US Swimming Team Leader Talks about Eight Golds, Reveals Phelps' Devilish Training Regimen

by icf168 on 2008-08-19 11:02:36

On the second day after the conclusion of the swimming competition at the Beijing Olympics, coaches from the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands arrived at the Speedo Club to share their achievements and feelings with the media. Mark Schubert, head coach of the US swimming team, recounted the training conditions of swimming prodigy Michael Phelps in the United States, making every person present marvel and value even more the weight of those eight gold medals.

Perhaps many people believe that Michael Phelps' miracle at the Beijing Olympics was all due to his incredible talent, but the fact that he only gets four days off each year was confirmed again by Schubert. "Yes, that's true. Mike’s training volume is very high, extremely strict and arduous. He trains really hard, it's beyond your imagination. I once saw him train in Colorado. He trained three times a day, seven days a week. Every 21 days marked a new cycle. Sometimes there might be a day of rest, but training would immediately start again." Schubert mentioned New Year's Day a year ago when Phelps was participating in a training camp in New Mexico, still training three times a day. On the last day of the year, there was a New Year's Eve party. In order to attend this party, Phelps missed the evening training session. So, he trained from 11 p.m. until 1 a.m., essentially conducting a cross-year training session.

Schubert said Bowman's training was very strict, something everyone could see. He cared deeply for his disciple, and "Little Flying Fish" also trusted him fully, insisting on following his plan to create miracles. Schubert believed that having a strict coach was very important. "You see, there are many talented athletes in the world like Mike, but they haven't undergone such rigorous and hard training as he has." Besides, Schubert also believed that athletes need to have excellent psychological adjustment abilities, adjusting themselves in the face of everything the Olympics brings, and facing new goals with a positive attitude. "Swimming isn't just about eating and training. You must mentally prepare yourself to endure tough training and be ready to face failure."