Swim everyday.

Frequency > Volume

Personally, I have a better feel for the water if I swim 4 days per week at 3k per rather than 3 days per week at 5k. Or any variation of more short days over fewer long ones.

I know I should do more long days but time is what it is.

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Too old to go pro but doing it anyway
http://instagram.com/tgarvey4

Very much this. Swim as much as you possibly can.

not disagreeing as such, but i wonder if Frequency > Volume is actually as true as that.
i suspect it is at least partially that volume of quality swimming is the key driver of improvement. when you do a long swim the last say third is typically poor quality, especially with regard to technique so the 4x3k might be 12k of quality whereas the 3x5k might be only 10k of quality

Don't drown.

Swimming on the rivet is the best thing to accelerate your swim, swimming with people who are better than you helps you do this with less mental taxation. It isn't without risk though, the main risk being injury risk. Probably best to do in isolated swim block as well. Too many athletes suffer from their inability to give up the bike/run to truly work on the swim.

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Find a masters swim team and use that a few days a week or in place of whatever swim plan you have

Swimming with a group trying to get to same speed or faster (ie race) as faster people

Descending sets. I.e., something like, 4x4x100 descending on a fixed interval, or 4x50, 4x75, 4x100, 4x150, 4x200 descending on fixed intervals.

Get outside assistance.

enjoy swimming

you can not always focus in improve your fitness, your critical speed, your form... you need to swim more volumen, more frequency... but at the end... you shall enjoy swimming.

you are doing it as a hobby, and even more is swim is you weakness, you shall enjoy it.

What do you think was the major benefit for doing so?

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http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

Swim more.

count the strokes per length and aim to N-1

You improve faster with the help of others.

Because technique is so important in swimming— and because it is so hard to know what you’re doing wrong— you need to seek out assistance. Ideally that would be an experienced coach in a Masters program, but that is not feasible for a lot of us. The next best option to get eyes on your stroke is periodic filming combined with some form of outside assistance (e.g., remote coaching, online instruction).

For me the biggest advantage was moving from swimming 3 to 4 times a week

Secondly having a solid schedule with what I had to do - Not just on training day but also on the months ahead - measuring my improvement or noticing if there was no change at all.

I had spent time watching other people swimming and I have asked to film me while I was swimming - Most of the time what we feel is not exactly what we do so it helps a lot to see ourself swimming.

Understanding the volume that have to be done.

Few private lesson to get an understanding of our problems.

Those few things helped me quite a lot.

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https://www.lupoacademy.it

https://www.instagram.com/lupo_academy/

Swim more.

It was that simple for me. I was making steady but slow progress, then I started swimming more frequently, with longer main sets, and more total volume. The results came quick.

ETA: nice post Rideon77 :) didn't see your reply yet when typed the exact same thing

another notch in the Master's Swim/Coaching camp- otherwise you are just cementing all your mistakes.

Stop being afraid of getting wet !

(Reflecting how many triathletes would prefer to not have to get in the water. Especially wet water. And trebly ao if its wet water that is below 29 degrees C.).

I should bend my elbows and pull closer to my body versus rotating my arm like a windmill from the shoulder.

:) I was going to say don't inhale when your face is in the water.

But serious, mine was to primarily focus on the catch. That doesn't mean to not focus on hand entry, when to breathe, etc., just that it's the primary focus.

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Not a coach. Not a FOP Tri/swimmer/biker/runner. Barely a MOP AGer.
But I'm learning and making progress.

Hiring Adam from Mastering Flow to coach me

More improvement in body position, timing and coordination less than a month than the previous years of 5 days a week of killing myself with sets upon sets of hard swimming

Who knew having a video analyses by a coach could make such a vast improvement in such a short amount of time.

And strangely enough the sets were not the killer workouts I had been doing for years (USRPT, Masters Swimming etc). They were focused on correcting what was wrong with my stroke

Just to complicate things a bit, I found that my catch improved after I focused a bit on hand entry and extension. Because the latter two were shabby, I was not in a good position at the start of the catch and I really struggled to get an EVF and good elbow angle. Once I improved my initial hand and arm position, it was much easier to focus on the catch. That's the great challenge of swimming; it's all connected. Without external assistance, it can be very hard for one to know where to start.

