Sidestepping That Fear Of Failure

August 5, 2016, 2:35 am

≫ Next: Swim Smooth's Rio Round-Up So Far And Look Ahead

≪ Previous: Learn To Swim Freestyle With Swim Smooth This Summer!

We often use the example of squad swimmer Megan Surrette to demonstrate what is possible in terms of improvement. Megan's threshold speed has dropped from 2:12/100m down to 1:32/100m! :

www.feelforthewater.com/2014/05/mega-megan-going-from-212-to-132-100m.html

Following that post, for every email we received that said Wow, that's fantastic - good on her and good on you for helping her achieve that! we received 3 or 4 others that had the air of frustration Why not me? Why can't I improve like that? In fact such was the response that we followed up with this post...

www.feelforthewater.com/2014/05/mega-megan-part-2-why-not-you-too.html

...specifically making this salient point:

A key part of achieving that consistency is your swimming demeanour. Megan puts it this way:

"I do know that I felt a big difference when I started swimming Wednesday mornings. I am not sure whether Wednesday improved my CSS or not but it definitely increased my confidence – 1 km TT? *shoulder shrug* … sure, whatever :-)"

Megan's not saying that out of bravado, that really is how she thinks. When was the last time you really shrugged at a swimming time-trial? The key to improving is not to over-analyse or procrastinate but, like Megan, come to terms with the work you need to consistently do, switch off the brain and get on with it.

If you can face your training with an inner smile rather than an inner grimace you've got everything you need to be the next Megan. Don't fear the hard work but actively embrace it - that is the attitude of a true champion.

Nick gives Rob a hearty high-five for leading a solid 400m interval!

In the Perth squads in Perth, when we're passing out the beepers (Tempo Trainer Pros) to swimmers to lead the lane during a hard set, we receive far more looks that say "No, not me - anyone but me!" than "Yes, what the hell, I'll give it a go!"... And this is Australia, famous for the digger spirit and can-do attitude!

The reality is that "just giving it a go" is what it's all about. As we say in Western Australia "We're not racing for sheep stations" - a solid workout that gets the heart pumping, blows the cobwebs out and has you thinking about how best to maintain your technique is what you are after. Being fit and active is way better than being unfit and thinking of where you once were! Yesterday is gone, only what you do right now is important, so give it a go!

Mike's quite happy to be following…for now -
but when he gets back on front, watch out!

Training within a squad is a wonderfully motivating environment, challenging you to always be a better version of yourself. It doesn't matter about anyone else in your lane and yet at the same time it totally does!

A sense of camaraderie and team spirit can lift you on the flattest of days but if you are unwilling to take the beeper and share leading the lane, then you can't get upset, grumpy and see the "red mist" if the person leading doesn't hold exactly the pace that is set for the lane - that's rule 1 of swim squad! They're giving it their best shot and this is all anyone can ask on any given day. You should take that beeper knowing this is all anyone expects - whatever happens you're not letting anyone else down because you took the onus. If you "fail" so what? Does it really matter? No. Learn from it and pass the beeper on! It's fun, or should be!

Froomy

Chris Froome has just won his third Tour de France title against some pretty challenging odds. Nairo Quintana was his supposed rival, and yet he was never in the picture. Why? Because he was playing a game of defence, a game of safety, never willing to take the risk of an attack, always hoping Froome would eventually crack.

He didn't. Quintana lost. Convincingly.
Are you playing a game of defence with your swimming? Never willing to stretch yourself for fear of failure?

Leading the lane using a beeper is one obvious example of this but whether you're training with a beeper or not, whether you're in a squad or training solo, you need to get comfortable with the idea of going for something without holding back, without a safety net in place. You might make the set or the turnaround times, or you might not. You might set a massive PB or crash and burn. Win, lose or draw, the last thing you should do is fear the challenge.

It's amazing what you can achieve if you can get out of the way and just let yourself!

Swim Smooth!

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Swim Smooth's Rio Round-Up So Far And Look Ahead

August 11, 2016, 2:04 am

≫ Next: Announcing New SS Coaches In Montreal, Gothenburg, Kuala Lumpur and Felixstowe, UK

≪ Previous: Sidestepping That Fear Of Failure

We hope you've been enjoying the Rio Olympics as much as we have! This week on the blog we're bringing you our review of the swimming in Rio so far and what to look out for in the coming week:

Phelps On Fire

At Swim Smooth we focus mainly on freestyle distance, open water and triathlon swimming but it would be rude not to mention Michael Phelps who has incredibly won two more gold medals taking his overall Olympic Gold tally up to an insane 21! Beyond any shadow of a doubt the greatest swimmer of all time, who's to say he won't add to this tally over the next few days? Here at Swim Smooth we certainly hope he can.

Winners focus on winning, losers focus on winners. Whilst you would hardly call the great South African swimmer Chad le Clos a "loser" - this picture does tell a very poignant tale about focusing on your own race and being the best you can be!

What can we learn from Michael's swimming to improve our own? If you missed it first time around, take a watch of this Phelps inspired swimmer analysis by Paul Newsome from a few months back:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSWlQvyBnzY

Horton vs. Yang in the 400m Free

In perhaps the race of the meet so far, Australian Mack Horton touched out controversial Chinese swimming star Sun Yang by just 0.16 seconds to take the Gold. Claiming the win as one "for the good guys" Horton sparked outrage in China by saying Sun, who served a three-month ban for testing positive for a banned substance in 2014, was a "drug cheat". This will only add spice to the 1500m freestyle, where they should clash again on Sunday night in the final (more on this below).

With this bitter war of words raging between the two camps, it would have been easy to miss a fantastic race. Two things we observed about Horton's fantastic swim:

1. Amazing Pace Awareness. At the start of the race, British swimmer James Guy (GB) flew out well under world record pace, only to die in the last 100m and finish 6th. Horton conversely appears to accelerate as the race goes on, when in fact his 50 splits are very even until the final sprint:

Horton 50m splits:	Guy 50m splits:
26.05 (from dive)	25.87 (from dive)
28.01	27.83
28.74	28.29
28.39	28.24
28.55	28.80
28.27	28.76
27.39	28.96
26.15	27.93

What we're really seeing is Guy slowing down in the second half of the race (he is still leading until just over 300m). Guy is the current world champion over 200m freestyle and whilst the commentators claimed he needs to go out fast and try to hold on, even as world champion, if you cook yourself, the result is going to be the same as you cooking yourself at the start of a CSS set - disaster!

Of course, what is really amazing about these times is if you have a CSS pace in the 1:40-1:50 /100m range, Mack Horton would nearly lap you twice in a 50m pool - crazy! One of our squad swimmers this morning suggested they should keep the two outer most "wash lanes" free for a mere mortal to swim against the champions to really give you a perspective on how quickly they're moving!

2. Breathing Sides. Horton is at a distinct advantage over Yang in the final 50m as they are both breathing to their right but Yang is on Horton's right. Horton can see Yang, Yang can't see Horton. How important is this? See for yourself next time you're trying to race someone in the next lane.

Mack Horton

This reminded us of Ian Thorpe's amazing 200m Olympic Gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics against Pieter van den Hoogenband (www.youtube.com/watch?v=WASQ36nkz6E) - Thorpe breathes to his right up the pool and left coming back - always keeping an eye on Hoogie - one reason why we're so pedantic about mixing up your breathing sides when training!

Unstoppable Ledecky

Rapidly building a case as the greatest female swimmer of all time, America's Katie Ledecky was unstoppable in the 400m freestyle, winning by 5 seconds and setting a new world record of 3:56:46 (try putting 14.78 into your Tempo Trainer Pro in a 25m or 50m pool and see how that feels!).

Much has been written about this driven 19 year old from Washington DC and why she's so fast but let's dispel one myth right now - she's not fast because she's got a super-long stroke, or because she's trying to take as few strokes as possible.

In fact when you study her swimming, you can see that as one stroke finishes at the rear the next immediately starts at the front, which you can clearly see in this shot with the right arm finishing at the rear and the left hand tipping down to commence the stroke at the front:

Katie continuously and seamlessly transitions from one stroke to the next without any pause or glide in her stroke. She takes around 41-42 strokes per length, which is not an especially long or short stroke but backs this up with a very high stroke rate of 90 strokes per minute - and the combination is deadly. She's found the perfect trade-off between stroke length and stroke rate for her and it's paying her huge dividends, even if it goes against conventional wisdom that she should maximise her stroke length at all costs.

Katie is an absolute pleasure to watch swim and tends to be even stronger in the longer events, so expect more domination - and perhaps a lowering of her own world record - in the 800m freestyle final on Saturday night. In fact just as we write this Katie has also just taken the gold in the 200m freestyle as well - amazing!

A Well Paced Gold For Kyle Chalmers

Another amazing performance in the men's 100m freestyle, this time from 18 year old Australian Kyle Chalmers, showing incredible maturity and calmness in the biggest meet of his life. Through the heats, semis and final Kyle showed brilliant pacing skills, coming through the field as everyone else slowed in the second 50m. In the final he turned in 7th (!) and came through for the gold. It just goes to show how important pacing skills are - even in a 100!

Here's our head coach Paul Newsome tweeting his thoughts on the commentary:

Other Favourite Events

Here's some more of our highlights from Rio (well worth finding these events on your local Olympic channel's catch up service):

1. Adam Peaty’s (GBR) total dominance and world record in the 100m breaststroke - the commentators in Australia stated during the swim: “look at him bobbing his head, bobbing it up and down and a crazy fast stroke rate, and yet he still seems efficient” - could these very factors actually be Peaty’s force d'être? We think so.

2. Kyle Chalmers (AUS) sub-48 second 100m freestyle in the heats, reaching the 50m in 7th position and then coming over the top of everyone to qualify fastest overall into the semi-finals. Chalmers is just 18 years of age. The patience and skill he showed in pacing out that 100m was incredible and yet the commentary went as follows: “that was a terrible start for Chalmers, he’s got a lot of work to do, way too slow in that first 50m…” - a Personal Best / Record and the faster qualifier would suggest otherwise - yes, even a 100m sprint requires pace judgement!

2. Sarah Sjöström’s (SWE) win in the 100m butterfly final - pure elegance and finesse from the 22 year old Swede who’s super-versatile in her events covering the butterfly sprints up to the 200m freestyle where she claimed a silver behind Katie Ledecky.

3. Katinka Hosszu’s (HUN) incomparable dominance to win the 100m backstroke, 200 and 400 Individual Medley events (and still more to come probably!). They used to call British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher the “Iron Lady” but now that nickname is being rightly used for Hosszu - every time you watch the screen she’s racing another event - incredible!

Rio Inspired Guru Virtual Squad Session

If all this Olympic swimming has fired you up then checkout Paul's Rio inspired training session in the Guru Virtual Squad:

www.swimsmooth.guru/sequence/cLk/c2F/session-26-pure-technique-copy-the-greats/

You need a PRO license to swim the set!

Looking Forwards To The Ultimate Swinger Vs Smooth Smackdown In The 1500m Freestyle

Earlier we looked at Sun Yang versus Mack Horton in the 400m freestyle. Well, they're both back in the action in the 1500m on Sunday night and Sun gets a chance to extract revenge in his favourite event, where he set an incredible world record of 14:31.02 at London 2012.

