Mindful Swimming + Expert Panel on Grassroots to LA28 #20 of Heavy Or Not
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
Release Date: 04/07/2025
Why College Football’s Looming Collapse Endangers All Youth Sports and How to Prevent It
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
Coach Mark Rauterkus worries that the looming crisis in college football will create a ripple effects across all college sports. He outlines a reform plan, highlights recent program cuts, and offers a path forward. You’ll learn in episode #89 of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide: The urgent need to reform college football before it collapses and drags other sports down. Key takeaways from Coach Nick Saban’s interview (Episode 88) and the reform package available at . The fallout from Cal Baptist cutting its men’s Division I swimming & diving team and the disappearing...
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Nick Saban’s Five Enemies of Greatness via My New Best Friend at The 7 Minute Leadership Pod
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
How Entitlement, Discipline, and Complacency Undermine Teams – Insights From Saban Inside Penn State’s Quarter‑Billion Dollar Athletic Budget and Its Profit Margins In episode #88 of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide, you’ll meet my new best friend, Paul Falavolito and a snip from his show, The 7 Minute Leadership Podcast. He shares Nick Saban’s “Five Enemies of Greatness.” Plus, we’ll break down the money behind a powerhouse college athletic department. You’ll get practical leadership takeaways and a raw loo k at Penn State’s finances. The five hidden threats to...
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Heavy or Not? The Doping Crisis No One Wants to Talk About | OG Swim Guide #90
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
Doping at 69?! The Ugly Truth About Recreational Sports. Say "No" to Enhanced Athletes and Their Games In Episode 90 of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide, we peek into two shocking doping cases. One is involving a 69-year-old Masters athlete and the other is with a 41-year-old cyclist busted at a Gran Fondo. No prize money. No fame. Just ego, insecurity, and a culture obsessed with optimization. When does “biohacking” become cheating? Is TRT just wellness… or is it performance enhancement? And what happens to sport when authenticity gets replaced with chemistry? This episode...
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Coaching Burnout and Safety: Uncovering the Hidden Crisis in Our Sports Culture
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
Survey says, 91.9% of coaches say they love what they do… so why are nearly 85% of them facing burnout and ready to quit? The Coaching Crisis is here, now. Few are talking about it — but Barry Healey of BC Canada is. A SafeSport report on its coaches survey began by exposing the hidden crisis in U.S. sports — where passion for coaching is crushed by politics, pressure, and lack of support. Parents, Politics & Pressure = Burnout The biggest burnout driver for coaches? It’s not the kids. It’s the parents, the politics, and the impossible pressure. Coaches Are Quitting in Droves...
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If you’re a new coach, this is your unfair advantage…
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
The path to elite swim coaching isn’t what you think—mentors, conversations, and unspoken rules are more powerful than any degree or software. Episode #84 of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide explores truths behind elite swim coaching with insights from a 2023 international survey of 123 top coaches. Discover how these pros actually learn, coach, and use (or ignore) technology. And, we wonder have things changed so much in the past few years. Peer‑to‑peer learning dominates – 89% say conversations with other coaches are their primary knowledge source. Mentorship matters –...
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Athletic Matrix Formulation - From General Prep to Taper
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide, episode #86, goes to the realm of a TRACK coach. Much of the planning is similar to swimming and other sports. Unlock the secret behind elite performance: a step‑by‑step guide to building a winning training matrix. Learn how to turn a chaotic schedule into a precise, adaptable roadmap for any athlete. The three‑tier hierarchy: training plan, program, and matrix explained Coach Jose’s 8‑week sprint matrix: phases, intensity, volume, and recovery How to progress workouts safely while boosting performance When and how to adjust the matrix for...
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AI Coaching Wizard: Grant Application for Transforming Youth Swimming into a Community‑Driven Learning Lab
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
See the proposal on the web at Reimagining Pool Coaching: AI Connects, Learns, and Empowers Young Athletes Welcome to episode 85 of Heavy Or Not, The OG Swim Guide, where we reveal a grant proposal to the to build an AI‑powered Coaching Wizard for youth swimming programs. We’ll explain the vision, the tech, the partnership model, the budget, and the roadmap to launch. The core concept: AI as a connector, not a director, to spark reflection and conversation. How the Coaching Wizard works: personalized prompts, voice/text reflections, and 3‑D avatar...
