Ready, Set, Coach Mike!
1. What is your favorite part of coaching young swimmers? How do you set goals for them?
Today, his favorite aspect of coaching is preparing future generations for success in water and beyond. When Mike sets goals for his swimmers, he follows a particular philosophy: “The person should come before the athlete.” He understands that each swimmer has unique goals and is at a different stage in their development. One of the most important points Mike emphasized is that swimmers should identify what they truly want to achieve, rather than following what their coaches expect of them.
2. Swimmers experience highs and lows throughout their journey, what can we do to keep ourselves grounded and consistently mentally tough?
Since swimming is a year-round sport, we don’t get a long break. Mike likes to take advantage of that break because it’s a time to mentally reset. He shared some strategies to help us avoid being overconfident or underconfident. When athletes don’t perform well, they can become discouraged. One tool Mike suggested is to repeat affirmations that remind athletes why they swim. On the flip side, when athletes perform well, we tend to become overconfident and may ignore the people around us. Mike advised not to put too much pressure on an athlete—pressure can make diamonds, but it shouldn’t cause us to get buried in it.
3. What skills have you learnt from the sport of swimming that school couldn’t teach you?
Mike said that the #1 skill all swimmers develop is time management. Swimmers play many different roles in their lives. For example, Mike was a swimmer, student, brother, and son, and playing all these roles taught him how to manage his time better. Swimming is a sport that truly emphasizes this skill because it demonstrates how disciplined and consistent you are. A couple of months ago, I fractured my shin and had to take a break from swimming for two weeks. It was a very difficult experience for me. When I got back in the water, I had fallen behind significantly. In swimming, consistency is the key to perfection.
4. You have encountered and interacted with many coaches in your life so far, and learnt from them. As a current coach, how do you want to become a better version of your past coaches?
He mentioned that every coach he has had has had a positive impact on his swimming career. Many of them focused on his performance both in the water and mentally. As a coach, he is learning something new from his swimmers every day. Mike wants to continue learning from his swimmers, and he believes that if he can learn something, he can also teach it.
5. If you had all the money in the world to spend, what 3 recovery tools would you buy and use and why?
Mike is obsessed with hot and cold exposure for athletes. He would buy a cold tub, which is an ice bath, and he also favors a sauna that provides both hot and cold exposure. Mike has these massage boots called Normatec, which are some of the best recovery tools ever! I also own a pair of Normatec boots, and they have helped me recover a lot this season. Finally, he would try any version of red light therapy. This treatment helps reduce inflammation, joint pain, acne, and wounds. When he was in college, one of his teammates was always using red light therapy and convinced Mike to try it as well. Now, he is in love with this method of recovery!
6. If you were a vegetarian, how would this change your experience in the sport to where you are today?
Mike told me that this would drastically change his swimming career. From the start of his journey until now, he has heavily relied on meat. Swimmers in general need a lot of iron in their bodies to support the amount of work their bodies do daily. He mentioned that if he hadn’t received that daily supply of iron from meat, he would have eaten plenty of beans and tofu as alternatives.
7. What does “being competitive” mean to you? And what is your definition of “sportsmanship”?
Throughout his entire career, Mike has been a very competitive swimmer. He has learned that there is a skill or art to not being competitive with others, but rather being competitive with oneself. He gave me a common example that many swimmers experience: often, swimmers compare themselves to people who are faster than they are. Ultimately, it’s about improving yourself. There is a fine line between how competitive you can become with a teammate before it becomes personal. The golden rule of life is to treat others the way you want to be treated. I have been reminded of this countless times in elementary school. It’s such a simple quote, but it has a deeper meaning.
8. When you swam competitively in college, how did you mentally prepare yourself before your races?
Mike practiced a lot of mental visualization with performance coaches. It can be nerve-wracking before you are about to race. Another strategy that helps keep him distracted from his nerves is music. But, at the end of the day, he always reminds himself that every pool he swims in is the same length — it’s just water — and no one can dictate his race but himself.
9.In the distant future as a high school student, if I were to take a job as a swim instructor at a swim school, what interpersonal and technical skills would I need to build? And would you recommend that I experience that?
Mike definitely recommended that I try a job like this. When he got his first coaching job, he was a freshman in high school. Becoming more consistent with coaching and analyzing other swimmers’ strokes made him a better swimmer. Mike says that if he can teach this skill, he can do it as well. People skills are essential for this job, as it is an interpersonal skill. Anyone can understand the sport of swimming, but it’s hard to relate to a specific swimmer. Keep it simple so people can understand.
10. If you could start swimming all over again what are some things you would do differently?
If he could go back in time, he would first start when he was a young swimmer. Mike would focus on fixing his streamline because that is the foundation of swimming. If you don’t have a good streamline, you will never be a fast swimmer. The second thing Mike would improve if he were my age is his underwaters. This is practically the fifth stroke of swimming, and nowadays, winning a race is often determined by underwaters.
11. What advice would you give to 12 year old Mike who is so close to Junior Champ cut off times but is unable to cross it?
Mike would tell his younger self to physically study your race. You never know what you are doing wrong until you see it. Become a student of the sport. The second tip is to try new things. Mike shared a quote by the great Albert Einstein: “The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This advice relates to my journey in swimming. Right now, I am very close to reaching my goal, and I have limited opportunities left. This is something I will take action on because I truly want to achieve my goal.
I would like to thank Coach Mike for taking the time to talk to me! It has brought me a lot of joy to be able to talk to someone who can help me and give me valuable advice on what I am struggling with. I can’t wait to continue my journey with a different perspective!
I would really love to hear your feedback and comments. Please reach out to me@hanikachhajer.com.
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