But, and it's a big but, there's going to be another factor in this race and that's the Italian Gregorio Paltrinieri - the European Champion and 1500m short course world record holder in 14:08.06. Whilst Horton and Yang favour the longer smoother style of the "Smooth" Swim Type, Paltrinieri is a full on Swinger with a shorter stroke and faster turnover. Seeing Yang and Paltrinieri swim side by side with their very contrasting strokes will be fascinating, it goes to prove there's not one way to swim:

	Yang	Paltrinieri
Strokes per length:	28	40
Strokes per minute:	65	90

It could be the ultimate Swinger vs. Smooth smackdown - we have our fingers crossed for an epic race, whichever way it goes:

Looking Forwards To The Triathlon And 10K Marathon Swims

The weather has certainly played a part in many events in Rio so far and could well continue to do so. Both the 10K open water and triathlon swims take place in the open Atlantic Ocean off Copacabana beach, potentially offering much lumpier conditions than the pancake flat Serpentine at London 2012. In fact if you watched yesterday's cycling timetrials and noticed the rough ocean conditions in the background, that's just along from Cocacabana on the same stretch of coast! :

What will this mean for both events? If you've been following Swim Smooth for a while you'll know that waves and chop favour swimmers with shorter strokes and a faster stroke rates. Expect these swimmers to come to the fore, and those with longer smoother strokes to relatively struggle. In the men's triathlon watch out for Alistair and Johnny Brownlee, and Henri Schoeman, all of whom race at 90 to 100 strokes per minute - super fast stroke rates!

Watch our unique study of Henri's swimming in the Guru here: www.swimsmooth.guru/video/k1/henri-schoeman/

Here's our predictions for the men's and women's triathlon medals:

MEN

1. Alistair Brownlee (GBR)
2. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR)
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) or Mario Mola (ESP)

WOMEN

This is a much harder race to call than the mens and we think will be heavily based on conditions and race tactics, much more so than the men’s event which is likely to come down more to current form. But here’s our take if the predicted break-away survives and the dice don’t all roll towards the amazing American Gwen Jorgensen:

1. Nicola Spirig (SUI) or Helen Jenkins (GBR)
2. Flora Duffy (BER)
3. Gwen Jorgensen (USA)

…we could be way off the mark with these predictions (that's the beauty of triathlon these days) so don’t bet your house away!

Our predictions for the men's and women's 10km open water marathon events are a little more open but be sure to watch out for the current world champion Jordan Wilimovsky (USA) in the men's event and outside chance (but über-Swinger) Spyridion Giannotis (GRE), as well as the antipodean duo of Jarrod Poort (AUS) and Kane Radford (NZ) both of whom are very strong in the rough surf. In the women's event, the form factor suggests Aurelie Muller (FRA) as current world champion will be firing but the home favourites Poliana Okimoto Cintra (BRA) and Ana Marcela Cunha (BRA) - both of whom have amazing Swinger strokes - will be sure to impress!

Enjoy the games - one things for sure, these Olympics are only just hotting up!

Swim Smooth!

↧

Announcing New SS Coaches In Montreal, Gothenburg, Kuala Lumpur and Felixstowe, UK

August 11, 2016, 11:17 pm

≫ Next: Rio Part 2: Pool Analysis, Open Water Races & Brownlee Domination

≪ Previous: Swim Smooth's Rio Round-Up So Far And Look Ahead

Swim Smooth are very proud to announce the certification of four new Swim Smooth Coaches in Montreal, Gothenburg, Kuala Lumpur and Felixstowe, UK!

Training to be a SS Coach is a huge undertaking. Developing the necessary skills and experience of advanced video analysis, stroke correction, squad coaching and open water skills takes time and cannot be rushed. We are fortunate enough to be able to pick our coaches from a large talent pool but even for the most experienced coach, training takes at least 1 to 2 years.

Whether you are a complete beginner or elite competitor, when you see a Swim Smooth Coach you can be assured you are seeing a brilliant coach, highly trained with the very best coach methods at their disposal.

A very big welcome to the coaching team Bart, Anna-Karin, Shauqie and Seamus! :

Anna-Karin Lundin, Gothenburg, Sweden: www.simcoachen.se

Anna-Karin loves swimming and has a real passion to pass this on to others. Her coaching offers sustainable, smart and fast swimming for all levels of ability. With a huge breadth of experience and expertise in the latest technology, she guarantees you better swimming, whether you want to swim faster, longer, with more comfort - or all of the above!

Anna-Karin was an Olympic swimmer competing for Sweden at the Seoul games. As the head coach and founder of Simcoachen, Anna-Karin runs 1-2-1 sessions, squad training, camps and workshops. She also trains using the Guru herself, swimming and competing in Open Water and Swim-Run races.

It goes without saying that AK is a brilliant swimmer herself, see her in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBKaxS5VAhA

Shauqie Aziz: www.myswimcoaching.com

Shauqie is based in Kuala Lumpur and is our first Swim Smooth Coach in South East Asia. 11 years ago, before open water swimming was popular in Malaysia, he made his first solo swim across the Penang North Channel and entered the Malaysia Book of Records for being "The Youngest to Swim The Longest Distance" at the age of 15.

Shauqie continues to be passionate about swimming and shares his experience by coaching adults, taking them from beginner swimmers to triathlon and Ironman competitors. Shauqie offers video analysis and stroke correction services and runs weekly swim squad sessions.

Bart Rolet, Montreal, Canada: www.swimsmoothmontreal.com

After 4 years as head coach for one of the largest triathlon clubs in Montreal, Bart founded "La Swim Squad" Montréal which has been running now for 3 years. It is now the biggest adult squad in Montreal with 5 to 8 sessions per week depending on the season and 150 active members.

Bart first met the Swim Smooth team for training in California in 2013 and followed up with the training in Perth Australia in 2016 to become the first Swim Smooth Certified Coach in Canada. Bart has spent thousands of hours on the pool deck sharing his passion for swimming with athletes of all levels. If you are just starting out or aiming for the top, don't be afraid to see Bart or join the squad!

Seamus Bennett, Felixstowe, Suffolk, UK: www.swimscaper.com

Born and raised on the North Sea coast, Seamus is an accomplished, lifelong open water swimmer with an infectious enthusiasm for the sport - Felixstowe Swimscapes, the sea swimming group he started in 2012, now has 370 members of all swim types and speeds.

Seamus is a sports science graduate, level 2 open water coach and swimming teacher who has been inspiring the progress of swimmers and triathletes from novice to advanced, since 2010.

Seamus loves the positivity, innovation and inclusivity of Swim Smooth and becoming a certified coach has been his long-term aspiration. He will now combine his natural passion for swimming and helping people reach their potential, with Swim Smooth’s unparalleled expertise – a handy combination guaranteed to improve your freestyle swimming!

Contact Seamus for expert video analysis & stroke correction and bespoke SS sessions for individuals, groups and clubs - and watch out for a new Swim Smooth squad coming to the east of England.

For full information on all our Swim Smooth coaches and to find your local Swim Smooth Coach see: swimsmooth.com/certifiedcoaches

For more information on training to become a Swim Smooth coach, visit: swimsmooth.com/becoming-a-swim-smooth-certified-coach.php

Swim Smooth!

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Rio Part 2: Pool Analysis, Open Water Races & Brownlee Domination

August 19, 2016, 12:22 am

≫ Next: The Sinking Hand Visualisation

≪ Previous: Announcing New SS Coaches In Montreal, Gothenburg, Kuala Lumpur and Felixstowe, UK

Before we get to the open water marathon swims and men's triathlon, let's kick off with Paul Newsome's full video analysis and review of the Olympic pool action earlier in the week. Specially recorded by Paul to give you all his insight into events in Rio, there's loads to learn here about strokes, tactics and keeping a calm head under pressure. Don't miss it:

Brownlee Triathlon Domination

We hope you enjoyed another phenomenal performance by the incredible Brownlee brothers in the Olympic Triathlon yesterday - the brothers took the race by the scruff of the neck and dominated it in every sense of the word!

Despite saying afterwards it was a "slow swim" at just a shade over 17 minutes (!) the boys knew they would have to work their ultra-hard bike strategy right from the off especially as Mario Mola was only 19 seconds down coming out of the water. Their pace was relentless and entirely reminiscent of the Leeds WTS race back in June, in fact it was almost a carbon copy. 19 seconds might not sound a lot in the swim but at this level it is critical - had Mola come out of the water higher up, he would have made the bike pack with the Brownlees and it could have been a different story.

The other athletes would have been very aware that such an attacking Brownlee bike leg would have been a likely scenario but the fact remains that no-one could respond to that call no matter how tactically savvy they might have been.

On the run, despite the brothers being clear and running together after 5km, Alistair decided to surge and break Jonny, despite the risks of going so early in the hot conditions. That right there is the sign of a champion and embodies the spirit of triathlon and the Olympic games as a whole.

At Swim Smooth we were also thrilled to see South Africa's Henri Schoeman pick up the Bronze medal despite never having podiumed in an ITU event. Henri's a class act and he thoroughly deserves to pick up a medal for a phenomenal race:

Henri's one of the best swimmers in triathlon and he features in the Swim Smooth Guru, including our full study of this stroke and interview about his preparation (subscription required):

https://www.swimsmooth.guru/video/k1/henri-schoeman/

https://www.swimsmooth.guru/video/k3/henri-schoeman-interview/

10K Marathon Swims

Both 10K open water swims were exciting races with Dutch swimmers Sharon van Rouwendaal winning in a super-quick 1:56:32 and Ferry Weertman in 1:52:59. Both had incredible races - Sharon with loads of punch and rhythm in her stroke and Ferry with a longer smoother style supported by the continuous strength of his kick.

Don't miss this great little interview with Sharon after the race, talking about her recent move from the pool to open water and why it's been such a revelation for her. If you're predominantly a pool swimmer and considering the move to open water then why not bite the bullet and give it a crack - it's a lot of fun and who knows, you might find your 'natural' environment, just like Sharon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWl1ms1AM6k

In the men's race, we enjoyed Jarrod Poort's seemingly suicide mission for the first 8.5km, here off the front from the very start of the race:

Swim Smooth Head Coach Paul Newsome copped quite a bit of flack on Twitter applauding his effort which was apparently hypocritical compared to all our discussions over the years about pacing and the benefits of drafting. The point remains though that Jarrod would have gone into that race as a top-20 contender or at a push top-10 on a good day, but never a gold medal prospect. He's very good in the surf / swell though which is why Paul picked him for a win in exactly that fashion. He has the ticket stub to prove it! :

He didn't hold on though of course and the strain of his effort really took a toll on his navigation which up until the last lap had been exemplary. It was one of our most memorable moments of this Olympics as to win an Olympic Gold always requires some risk. Jarrod laid it all out on the line on Tuesday and whilst it didn't pay off it was the first time that strategy has ever been employed at that level in this sport. We say credit to him for giving it a go.

Women's Triathlon Preview

The women's triathlon on Saturday should be equally exciting - it will be fascinating to see how the likes of Jenkins, Spirig, Stanford, Duffy, Hewitt and Spirig go and if they can pull an upset from race favourite Gwen Jorgensen. Gwen's running phenomenally well and any athlete is going to need a big lead off the bike to beat her given the long drag-strip straights of the run course which will suit her perfectly to chase down any escapees. Don't miss it, it should be another cracker!

