Home Services Offered   Swim Clinics Swim Camps Adventure Swims Swim Instruction Buy Karlyn's Freestyle DVD   Schedule Clinic Registration Upcoming Camps Upcoming Clinics Yearly Calendar   About   Bio Testimonials Contact us   Karlyn's Pool's Edge Column   Technique: Select Article Freestyle Arm Recovery Put the Umph Near the front Backstroke as Easy as 1-2-3 Shoulder SHIFT for a Faster Freestyle FLIP to the WIDE Side Not a One-Size-Fits-All Sport Training: Select Article Taper and the Older Athlete Easy Street A plan for All Seasons Get Specific Open Water Training in a Pool Swim with Your FINS Motivation: Select Article Stay in the Know Preparing for the Best Putting the WILL in your Workout!   Cool Reads   Life skills Learned at the Pool Friends for Life Splash Down Memory Lane Race Around the World Summer Fun!! Swim with Aloha Learning How to Let Go 12-steps to Swimming Success Big Meet Swimming Strategies Confessions of a Fin-addict   Karlyn in the News   Swimming Straight for Inclusion Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen Fires It Up In France Pipes-Neilsen Earns Red Cross Highest Award Swimming Hall of Fame Induction Geezer Jock Article (Swimming) Against the Tides Madame Butterfly Neilsens Stand Out   2009 Articles and Results   June 2009 Kona, Hawaii June 2009 Sarasota, FL May 2009 Janet Evans Invite Irvine, CA May 2009 Canadian Nationals, Toronto Canada   2008 Articles and Results   Select Article December 2008 Oklahoma City, OK December 2008, Boston, MA September 2008, Zurich, Switzerland June 2008, Baltimore, MD May 2008 Perth, Australia   2007 Articles and Results   Select Article Oct. 07 Kona, Hawaii Sept. 07 Oak Harbor, WA Aug. 07 Mission Viejo, CA July 07 Tucson, AZ May 07 Cuernavaca, Mexico May 07 Federal Way, WA I May 07 Federal Way, WA II April 07 Chicago, IL April 07 Indianapolis, IN March 07 Crawley, UK March 07 Angers, France   Products We Use Accelerade Sports Drink and Gels Alpha Fin by Aquasphere COMPEX Sport Muscle Stimulator Dr. Monica Scheel-Skin Care Endless Pools Finis Center Mount Snorkel GO Recovery drinks & bars PureSport drink Too Good to be True Cookies Tri The World Travel TRISWIM anti-chlorine products TYR Swimwear VASA Ergometer & Trainer View Goggles XTERRA Speedsuits & Wetsuits   Favorite Links Swimming World Magazine Athletic Club Boulogne Billancourt (ACBB) FINA Floswimming Go Swim SwimNews United States Masters Swimming   BIG Meet Swimming Strategies Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen 2004 World Masters Swimmer of the Year Karlyn would like to share with you suggestions and strategies that can help you maximize your potential during a big meet or event. Don’t sabotage your taper Stay off your feet: This is a BIG one. You might not be aware of this, but standing on your feet drains your legs (a little walking is ok). If you are having a conversation…grab a seat and chat away. You have done your best to prepare for this competition…don’t let it all go to waste at the event. Easy does it! Many athletes want to prove that they are FAST by doing too many sprints or starts in warm up. Both of these activities will tire you out. Do a few of each, and then call it quits. Schedule some time AWAY from the pool: Cheer for your teammates, but save some energy for your events. To keep yourself fresh, find a quiet spot or plan breaks away from the competition. Be Prepared Get to the meet on time: Have a daily plan. Know what you will be swimming and when. Arrive early to get a good warm up. Do not add more stress to the event by rushing around or getting lost. Pack well: Extra suits, caps, towels and 2 pairs of goggles (in case your favorite pair breaks). You may also need WARM clothes, hat & socks if the pool deck is chilly. Bring food and drink: Pack a small ice chest filled with easy to digest snacks and for your post exercise nutrition. I pack Accelerade, soy drinks, low fat chocolate milk, Cliff bars and PB & J’s. How to swim a GREAT race Swim your own race: You can only control how YOU swim. Sure, check out the competition but don’t “psych” yourself out thinking everyone else is faster than you. Your deserve a great race, too! Warm up & cool down: Don’t short yourself on a good warm up. If too much time has elapsed since warm up, get in again. A long cool down is “insurance” that your next race will be a good one, too! Finish STRONG! Unless it is a sprint, try not to push too hard too early. At the beginning, find your “easy speed” then build to a fast and strong finish (think build or negative split). Always ask your coach for race suggestions. Motivation Have fun! After all this is not the Olympics. If you are having fun, you are relaxed and you will perform better. Laugh and enjoy the moment, cheer for your friends, share your energy and other will share theirs with you. Mental strategies: Stay away from the “Unknown” which is fear based. Stay in the KNOW! Know that you are ready to swim fast and do well! Know that you are a good swimmer and are prepared to face the challenge. Try not to over think: Have a clear race plan and visualize a positive outcome. Set a goal time and SEE that time on the scoreboard. Recognize that this is all in FUN and try not to take yourself so seriously! www.aquaticedge.org 77-6479 Kilohana St, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740 (808) 331-1766 aquaticedge@hawaii.rr.com