Swimming Dynamics

by Cecil M. Colwin

Book Overview

Hall of Fame coach Cecil M. Colwin as been involved in competitive swimming for more than fifty years. In Swimming Dynamics: Winning Techniques and Strategies he covers every aspect of the sport. From... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1570282064
• ISBN13: 9781570282065
• Release Date: February 1999
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Length: 370 Pages
• Weight: 2.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 8.6" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

Swimming Dinamics.

I found this a very interesting and informative book. The discussions about the personalities in the sport from past and present were fascinating to a swimming enthusiast like me. I thought the line drawings of the strokes were excellent and very instructive.

This is a milestone historical treatise of speed swimming.

Colwin's lifetime of exposure to competitive swimming is encapsulated in this truly marvelous compendium of facts. The book will be a milestone in the history of the sport, a book that is highly recommended by this reviewer. Cecil Colwin's attention to accurate detail is unparalelled in this comprehensive treatise. This is one book all swimming aficionados should have in their libraries for ready reference and browsing. In addition, it is a good read, full of humour and enlighting anecdotes.

An excellent read-great information for all coaches.

Great resource for all coaches. This is an excellent read and provides great information for all levels of coaches.

Swimming Dynamics is a "must read" for ALL swimming coaches.

This is a book that should be provided to every young coach today. As swimming-world wide-becomes more centralized, young coaches are exposed to progressively less and less intellectual diversity. Coach Colwin has laid it all out for them; all the key ORIGINAL thinking on all aspects of our sport. It will help young coaches put their learning into context and make them better questioners. For us "more experienced" coaches, it brings us back to our roots. It reminds us of what we have forgotten or left behind, and perhaps desperately need to return to.

"... brings the past & present into unison like no other..".

Swimming Dynamics is an aptly named book that provides a historical perspective on the ever-changing aspects of competitive swimming. After reading this important work, every swim enthusiast, coach or athlete should feel as if he or she is a part of the sport's evolution.The first chapter of the book talks about some of the intangible aspects of swimming - aspects like intuitive coaching; team dynamics; experimentation and the need to challenge ideas; criticizing helpfully and not spitefully; and the importance of individualized coaching. Cecil does not attempt to tell the reader what is right or wrong in the sport, he simply lays it out for the reader to form his or her own conclusion based on past and present experiences.Swimming technique is thoroughly discussed early in the book, but Cecil goes one step beyond by talking about how swimming styles change. He refers to "The Bandwagon Effect" to explain how the winning style of one swimmer can effect an entire generation of swimmers. Chapter three stands as a documentary collection of pictorial artifacts and historical stories about swimming's evolution. This, along with an entire chapter devoted to the pioneers of women's swimming, causes the reader to reflect on where the sport came from and how we got to where we are today. These chronicled perspectives are a "must read" for every swimming enthusiast.The book goes on to relate conversations with the great distance coaches to reveal how they trained their swimmers. Joe Bernal, Mike Burton, Sherman Chavoor, Mark Schubert and Don Talbot all share their perspectives. Other leading figures such as Doc Counsilman, Forbes Carlile, Arthur Cusack, Peter Daland, Donna de Varona, John Devitt, Ray Essick, Don Gambril, George Haines, Jim Montrella, Walt Schluter, Jonty Skinner, Gus Stager, Karen Moe Thornton, Stan Tinkham and Gennadi Touretski also relate their coaching experiences.Swimming Dynamics does not preach or advocate one style of coaching or method of swimming over another. It simply shows the facts as they appeared in time. Every reader should come away with an energetic and renewed passion for the sport after reading Swimming Dynamics., by Cecil M. Colwin.