AGUA Masters Weekly Newsletter |
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Our AGUA Masters community continues to expand, and that’s exciting! To maintain social distancing and keep our team safe, we will begin implementing a more spread-out approach in the pool this week. Moving forward, when there are five or more swimmers in a lane, we will break that group in half and work from opposite ends of the pool. If people would like to do this when there are four or fewer swimmers in your lane, they are more than welcome to do so.
We ask for your patience and support as we figure out how to execute this new policy in the coming weeks. I’m confident that we won't need to reconfigure at every practice (not every lane will be affected) and the process will be more organic than structured. Given the unique circumstances, we must be cognizant of the situation and flexible to occasional adapt on the fly.
I appreciate your patience and understanding with this update. As always, if you have questions, my door is open. Please feel free to email me at jbeck@asphaltgreen.org.
See you at the pool,
–Coach John
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New Reservation Sign-Up Window Starts Tomorrow |
In response to member feedback, we are updating the time frame that reservations can be made to visit our facilities. Effective tomorrow, February 15, the sign-up window for pool, fitness center, and AGUA Masters practice reservations will open at 5am and close at 11pm daily. Reservations cannot be made overnight from 11pm to 5am. We hope to see you soon!
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Build Technique, Efficiency, and Speed With Private Swim Coaching
Take your strokes to the next level with help from AGUA Masters coaches. Pinpoint opportunities for skill advancement and get tips, drills, and exercises tailored to help you meet your goals.
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Save 30% on Personal Training – Take advantage of our ongoing discount for AGUA Masters swimmers. Trainers will collaborate with your coaches to build an individualized program designed to translate fitness center results into success in the pool. Email fitnessadmin@asphaltgreen.org to get started.
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Team Unify Account Access – If you are having trouble accessing your TeamUnify account, please reach out to Coach John directly at jbeck@asphaltgreen.org.
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Register for Practice –You may register for one swimming practice per day, at either Asphalt Green campus, up to two weeks in advance. Visit your campus website to book workouts today:
- Upper East Side
- Battery Park City
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Last week, we spoke about the importance of head position in freestyle. This week, we are focusing on our legs. Legs are the engines that propel us in the water, containing the largest and most powerful muscles in your body: the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves. As the source of our mobility, they burn the most calories, lift the most weight, and can move the fastest. Using your legs to kick well makes you faster and stronger; no kicking makes you slower; bad kicking puts the brakes on. This is an area where almost every Masters swimmer can improve. Kicking matters.
An effective and powerful freestyle flutter kick is driven by the rotation of your hips. Kicks should be short, fast, and tight, with pointed toes. Knees should be loose and relatively straight, not locked. If you think of kicking as a wave, the idea is to kick with a high frequency and a small amplitude. A kick that has one beat per stroke does very little for a swimmer; the optimum rhythm is six beats per stroke. That means every time one of your arms completes a stroke cycle, each foot has gone up and down three times. This is not easy to do, but it's what we should be shooting for at all times. For a deeper dive into freestyle kicking, watch this video. |
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Asphalt Green has helped thousands of children stay active through free programs in schoolyards, gymnasiums, and pools across New York City. Today, the organization is focused on providing a critical mental and physical outlet for kids in a socially distant world.
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