Swim Smooth!

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The Sinking Hand Visualisation

August 25, 2016, 10:46 pm

≫ Next: The Rio Olympic Champions In Numbers

≪ Previous: Rio Part 2: Pool Analysis, Open Water Races & Brownlee Domination

Here's a quick stroke technique tip which will help you improve your catch and propulsion.

As the hand enters and extends forwards underwater in front of your head, think about it sinking downwards slightly as you reach forwards. Here's Rebecca Adlington in action doing just that, notice how the hand gets deeper under the surface:

There should be very little force on the water, you're not aiming to press on it, just let it drift downwards with a gentle sinking action. Press down hard and you will lift your front end and sink your legs.

After sinking into this lower position seamlessly start to bend the elbow and press the water backwards - "the catch" :

Remember not to pause once fully extended - keep the lead hand in constant motion: entering the water, extending (and sinking slightly), bending at the elbow and catching. All joined together in one fluid motion.

It's not an easy skill but that light sinking action could be the thing you are missing in your catch technique so give it a go the next time you swim.

Why do this? Many swimmers think they should keep the hand near the surface as they extend but this doesn't account for the fact your body is rotating and so the shoulder is getting deeper in the water. Keep the hand at the same height and you will drop the elbow beneath the hand which will harm your catch and propulsion:

Also see our Michael Phelps visualisation video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSWlQvyBnzY

A key Swim Smooth drill to complement the hand sinking visualisation is our Scull #1 drill, available on our DVDs and in the Swim Smooth Guru here: https://www.swimsmooth.guru/streamvideo/cZF/i6/scull-1/

You can also study all of Rebecca Adlington's amazing stroke technique using our unique footage in the Swim Smooth Guru (subscription required):

https://www.swimsmooth.guru/video/dN/rebecca-adlington/

Swim Smooth!

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The Rio Olympic Champions In Numbers

September 2, 2016, 2:30 am

≫ Next: Interviews With The Champions: Stellar Results At The World 70.3 Championships

≪ Previous: The Sinking Hand Visualisation

If you've been following Paul Newsome's twitter feed this week you'll have seen that he's been digging into some of the data from the pool at the Rio Olympics. A big shout-out to Triton Wear for making this data available to everyone on their website.

If you like your numbers, hold onto your hats! The results firmly dispel some of the age-old myths about swimming, such as the idea that the difference between mere mortals and great swimmers is that Olympic champions take fewer strokes than anyone else.

Men's 1500m

Here's the stroke count per 50m for the men's 1500m, clearly showing Gold Medallist Paltrinieri (orange line) taking considerably more strokes (average 39 per 50m) than those finishing behind him:

(Click to enlarge)

Notice also how silver medallist Connor Jaeger starts with a super-long stroke (28 strokes per 50m) but simply cannot sustain it, with his stroke continually shortening out to 39 strokes per length (the same as Paltrinieri).

Two take home points from this:

- If your natural style is to swim with a shorter stroke at a higher stroke rate, stick with it. Of course you should always look to fine tune your technique within that style but there's nothing fundamentally wrong with this way of swimming - just look at Paltrinieri's amazing 14:34 for 1500m.

- An overly long stroke simply isn't sustainable. Try and find the right balance between the length of your stroke and the rate of your stroke for you (see Ledecky's data below).

Women's 400m & 800m

We're sure you admired Katie Ledecky's dominant performances at the games, winning the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle. What's her secret? Here's one of them, amazing consistency in her stroke, here shown in the 400m (orange):

(click to enlarge)

After the first length (from a dive of course) the top 5 are taking between 40 and 48 strokes per 50m, which aren't particularly long strokes for Olympic swimmers. However it's Katie who's stroke is so incredibly consistent - not too long, not too short, perfectly judged and sustainable at 40 strokes per length.

In the 800m Katie maintains her stroke rate at a high 89SPM throughout but actually *increases* her stroke length in the second half, something you rarely see happen:

Some observers have suggested she starts gliding as the race goes on to lengthen her stroke but if that was the case her stroke rate would drop:

(Note this chart is time-per-stroke-cycle, so a lower number indicates a faster turnover: 1.35 sec/stroke-cycle = 89 SPM)

What's actually happening is that she's uses a stronger kick pattern in the second half which lengthens her stroke from the additional push it provides. Katie's got a great ability to switch between a 2 beat kick and a 6 beat flutter kick and over the first half of the race uses the 2 beat for 60-70% of each length before finishing with the more powerful 6 beat kick. However in the second 400m, she employs the drive from the 6 beat kick much earlier, lengthening out her stroke.

You can clearly see this from the race footage: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAGXNs0MXzI

The data suggests that she's totally under control aerobically at the 400m mark with the majority using a 2 beat kick. At this point, rather than slowing she adds in additional drive from the legs to bring her home in a new world record (which she was chasing of course!). Whilst it wasn’t a negative split, she swam the first half in 4:01 and the second in 4:03 (the dive start being worth ~2 seconds).

Mens 100m

And in the men's 100m we witness in numbers Kyle Chambers gold medal performance (blue), pacing things perfectly and coming through the field in the second 50m:

If you watch the race it looks like Kyle negative splits but of course the dive start always means a faster first 50 but only slightly in his case - perfectly judged pacing under extreme pressure!

Mens 400m

Last but not least is Mack Horton's (blue) take-down of Sun Yang in the Men's 400m with a fantastic surge in the last 100m, in stark comparison to James Guy (yellow) who went out fast but slowed throughout the race:

How did Mack surge so well? By actively shortening his stroke...

And increasing his stroke rate (cadence), the exact opposite of what we've been told since the 90s is efficient swimming:

(Note this chart is time-per-stroke-cycle, so a lower number indicates a faster turnover: 1.6 sec/stroke-cycle = 75 strokes per minute, 1.8 sec/stroke-cycle = 67 strokes per minute.)

Fascinating!

Swim Smooth

↧

Interviews With The Champions: Stellar Results At The World 70.3 Championships

September 9, 2016, 3:44 am

≫ Next: Move Quickly: New Stock Of HUUB Kickpant Arriving Next Week!

≪ Previous: The Rio Olympic Champions In Numbers

Last weekend saw the Ironman 70.3 World Championships take place with the best middle distance triathletes in the world descending on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Athletes racing from the Swim Smooth Perth squads had some fantastic results in both the Age Group and Pro races. We've included each swimmer's CSS training pace for your reference - notice generally how closely they tie up, showing how targeted CSS pace training is on race pace:

GOLD Emily Loughnan: 1st in Age Group - 4h40m with a 26:44 swim split (1:25/100m vs. CSS training pace of 1:24/100m)

GOLD Janine Willis: 1st in Age Group - 4h48m with a 27:59 swim split (1:28/100m vs. CSS training pace of 1:26/100m)

SILVER Carrie Anderson: 2nd in Age Group - 5h00m with a 33:11 swim split (1:45/100m vs. CSS training pace of 1:44/100m)

BRONZE Janet Ferguson: 3rd in Age Group - 5h14m with a 32:53 swim split (1:44/100m vs. CSS training pace of 1:54/100m)

BRONZE Graham Crocker: 3rd in Age Group - 5h35m with a 29:52 swim split (1:34/100m vs. CSS training pace of 1:33/100m)

Lisa Luckin: 10th in Age Group - 4h57m with a 31:26 swim split (1:39/100m vs. CSS training pace of 1:27/100m)

Guy Crawford: 18th PRO - 3h54m with a 22:54 swim split (1:12/100m - wowsers! vs. CSS training pace of 1:13/100m)

Renee Baker: 30th PRO - 4h59m with a 27:39 swim split (1:27/100m vs. CSS training pace of 1:26/100m)

Mark Sladden: 31st in Age Group - 4h49m with a 27:51 swim split (1:28/100m vs. CSS training pace of 1:31/100m)

Brad Kaye: 42nd in Age Group - 4h35m with a 33:55 swim split (1:47/100m vs. CSS training pace of 1:46/100m)

Sean Jermy: 66th in Age Group - 4h47m with a 28:54 swim split (1:31/100m vs. CSS training pace of 1:32/100m)

Ruth Chang: 127th in Age Group - 6h01m with a 36:49 swim split (1:56/100m vs. CSS training pace of 1:53/100m)

Sean Webb: 134th in Age Group - 4h54m with a 28:56 swim split (1:31/100m vs. CSS training pace of 1:31/100m)

A special mention also to Swim Smooth Coach Russell Smith racing in 45-59 age group and smoking the swim in 26:31.

To celebrate their achievements we've got five quick-fire interviews with our medallists Emily, Janine, Carrie, Janet and Graham. We asked each the same four questions to give us some insight into their races (particularly their swims) and offer up some advice for anyone looking to improve their performances.

If you follow Swim Smooth and raced on the sunshine coast last weekend then reply to this email or post in the comments section of the blog itself and let us know how your race and swim went - we hope it was epic! :)

Over to the champs :

Emily Loughnan: 1st in Age Group 25-29

How did you feel your swimming was going leading up to the event? Anything key that you were working on?
I had great confidence in my swimming ability leading in to the event. Some solo red mist sessions each fortnight had challenged me to push myself that little bit extra in the pool. Recent breathing focus at Paul's squads gave me confidence for whatever conditions we may face on race day.

How did the swim go on the day for you? Any particular challenges you faced and overcame?
I am very pleased with how the swim leg panned out on race day. My first goal was to position myself nicely for the deep water start. I enjoyed the swim out to the start line. I felt very relaxed. I became a bit overwhelmed in the minute prior to race start as I watched myself loose that ideal front row position. I told myself to remain calm and after the hustle and bustle of those first few ferocious strokes I was pleased to find my rhythm and focus on my pathway of least resistance. A fairly brand spanking new pair of goggles assisted in good sighting and a smooth journey around each turning buoy.

How happy are you with the swim split and of course your overall performance?
I came out of the swim in 6th position which is more or less where I had hoped to be. I potentially could have maximised more of a draft in the swim but I guess sometimes those ideal feet aren't to be found! My pace was a perfect reflection of the CSS pacing I had been working on in Paul's squads... Bravo coach! Overall, I am so very thrilled with my performance. It had been a challenging preparation for me and celebrating at the finish line with some pretty special people in my life left me so overwhelmed with joy.

What one tip would you share with the wider swimming and triathlon community to help people reach their own potential?
I always encourage swimmers and athletes to find a squad to be a part of. There is nothing quite so rewarding as being a part of a group of like minded individuals who love what they do and are prepared to work hard. Train smart, keep it simple, believe in yourself and always remember that joy's soul lies in the doing.

Janine Willis: 1st in Age Group 40-44

I am super happy with how my race unfolded on the weekend. The week before I was feeling calm and collected and ready to go which is vastly different to the usual anxiety I feel. I have been working a lot the past few months on the “process not the result” mentality and am pleased at how I am making progress. There were definitely times I had to stop and re calibrate myself but its all in the learning. Now I get to be excited and proud as I’m the Female 40-44 70.3 World Champion. Still a bit surreal and makes me giddy thinking about it so I guess I’m still processing it.