Also, I don't know about others, but I really can only work on one thing at a time. I usually can't even focus on both arms. If I'm working on hand entry, for example, I might focus on the right hand for one length and the left for the return length. Or, I alternate the focus in each interval; 50 yards concentrating on right hand entry, rest, 50 yards focusing on left hand, repeat. I might work on multiple aspects of technique over the course of a workout, but on any given lap I can really only think about one, sometimes two, things. It's part of why my progress is slow.

Grow your awareness of how ANYTHING you do or modify effects your speed via the expert utilization of a poolside, not wrist mounted, timing device.

+1 on this.

I’ve spent 3 months concentrating on this and dropped 16 secs from my 400scm time. Still a work in progress but it’s definitely helped me break through a plateau.

So count the strokes and aim for N-1+1? Basically aim for the same number of strokes each lap? Got it. Thanks!



/s

Learn to swim different paces, and get a feel for that sweet spot just below the point where trying to go faster becomes more "thrashy" and less smooth. I also think it's incentive to go harder, and my general impression is that a lot of triathletes don't swim hard enough to get faster.

Over time I think it helps develop more discipline swimming easier as well. I.e., if you're paying attention to what faster swimming feels like, it's easier to carry that over into easier swimming. I learned that "easy" doesn't have to be "slow," if I avoid getting floppy in the water, keep my body taut, hand/wrist firm, etc.

When I dedicated myself to improving my swim last year, I felt like it was the biggest bang for my buck (besides volume). Obviously impossible to know.

The quality of swimming is a critical component, and it seems to be more important in the water as compared to the other disciplines.

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http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

Nice.

Considering the how easy it is to implement and it can be applied to every situation, counting strokes is a huge one for me. I think it's as important knowing how fast you're swimming.

Even if you don't actively try to change the number, simply being aware of it promotes positive change.

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http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

As you note, many issues are often caused by something else somewhere in the stroke. What happens before the hand hits the water can mess up what happens in the water.

As you also note, it's tough to change more than one thing at a time. That's why it's critical to know what's causing what or you end up not getting anywhere.

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http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

Agreed. Knowing how fast you are swimming will let you know the impact of what you're doing. You learn a lot by happenstance when you're getting constant feedback about how fast you're going.

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http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

Thanks. That's been my experience as well.

---

http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

Swim like a swimmer - go slow for warmup, feel the water through play, etc.


And swim more.

https://www.slowtwitch.com/...n_Swimming_6700.html

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I wrote this, you should read it:
https://www.slowtwitch.com/...n_Swimming_6700.html

Volume, quality sets, OWS, frequency... everything comes after GOOD FORM. If you don't have a good form, you are wasting your time. If you think you got the form down, then you can swim more and practice more, but if not, you must get outside assistance and improve your form.

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”

It's good to check your form with coaches, experts and real swimmers.

For several months last year, I had a weekly set that alternated between 25x100 and 50x50 with 10 seconds rest.

I dreaded it and got so bored of it. It was also the best I ever swam.

I don't know the person you have hired but I agree with you that see yourself swimming allows you to correct many things. If you also hire a coach that can help you out in the process

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https://www.lupoacademy.it

https://www.instagram.com/lupo_academy/

My tip is specific to my triathlon experience: rather than trying to become a faster swimmer, I switched to trying to become more relaxed and economical at the same speeds, especially in open water at Ironman distances. Adding extended intervals, focusing on calmness and low heart rate while maintaining forward progress, lots of open-water swimming (if you're training for IM) in similar conditions and at the sort of pace and cadence you expect for race day.

It is the OP

https://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/about

I will have a look at his website - thanks for that. Always good to know what other people do. I haven't been here for ages to be honest. I moved to Italy at the moment and no longer in London.

---

https://www.lupoacademy.it

https://www.instagram.com/lupo_academy/

Every late (adult) swimmer has one problem.
Lack of swim specific muscle.
Get some.

I think we adult onsite swimmers have another problem, just like novice people at yoga. We can't actually morph our bodies with enough suppleness coupled with power at the same time to shape ourselves like a speed boat hull with high propulsion at the same time. The only way to go there, is swim a lot of miles, and most adult onset swimmers cannot.