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College Football Is Broken — This Radical Fix Might Save It
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
With chaotic realignments, rigged outcomes, and rising costs — this proposal might present the best hope to save the sport we love. This episode breaks down a bold proposal to reset everything — from the playoff system to who even gets to compete. The NCAA system is broken — and Heavy Or Not, episode #83, lays out the urgent blueprint to fix it. From rigged playoff paths to disappearing rivalries, NCAA Division I football has become less about performance and more about power. In this summary of the reform proposal, we explore a bold new structure: 80 top teams, regional pods,...
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Relegation Revealed: How Promotion Can Revitalize American Sports and College Football
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
Relegation & Promotion as part of Sports Reform, especially for NCAA Football D1 Pods In Episode 82 of Heavy or Not, Mark Rauterkus and Barry Healey break down how relegation and promotion work in European soccer and why these concepts could transform American sports. They dive into the mechanics, incentives, and how a U.S. version might look. How parachute payments soften the financial blow for relegated clubs The playoff system that lets teams 3‑6 fight for promotion Real‑world examples: Wolves beating Man U, Canadian owners climbing from the bottom Why a tiered...
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Steps for Fixing NCAA DI Football: Structure Changes Begin by Blowing Up the Conferences. Return to Regional Rivals
Heavy Or Not - The O.G. Swim Guide
College football needs a structural reset, and Mark Rauterkus lays out a clear, geography‑first plan for a top‑flight “pod” system. In this episode we break down the proposed 80‑team tier, regional pods, and how promotion and relegation would work. The 80‑team “top tier” built on performance, not brand prestige. Eight regional pods (Gridiron, Trench, Tackle, Pressure, Block, Blitz, Huddle, Grandstand) and their member schools. Promotion/relegation: yearly movement of five teams between the top tier and sub‑tiers. Preserving traditional rivalries and reducing travel through...
info_outlineIn this episode of the "Heavy or Not" podcast, we dive into Mindful Swimming with Brian Holliday. Plus, we pick up again on part two of an earth shattering expert panel that gathered after the Paris Olympics to talk about USA Swimming.
As is always the case, both the mental and physical aspects of the sport come into focus. Join us as we explore insightful discussions from top coaches and experts.
- Discover the concept of mindful swimming with Brian Holliday and how it can enhance your swimming experience.
- Learn about the importance of goal setting for young athletes and how it varies with age.
- Understand the impact of motivational time standards and their role in competitive swimming.
- Explore the significance of aerobic development in young swimmers and its long-term benefits.
- Hear from top coaches about the challenges and strategies in training elite swimmers for international competitions.
Tune in to gain valuable insights and improve your swimming journey!
1. **Introduction to the Podcast Episode**
- Jump cut number 20 of the podcast "Heavy or Not"
- Continuation of a clinic discussion from a prior episode
- Mention of the availability of the entire episode and transcripts online
2. **Mindful Swimming by Brian Holliday**
- Benefits of swimming for physical health
- Mental health challenges associated with swimming
- Inner monologue and self-criticism during swimming
- Comparison with other swimmers and personal best obsession
- Solution: Mindful swimming and being present in the moment
- Three key aspects for mindful swimming: balance, whole-body swimming, and controlled breathing
3. **Mental Skills for Young Athletes**
- Mention of a resource by John Hoag, a PhD sports psychologist and swim coach
- Availability in the ISCA Learning Management System
- Encouragement to explore and learn from the resource
4. **Panel Discussion with Coach Brent Arckey**
- Goal setting process for young athletes
- Ownership of goals by athletes
- Discussion on motivational time standards and their impact
- Importance of speed and endurance in swimming
- Strategies for improving performance in races
5. **Discussion on Swimming Standards and Training**
- Historical perspective on time standards and their impact
- Importance of aerobic development in young swimmers
- Challenges in developing middle-distance swimmers
- Role of endurance training in overall performance
6. **Coaching Strategies and Philosophies**
- Importance of being real and providing constructive feedback to athletes
- Role of club coaches in developing endurance and capacity
- Discussion on age group competitions and event offerings
- Debate on the teachability of speed versus endurance
7. **International Swimming Success and Cooperation**
- Success of international swimmers trained by American coaches
- Importance of cooperation among coaches for athlete success
- Challenges faced by Team USA in terms of coach collaboration
8. **Conclusion and Call for Audience Feedback**
- Invitation for audience feedback on the frequency of podcast episodes
- Encouragement for audience interaction and contribution to future episodes.