How did you feel your swimming was going leading up to the event? Anything key that you were working on?
I felt really good in the pool. In fact it was probably the only discipline I was really feeling confident in. I had been swimming very well and consistently for the entire winter. I worked hard over the past few months on my catch in the water doing more pull/paddles/band work than ever before. I feel this has really made an impact on my swimming.

How did the swim go on the day for you? Any particular challenges you faced and overcame?
My swim was solid on the day, but I was on my own. I had one girl about 45s in front of me then everyone else 90s or more behind me. I just concentrated on swimming straight to the sighting buoys and keeping my stoke rate high with a moderate kick. I didn't red line or even swim to threshold just at a slightly uncomfortable pace. I knew things were going well and that the slight chop and waves to exit through would be to my advantage. When I found myself losing concentration in the back half of the course I focused on breathing every 4 left to regain momentum and focus. That worked brilliantly.

How happy are you with the swim split and of course your overall performance?

It was not the fastest swim split I have ever had but I’m not worried about that at all. To have come 2nd out of the water with a good margin to 3rd had me in control and where I thought I needed to be to start the bike course. How can I not be pleased with my day - I’m really excited about the outcome and proud of my result after all the hard work that went into the preparation and race. Winning the female 40-44 AG title is not something that I will ever forget and the people that helped me to get there will always be a big part of this story.

What one tip would you share with the wider swimming and triathlon community to help people reach their own potential?
For me personally swimming consistently every week with a variety of sessions is key to good race day performance. I find that missing sessions really impacts my feel for the water and my overall swim fitness. So I put in the km’s each and every week no matter how tired or lack lustre I feel I showed up to training and get the work done the best I can on that day. Then when race day rolls around I know I can be confident in what I can do and how it should feel out in the water.

Carrie Anderson: 2nd in Age Group 50-54

Thanks for all the help and encouragement that you gave me in the lead up to the world championship. I have been part of your squad for about 3 years now. In the lead up to this world championship I asked if I could join your Wednesday red mist session. I felt that joining this squad I would be doing longer sessions that would give me confidence in the water. This was definitely the case and I felt very comfortable and strong in the swim.

I was very happy with my swim as I managed to keep a good pace and still be strong at the end of the swim. I also kept calm and did not panic during the swim. I was glad that you made me lead the Wednesday sessions as I was not relying on drafting the whole time in the swim.

Consistent swimming is definitely the key to a good swim.

Janet Ferguson: 3rd in Age Group 55-59

How did you feel your swimming was going leading up to the event? Anything key that you were working on?
My swimming preparation wasn’t ideal. With 9 weeks out of the pool over winter with a fractured rib and then surgery on a fractured finger after coming off my bike on a wet day, I had 5 weeks to regain some form. Swimming the Red Mist session in my wetsuit was a good confidence booster.

How did the swim go on the day for you? Any particular challenges you faced and overcame?
I was very happy to learn it was a wetsuit swim. It was also perfect conditions. I managed to find some feet for most of the way which definitely helped to conserve some energy as well as keep my swim time down.

How happy are you with the swim split and of course your overall performance?
I was happy with my swim split as it was faster than the CSS pace I had been able to maintain in the pool the weeks before. I was also happy with my overall result as I knew it was going to challenge me.

What one tip would you share with the wider swimming and triathlon community to help people reach their own potential?
Setbacks happen to us all at some point and it's important to focus on where you are at, not where you would like to be or should be in your training. Being mindful of getting the most out of each session will help to get you back on track.

Graham Crocker, 3rd in Age Group 65-69

How did you feel your swimming was going leading up to the event? Anything key that you were working on?
I felt that I was swimming pretty well throughout this year and have been paying more attention to technique, in particular keeping my hips higher and breathing to my non-preferred side, which seems to result in a bit more speed at least in the pool!

How did the swim go on the day for you? Any particular challenges you faced and overcame?
Race day swim went pretty much to plan... go hard for 400m, get clear of the pack and then settle into a sustainable speed. It was a bit tactical because I had someone trying to sit on my hip and couldn’t get rid of him so I slowed up and made him go to the front so I could draft off him for the last 600m!

How happy are you with the swim split and of course your overall performance?
Swim split was a little slower than usual because I didn’t go hard all the way and was keeping in mind that there was a tough bike ride and 21 km run to go. My ride was slower than I wanted, and the run also, but I was able to run all the way... no walking.

What one tip would you share with the wider swimming and triathlon community to help people reach their own potential?
Be consistent in training over the long haul and find a way to enjoy it all!

Swim Smooth!

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Move Quickly: New Stock Of HUUB Kickpant Arriving Next Week!

September 16, 2016, 1:45 am

≫ Next: How To Get The Performance You Want Next Season

≪ Previous: Interviews With The Champions: Stellar Results At The World 70.3 Championships

We're excited to say that new stock of all sizes of the brilliant HUUB Kickpant is due to arrive next week! We know that many of you missed out as the initial production run sold out in just a few days, so we are extending the FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING offer we ran previously until September 30th for you.

Order yours today to avoid disappointment: www.swimsmooth.com/huub-kickpant.php

Don't miss the special worldwide free shipping offer - must finish September 30th!

Until now the buoyancy shorts on the market have simply lifted you higher in the water (much as a pull-buoy would) but offered you very little else to improve your swimming. The HUUB Kickpant not only lifts you higher (in fact the 3/4 length design lifts you higher than any other buoyancy short) but the clever addition of high density neoprene and modulus insertion over the knee actively controls knee bend pushing you into a straighter leg kick technique as you swim.

What's more, the Kickpant features the lower half of HUUB's clever X-O skeleton system from their full wetsuits to improve your alignment and reduce snaking through the core. The result is faster, more efficient swimming.

So if you sit in the water a little like this...

...as many strong/athletic body types do, then the new Kickpant is the perfect training tool for you to improve your swimming.

Use it regularly in your pool training over the winter to simulate swimming in your wetsuit (without overheating) and you learn a better stroke technique whilst adapting to the higher stroke rate from swimming more quickly. Don your full HUUB wetsuit on race day and you're perfectly prepared for maximum performance!

Find the Kickpant in our swim shop: www.swimsmooth.com/huub-kickpant.php

None Of The Disadvantages Of A Pull-Buoy

Training with a pull buoy also lifts the legs but it has two major disadvantages - because you have to hold your legs together to keep the buoy in place, it masks any problems with your leg kick. And secondly because you're not kicking at all, it causes your kicking muscle groups to decondition.

This is the power of the Kickpant - it lifts you up whilst allowing you to develop a natural stroke technique, getting your stroke technique on track for next season.

Kickpant Training Sessions To Follow In The Guru

To really make this unique product complete, we've written you some specific Kickpant training sessions to follow in the Swim Smooth Guru virtual coach app. Every Kickpant purchaser receives a free month's use of the Guru to follow the sessions and get maximum use from them - developing your stroke rate, body position, kicking technique and sense of pacing ready for race day.

If you're already a Guru subscriber, you can find the sessions here: www.swimsmooth.com/kickpant

Swim Smooth!

↧

How To Get The Performance You Want Next Season

September 23, 2016, 3:29 am

≫ Next: A Big Thank You From Level Water!

≪ Previous: Move Quickly: New Stock Of HUUB Kickpant Arriving Next Week!

How do you go about improving your performances next season? Try making a list.

Set aside a little time from your schedule and think through all the things that went well this year and all the things that could be improved upon. Don't rush this - think deeply and take time to reflect on everything from training to race execution to your mental approach to relationships to nutrition.

Identify everything that you feel is holding you back and write down an action to improve that area. Make sure your list is specific to you and the areas you need to improve - if you have excellent stamina there's no need to put "complete my long steady swim every Wednesday without fail". Sure you might want to do that but it's not a weakness that needs addressing with your list.

Make sure you list is very specific - don't say "cut back on the booze", that's to vague and easy to dodge. Instead write "I'm only going to drink alcohol on Friday and Saturday evening and never more than two glasses of wine".

Some other examples:

- I don't swim well in open water because I end up swimming by myself to avoid the rough and tumble. It's not my favourite thing but I'm going to go to every club open water skills session in the pool over the winter.

- I'm a classic over-trainer, my new rule is if I'm feeling tired after warming up I'm going to abandon that session and take an extra day off.

- Negative thoughts are constantly holding me back. Every time I think a negative thought I'm going to immediately replace it with a positive one to change my mindset.

- I'm always going off course to the left in open water. I'm going to breathe bilaterally for 90% of every training session to even out my stroke.

- Sugary snacks make my blood sugar peak and crash, making me hungry again an hour later. From now until race day, anything I eat between meals is going to be slow release.

- Nutrition is key for my channel swim next year but is something I'm not confident about. I'm going to start my research now and diligently test thing out during my longer swims in the pool over the winter.

- I'm very inconsistent with my training - boom and bust! I'm going to step back my training week by 25% but nail every single workout.

- My posture is terrible, I'm going to the follow the strength and posture routine in the Guru every Tuesday and Friday nights.

- From now on I'm setting my alarm 10 minutes earlier to avoid the traffic jam that makes me late for swim training.

- I'm fast over 100m but underperform over an Ironman swim. I'm going to swim one Red Mist session a week from January 1st until my Ironman on 20th June. It won't be easy (at least at first) but I know it will make a huge difference.

- John makes me feel bad about myself and saps my energy, I'm going to find another group or swim by myself of Wednesday evenings.

We suggest you aim for somewhere between 5 and 12 items. Each item by itself might only improve your performances by a small amount (a "marginal gain" in the jargon) while others might be worth a bigger chunk of time. Either way it's very unlikely that one single thing will make the sort of improvement in your overall performances you are looking for... but a well thought through list of 5 to 12 items almost certainly will.

Once you have written your list the rest is very simple, you just have to stick to it. Commit to the list and become the athlete you are looking to be!

Swim Smooth!

Relevant content in the Swim Smooth Guru:

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A Big Thank You From Level Water!

September 29, 2016, 3:01 am

≫ Next: Overcoming A Swim Weakness And Qualifying For Kona

≪ Previous: How To Get The Performance You Want Next Season

If you live in the UK you may remember back in February that we posted about our chosen charity Level Water, who were looking for some tough swimmers to take on the River Dart 10K swim on September 3rd and raise money for this special cause.

Not only did 21 Swim Smooth swimmers sign up but you guys were fast in the water and epic fundraisers! In fact the top Level Water fundraiser was from Swim Smooth - Dominic Capon who swims with SS Coach Fiona Ford in Richmond. He clocked a fantastically fast 1hr58 for the 10,000m - a super quick time even with an assisting current - well done Dom!

Over to Level Water director Ian Thwaites:

Level Water had a total of 130 swimmers in the event and between them they've raised £45,000. Swim Smooth swimmers alone have raised over £8,000 - fantastic!

It was truly an amazing weekend; a great event, one of the most beautiful stretches of water in the UK and a proper festival at the end. We handed out 230 litres of hot chocolate (!) and we were deeply jealous not to join you all sipping champagne in the hot tubs – swimmers only! We also managed to rope in a masseur who was so popular that we promise to find at least four of them next year.

Level Water currently teaches 300 disabled children each week in 30 cities across the UK. From this event alone we'll be able to teach another 100 disabled children to swim, then help them join mainstream group lessons and go on to competitive clubs.

