Last Chances! Our Perth Competition Draw Is TOMORROW And Black Friday Deals End TONIGHT!!

We have four news items for you on the blog this week:

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Our BLACK FRIDAY DEALS END TONIGHT this is your LAST CHANCE to grab a hefty discount on a Guru Subscription, Finis products, Swim Smooth products and HUUB products. Free shipping and over 50% off many items!

Deals are here: mailchi.mp/swimsmooth/swim-smooth-black-friday-offers-1093693

Purchase here: shop.swimsmooth.com

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TOMORROW we are drawing the winner of our WIN A TRIP TO PERTH AUSTRALIA competition! The good news is that if you are receiving this blog email then you are automatically entered into the competition but why not get all your family and friends to enter too? Just get them to subscribe to the blog before tomorrow and they'll be entered into the draw too!

For more information and to enter visit: http://swimsmooth.com/info/win-a-trip-to-perth

You might want to monitor your email tomorrow afternoon / evening, just in case you get THAT WINNING EMAIL!

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Paul Newsome and Brad Smith - Team Swim Smooth - are competing at the Bali Hope Swim-Run event next weekend.

Our oceans are suffocating from a huge influx of plastic but on one small island off the coast of Bali, there’s a chance to make a difference. On December 8th, 2018, 30 brave people from around the world will race over land and ocean in a race against time to protect the future of the islands of Nusa Lembongan & Nusa Ceningan. Previously pristine islands that have been heavily impacted by massive tourism growth are now threatened with an environmental disaster.

Find out more at: everydayhero.com.au/event/balihopeswimrun2018

Please give generously to this cause which is very close to our hearts on the Team Swim Smooth donation page: balihopeswimrun2018.everydayhero.com/au/team-swim-smooth

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Finally, Episode 4 of the Swim Smooth Podcast is live. Head Coaches Paul Newsome and Adam Young discuss the history of Swim Smooth itself since the creation of the original DVD boxset back in 2004, right the way through Adam joining the team in 2008 and becoming the driving force in everything you know and love about Swim Smooth, all the way up to the current day and some further insight into where we're heading in the future.

It's a long episode (nearly 2 hours in fact!) but should help you really understand what Swim Smooth is all about, the methodology, the concepts, some of the challenges and hurdles we've faced as well as how we've grown the program to be the coaching curriculum used and endorsed by both British Triathlon and the International Triathlon Union in 119 countries around the world!

Listen here:

Apple Podcasts	Anchor	Breaker
Castbox	Google Podcasts	Overcast
Pocket Casts	RadioPublic	Spotify
Stitcher

Swim Smooth!

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10 Ways To Improve Your Swimming With The Guru (Subscribe In The Black Friday Sale)

A long long time ago, when millennials were still at school and people still bought CDs, if you didn't have access to a Swim Smooth coach to improve your swimming, you would have bought one of our coaching DVDs. All was good in the world - sunglasses got bigger and bigger, Uber referred to German cyclists and a Blackberry wasn't a fruit for a while.

But around 2012 it was obvious that the world was quickly moving on and technology was coming that would allow us to produce a much better coaching product than a mere DVD. We could deliver massively more interactive content and sophisticated intelligence to guide the swimmer. A true "virtual coach" was the name of the game.

And so we started writing... and filming... and coding... and filming... and writing:

Three years later, one bright sunny day in December 2014 The Guru was launched (or the Swim Smooth Coaching System as it was called back then):

The result was a "web-app" based system you could access from any laptop, smartphone or tablet with over 30 hours (!) of high quality coaching video, extensive training plans and interactive stroke correction.

The Guru is still such a new idea in coaching that it might not be intuitively obvious to you how it works, so we've outlined 10 ways to use the Guru to improve your own swimming (or coaching). But before we get started with that don't miss the fact that we have a Black Friday deal on the Guru running for the next few days only:

Sign-up here and use promo code VUQ8-7G2G to get 30% off a 3 month PRO subscription or 10% off an annual PRO subscription: www.swimsmooth.guru

10 Ways To Improve Your Swimming With The Guru

1. Our Complete Drill Library (Pro and Std Subscriptions)

Never again wonder what to focus on or the purpose of any drill with our full guide to every SS drill featuring extensive coaching points. Watch in glorious HD from any angle:

Subscribers shortcut: www.swimsmooth.guru/subsection/dg/drills/


2. Study Elite Swimmers (Pro and Std Subscriptions)

How can elite swimmers possibly be so quick? Understand how with our exclusive collection of amazing swimmers shot for you to study from every angle. Featuring Olympic Champions like Rebecca Adlington and the fastest female swimmer in triathlon Lucy Charles:

Subscribers shortcut: www.swimsmooth.guru/subsection/dF/elites/


3. Our Full Learn To Swim Program (Pro and Std Subscriptions)

Can't swim freestyle yet? You're in for a treat as both subscription levels of the Guru feature our full Learn To Swim process. We'll build up your stroke step by step for those first laps of smooth effective freestyle - get inspired!

