Drawing on his work with some of the top teams in professional sports, noted sport psychology consultant Gary Mack shares with you the same techniques and exercises he uses to help elite athletes build mental "muscle." These 40 accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes will help you gain the "head edge" over the competition.

Swim better -- and enjoy every lap -- with Total Immersion! Terry Laughlin, the world's #1 authority on swimming success, has made his unique approach even easier for anyone to master. Whether you're an accomplished swimmer or have always found swimming to be a struggle, Total Immersion will show you that it's mindful fluid movement -- not athletic ability -- that will turn you into an efficient swimmer. This new edition of the bestselling Total Immersion features: A thoughtfully choreographed series of skill drills -- practiced in the mindful spirit of yoga -- that can help anyone swim more enjoyably A holistic approach to becoming one with the water and to developing a swimming style that's always comfortable Simple but thorough guidance on how to improve fitness and form A complementary land-and-water program for achieving a strong and supple body at any age Based on more than thirty years of teaching, coaching, and research, Total Immersion has dramatically improved the physical and mental experience of swimming for thousands of people of all ages and abilities.

In Swim Speed Secrets, 4-time Olympian, gold medalist, and triathlon world champion Sheila Taormina reveals the swim technique used by the world’s fastest swimmers. Over the course of 4 Olympic Games and throughout her career as a world champion triathlete, Taormina refined her exceptional technique as a student of the sport, studying the world's best swimmers using underwater photographs and video analysis. From Johnny Weissmuller to Michael Phelps, the world’s fastest swimmers share one common element: a high-elbow underwater pull. Too many swimmers and triathletes neglect the pull, distracted by stroke count or perfecting details like body position or streamlining. Taormina uses simple science and crystal clear underwater photos of Olympic athletes to show how the high-elbow underwater pull is the most crucial technique for faster swimming. With a commonsense approach that comes from decades of practice and 15 years of hands-on coaching experience, Taormina’s Swim Speed Secrets gives triathletes and swimmers the clear direction they need to overhaul their swim stroke and find the speed that’s been eluding them. Swim Speed Secrets includes: ·         The best drills to cultivate a more sensitive feel for the water·         Dryland and strength building exercises to develop arm position and upper body musculature·         Crisp photos of Olympic swimmers and variations in their high-elbow underwater pull·         Clear descriptions of the key moments of the underwater pull·         Tips that helped her perform at a world-class level for two decades Swim Speed Secrets brings the focus back where it belongs—to a powerful underwater stroke. With this book, triathletes and swimmers can stop swimming for survival and break through to new levels of speed and confidence in the water.

It’s no secret: most triathletes are weak swimmers. Improving your swim will make you a faster, more confident triathlete, and you’ll enjoy your time in the water.Swim Workouts for Triathletes, 2nd Ed. will help you develop real swimming speed. This waterproof book of 75 swim workouts provides the structure, variety, and drills triathletes need to become more efficient and faster swimmers. Each workout is designed around a specific goal—endurance, speed, form, muscular endurance, or anaerobic endurance—making it easy to prepare for events of different distances and improve all-around swimming skill.Supplement your current training plan with these workouts or use one of the book's four swim training plans to prepare for triathlon's most popular swim distances. You’ll improve your efficiency and feel for the water with illustrated technique drills. New 30-minute workouts help slower swimmers or those with limited pool time get up to speed.Swim Workouts for Triathletes means no more swimming in circles. Take this waterproof book to the pool with you, and you’ll be swimming real workouts that will make you a faster swimmer and a better triathlete. 

One diver, after a seemingly brief period below the surface, discovers that his gas supply has run perilously low. Another, paralyzed, bobs helplessly on the surface, and when a poorly trained divemaster attempts rescue, things go from bad to worse. Two other divers, fascinated by the bountiful undersea life of the Caribbean, fail to notice that a powerful current is sweeping them rapidly away from their unattended boat. These are just a few of the true stories you’ll find in Diver Down, most of them involving diver error and resulting in serious injury or death. Each of these tales is accompanied by an in-depth analysis of what went wrong and how you can recognize, avoid, and respond to similar underwater calamities. This unique survival guide explores the gamut of diving situations, including cave and wreck diving, deep-water dives, river and drift diving, decompression sickness, and much more. It shows you how to prevent tragic mishaps through: Inspection and maintenance of primary and secondary diving gear Learning and following established safety protocols Confirming the training and credentials of diving professionals Practicing emergency responses under real-world conditions

For more than a decade, top coaches have turned to one resource time and time again. Collecting the wisdom, insights, and advice from the sport’s legendary instructors, The Swim Coaching Bible immediately established its place in the libraries of swim coaches around the globe. Coaches, it’s time to make room alongside that classic for a new resource! The Swim Coaching Bible, Volume II, picks up where the original left off, providing more instruction, guidance, and expertise on every aspect of the sport. Inside, you’ll learn the secrets, strategies, and philosophies of 27 of today’s most successful coaches, including these legendary leaders: • Jack Bauerle • George Block • Mike Bottom • Bob Bowman • Sid Cassidy • John Urbancheck • Bill Rose • Vern Gambetta • David Durden • Brett Hawke • Gregg Troy • John Leonard • Dick Shoulberg • David Marsh • Teri McKeever • Bill Sweetenham From developing swimmers to building a winning program, teaching the nuances and refining stroke techniques to applying the latest research to training and conditioning programs, it’s all here. Endorsed by the World Swimming Coaches Association, this new collection is another landmark work in competitive swimming. If you coach the sport or want a competitive edge, The Swim Coaching Bible, Volume II, is a must-own.

