Are you a former swimmer who is now a parent? Avoid these common swim parent mistakes! When you were a swimmer, then a swammer, and now a swim parent, it can be easy to feel like you’re reliving your swim career right alongside your new swimmer. After all, you’ve been in their shoes and can […]
The swim parent is the backbone of the swimming community. They want the best for their swimmer. They spend hours and hours driving swimmers back and forth to practices, sitting through long swim meets, and helping swimmers along their journeys. No swimmer can succeed without some form of parental support. But what happens when the […]
When it comes to Coach Mike Bottom’s legacy, it’s no secret that he’s made his mark in 2 areas of our sport: Team Culture and Sprinters. Training sprinters can be a misunderstood experience. They are the same as other swimmers while also needing different things. How can this be? Thankfully, we have an expert to […]
If you know me, you know that I love a good reflection, and this year’s did not disappoint. Reflecting helps me to celebrate my wins, think through where I could have been better, and come back stronger the next time I try (hello 2026)! Swimmers and swim coaches, being the best you can be doesn’t […]
What would it feel like to be known as a swim coach for your ability to cultivate a team culture that not only feels good but also swims fast? That’s where Mike Bottom’s zone of genius lives. Today’s blog will break down how he takes his swim team culture from ineffective to transformative. You’re not […]
When it comes to who can excel at Butterfly races, Jack Bauerle tells it like it is. The reality is, there are a lot of “Butterfly pretenders” out there. After all, all swimmers are tough, but Butterfliers are at a different level. Jack’s tried-and-true coaching philosophy and method produced some of the greatest Butterfliers of […]
What does it *actually* take to finish with a WIN? Well, more than you might think. When I swam competitively, my teammates used to complain about racing me (a fact I am proud of). They’d tell our coach, “Hey, that’s not fair! They have a 7th gear at the end of their races.” The reality: […]
The first time I appeared at Sectionals, disaster struck. I was swimming the 400 meter Freestyle and was feeling more than a little nervous than normal. On the way into the first turn, I was feeling good – easy speed, out in front by a little, and then all of sudden… BOOM. I hadn’t intentionally […]
As swimmers and swim coaches, we’ve all had the experience of coming down to the wire of a race and not knowing if you’re going to win or lose. This is the moment when all of your training comes down to how well you can finish and if you can out-touch your opponent. As a […]
When I first “moved up” to the Gold Group on my club team, my coach sat our entire training group down in front of a whiteboard. “If one person answers this question correctly,” she said, “the entire practice will be relay work.” “Only ONE person has to answer correctly?!” I thought. “Consider it in the […]
From The Desk Of SLAF’s Head Swim Coach: Abbie Fish As a virtual swim coach, I am a huge proponent of teaching swimmers how to set goals. I posted on Instagram just the other day about teaching goal setting if you need somewhere to start. I’m also a big believer in practicing what I preach, […]
With it being an Olympic year, the SLAF team knew we had to BRING IT in 2024. After launching the Mentorship Program, we set our sights on releasing a project that has been YEARS in the making: The SLAF Video Vault. The Video Vault is a constantly evolving collection of swimming videos. Because our goal […]