When people talk about "feel of water", most of it is actually not feel to get enough propulsion. the feel is to get the body in the right shape and orientation while applying force. If you watch a deer in water this is like most adult onset swimmers. They don't have the suppleness of a fish. Interstingly the Penguin which is pathetic on land is a torpedo in the water and can out do any deer in the water. Most NFL wide receivers would likely have a hard time in the water, even though the typical height and weight would be favourable to being a good swimmers being between 6 feet and 6'6" and 200 lbs. But some of these guys if they had enough pool time would be good swimmers. They likely don't have the same suppleness as Lochte or Phelps.

I agree with you, with a caveat.

Adult learners almost never relax in the water. They place their hands and arms carefully in the most correct way, and they breath without relaxing while attempting to maintain the stroke. If there is one thing you can see it's their lack of relaxation.

Suppleness is a big part of that, however I'm as supple a brick these days, but I can still swim. My last race wasn't appreciably slower than I was fifteen years ago, because I am still relaxed in the water and can apply what strength I have. efficiently.

Children learn to relax once they have confidence and they never lose that no matter how badly (in my case) they train. That relaxation overcomes a ton of non standard strokes. When you watch a 100m or 200m race there's eight swimmers in the water and often eight styles, but they are all comfortable and relaxed in that style and can apply the strength they have, completely.

As others have said....SWIM OFTEN. (I think 6 weekly sessions of 2km totals is much better than 3 weekly sessions of 4km totals, even for you Ironperson Triathlonetes.)

(Also: Set a specific/meaningful swimming goal.)

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I only swim.
I used to run. (31:09 10k)
I never did Triathlon.
Sue me.

Watching hundreds of "efforless swimming" youtube videos by Coach Brenton
Videorecording myself swimming
Implementing advices given by coach Brenton.

Is there anything you'd suggest in particular beyond swimming?

One of the challenges is that there is nothing else in life like swimming, so if you're not swimming, you're not really using your body in a way that's going to condition the body to do so. While certain activities can help the process, you have to be in the water.

---

http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

Most people think feel for the water is about propulsion. Feel for the water is about learning to shape your body in a way that reduces resistance in the water.

I've seen some VERY fast swimmers that were experts in the latter, much more so than the former.

Both are better, but positioning is more important.

Some of this is structural (bones), some it can be improved with appropriate strength and mobility work, and some of it is a skill in learning how to manipulate what you got.

Great insight.

I would only say that these skills can be improved, and it doesn't necessarily take a ton of mileage.

Andrew

---

http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

Great stuff.

If you can't establish comfort and relaxation in the water first, you will be using your arms and legs to create added stability. If you are using your limbs for stability, you CAN'T use them to create propulsion.

Many adults try to learn the mechanics of freestyle without getting comfort first. It never really works unless some swims a lot and eventually figures it out.

Kids intuitively learn to relax FIRST, and then they figure out the strokes later.

That dynamic is a huge part of 'adult-onset swimming'.

Relaxation/comfort is the key skill that underlies all effective swimming.

Andrew

---

http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

Is there any competitive swimmer who swims less than 15hours/week...?
Most adult who want to improve their swimming abilities forget that they try to compare themselves with other adults who've got way more swimming mileage under their belt than them....funny enough, they wouldn't dare compare themselves with basketball or football varsity players (let alone pros), so why make the comparison with former competitive swimmers...??

Get 10 000 hours in the pool, and then we talk about if you're made for swimming or not...

  




I actually think the bigger limiter is that people forget or ignore the fact that ex-competitive swimmers who swam from youth are literally the most talented of the kids for swimming. You don't stick with swimming going every morning for years, dragging your parents, when you're not naturally good, if not exceptionally good, at it.

Adult triathletes are typically the rest of that less-talented pack. There are definitely some who would have been in that fast kid group, and guess what - they improve very quickly as an adult. But most of us are not in that group.

You also don't need 10000 hours or close to that to realize you're not that talented. You can tell pretty quickly by how much you improve compared ot the typical AG triathlete doing similar volume training, even if it's low. If you're swimming like 4 hrs a week for 2 years and still dead MOP for a triathlete swim split, you're unlikely going to be beating the ex-competitive (fast) swimmers even at 8 hrs a week or even 10 hrs a week of training, unless that ex-comp swimmer literally stops swimming completely for years.