Water exercise is excellent for physical therapy and fitness because it enhances range of motion and eases pain of movement. Now a single book makes it easy for you to design your own water exercise program, whether for injury rehabilitation, special conditions, cross-training, or just shaping up.Water Exercise features 78 clearly described and illustrated exercises that range from beginning to advanced levels of difficulty. The book also features complete exercise programs for specific injuries and conditions and for improved fitness. You can tailor each program to suit your needs, so no matter which exercise program you choose, you'll start at the appropriate level and progress safely into more challenging movements. Part I discusses the rehabilitative benefits of water exercise, along with guidelines for customizing your workout program and descriptions of accessories that can add a whole new dimension to your exercising. Part II presents 26 beginning, 29 intermediate, and 18 advanced exercises. Each exercise features one or more illustrations and descriptions of equipment needed, starting position, movements, precautions, and special hints for making the exercise more effective. You'll also find four illustrated deep-water exercises for improving cardiovascular endurance and decreasing compressive forces on the spine.Part III features injury-specific water exercise programs for recovering from injuries or surgery, with chapters devoted to rehabilitating the lower leg, ankle and foot, knee, thigh, pelvis and hip, trunk and spine, shoulder, and lower arm and wrist. Part IV details water exercise programs to help you achieve total fitness from a beginner's level to an advanced cross-training program. This section also includes a chapter of water exercise programs for people with rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson's disease, osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, and multiple sclerosis.Water Exercise is especially suited to:- people attempting to regain strength and flexibility after an injury or surgery,- sedentary people just starting an exercise program,- individuals wanting to lose weight and gain muscle tone,- fitness enthusiasts and athletes seeking to maintain or increase their fitness level, and- aquatic therapists and exercise instructors looking to expand their knowledge of water exercise.

See how to achieve stronger starts, more explosive turns, and faster times! Swimming Anatomy will show you how to improve your performance by increasing muscle strength and optimizing the efficiency of every stroke. Swimming Anatomy includes 74 of the most effective swimming exercises, each with step-by-step descriptions and full-color anatomical illustrations highlighting the primary muscles in action. Swimming Anatomy goes beyond exercises by placing you on the starting block, in the water, and into the throes of competition. Illustrations of the active muscles for starts, turns, and the four competitive strokes (freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, and backstroke) show you how each exercise is fundamentally linked to swimming performance. You'll also learn how exercises can be modified to target specific areas, improve your form in the water, and minimize common swimming injuries. Best of all, you'll learn how to put it all together to develop a training program based on your individual needs and goals. Whether you are training for a 50-meter freestyle race or the open-water stage of a triathlon, Swimming Anatomy will ensure you enter the water prepared to achieve every performance goal.

From more powerful strokes to quicker turns, propel yourself to improved times with Complete Conditioning for Swimming. This multidimensional training program uses fitness assessments to tailor strength, endurance, and flexibility exercises to each swimmer's individual needs. Dave Salo, coach of Olympic medalists Lenny Krayzelburg, Aaron Peirsol, Amanda Beard, and Jason Lezak, and Scott A. Riewald, performance specialist for the U.S. Olympic Committee, have teamed up to create a comprehensive program that provides you with the following tools to improve your times:-Exercises and drills for each stroke-Event-based workouts and programs -Dryland training -Tapering for peak performance-Year-round conditioning plans-Nutrition before, during, and after swim meetsIn addition, the 80-minute DVD takes you to the pool and into the gym to demonstrate the drills and exercises used by the sport's elite. Complete Conditioning for Swimming is simply the best guide to preparing your body for competitive success.

Going Long is the most comprehensive guide to racing long-course triathlons ever written. Combining science with personal experience, Friel and Byrn prepare every triathlete, from the working age-grouper to the podium contender, for success in triathlon’s ultimate endurance event. Sport-specific chapters outline training for each triathlon discipline and describe drills to improve form and efficiency. A newly expanded section on training the mind explores the all-important psychological aspects of racing, including goal-setting and visualisation. A detailed appendix includes key training sessions, workout examples, and strength training progressions. Going Long has long been the best-selling book on the subject of training for the long course. With expanded content and a new, two-colour format, this second edition is once again the premier sourcebook for triathletes who are serious about succeeding in the long-course distance.