a coach to make sure you don’t continue down the wrong path and develop an all new bad habit.

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