For more information about our work see: www.levelwater.org

If you’d like to contact us, you can email colette@levelwater.org

Thanks again for your support, and we invite everyone to join us (with half-price tickets and guaranteed entry) again next year!

Ian

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Overcoming A Swim Weakness And Qualifying For Kona

September 30, 2016, 4:48 am

≫ Next: Announcing Two Very Special Swim Smooth Clinics In The USA This November

≪ Previous: A Big Thank You From Level Water!

Free Worldwide Shipping On The HUUB Kickpant Ends Tonight! www.swimsmooth.com/huub-kickpant.php

Gary Craig, Facebook : Really liking mine. Got them on Tuesday and have tried them twice now, and I'm actually using my legs for whole sessions covering over 3km. Ok I felt a bit uneasy turning up at my tri club swim session yesterday finding I wanted to justify my wearing of the kickpants not that I needed to, but to be honest once in the pool whether or not it's psychological I felt faster and smoother, especially as I do have sinky legs. These are definitely better than my floatation shorts so yes I would recommend and as far as I'm concerned these are not a gimmick and you kind of feel like an elite swimmer 😊 😊

The World Ironman Championships take place in Hawaii next weekend on the island of Kona. Swim Smooth have a host of athletes taking on the big race and we'll be bringing you many of the stories and insights from their performances after the race.

But how do you go about qualifying in the first place? Many athletes overlook the swim component of Ironman because it is relatively short compared to the bike and run, but such is the intense competition for places at Kona that a weak swim can leave you so far behind you can never catch up.

If you are such a triathlete with a swim weakness, how would a top level coach work with you to develop your swimming and have you further up the field at the start of the bike? This week on the blog we feature a couple of case studies from Swim Smooth Coach Fiona Ford, who is based in Richmond, London.

Firstly Fiona looks at how she worked with Steve to improve his swim and allow him to qualify for the Ironman World Championships. Secondly, as a great triathlete and swimmer herself, Fiona examines her own return from an extensive lay off from injury and how she made such a phenomenal comeback to racing and qualifying for Kona herself.

Over to Fi:

You can’t win a triathlon in the swim, but you sure can throw or give away any expectations of racing to your potential. Many triathletes believe they can offset a poor swim with a strong bike and run, effectively training the one or two disciplines they most enjoy or is logistically less challenging for them. As a coach I find this a common profile for triathletes chasing a Kona qualification slot or aiming to race in the competitive end of their age group at ITU / Standard distance triathlon.

Case Study 1 – Athlete Stephen Drew

Targeting a Kona qualification slot is a worthy challenge and drives the triathlon ambitions of many age group athletes. Improving triathlon swim performance can make this aspiration become a reality. After 8 Ironman finishes, one of my coached athletes Steve Drew needed to up his swimming game to secure a top 5 age group finish at Ironman UK with the hope of qualifying for the World Championships in Hawaii. As his coach, conducting performance analysis and athlete profiling highlighted a key requirement for Steve to reduce his Critical Swim Speed (CSS) to a competitive level by improving his speed efficiency, stroke technique, pace judgement and navigation skills in open water.

Over 12 months, we implemented a multilevel approach in 3 stages:

Improving Stroke Mechanics

Using video analysis to identify Steve's main swim technique inefficiencies, we observed how the knock-on effects of unilateral breathing in his stroke was seriously holding him back. Currently swimming at 1:50/100m we targeted dropping his CSS pace much closer to 1:30 per 100m.

Throughout the Autumn and Winter of 2015 and early 2016, every weekly technique session Steve focused on his 'top 3' elements we identified from his video analysis. We continued to use video analysis to review his progress which allowed me as his coach to fine tune his swim progression with drills and functional strength training - both improving his range of movement with further modifications to his stroke mechanics.

One of the main elements holding Steve back was significant drag caused by his low leg position in the water, encouraging him to become dependent on the pull buoy to feel efficient when swimming. Achieving improved hip flexor range, functional strength and reducing dependency on the pull buoy with use of long, flexible, floating fins for focused technical work helped move the efficiency process along swiftly:

Before (L) and after (R): Improving Steve's body position. Click to enlarge.

We addressed Steve's lack of symmetry in his stroke by training him to become versatile in his breathing patterns - i.e. regularly breathing to both sides. This required a lot of persistence (both for the athlete and coach!) but the end result of being able to rotate evenly to both sides greatly helped Steve's ability to swim straight in open water.

To drive this home, on a training camp in the French Alps we utilised a group exercise swimming lengths of the 1km lake in a straight line. With myself providing the navigational draft or swimming alongside, it was a unique opportunity to provide accuracy feedback in real time. This fast tracked his awareness of how much extra distance he was having to swim in open water by swimming off course and overcorrecting - effectively zig zagging his way around a race swim course.

Lastly, we worked on Steve's catch and pull mechanics by having him extend forwards and catch the water a little deeper. We used technique paddles (such as the Finis Freestyler and Agility paddles) to help him develop a feel for this rather than traditional large 'strength' paddles. The depth of the catch is dictated by the flexibility of the swimmer, the less flexible the deeper it needs to be to maintain good technique.

Bringing Steve's hand lower in the water during the catch reduced the tendency to press down on the water (left) instead of pressing it backwards (right). Click to enlarge.

Pacing and CSS

A key strategy for Steve was to implement a consistent focus on pacing throughout CSS and endurance sessions to avoid the tendency to start too fast and fade through the session. This brought significant gains initially in pace awareness, soon bringing CSS down from 1:50 to sub 1:45 per 100m within a few training cycles. As Steve's pacing confidence and competence improved on regular pink and red mist sessions, we saw CSS come down quite rapidly to 1:35/100m in the training cycle leading into his IMUK taper. A great reward for consistently nailing at least 3 sessions a week in the pool.

Open Water Strategies and Skills

We introducing focused open water skills progression on the training camp in July leading up to Ironman UK. As well as tuning up Steve's sighting technique to improve navigation we also tested the HUUB Kickpant and found these to be much faster than a wetsuit, due to the freedom of the upper body and shoulders for arm recovery. This led to testing a sleeveless wetsuit in the lead up to IMUK with great success to modify arm recovery and reduce fatigue of the upper body and shoulders, allowing Steve to sustain a higher stroke rate throughout long swims over the Ironman distance.

On race day Steve delivered with a really well executed race plan, using process driven strategies for swim, bike and run using his individual power and pacing data from training. His swim of 1:12 was a massive PB of 19 minutes from IMUK 2015, putting him a long way up the road to engage his natural bike strength. He capped off an excellent performance with the second fastest marathon in his age group to secure 4th and a Kona slot:

See Steve's here: eu.ironman.com/triathlon/events/emea/ironman/uk/results.aspx?rd=20160717&race=uk&bidid=143&detail=1#axzz4Lew0UgBb

What can we learn here? By training your weakness as a triathlete, you really can race your strengths effectively. You might not win the race with a great swim but you can engage with a totally different race by being further up the road with the strongest athletes in your age group, moving your performances into a different bracket entirely.

L-R: Steve, Graham (also coached by Fiona), Doug and Fiona training in Kona yesterday

Case Study 2 - Coach Fiona Ford

Making a return to racing after a long layoff due to injury can be extremely daunting. An extended period of time away from the sport almost always sees growth in the numbers of competitors and quality of races. Focusing on what you can do, rather than what you cannot physically manage while in a rehabilitation phase or pre-training is one effective strategy to ensure you find momentum and motivation to continue making progress, however fast or slow that might be. The recovery process is rarely linear.

Consistency yields rewards and focusing on this each week will bring you back through a pre-training phase to transition into a full training scenario. As a coach and athlete, I've engaged this cycle first hand over the past 4 years to successfully make a return endurance triathlon racing in May 2016.

The process I implemented was:

1) Swim little, light and often when injured or recovering from surgery, particularly if unable to bike and/or run at your previous level. Design a training progression from injury recovery tolerance with regular short sessions. Gradually build this up to a structured plan including pace, endurance and technique sessions. This addresses all aspects of your swim performance and provides great variety if you are training a single discipline.

2) Identify issues from injuries using video analysis and modify your stroke technique if bio-mechanical or physiological adaptation is required. This is particularly significant for any athlete having had surgery to re-pattern neural pathways as the stroke may initially feel disconnected and uncoordinated at first.

3) Adapt your pool training stroke technique for open water in the lead up to first race if you have been a few years out of competition. Work on stroke rate rhythm in the wetsuit, optimising arm recovery, sighting and drafting strategies. It's essential to do this in a group training scenario.

Nerves, what nerves? Time for a quick pre-race photo.

An excellent swim at Challenge Half Salou, Barcelona had me out of the water a clear 1st in the female age group wave. The prevailing crosswind in the sea swim meant sighting regularly and being super-versatile with my breathing pattern around the rectangular course. Forget navigating off the turn buoys, we had large inflatable balloons tethered 10m above them to use for spotting the direction due to the rough conditions. These were not easy to find either until you were approaching them!

Exiting the water 6th female overall put me significantly up the road on the bike ahead of half the women’s Pro field who had the benefit of a 5 minute head start. It set up my race to finish a clear 10 minutes ahead of the rest of the women's age group field and 9th overall among the Pros.

An effective swim will set you up for a super race and sometimes, a surprising win. No better way to return to racing after many years sidelined due to injury. Having a vastly improved swim set up an unexpected race situation of racing among the Pro field on the bike and run.

The exact same scenario repeated at Ironman Maastricht-Limberg, Netherlands 31st July where I qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Kona with a clear winning margin in age group 45-49F set up by a 54 minute swim.

As a coach I’m really looking forward to seeing how BOTH my qualified athletes race in Kona, fulfilling lifetime goals, and surpassing all expectations personally as an athlete to be on the start line too. Working strategically and smartly on your swim, certainly pays huge dividends!

Fiona Ford
Swim Smooth Coach
Find out more about Fiona, her video analysis, training camps and squads at: www.triathloneurope.com

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Announcing Two Very Special Swim Smooth Clinics In The USA This November

October 7, 2016, 5:01 am

≫ Next: Fantastic Swim Performances All Round At Kona

≪ Previous: Overcoming A Swim Weakness And Qualifying For Kona

A couple of quick news items:

- We've just added a incredibly detailed training plan for the Rottnest Channel Swim into the Swim Smooth Guru. If you're doing the race (or a similar open water swim around 20km in length) you do not want to miss this plan! Signup for a Guru PRO license and get started now - the plan officially kicks off on Monday but of course you can start anytime:

http://swimsmoothperth.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/rottnest-2017-program-now-ready-to.html

https://www.swimsmooth.guru/sequence/cK7/20km-rottnest-channel-swim-full-program/

- And if you're racing the Hawaii Ironman this weekend, here's wishing you the very best of luck and hoping you have an awesome race! If you've been using Swim Smooth to develop your swimming then let us know how your race went on the blog comments, facebook, twitter or email. Smash it!

** Please note since writing this post the track and likely impact of Hurricane Matthew has become clear and we have removed the Cocoa Beach clinic from sale. Over the years we have had many requests from our friends in Florida to visit and we feel saddened to have arranged this trip at this time of emergency. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by Hurricane Matthew. **

Paul is coming to the USA this fall!

