Josh Davis – Ultimate Technique Swim Clinic

June 2002, Burlingame, CA

If you ever get the chance to hear Josh speak or attend one of his clinics then I would highly recommend it. Josh is based in Texas – see joshdavis.com.

Josh didn’t start swimming until 13yrs old. He’s participated in two Oly games and won 5 medals. He holds the American record for the 200 IM (SC) and the 200 Free (LC).

Dealing with race arousal – doesn’t see race arousal as nerves, rather it is the body preparing for something extraordinary. Cue words for racing are “Power” and “Peace”.

If an athlete doesn’t totally commit to a goal then the pain of failure is reduced. However, the chance to succeed is even more greatly reduced.

Josh spent seven years swimming 1:48. That’s a long time at a plateau. However, there is ALWAYS a way for any athlete to get faster. Through hard work, he managed to get down to 1:46 and holds the American record for the 200 free. Josh is a clear example of the benefits of persistence.

Key things I saw in Josh:

• Loves kids – the talks that he gave were excellent, relevant and covered issues that kids face on a daily basis (nutrition, smoking, drugs, sex). He delivered an honorable message in a manner that kids can understand and relate.
• People oriented guy – comfortable in a crowd.
• Regular size, very normal proportions – not a monster like Thorpe
• High attention to detail
• Desire to work hard

Josh struck me as a regular individual, who has learned the value of persistence and hard work. Without a doubt, he has certain gifts – however – we all have gifts. The key difference is that Josh was raised in an environment that enabled/encouraged him to exploit his gifts to their maximum potential.

Even if you don’t “win” you can use competition to: (a) take you places you have never been before; and (b) make the winner hurt. [note – this is the second time I have heard an elite swimmer express this point.]

Streamline – hands over top of each other, rear hand’s thumb holds front palm, elbows in tight, arms completely straight and extended, head is forward of arms (not in between), goal is to get arms as straight/close as possible. Head should be hidden. Streamline perfectly every single time, every single turn. [note – this is truly free speed].

Pain – swimmers must learn to go through pain barriers in training. [note – interesting as I have heard many elite swimmers refer to pain as a barrier. In other words, pain tolerance is a key swimming limiter for elites. Not surprising due to the lactate levels that they must endure.]

He’s never used PhosFuel and doesn’t take any supplements (does use barley green when he remembers).

I asked about his favorite lifts – dips, bench, squats, lat pull downs. Similar to my own experience, he talked about the full body stimulation that results from squats. In addition to the four key lifts, he spoke of the need for a strong core.

Sleep – Josh spoke of the fact that most athletes are chronically undersleeping. Lack of sleep reduces memory function, slows recovery and reduces energy reserves. Josh believes strongly in the power of sleep, including naps. His view is that the optimal sleep for a young athlete is 10 hours per day (including naps).

The next two sections cover Josh’s views on stroke tips and success.

Stroke Tips – these work!

FREE

• Thumb to thigh, elbow high, glide on side.
• Three main drills: (a) zipper; (b) fists; (c) tarzan (polo or head up). He recommends a “thinking” fists – really focus on the high elbow.
• Hand position should be relaxed like when clapping.
• Likes a low head position at all speeds – didn’t mention the “bow wave” issue. Instead, mentioned that the face is quite flat so if you look forward at high speed then there is “lift” at the front end.

BACK

• Drills: (a) single arm where off-side shoulder shows out of the water, really work the rotation and balance; (b) super fast recovery / slow stroke; (c) windmill drill – spin arms absolutely as fast as possible.
• When doing fly kick off the wall, head position is neutral looking slightly backwards.

BREAST

• Pull and recovery very quickly with hands just on water’s surface. Goal is the highest recovery speed possible and lowest resistance.
• Kick on back drill, knees shoulder width apart, keep knees down, snap heels together – very good for learning to kick properly. Thighs break the water’s surface but knees should not appear. No “child birth” kicking!
• Long glide drill using streamline.

FLY

• Think about thumb leading recovery. NOTE – this is an outstanding tip that immediately helped Shan and me.
• For fly and breast, keep head down and breathe just over the water. Low head lift, maintain forward movement.

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Athletes

FINESS

Perfect technique is required at ALL times, this is best achieved by total dedication of mastering the fundamentals.

FITNESS

Must train, must break down muscle, focus should be a combination of strength and endurance. Goal should be to build a bigger and a stronger engine. “Perfect practice, through pain barriers, makes perfect.”

FLEXIBILITY

A full range of motion means: more endurance; faster recovery; less injuries; more power. Always stretch when warm.

FUELING

Low level of preservatives in the diet. Put good stuff in – good air, good water, good food. Doesn’t like sports drinks, prefers water. Good air means no smoking. Good food means lots of fruits, veggies and low fat protein (didn’t mention paleo but his diet description is paleo). Highly recommends lots of sleep and naps. Avoid salt, sugar, sat fat and alcohol.

FUN & FOCUS

Point your thoughts where you want to go. Your thoughts create your destiny. Set tough goals and write them down.

FAMLIY & FRIENDS

Healthy relationships lower the stress levels in our lives and result in peak performance. For this reason, seek purity in relationships and choose your friends wisely. On the flipside, athletes that are in unhealthy relationship situations will have high stress and this makes peak performance very difficult.

FAITH

While all people are equal, all ideas are not equal. Neither (a) the sincerity of belief nor (b) the number of people that believe, impact the truth of the object of belief. Faith is only as good as the object of that faith. Money, power, fame, success – all are ultimately false gods. Josh spoke of winning his gold medal – ultimately, his greatest single motivator is love (specifically, the love of his parents). Athletes that train in an environment of love will find themselves achieving their personal best.