Subscribers shortcut: www.swimsmooth.guru/subsection/cMH/learn-to-swim/


4. Correct Your Stroke With Our Fault Fixer (Std & Pro) & Swim Types Processes (Pro subscriptions)

OK down to business directly improving the efficiency and effectiveness of your stroke with our truly individual approach to stroke correction. You have a choice of two routes - firstly identify a specific fault in your stroke and follow our step-by-step process to correct it. Or work on multiple areas at once with our ingenious Swim Types processes - identify your type and fast track your progress with our holistic approach to your swimming.

Subscribers shortcut: www.swimsmooth.guru/subsection/dY/fault-fixers/


5. Training Plans For Any Distance (Pro subscriptions)

Training for any distance of triathlon or open water swim? We have a full swim training plan specific for your needs to get you fully prepared for a big personal best. 19 plans to choose from in total:

Of course you can print out any session to take poolside and follow.

Subscribers shortcut: www.swimsmooth.guru/subsection/b9/training-plans/


6. Session Libraries (Pro subscriptions only)

Not following an event plan but want a session of a specific type of session to follow? We've organised over 800 (!) sessions by type in our libraries. Technique, Aerobic Endurance, CSS or Red Mist - you decide! The perfect resource for coaches too.

Subscribers shortcut: www.swimsmooth.guru/subsection/cEZ/session-library/


7. Train Interactively With A Tempo Trainer & "Tweak" Your Fitness

The Guru knows and tracks your swimming ability using the CSS system which Swim Smooth popularised throughout swimming. With our clever "tweaking" method, your CSS pace adapts over time to make sure you are training at the optimal pace for your ability.

But how do we make sure you swim at the right speed? With our Tempo Trainer Pro integration. Simply program the Guru's settings into your Tempo Trainer and swim to the beep - turning and pushing at the end of each lap as it beeps (a bit like a beep-test in the gym):

Subscribers shortcut: www.swimsmooth.guru/csstracker/


8. Fitness Tracker (Pro Subscription) & Performance Profile (Pro - Marlin Required)

Want to see visually how you are progressing? How do you know how tired you are and if that's affecting your speed on any given day? The Guru features a clever Fitness Tracker to model your fitness and fatigue levels visually over time. Easily compare month against month or year against year.

Subscribers shortcut: www.swimsmooth.guru/fitnesstracker/

And, if you own a Platysens Marlin (more on this below) the Guru assesses every lap of every swim to understand your fitness profile across different distances:

Subscribers shortcut: www.swimsmooth.guru/performanceprofile/


9. Swim With Our Virtual Squad - The Exact Same Sessions As The Perth Squad!

Unfortunately not everyone can swim in sunny Perth at the glorious Claremont swimming pool but now you can swim the same sessions at the same time! The Virtual Squad features technique, training and open water skills direct from Head Coach Paul Newsome down-under:

Subscribers shortcut: www.swimsmooth.guru/sequence/cLk/virtual-squad/


10. "Close The Loop" With A Marlin

As an optional extra to the Guru, purchase a Platysens Marlin and wear it whilst you swim. Send a training session from the Guru to the Marlin and it will verbally speak the session to you as you swim reminding you what to do. Not only that but the Marlin will record the session for you and import it back into the Guru for full analysis. Genius!

Subscribers shortcut: www.swimsmooth.guru/text/dbs/platysens-marlin-swim-meter/

You'll love working with the Guru - so much so you might even be inspired to bake a Guru cake (Thanks Nolan!) :

Sign-up to the Guru here and use promo code VUQ8-7G2G to get 30% off a 3 month PRO subscription or 10% off an annual PRO subscription: www.swimsmooth.guru

Swim Smooth!

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Should I Use A Snorkel To Develop My Stroke Technique?

Here's a question we get asked a lot: Should I swim with a snorkel in training to develop my stroke technique without the distraction of breathing?

The potential benefits of using a snorkel in this way are clear - rotating to the side to inhale can easily cause over-rotation, a loss of balance and a pressing down during the catch. Over time all of these stroke flaws can become a habit in your stroke:

Con presses down on the water at the front of the stroke whilst breathing and
over-rotates such that his legs scissor kick apart.

The idea of swimming with a snorkel is that you can avoid these problems and learn better technique such that when you remove the snorkel the motor patterns will stick.

So should you?

In our opinion, using a snorkel can be a useful exercise but only if you are very relaxed and confident using it. For most swimmers using a snorkel feels very strange and you may be concerned and distracted about water coming down the tube. It can also lead to feelings of claustrophobia.