The core Swim Smooth team led by Head Coach Paul Newsome will be running two special Video Analysis And Stroke Correction Clinics in the USA this November.

The clinics will be held on Sunday Nov 6th in Carlsbad CA and Sunday Nov 13th in Cocoa Beach FL (see note below).

Each clinic features full video analysis and is strictly limited to 9 swimmers - perfect for any swimmer or triathlete looking to improve their speed and efficiency in the water.

Alga Norte Aquatic Centre

Places will fill up VERY quickly so please sign-up without delay if you'd like Paul to personally work on improving your swimming:

www.swimsmooth.com/clinics-nov2016.html

Too far away or the dates don't suit? You need to see one of our Certified Swim Smooth Coaches around the world, hand picked and personally trained by Paul at Swim Smooth HQ in Australia:

www.swimsmooth.com/certifiedcoaches

Also see our full list of clinics and events on the bottom of this post.

Swim Smooth!

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Fantastic Swim Performances All Round At Kona

October 14, 2016, 4:16 am

≫ Next: Validating A CSS Test Using Red Mist

≪ Previous: Announcing Two Very Special Swim Smooth Clinics In The USA This November

We hope your enjoyed the coverage from the Hawaii Ironman World Championships in Kona last weekend - as always the Ironman team delivered a fantastic event and the live web-broadcast was first class. If you missed it, you can watch it again here: livestream.com/accounts/3678055/events/6435012

Swim Smooth swimmers had some fantastic results on the island, which we're going to quickly review below. There's lessons to be learned here for strong and not so strong swimmer alike!

The swim start at Kona is a beautiful (click to enlarge)

Emily Loughnan - 25-29 Age Group

Emily Loughnan had a fantastic race coming third in her age-group in only her second Ironman, nearly breaking 10 hours despite a puncture on the bike. Emily is coached by SS Coach Julian Nagi and is having a phenomenal year, winning her age group at the 70.3 worlds (see previous blog post here) and backing this up with another great race on the big island of Hawaii. Congratulations Emily!

Emily and Julian enjoying the awards bash

Fiona Ford - 45-49 Age Group

SS Coach Fiona Ford ripped up the course for third in her age group despite only recently returning from terrible injuries sustained in a bike crash (see story here). A truly inspirational comeback and performance from one tough cookie - form is temporary, class is permanent Fi! :

Fiona in the lava fields

Harry Wiltshire - Pro

First Pro and fastest swimmer overall with a fantastic swim of 48:00 was Britain's Harry Wiltshire:

Harry was the first swimmer our Head Coach Paul Newsome ever coached in his role as British Triathlon’s South West Development Officer in 1999 / 2000. But what does it take to lead out this strongest of fields? Harry doesn't have a text book long-smooth freestyle stroke by any stretch of the imagination but it is mighty effective. Do you need to take on some of Harry's rhythm and purpose to improve your own swimming?

More on Harry's swimming here: www.feelforthewater.com/2012/07/stroke-every-swim-coach-wants-to-change.html

For Guru subscribers, also see our detailed study of Harry's stroke here: www.swimsmooth.guru/video/lk/harry-wiltshire/

Sarah Piampiano - Pro

Sarah visited us in Perth last year, training with the squad and working on her stroke with Paul. Despite feeling "pretty crap" for most of the race she battled through to a solid 7th place overall:

Sarah running through to a 3:07 marathon (on an off day!)

My SWIM, was the highlight of my race! My best ever swim - I was SO excited and happy and it was a huge bump up for me from last season. Where last year I got out of the water 15 minutes down, this year I exited with a pack (yay!) and only 10 minutes in arrears. I think it has re-ignited some hope and spark to get my swim in Kona under an hour and I think we are excited about continuing that project. But it was a HUGE step in the right direction. The one-armed drills + a LOT of open water swimming + some parachute work is what we felt made such a significant difference. Our work last December was a major catalyst for the change and improvements made!

We're looking forward to seeing Sarah back in Perth very soon.

Sarah is coached by Matt Dixon at Purple Patch Fitness.

Reece Barclay - 25-29 Age Group

But the performance we wanted to feature in detail on the blog this week more than anyone else's is that of Reece Barclay - who was first age-grouper out of the water last Saturday:

Reece (wearing Huub of course) took out the age-group swim in 50:14

As you might expect Reece has a significant swimming background, swimming at Hatfield swim club in the UK with PBs of 22.9 seconds for 50m freestyle and 52 seconds for the 100m - very quick indeed.

We met up with Reece during Huub Design testing at the Best Centre in Mallorca in June and had an in depth discussion about his swimming. There's no doubt Reece is seriously fast over short distances of 50/100/200 in the pool but perhaps hasn't reached his (extremely high) potential yet over longer triathlon swims. To use Swim Smooth terminology, he had a fantastic sprint "petrol" engine but hasn't yet fully developed his endurance "diesel" engine for longer distances.

This contrasts significantly with his fiancé Lucy Charles who is the complete opposite (for the full story on Lucy see our blog post here). Lucy is not especially quick over short distances but can sustain an incredible pace over longer swims. In fact, despite her 100m PB being nearly 10 seconds slower than Reece's, she can easily beat him over 3.8km! Or should we say *could* easily beat him, because times are beginning to change...

The focus of our discussion with Reece in Mallorca was to get him to use Red Mist sessions to work on developing that diesel engine. Reece has incredible top end speed but the rate of drop-off in his performances over longer distances is significant. Red Mist sessions focus on developing that ability to sustain a strong pace over distance which is key to great triathlon and open water swimming. After just few months training the results are really beginning to show...

Reece finishes!

Here's what Reece said to SS Head Coach Paul Newsome after the race:

How did it go? Great! This was a very tactical race Paul! You would be proud...

The swim was crazy rough on the start line. People jostling for position. My plan at the start was different from other races I've done recently, I remember you saying start off slower to preserve myself and stop myself from red-lining too early. However at this race I needed to get far enough away from the bulk of the field so I put on the burners really hard for the 1st 300m. I had pulled a significant gap of about 25m over everyone by the 1st buoy such is my sprint speed. However for the next 1000m I could see that there was a pod holding the 25m gap behind me so I decided to let them bridge across and use them to catch some draft.

I recovered a lot waiting for them to catch me and even more once I sat it with the pack. They were all strong swimmers. I felt really in control of the pack and was dictating the pace from the turn buoy at half way. The pod was too big for my liking so I decided to play a game putting in some real hard digs every buoy, this working perfectly as the ones struggling to maintain the pace got popped out the back and the pod had thinned to just a few by the final few 100m.

The pace really ramped up towards the end but I knew that if I just held my position the front line then none of them would out sprint me. I went for it with 50m to go and only one of them managed to stay with me by sitting on my hip.

The red mist session have been key! I've managed to bring my threshold more in line with my speed but still feel there is so much more I can give. The fact that I can pull a 25m gap over 300m over the best agers in the world shows that I still have the potential to swim a lot faster. It's a work in progress but I'm really pleased with how it's improved so far.

Whilst it's unlikely you will be swimming at Reece's level yourself, there's a definite lesson to learn for all of us here. It could well be that your own natural physiology is biased towards that fast-twitch "petrol" engine like Reece's. In fact if you come from a team sport or gym background then it's very likely that it is.

Relative to your own level of swimming, do you have a tendency to go off to fast and then fade? Can you easily stay with the fastest swimmers in your lane at the beginning of a set but get dropped at the end? If so you need the exact same medicine as Reece - sessions with long sustained efforts where pacing is key. Get this right and your performances over longer distances will take some HUGE strides forwards.

Of course, you'll always have that turn of pace and like Reece above, you can use it tactically when you need it.

Guru Pro subscribers can find out more about Red mist sessions here and start swimming them here.

Swim Smooth!

↧

Validating A CSS Test Using Red Mist

October 20, 2016, 10:24 am

≫ Next: What Should You Focus On In Your Stroke Technique During A Race?

≪ Previous: Fantastic Swim Performances All Round At Kona

Here's something Paul Newsome tweeted recently:

Swim Smooth didn't invent the concept of Critical Swim Speed (CSS) but we like to think we had a lot to do with making it popular. CSS training helps you determine your fitness level and set your training paces so you get the biggest fitness gains for distance swimming (e.g. triathlon and open water races).

The CSS Test

The first thing to do is to swim the CSS test which consists of a 400m (or 400yd) timetrial and then a 200m (or 200yd) time trial. Record your times and enter the results on the CSS calculator on our website here:

http://www.swimsmooth.com/training.html

Or use the more sophisticated version in the Swim Smooth Guru here:

https://www.swimsmooth.guru/csstest/

The calculator spits out your CSS pace per 100m - which should be roughly the speed that you can sustain for a 1500m timetrial. From there you can set your training paces for different training sessions, ideally programmed in a Finis Tempo Trainer Pro for maximum accuracy and feedback as you swim.

If you repeat the test you can also track your progress over time, for example:

Much kudos to Dan for this great improvement from 1:55 to
1:33 / 100m over the last year!

However... one problem with the CSS test is that it is very sensitive to your 200 and 400 times, and requires you to swim two well paced timetrials that are representative of your current fitness. Fatigue from other training sessions can play a role and if you're not an experienced swimmer it can be easy to start too fast and then blow-up, or start too slowly and underperform. If something like that goes wrong, your 200 and 400 times will be off and the calculator will give you an inaccurate CSS pace.

Validating Your CSS Test Result

If you've encountered an "off" result from the calculator it can be hugely frustrating (and confusing). So as Paul mentioned in his tweet, take the given CSS pace and within 5 days use it to swim a classic Red Mist session using a Tempo Trainer Pro:

4x 400m at CSS pace + 6 sec /100m
3x 400m at CSS pace + 5 sec /100m
2x 400m at CSS pace + 4 sec /100m
1x 400m at CSS pace + 3 sec /100m

Or if you're not quite up to that yet, swim this set as 10x 300m instead (known as "Pink Mist").

If you find that session hard but do-able then you know your CSS pace is accurate. But if it's way too hard or too easy then you can adjust your CSS pace slower or faster to compensate. Then repeat the Red/Pink mist session again a week later to see how it feels.

We call this process "tweaking" and we have bespoke tool for it within the Guru (Pro subscription required):

https://www.swimsmooth.guru/tweakcss/

With a little experience it's quite easy to judge where your CSS pace is and tweak it up or down as you go along. You can do this yourself but the Guru makes it very easy and allows you to track your progress over time, showing you exactly how and when you've improved - which is hugely motivating:

So the next time you swim the CSS test, validate it using a longer session such as Red Mist and be confident you're at the right starting point to take your swimming forwards.

Swim Smooth!

↧

What Should You Focus On In Your Stroke Technique During A Race?

May 20, 2016, 2:50 am

≫ Next: Get Inspired And Improve Your Swimming - Join A Squad!

≪ Previous: Validating A CSS Test Using Red Mist

If you live in the northern hemisphere then you'll know the triathlon and open water race season is getting into full swing, and if you haven't swum in your first race it's likely you will do soon.

A common question we get asked at Swim Smooth is what should you think about during a race in terms of your stroke technique? Should you think about being long and smooth or turning your arms over as quickly as possible, or what?