This is the real dirty secret behind swimming 'fast', like as fast as true competitive swimmers, even youth swimmers. And all triathlon coaches, even the elite ones know this - it's well known to them that swim improvement is the hardest thing for their pro-elites to get unless they came with it already.

Luckily for us non pro-elites though, FOP swimming (let's just say top 15%) at the AG level isn't a particularly high bar, and probably within the reach of a very hardworking typical AG talent triathlete who just does a ton of training. But that 'FOP' AGer will get beaten by a huge margin by the 'real' swimmers, even of those guys/gals are swimming a mere 7k per week. My n=1 analogy for running, as that you can bust your tail and get down to an 19:00 5k but the naturally fast guy will be running 15:00 with similar training, or 17:00 with low-level training. And yes, I know swimming requires technique and running doesn't blah blah blah - I'm assuming you can swim decently well for the analogy, not a raw beginner with giant stroke errors who will improve quickly once those are fixed.

Good stretching and warm ups. As an old, I used to do some static stretches that hyperextended my shoulders in a few directions and hopped in. Basic for many of you, I am sure, but this shift made a world of difference for me. Less shoulder pain and more consistent visits to the pool.

YMMV, but I find that a routine like this is helpful:

https://www.youtube.com/...op&v=A01-34izziw

I’m a high school swim coach. My kids range in ability from extremely slow to future d1 swimmers.

I live by a simple theory in coaching that is always written on our white board.

Rule #1 to swimming fast - don’t do the things that slow you down.

All the other stuff is extra. If you just avoid things that slow you down you’re gonna do just fine.

At age 66 I had my fastest Ironman swim: 46 minutes. My tip: choose a downstream wetsuit race :)

I've never met a body builder that was a good competitive swimmer (although they might exist) and I have never met a good competitive swimmer that didn't do dryland training. Whether that's weights or body weight exercise. Any late starter should do as much of that as pool time. as far as I'm concerned. I don't actually like swimming anymore, so last year all my training was dryland, still swam the same time.

Most late learners lack flexibility, watch any Lionel swimming video, man's as flexible as plank. So get a towel and start stretching is a good option.

All good swimmers can "lat slap". So build some lats and pecs and abs, with swim stroke mimicry using weights or stretch cords. Did a lot of pushups and pullups back then (two grips).

A "nasty" wet version is to do 25m fly reps until your arms fall off. Repeat. At least once a week.

One last one is go play water polo. That's an amazing tool and anyone who does is never nervous in a mass start again.

Do any or all.

The tricky part is doing all that while doing the other ten (or more) hours of running and riding those other experts want you to do.
I am nearly always losing to someone who swims slower than me....:0)

But I do know one dualthlete who is now an excellent swimmer...beats me in all three.

What are the biggest issues you see that slow people down, that you spend the most time working on?

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http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

Thanks!

---

http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

From 6 year olds to 18 year olds my common theme is things from the shoulders up. Just focusing on free for here.
Head position too high or low
The way the hands enter the water
The reach (or lack thereof)
Breathing technique
Dropping elbow.

All of these set up the path of your actual stroke so doing them wrong are a combo of slowing you down thru resistance (for example head too high drops your hips causing your body to not be prone) and making your pull not as effective.

The part you mentioned in bold is bang on.

As adult triathletes, on the swim leg, we end up comparing ourselves with the ex youth swimmers. By definition these are the best of the youth swim crowd.

If we also compare ourselves in running with the high school cross country runners, most triathletes will suck IF the high school cross country runners can just lace on running shoes and still run fast. Water allows an ex swimmer to roll out of bed (literally) and swim fast. You can't do that with running with a big layoff, so many adult onset triathletes will beat the ex high school runner (I fall into the latter group....most people who have been running since they were 14 are broken by 35, lucky to be running at 50, probably swear off running by 60 even if we want to....the lifetime of injuries still catch up). So adult onset triathlete runners inherently don't end up in a comparison with high school runners, but AOS triathlete swimmers are in a comparison with high school swimmers all the time.

