The Swimming Triangle: A Holistic Approach to Competitive Swimming (Swimmer Series)

Coach Baker has written a true gem. His holistic approach to Competitive Swimming could be applied to any sport. The importance of mental training is overlooked at all levels of sport, and his Mental Conditioning chapter has addressed many stumbling blocks that can be overcome with straight forward thought and introspection. The information presented in the technical section is cutting edge. He has many effective ways that are easy to coach, and easy to remember and implement by swimmers of all ability levels. I truly believe that any novice coach could successfully coach a team by just following this book. Parents of swimmers should also be interested in this book because it could fill in any gaps that are not currently being addressed by their coaches. In competitive swimming being the fastest is king, but the life skills outlined in the book go far beyond the pool, to being great at whatever you choose to do in life.

I really liked this book. I have been using a lot of the information with the kids I coach. It covers about everything you would need to focus on to be an above average to great competitor. I am so against having kids come to swim practice to just swim lap after lap with no real purpose while the coach does nothing. With this holistic approach everyone is involved with an intention. There is more fun and more focus and more improvement for everyone with the 3 sides of the triangle working together. The ideas and teaching methods are things I have been using on my own but not as organized as Nick wrote the book. I would love for my daughter to attend one of his Performance Camps.

The book content is really interesting and helpful. There are many tips and advices for all the 4 strokes. This is really good.The only complain I have, is that there is no Table of Contents in the book, so you cannot move directly to a chapter or specific topic. So, this is more like a PDF (even worse, a PDF without the page numbers in the TOC).This is not a big deal, but for a reference book with so many tips, advices, strokes, drills, etc, is really very annoying and time consuming to move to the topic you just want to read.I really don't understand the reason (perhaps in the future this can be fixed).cdsuze

It is in my search for ways to help my son in his swimming that I came across the "The Swimming Triangle". Despite not being a swimmer myself, I was surprised that I could soon spot many of the errors in my son's coaching and his swimming technique.What impressed me even more was that the book was "holistic" in more ways than just competitive swimming. I find that the insights detailed in the book apply to every day life. At my workplace I now often refer to excerpts from the book.I do not know how far my young teenager will go in his competitive swimming. But I am sure if he adopts Coach Nick Baker's insights in his life he will grow up to be a holistic and successful individual.Thanks Coach.

As mentioned by others, there is no table of contents. Didn't really seem like a big deal, but, in the Kindle version, having a table of contents would be very helpful - especially since the author continually references other parts of the book. It takes a long time to find something when you literally have to go page by page.And, for a book that puts a big emphasis on technical proficiency, having images would be a big help. You can explain things all you want, but when some of those explanations contradict, having pictures would help to clarify what is meant. For example, when looking at the 5 lines of the body, it is noted that hand entry is at the shoulder line. Then later, the author says that the hand enters the water in front of the shoulder. Images might help clarify where the author thinks the hands should actually enter the water. If you are a less experienced coach, you may not have a good idea of many of the things the author describes.Most, if not all, of the content in the book is available at the book's website. I feel like a chump for paying for the information, when I could have just read it online. The website could add value by having videos of many of the topics covered. Instead, the author tells the reader to find their own videos that show proper technique. Call me crazy, but if the reader doesn't know the proper technique, it is possible for them to select videos of improper technique.For someone new to coaching swimming, this book could be confusing and incomplete. For someone with experience coaching swimming, they probably know most of the concepts, whether they agree with all of his teachings or not.

I really appreciate Coach Baker's holistic approach to swimming. The Swimming Triangle discusses the physical, technical and mental sides of swimming. My daughter is an age group swimmer who spent hours and hours in the pool but was seeing limited results. Reading this book and attending one of Coach Baker's clinics has helped her to refocus and start to build a more balanced approach to swimming. She is no longer focused on just the yardage, but on technique and mental preparation. While reading the book, I especially enjoyed Coach Baker's common sense approach and use of analogies. This book is a must read for swimmers, coaches and parents who feel like they are missing a piece of the swimming puzzle.

This is a fantastic book! We have read it as parents and finds it excellent as a tool for helping and understanding our child. (who is now 14 and been swimming since the age of 6)Our son has it as a help when he tries to get back into his stroke techniques as well as his dry land exercises.It's an easy book to read and lots of tips and food for thoughts.We have had the opportunity to meet Mr Baker and our son has been to Mr Baker's swim camps, each time with lots of new development in his swimming as well as mentally.We even bought a copy for our coaches back home.....

Only some of the book was received