That's why we don't use snorkels as a matter of course through our coaching. If you have a specific problem to work on related to breathing and are experienced and confident using a snorkel then by all means try it. Make sure you use a front-mounted freestyle specific snorkel though (not a beach snorkel) as they won't pull the mouthpiece out of your mouth at swimming speeds.

Finis make an excellent one of these:

Which you can see in our Swim Shop here: https://shop.swimsmooth.com/products/finis-freestyle-snorkel

As with all swimming aids be careful not to become addicted to using it and make sure you conduct the majority of your swimming without.


Stroke Correction Without A Snorkel

So how do we go about fixing stroke flaws whilst breathing? We have many drills and methods in the Swim Smooth Guru designed to do this targeting specific stroke flaws. A favourite is the Javelin Drill which involves kicking on your side in the position you want to hit whilst practising breathing, before introducing breathing strokes:

Javelin uses a paddle on the lead hand to improve your proprioception of the stroking hand and arm whilst performing the drill. Always breathe away from the paddle.

You can watch the Javelin drill demonstration and receive all the coaching points in the Guru here (subscription required): www.swimsmooth.guru/streamvideo/cZF/mv/javelin-drill/


Swim Smooth!

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The Swim Smooth Podcast Is Now Live On All Channels!

We've just released episodes 2 and 3 of the shiny new Swim Smooth Podcast and the great news is that it's now available on all podcasting channels for you:

Apple Podcasts	Anchor	Breaker
Castbox	Google Podcasts	Overcast
Pocket Casts	RadioPublic	Spotify
Stitcher

Join SS Head Coaches Paul Newsome and Adam Young as they bring our highly popular blog www.feelforthewater.com to life with tips, tricks and techniques to help you maximise your swimming efficiency and enjoyment in the water. Paul and Adam will have interviews with a wide-range of athletes from the very top of the sport to the everyday heroes that espouse what the Swim Smooth philosophy is all about.

Please subscribe on your channel and if you love it give us a 5 star rating too - that will help us spread everything Swim Smooth to the swimming and triathlon worlds!

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Episode 2: Interview with Tom Hickman of the Bali-Hope SwimRun Challenge

Tom Hickman is the founder of SE Asia's very first SwimRun event, taking place in Bali on the 5th to 9th December 2018 with Paul taking part in the event on the island of Nusa-Lembogan.

In the show Paul and Adam discuss with Tom the issues of plastic wastage facing the oceans and waterways of the world, specifically in the Bali region. We discuss the event itself and how to train up for a SwimRun event including a brief discussion on equipment choices etc. The guys also discuss the charity aspect of the event and how Paul and teammate Brad Smith will be getting their hands dirty on the beaches with a plastics clean-up effort as well as visiting schools and local communities in the region in aid of the Bali Children's Foundation.

To donate to this very worthy cause and give the boys a bit of support, please visit: balihopeswimrun2018.everydayhero.com/au/team-swim-smooth

You might also like to watch this clip of Paul and Andy Blow from Precision Hydration discussing further details of SwimRun equipment choices: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGXWEn3M5yk

Listen here: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/swim-smooth/id1441577778?mt=2&ign-mpt=uo%3D4#

Or on one of the channels above.

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Episode 3: Interview with Dean Jackson - the man - the myth - the legend - behind HUUB Design

Paul and Adam meet up with "Deano" Jackson to discuss Ross Edgley's brilliant #GreatBritishSwim as well as how the Brownlee Brothers have helped to shape the future of the brand, originally conceived in a Costa Coffee in Folkestone, UK!

This fact-filled show charters the history of the UK's biggest and best wetsuit brand, HUUB Design. During the show, Dean Jackson (#gamechanger) discusses with Paul and Adam the vision for the company and recalls how Paul and Adam's insight utilising the Swim Smooth Swim Types methodology helped conceive the first few series of suits to embrace and acknowledge how everyone needs a suit to fit them individually with respect to their buoyancy profile and how they swim.

We get the low-down and juicy inside information about Red Bull's Ross Edgley's amazing 2800km swim around the UK (#GreatBritishSwim) and how many wetsuits it took to get him round during this epic 157 circumnavigation to set an amazing new world record.

Dean discusses how the Brownlee Brothers (who share 4 Olympic medals in triathlon, including 2 gold) helped give their insight into the new Agilis suit and we also hear about what the future has instore with the new HUUB / Wattbike track cycling team.

One thing's for sure - this is a not-to-be-missed episode of the Swim Smooth Podcast!

Listen here: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/swim-smooth/id1441577778?mt=2&ign-mpt=uo%3D4#

Or on one of the channels above.

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Thanks for listening,

Swim Smooth!

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