Oh, and running DOES require technique (at least running fast). Its just naturally wired into us from when we are babies and learning to walk, we just don't realize we have been evolving our running technique....some of it is natural, some of it is learned (learned in the sense our brains adapt to run with our changing bodies as we grow, and then at some point, we have roughly evolved our technique when we stop growing and our bodies have taken their final form....the fat version of us, will still try to run with the gait as the skinny 15 year old version of us, just do it badly)

My biggest tip as a coach and an athlete- Don’t stop your education at your coach. It’s impossible for me to be with athletes 24/7, so while you should use your coach as much as you can for information, there’s so many excellent websites, YouTube’s, etc to educate yourself on proper form, theory, balance, drills, etc that will help you understand how to move through the water. When you begin understanding how to move through the water (“Feel” the water) you’ll catch yourself doing simple, but major things right and wrong.

Also worth noting, swim as much as you can without damaging your bike and run. What I mean- With indoor training increasing on the bike/run due to accessibility, safety, time of year, limited swimming times available, and so on, swimming is the hardest one to get to for most. 10 minutes to the gym, 5 to dress, hour or so swim, 5 dress, 10 back home. There’s a natural intersection where athletes start to either fail swimming or fail to get in the bike/run. Everyone’s a bit different here and that balance changes as your motivation does, so you’ve got to be self reflective on where that intersection is. If you’re swimming 6 times a week, but your bike and run go down to 1-2, I think we can all agree that’s a bad balance for a successful year ahead (unless you’re in a block intentionally made for that strategy of course) This is a great time of year (for most, April is coming soon) to really focus on that weakness, which tends to be swimming for most. I just did a 2 week block of 5-6 times a week after doing 2-3 times for awhile and then 3-4 building the base up.

The gains you’ll see through consistency, educating yourself, making sure you’re sustainably approaching swimming gains, and communicating well with your coach/support/training buddy/etc will no doubt have you swimming better in no time.

Some extras:
- Masters with a good coach
- hand entry
- head position
- tempo/cadence
- Proper elbow position

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___________________________________________________________

"A wise man once told me......God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called."

Touch water often

Pull buoys are a great tool, but don't use them as a crutch to help you body position.

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Great things never come from comfort zones.

Very well put post.
I have self taught/ learned and trained with slow, steady gains. You tube videos, tips on this forum and on deck tips from a few knowledgeable on deck life guards. Also my bible ( Swim Speed Secrets ) helped with initial improvements and I still refer to it. Except this year as I forgot to bring it with us this year to La Quinta California.
When I started tris in late ‘80s to early 90s I was pretty consistent at 28 to 30 minute 1500 m ( Olympic distance ). Just powered through the swim as best possible.
Back in triathlon in 2019 at 67, managed a 33 minute half Ironman swim. Two years later, 34 minutes. An age thing, right? This past summer PTO Canada was 36 minutes for 2000 M.
This winter in the pool my times are slowly improving as I have been doing a lot more shorter ( 50s and 100s) while watching and working on specific techniques and tips.
Anything over about 500 yd/m and I lose track of lap count when I do a long test swim so not sure exactly where I am at.
Another note: I gave up ever doing a flip turns…..I Just get dizzy….
Just keep working, try things out to see how it works and always strive to improve. Compete to slay the old age sloth!

LEARN TO FLOAT! Face down, 11 position (arms extended). When you learn how to employee your core muscles properly to remain high in the water, everything is easier, and faster! Reducing drag is far more important in swimming than cycling or running :-)

Thanks. Good stuff.

---

http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

Very underrated, especially for those without a swimming background.

---

http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

Seems so simple, yet seems to be impossible for me to face down float my legs, torso - no problem, legs sink.

Is SWOLF a useful metric? If so, what are good, great & need's work targets for 25 & 50y pools?

Don't worry about being completely flat. It's learning how to get slightly better that can teach you about maintaining position.

I've worked with VERY fast swimmers that can't do it.

Start with an exercise like this. You should be able to float.

https://www.youtube.com/...x61BKXeA&index=3

Then work on extending your arms and legs while maintaining control. Practice that and aim to improve.

An easier floating version is something like this.

https://www.youtube.com/...61BKXeA&index=24

SWOLF is just your time per lap + your stroke count. Generally speaking, you want lower numbers for both, so yes it's useful. Rather than focusing on a particular target, focusing on swimming faster and taking fewer strokes and the numbers will improve. You can improve the number by swimming faster, taking fewer strokes, or both.

Hope that helps.

Andrew

---

http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

Thank you sir.

