Middle Management: Therapist's Exercises Target Posture, Balance as seen in the Richmond Times Dispatch, February 25, 2004
Stretching Demystified as seen in the March/April 2006 issue of USMS SWIMMER, the official magazine of United States Masters Swimming
A Fish on Dryland as seen in the September/October 2006 issue of USMS SWIMMER, the official magazine of United States Masters Swimming
It is with great pleasure that I endorse your stability ball program. We have followed much of your suggested routine with athletes in our sprint
and stroke training groups with positive results and feedback from the athletes. In addition to our weight-lifting we feel that the stability ball exercises
are able to target the areas that are difficult to develop with weight training. We believe that our overall training program is well complimented by the
core stability and flexibility exercises done with the stability ball.
Mark Bernardino
Swim Coach, University of Virginia
Matt has taken the science of rehabilitative medicine and presented it at its best. It is presented in a format that focuses on avoiding an injury,avoiding time away from training, and at the same time improving performance. This stepwise approach allows coaches and athletes to be specific
to their needs or to structure a group program for fractions of the cost of exercise circuit systems.
Dr. Jim Miller
President, Masters Swimming
President, USA Swimming Sports Medicine Society
Team Physician, USA Swimming
We’ve used the exercise ball/core stabilization program since Fall of 2000. As a local physical therapist with an extensive swimming and coaching
background, Matt has long been our first choice for treating our injured swimmers. In the Spring of 2000, Matt advocated an injury-prevention
program to reduce the amount of lost training time due to shoulder-related injuries. He designed a series of exercises that form the core of the shoulder
stabilization program. The core stabilization program followed soon after.
I feel that the core/shoulder stabilization program has been a significant addition to our dryland training program. The exercises designed by Matt more closely approximate what swimmers actually do in the water, targeting the “networking” of muscle groups that swimming requires. Our swimmers also enjoy using the exercise balls: a fair amount of socializing accompanies the work involved. The best testimony regarding these exercise balls involves using one. I invite coaches to purchase a single core/shoulder stabilization video and judge for themselves. I feel certain that their bodies will tell them what mine told me: this program is a welcome and necessary addition to any swimming program.
Geoffrey S. Brown
Head Coach, NOVA of Virginia Aquatics, Inc
American club coaches are in dire need of Matt Wren's video presentations for core body strength development and shoulder reinforcement with use
m of Swiss Balls. It provides a wonderful balance to age old problems of overtraining the front of the body and under training the back of the
body AND, the exercises REALLY simulate swimming movement whereas most other exercise programs / equipment only aim at doing so. For developing youth,
the concepts within this presentation are universally valuable to their enjoyment and longevity in the sport of competitive swimming.
BALANCE - LENGTH - CORE ROTATION! They are all in these videos. If you don't understand, watch and listen. You will quickly learn all what swimming coaches have been touching on for decades. This information is right, easy to comprehend, and it works!
If you don't have time for college courses in aquatic biomechanics, Matt Wren's video presentations will fill the information void. Intelligent, pragmatically presented, VALUABLE, and less than an hour of your time. Check them out now.
Dudley Duncan
Virginia Club Swim Coach - 32 Years
2 Olympians developed from programs
More State Championships than all Virginia Coaches combined over the past 30 years.
Currently: Owner of SwimMetroManagement, Inc.
Coach with Total Immersion, Inc
Thanks, the exercises, along with the two video tapes that I purchased has made my shoulder pain disappear. For that I am grateful to you.
(I have been with this pain in the front rotator for over a year now. Just so you know some of the pain was due to 3 some what herniated discs in my neck.)
Thanks,
Beth Scheimann
Masters World Record holder in the 100 SCM breast and 200 SCM breast.
National record holder in the 100 SCM breast, 200 SCM breast and the 100 LCM breast.
A few thoughts on the videos and exercises. First, I have a Secondary Education Certificate and these videos are the ideal "classroom lesson"
The movements of the shoulders, the stabilization, and all other "medically" anchored terms and ideas are very well explained in the videos.
With college swimmers, they often ask "why?" and this video clearly explains the exercises, their effects on the swimmer's body, and their pertinence
to each stroke. My men have welcomed these exercises and they feel the repercussions in the water.
Secondly, I need to include a story. I have a big ole junior who can do a weird combo of 200 free and 100 fly. One day in practice he threw up a few sub 1:50 200 frees. After practice, I asked him where he got his vibe today and he said, "My back is tight and strong from those balls." Of course, he probably was feeling some effects of his weight training, but he drew a correlation to the exercises on the balls. We have had limited use with the balls, but our frequency will increase through the month of December. I appreciate your time, knowledge, and experience.
Matthew Barany
Head Men's Swim Coach
James Madison University
This program has addressed a lot of the logistical difficulties I face when training a large group of teenagers.
"Matt Wren's exercise ball program has provided an effective and practical way for me to improve core stability with a large group of swimmers, with limited practice time and with limited practice space."
Jay Brinson
Head Senior Development Coach
Nova of Virginia Aquatics
I've been doing 8 to 10 exercises from Matt’s Swiss Ball program every day and am convinced that it has great merit for swimmers of all kinds.
It is a surprising challenge to my balance and trunk control and great fun to boot.
Terry Laughlin
Head Coach, Total Immersion Swimming