Race Focus

First up, whatever you focus on it needs to be very simple. Swimming is a very technical sport and there's lots of elements to the freestyle stroke but in a race where you are sustaining a strong effort you don't have much spare capacity to think about anything complicated. Plus there's probably technical aspects of the race to be keeping an eye on such as any current, swimming straight and finding a good swimmer or two to draft off.

Because of this you're largely going to swimming on autopilot (hopefully with good technique from good preparation in training) whilst keeping an eye on perhaps one or two simple things in your stroke.

Here's 4 ideas on what you might focus on. For the right swimmer each can be brilliantly effective and make the difference between a great performance or a poor race. Experiment with these in training - ideally within a tough training set such as a CSS or Red Mist session - to see which keeps you smooth and swimming well:

1.Exhaling Smoothly Into The Water

Super simple this one and so easy to overlook but can make the difference between having an enjoyable swim or a full-blow panic attack. Most swimmers feel anxious in open water to a greater or lesser extent and the first thing you do when anxious is hold your breath underwater - which raises the CO2 in your blood stream and makes you feel even more anxious!

Simply blowing bubbles smoothly into the water breaks this vicious circle and instantly calms you down. Recommended for any swimmer but particularly anyone nervous swimming outdoors.

2. Legs Straight, Feet Turned In And Big Toes Tapping With A Light Flutter

Another very simple tip but incredibly effective for anyone who tends to kick from the knee or scissor kicks in their stroke. Converts the drag created by a poor kick into a little propulsion to lift the legs higher and push your forwards. Recommended for any swimmer with a tendency to kick from the knee - you should instantly feel smoother and more relaxed in your stroke.

3. 1-2-Straight Mantra

The majority of swimmers have some level of crossover in front of the head where the lead arm crosses the centre line. Not only can this harm your propulsion and create a scissor kick but in open water it can cause you to veer off course, losing you even more time!

You are much more likely to cross the centre line with the lead hand when breathing.

A great mantra to address this is to repeat to yourself 1-2-Straight-1-2-Straight where the 1 and 2 are normal strokes and Straight is your breathing stroke - the word straight keeping your focus on the lead arm extended straight in front of the head and not crossing the centre line

Of course this mantra will also have you breathing bilaterally which will help you swim straighter still. Recommended for anyone with a crossover or who regularly swims off course.

4. Pressing The Water Backwards With A Good Rhythm

This one focuses on the propulsion in your stroke in the right way. If you think about pressing the water back hard then the tendency is to press down on the water during your catch or wrench the water causing your arm to slip backwards with little traction.

A much better focus is to think about where you should be pressing the water (backwards to send you forwards) but instead of focusing on effort, think about doing so with a nice smooth rhythm. This creates the right amount of force in the right place to send you efficiently forwards.

Recommended for intermediate and advanced swimmers.

So there's a choice of four very effective things to focus on in your next race. Don't attempt to think about them all, pick the one that worked best for you, keep focused on that and you will have a fantastic race.

Swim Smooth!

Swim Smooth Guru content relevant to this post:

** You can subscribe to the Swim Smooth Guru from just £1.99 / US$2.99 / AU$3.99 per month. **
If you enjoy the Swim Smooth website and blog you'll love the Guru - it contains all of Swim Smooth's coaching in one easy to use app!

Get started at: www.swimsmooth.guru

↧

Get Inspired And Improve Your Swimming - Join A Squad!

October 28, 2016, 3:44 am

≫ Next: Can We Identify Your Swim Type In Just 5 Seconds?

≪ Previous: What Should You Focus On In Your Stroke Technique During A Race?

If you have a swimming background we're sure you'll understand the value of training in a squad. Not only do you have a coach watching over you, developing both your stroke technique and your swim fitness but the group environment is motivational and inspiring in equal measure. Simply put, training with like minded people of similar ability is just fun and rewarding!

For those reasons squad training is very much part of the Swim Smooth coaching philosophy but what if you have never swum with a group before and perhaps feel nervous of doing so? Don't be! Any good squad - and particularly Swim Smooth squads - cover a huge range of abilities from the top guns blasting up and down the fast lane through to those new to swimming in lanes 1 and 2.

Each session will be adapted for the different lanes to give them stroke input and fitness challenges set at the perfect level for them - even those who have only been swimming freestyle for a few weeks!

To give you an idea of what you are missing, here's SS Coach Bart Rolet's squad in Montreal:

Fenella Ng's in Hong Kong:

Rob Kwaaitaal's in Nijmegen, Netherlands:

And Gabriella Minaříková's juniors in Prague:

And the famous squads in Perth (in time-lapse!):

If you can swim 100 to 200m of freestyle without stopping then you're ready to swim in a group. Don't worry, there will be plenty of other swimmers of similar speed there too and you'll soon learn a few tips from them as well as the coach. :)

We have squads all over the world and we've included a full list for you at the bottom of this email. Get in contact with your local Swim Smooth coach and join your local squad today!

Swim Smooth!

WORLDWIDE SWIM SMOOTH SQUADS
(with many more coming soon!)

Aus/NZ/Asia

Hamilton, New Zealand - Mon-Tues-Wed-Thurs-Fri mornings and Tues-Thurs evenings
Perth, Australia - Mon-Tues-Wed-Fri mornings and Tues-Thurs evenings
Perth, Australia - Friday lunch and Saturday morning
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Tues-Thurs-Sat-Sun mornings and Tues-Wed evenings
Hong Kong - Tues-Sat mornings and Mon-Wed-Thurs evenings

UK

Lancaster, UK - Sunday evening
Abingdon/Woodcote/High Wycombe UK - Tues-Wed-Fri mornings and Mon-Tues-Thurs evenings
Richmond, UK - Wed-Fri evenings
Felixstowe, UK - Saturday mornings (starting January 2017)
Doncaster/Tadcaster, UK - Tues-Sat mornings and Wed-Thurs evenings
Northampton/Corby, UK - Mon-Wed-Thurs-Fri mornings (seniors) and Mon-Tues-Wed-Thurs evenings (juniors)
Acton, UK - Mon-Tues-Wed-Thurs mornings and Tues-Thurs evenings (club membership required)
Swindon, UK - Fri mornings, Sunday afternoons and Tues-Thurs evenings

Europe

Prague, Czech Republic - Juniors: Mon-Tues-Wed afternoons
Prague, Czech Republic - Seniors: Tues-Thurs mornings
Harelbeke/Kuurne, Belgium - Mon-Wed-Sat mornings
Nijmegen, Netherlands - Thursday morning
Alicante, Spain - Tues-Thurs afternoons and Mon-Wed-Fri evenings

North America

Chicago, IL - Mon-Wed-Fri mornings
Mount Pleasant, SC - Mon-Tues-Thurs-Fri lunch time and Mon-Fri evenings
Montréal, Canada - Mon-Tues-Wed-Fri mornings and Mon-Wed evenings

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Can We Identify Your Swim Type In Just 5 Seconds?

November 3, 2016, 9:59 pm

≫ Next: This Is Your Time (Don’t Waste It)

≪ Previous: Get Inspired And Improve Your Swimming - Join A Squad!

Just for a bit of fun, let’s see if we can identify your Swim Type in just 5 seconds (without even seeing you swim).

Just read and answer this question to yourself without looking further ahead in this post:

What would you say is holding your swimming back?

In answering:

The 6 Swim Types

- If you simply thought “Technique” then it’s very likely you’re an Arnie.

- If you said “It's just so complicated and there’s so much to think about” then we fancy you are a Bambino.

- “I only have one pace or I’m always out of breath” then odds are you're a Kicktastic.

- Still making an extensive list? Too easy: Overglider!!

- “Maybe I need a better kick” - perhaps a Swinger?

- If you just said “more motivation to train” then you could well be a Smooth.

Did we get you right?

About Swim Types

The Swim Type system is a simple but powerful way to identify what is holding you back in the water and work on your weaknesses. Identify your Swim Type from the six classic profiles (covering all levels of swimmer from beginner to elite) and use the Swim Smooth Guru or the Swim Type Guide downloads to improve your individual swimming step by step.

One of the fascinating aspects of Swim Types is how each type tends to have different personality traits, seeing swimming from a certain angle and so giving the answers above.

Not sure which type you are? Take a read of the profiles and use the questionnaire at www.swimtypes.com to discover yours.

Swim Smooth!

↧

This Is Your Time (Don’t Waste It)

November 11, 2016, 5:57 am

≫ Next: What Does The Swim Smooth Stroke Look Like?

≪ Previous: Can We Identify Your Swim Type In Just 5 Seconds?

Swim Smooth’s Paul Newsome and Adam Young are in the USA right now, meeting with local coaches to improve their coaching skills and grow our network of Swim Smooth coaches to serve this great country in the future.

Last weekend we completed our three day course in Carlsbad, Southern California with 18 coaches attending:

Coaching in California - a tough job but somebody's got to do it.

Fine tuning stroke rate.

Coaching the swimmer, not the stroke.

A fantastic coaching group.

And we're kicking off our Florida course at Cocoa Beach with 18 more today.

Whilst the US is always an inspiring place to visit with its generous and entrepreneurial spirit, we're particularly excited about how well we’ve been received and how much interest there is in SS coaching from swimmers and coaches alike. Our goal is to do this enthusiasm justice and make a real difference to the quality of Swim Coaching in North America. In a nutshell it feels like our time.

Is this your time too? Do you have access to a pool or open water venue and enjoy your swimming? Do you dare to dream about achieving your first mile swim, or your first 10km or perhaps just want to get faster and more efficient?

Swimming is a fantastic sport that builds your health, your fitness and your self-esteem in all the right ways. If you have a little time to train then don't miss your opportunity to hit your goals and achieve your dreams. Life can change quickly so grasp your opportunity with both hands!

We’re determined not to miss our opportunity in North America - this is our time - is it yours too?

Swim Smooth!

PS. If you're interested in becoming a Certified Swim Smooth Coach (wherever you are in the world) start here: www.swimsmooth.com/becoming-a-swim-smooth-certified-coach.php

↧

What Does The Swim Smooth Stroke Look Like?

November 18, 2016, 12:56 am

≫ Next: It's Black Friday! And A Swimming Power Meter For Just $32 ??!!

≪ Previous: This Is Your Time (Don’t Waste It)

Oftentimes we get asked by swimmers and coaches: What does the Swim Smooth stroke look like and where can I see it?

The short answer to this question is that there isn't a single cookie-cutter stroke that we want everyone to copy. Different stroke styles suit different swimmers and there's way too much variation in the general population's height, build, arm length, hand size, flexibility and strength for their to be one ideal way for everyone to swim. Plus we should take account of the environment in which they're swimming - anywhere between still water in a pool versus rough open water.

Take our two stroke animations showing two classic ways to swim. Mr Smooth demonstrates a long smooth stroke used by many elite pool swimmers:

And Miss Swinger (available to study from all angles in our Pro Console) demonstrating an alternative style using by elite swimmers, both in the pool and open water:

Their arm recovery, kicking style and stroke rate (cadence) are completely different - and yet they both show great "Swim Smooth technique".