Also, I've really appreciated your barrage of recent updates to your YouTube channel. My local pool is weird about video. Once I get that sorted, I'll be in touch directly one of these days. :)

...and stop going so slow and hanging onto the wall for a minute between sets.

---

-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

This is for me:

1. go to pool
2. actually swim
3. do it again at least one more time
4. this year, month, week.
5. stop thinking about it so much, just swim

You are welcome.

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http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

Swim specific gym work is not a thing. It won't help. Swim more.

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#######
My Blog

I am a disaster of a swimmer…but a few things I’ve greatly valued:

-Aftershokz. Listening to music when swimming is a game changer.

-Ear plugs. Without them, I breathe every stroke on my left. With them, they have made bilateral breathing effortless for me. It’s come in very useful to reduce single-side fatigue and when swimming in open water due to wind and waves. I have never swam without them since the first day I tried them over a year ago.

-I’ve learned to reach out as far as I can when swimming in the pool lately. I average about 15.0-15.5 strokes/length of the pool (I’m short), so I’ve been working on reducing that number.

-Doing interval work in the pool helps to ensure my form isn’t going to hell. I used to do sets of 500 in the pool or would just swim for 3,000-5,000 yards straight with no break. Given the fact that I’m kind of a terrible swimmer, I’ve learned the negative impact that swimming for that long with no rest has on my form. I’ve been doing lots of sets of 50’s-250’s in the pool this winter in an effort to maintain some semblance of a decent form.

One thing?

Short a water
Get professional help

Long detailed answer
Buy a $19 tripod from Amazon

Set it up at the end of the pool

Video yourself

Have it analyzed by a swim coach

Have them give you a swim program

This gave me better results in 4 weeks. Compared to 40 years of swimming with masters groups and analyzing my own technique.

Without the ear plugs, did your breathing pattern determine which ear you got water in?

---

http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

I'm not a fish by any means, but I've been focusing heavily on my swim this year and have definitely made gains.

• Swim a lot.
• SLOW DOWN and forget what the wall clock says. Really, really focus on what it *feels* like in the water, proprioception.
• Video your stroke and truly analyze what that stroke feels like and what it will feel like when you fix the technique error you're trying to fix. For instance, I lead with my elbow when I pull with my left arm, but during my warm ups (first 1,500 yard of a swim or so), I close my eyes, swim stupidly easy, and truly key-in and focus on what a "good" pull feels like. I now can feel when I get lazy and my form starts to deteriorate deep int main sets.
• Don't practice a shit stroke. You're going to get to a point where it's your technique that's your barrier, and no amount of thrashing out 100's on 1:20 is going to make you faster.
• Let go of your ego and be willing to question what you previously accepted as fact.

Namaste (in the pool and put the work in).

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@floathammerholdon | @partners_in_tri

for the past 4 years I have I spent the last 15 minutes of my sons swim practices, while waiting to leave(!) watching everyone swim. I was a swimmer myself and have a good background on this.

I think your list is good. I'd add two things: in regards to breathing technique, it seems that faulty breathing is what leads to stroke imbalance and stroke imbalance is what causes the most drag. Is that your assessment too?

Second: the really fast kids (and this doesn't have much to do with age-group level triathletes) kick really hard. I only say this because if you have a kid who swims but doesn't have a good kick...get him interested in triathlon!

You make a great point about the difference between what something looks like and it what it feels like. A lot of time what one think they have to do to make a change is dramatically different from what they actually need to do.

A change is always going to FEEL much more larger than it actually is. It feels like you've move your arm 3 feet when you've only move it 3 inches.

Video is great for confirming you're actually doing what you think you're doing.

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http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today

I would agree that breathing is the start of almost all problems. You are going to get air first, no matter what. You need air to float and you need air to live. That is the first priority, always.

Poor control of breathing accelerates dramatically fatigue because you'll be a lot less relaxed and your position in the water will be worse. Poor breathing mechanics throw the stroke out of rhythm and alignment.

It's MUCH easier to learn effective freestyle when breathing is under control. This is a mistake many individuals make. They try to learn freestyle before they learn to manage their air.

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http://www.masteringflow.info
http://www.youtube.com/@masteringflow
http://www.andrewsheaffcoaching.com/...freestyle-fast-today