You can see examples of real swimmers using these styles here:

John Van Hazel (Smooth): youtube.com/watch?v=s3HhNlysFDs

Jodie Swallow (Swinger): youtube.com/watch?v=hiNkAMU8syI&t=1s

And for Guru subscribers:

Rebecca Adlington (Smooth): swimsmooth.guru/video/dN/rebecca-adlington/

Tim Don (Swinger) : swimsmooth.guru/video/lZ/tim-don/

Your Own Swimming

So what stroke style should you be aiming for yourself? In most cases you don't have to actively choose a given style, instead work on the key areas of your stroke below and your individual style will naturally evolve - moving you towards the Swinger or Smooth style, or somewhere on the spectrum in-between.

The Swim Smooth stroke has:

- Great breathing technique, keeping the head low when breathing and breathing bilaterally to both sides:

- Continuous smooth exhalation into the water:

- An individual head position that keeps the swimmer balanced in the water and works well for open water swimming.

- An efficient leg kick, kicking with a nice straight leg from the hip in either a 2-beat or 6-beat kick style, lifting the legs high and minimising drag:

- An arm recovery style that is natural to you and suits the environment in which you are swimming. A classic high elbow recovery might be great for pool swimmers but a straighter arm recovery is better for wetsuit and open water swimming to clear waves and chop:

Classical pool recovery:

Typical open water recovery:

- Extending forwards underwater with the elbow slightly higher than the wrist and the wrist slightly higher than the fingertips:

- An effective catch and pull, pressing the water back behind you at all times with a bent elbow:

- Good stroke rhythm, moving continuously from one stroke to the next.

- At an advanced level, the swimmer has the ability to change their stroke rate depending on conditions - lengthening out (slightly) in very flat water or increasing stroke rate in rougher conditions.

Work on those key elements in your own stroke and you'll be swimming better than you ever have done before, and you can then be confident you have a "true Swim Smooth stroke"!

Swim Smooth!

↧

It's Black Friday! And A Swimming Power Meter For Just $32 ??!!

November 25, 2016, 2:19 am

≫ Next: Like Background Music To Your Stroke

≪ Previous: What Does The Swim Smooth Stroke Look Like?

Fly The Flag with a
brand new Archimedes 2!!

Today is Black Friday and that means incredible savings on Swim Smooth DVDs, HUUB wetsuits and Finis products in the Swim Smooth Shop: www.swimsmooth.com/products

To highlight just a few of the deals:

- By entering promo code 5CQM-QHAC you can save up to 30% when you sign-up for a Guru PRO subscription. All of Swim Smooth's coaching to transfor your swimming! : www.swimsmooth.guru

- We have the Great Britain Edition of the HUUB Archimedes 2 on sale for £299 (or just £239 if you live outside the European Union) with FREE WORLDWIDE Shipping too! www.swimsmooth.com/archimedes2

- All three of our coaching DVDs are discounted by up to 40%: DVD Boxset, Learn2Swim and Catch Masterclass

All offers must end on Monday 28th - so don't miss out!

Last shipping dates for pre Christmas delivery: UK: 21st Dec, USA/Canada: 15th Dec, EU Countries: 14th Dec, Central / South America: 8th Dec, Australia / NZ: 10th Dec

Does A Swimming Power Meter Already Exist?

If you've used a power meter on the bike you'll know it's an amazing bit of kit, letting you accurately set your training intensities and measure small incremental improvements in your cycling fitness as the weeks and months go by.

But what if you could achieve those same benefits for your swimming... and for just US$32?

Well actually you can using a Finis Tempo Trainer Pro (on sale for just US$32/UK£26/AU$45 in our Black Friday sale!)

Here's how:

Most swimmers think of the Tempo Trainer as a way to control their stroke rate (cadence) as they swim, and this is certainly a very valuable thing to do when developing your stroke technique. However, and perhaps even more usefully, you can slow the timer right down and set your Tempo Trainer to beep every length of the pool instead.

Since there's no current or waves in a pool and the length is always the same, this allows you to control the speed (and so intensity) at which you are swimming very accurately. Use a 25m pool and want to swim at 2 minutes per 100m? Just set the Tempo Trainer to 30 seconds, pop it under your swim cap and judge your speed so you turn and push-off when the beep goes. It's a bit like a beep test in the gym but the pace stays the same rather than getting faster.

May the beep by with you... always.

On a bike you might use your power meter to ride a threshold session of 4x 10 minutes at your threshold watts. To do the same thing in pool just set the time on your Tempo Trainer to your CSS pace per length and swim out a CSS set staying with the beeper. Such a set might look like: 6x 300m with one beep rest between each interval.

[More on finding your CSS pace here and a more advanced version in the Guru here]

Just like a power meter this is a brilliant way to accurately target the right intensity to improve quickly... And you'll immediately notice improvements in fitness as you start to edge ahead of the beeper by a few seconds session by session. Of course as soon as that happens you need to tweak the time down a little to keep those improvements coming in an optimum fashion!

Just like a power meter the Tempo Trainer will also help you develop your pacing skills, it's easy to get ahead of the beeper at first but with the help of the beeper learn to control that urge and the quality of your training will immediately improve for bigger fitness gains.

Of course a Tempo Trainer Pro isn't quite a power meter for swimming as it doesn't directly measure your swimming watts (nothing can do that right now) but in practise it is just as good and is a tiny fraction of the cost.

Swim Smooth!

↧

Other Swim Smooth Clinics and Camps:

United Kingdom
Acton London Video Analysis	Cardiff Video Analysis Clinic	NEW High Wycombe Squad Starts 15th Sep (Free taster session)
SS Clinic Reading 8th Oct	Northampton Video Analysis Clinic	Yorkshire Squads (Pool & OW)
Yorkshire Video Analysis	West Lothian Video Analysis	Richmond SS Squad
Richmond / Wimbledon Workshops	Salisbury 1to1 Analysis	Twickenham Video Analysis
Lancaster SS Squad	Swindon Video Analysis	Swindon SS Squads Introductory Special Offer
Lancaster Video Analysis	Northampton Swim Squad	Felixstowe Video Analysis

Europe
SS Camp Lanzarote (English - Dutch)	Training Camp Cordoba Spain	Prague Junior Swim Club
Dublin Video Analysis	Prague Video Analysis	Swim/Tri Camps Alicante (English language)
Nijmegen Video Analysis & Stroke Correction	Nijmegen SS Squads	Zwevegem Video Analysis (English - Dutch)
Prague Junior Swim Club	1 Day Clinic Stockholm (English language)

World
Kuala Lumpur Video Analysis	Kuala Lumpur Swim Squad	SS 1 Day Clinic South Carolina, Oct 30th
Montreal Squads	Montreal Video Analysis	Hong Kong Video Analysis
Hong Kong Squads & Video Analysis	Dubai Video Analysis	NYC / SC Video Analysis
Montreal Clinic (French Language), Oct 22nd

Swim Smooth Clinics and Camps:

United Kingdom
Acton London Video Analysis	Cardiff Video Analysis Clinic	NEW High Wycombe Squad Starts 15th Sep (Free taster session)
SS Clinic Reading 8th Oct	Northampton Video Analysis Clinic	Yorkshire Squads (Pool & OW)
Yorkshire Video Analysis	West Lothian Video Analysis	Richmond SS Squad
Richmond / Wimbledon Workshops	Salisbury 1to1 Analysis	Twickenham Video Analysis
Lancaster SS Squad	Swindon Video Analysis	Felixstowe Video Analysis
Lancaster Video Analysis	Northampton Swim Squad

Europe
SS Camp Lanzarote (English - Dutch)	Training Camp Cordoba Spain	Prague Junior Swim Club
Dublin Video Analysis	Prague Video Analysis	Swim/Tri Camps Alicante (English language)
Nijmegen Video Analysis & Stroke Correction	Nijmegen SS Squads	Zwevegem Video Analysis (English - Dutch)
Prague Junior Swim Club	1 Day Clinic Stockholm (English language)

World
Kuala Lumpur Video Analysis	Kuala Lumpur Swim Squad	SS 1 Day Clinic South Carolina, Oct 30th
Montreal Squads	Montreal Video Analysis	Hong Kong Video Analysis
Hong Kong Squads & Video Analysis	Dubai Video Analysis	NYC / SC Video Analysis
Montreal Clinic (French Language), Oct 22nd

Swim Smooth Clinics and Camps:

United Kingdom
Swindon SS Squad	Felixstowe Video Analysis	Acton London Video Analysis
Cardiff Video Analysis Clinic	NEW High Wycombe Squad Starts 15th Sep (Free taster session)	Reading/Abingdon Video Analysis Gift Vouchers
Northampton Video Analysis Clinic	Yorkshire Squads (Pool & OW)	Yorkshire Video Analysis
West Lothian Video Analysis	Richmond SS Squad	Richmond / Wimbledon Workshops
Salisbury 1to1 Analysis	Twickenham Video Analysis	Lancaster SS Squad
Swindon/Cotswolds Video Analysis	Lancaster Video Analysis	Northampton Swim Squad
SS Clinic Millfield

Europe
Training Camp Cordoba Spain	Prague Junior Swim Club	Dublin Video Analysis
Prague Video Analysis	Swim/Tri Camps Alicante (English language)	Nijmegen Video Analysis & Stroke Correction
Nijmegen SS Squads	Zwevegem Video Analysis (English - Dutch)	Prague Junior Swim Club
1 Day Clinic Stockholm (English language)	SS Camp Lanzarote (English - Dutch)

World
Monthly Clinics, Chicago	Kuala Lumpur Swim Squad	SS 1 Day Clinic South Carolina, Oct 30th
Montreal Squads	Montreal Video Analysis	Hong Kong Video Analysis
Hong Kong Squads & Video Analysis	Dubai Video Analysis	NYC / SC Video Analysis
Montreal Clinic (French Language), Oct 22nd	Kuala Lumpur Video Analysis

Swim Smooth Clinics and Camps:

United Kingdom
Swindon SS Squad	Felixstowe Video Analysis	Acton London Video Analysis
Cardiff Video Analysis Clinic	NEW High Wycombe Squad Starts 15th Sep (Free taster session)	Reading/Abingdon Video Analysis Gift Vouchers
Northampton Video Analysis Clinic	Yorkshire Squads (Pool & OW)	Yorkshire Video Analysis
West Lothian Video Analysis	Richmond London SS Squad	SW London Swim Workshops
Salisbury 1to1 Analysis	Twickenham Video Analysis	Lancaster SS Squad
Swindon/Cotswolds Video Analysis	Lancaster Video Analysis	Northampton Swim Squad
SS Clinic Millfield

Europe
Training Camp Cordoba Spain	Prague Junior Swim Club	Dublin Video Analysis
Prague Video Analysis	Swim/Tri Camps Alicante (English language)	Nijmegen Video Analysis & Stroke Correction
Nijmegen SS Squads	Zwevegem Video Analysis (English - Dutch)	Prague Junior Swim Club
SS Camp Lanzarote (English - Dutch)

World
Monthly Clinics, Chicago	Kuala Lumpur Swim Squad	SS 1 Day Clinic South Carolina, Oct 30th
Montreal Squads	Montreal Video Analysis	Hong Kong Group Training & Video Analysis
Hong Kong Squads & Video Analysis	Dubai Video Analysis	NYC / SC Video Analysis
Montreal Clinic (French Language), Oct 22nd	Kuala Lumpur Video Analysis