I'd Do Anything To Improve My Swimming (But I Won't Do That)

COACHES: Applications for our Mallorca 3 Day Coach Ed Course Close March 10th
www.swimsmooth.com/improve/coach-education/swim-smooth-three-day-coach-education-course

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I'd Do Anything To Improve My Swimming (But I Won't Do That)

If you're a fan of wagnerian rock you'll be familiar with Meat Loaf's power ballad I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) which reached number 1 in 28 countries in 1993.

Oftentimes we'll be having a conversation with a swimmer and we're reminded of this amusing song title.

Perhaps it's you talking to us. You'll be telling us that you are really frustrated with your swimming, how you've tried everything and you can't seem to get any faster... How you SO deserve to get better and swimming is so unfair.

And then you say those immortal words: "Just tell me what to do, I'd do anything to improve my swimming!". And we sigh quietly inside because we know that's probably not true.

Things We Might Ask You To Do But You Probably Won't

After assessing your individual stroke and looking at your recent training we might ask you to do one or more of the following things. Things we know will ultimately make a big difference to your speed:

- Breathe regularly to your "bad" side - i.e. breathe bilaterally.

- Give up the pull buoy.

- Swallow your pride, move down a lane and lead the group.

- Move up a lane and hang in there.

- Have some discipline and pace yourself properly in sessions.

- Consistently swim 3-4 times per week for 3 months (and keep a log to prove it).

- Swim a 4-5km Red Mist session once a week. (If you think that's a ridiculous proposition remember it's only 60-90 mins of swimming. Can you ride your bike for 60-90 mins?)

You don't do these things because they require you to go to a place of mild physical or emotional discomfort for a while and that makes you think that there must be an easier way. That the guy in lane 4 whose CSS is 1:15 /100m knows some sort of secret you don't. That there must be some trick that you just haven't worked out yet.

Keep looking for that thing if you like (you'll stay frustrated and looking for a very long time). Or the next time your coach suggests something mildly physically or emotionally uncomfortable, but for a good reason, actually embrace it.


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SS Podcast Episode 20 / Apply Now: May 2020 Coach Ed Course - Mallorca Spain

Coaches: Interested in attending our 3 Day Coach Ed course in Mallorca? See full info below.

Episode 20: Tom Gregory - youngest ever English Channel Swimmer (at just 11yrs old!)

We are back with Season 2 of the Swim Smooth podcast and boy oh boy do we have a great show for you! Have you ever thought about swimming the English Channel? The busiest shipping lane in the world; typically 14-17 degrees celsius and non-wetsuit over a distance that frequently extends to 50km due to the current and tides that prevail in this stretch of water? Yes, no, maybe? Now, imagine taking on this adventure in the middle of the night at the age of 11 years old. Well, that is exactly what our guest did way back in September 1988 to set the world record at the age of 11 years and 333 days! Totally amazing - please welcome Tom Gregory to the show!

Listen in on your favourite podcasting platform:

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

Apply Now: May 2020 Coach Ed Course - Mallorca Spain

Swim Smooth are very pleased to announce that Head Coach Paul Newsome and the Swim Smooth team will be running our famous 3 Day Coach Education Course in Mallorca in May.

We are now taking applications for:

21-23 May 2020, Best Centre, Mallorca

Are you as passionate about swim coaching as we are? Are you keen to develop your video analysis and stroke correction skills? Would like to understand effective training for distance swimming? Or perhaps you have ambitions to go on and become one of the next generation of Swim Smooth Certified Coaches?

Since we ran our first 3-day Coach Education Course in Birmingham in June 2010 we've had over 520 international coaches complete the course from over 3,000 applicants.

This will be the only course in Europe this year so don't hesitate to apply!

Mallorca: The Class Of 2018

Such is the demand that getting onto the course is not easy but those who are successful epitomise what Swim Smooth is all about - you don't necessarily need to be the most experienced coach to be offered a spot, but you do need to show us your passion, commitment and the purpose to your coaching.

Day 3 is practical day. Your chance to get stuck in and
practise what you have learnt in a live clinic situation.

To apply see the full information page at: www.swimsmooth.com/improve/coach-education/swim-smooth-three-day-coach-education-course

And see the official launch post here: mailchi.mp/swimsmooth/3-day-coach-education-course-mallorca-21st-23rd-may-2020

So what's stopping you? Apply now and get started on your path to better swim coaching!

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"Just" A Swimmer? Make Sure You Choose A Certified Swim Smooth Coach!

See yourself like never before: Underwater video
analysis is a key part of every SS Coach's service

As you can see above, we spend a huge amount of effort selecting and training Swim Smooth Coaches. We do that because we know you can't fake it in swim coaching - you need the right knowledge, expertise and experience to help swimmers of all abilities reach their true potential in the water.

So whether you need some help improving your effectiveness and speed with video analysis or are looking to join a fantastic training squad in your area, make sure you choose a Certified Swim Smooth Coach - only they are fully trained by us to transform your swimming.

Find your nearest here: www.swimsmooth.com/coaches

A big welcome to Swim Smooth!

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A Very Special Swim Clinic In Mallorca With Paul Newsome

SS Head Coach and founder Paul Newsome is very excited to announce a special one-off swim clinic in Mallorca in May:

Best Centre, Mallorca, Spain

1 Day SS Clinic, Saturday 23rd May 2020

This clinic is a rare opportunity to have your stroke analysed and corrected by Paul in this amazing location. The clinic features:

- Super-clear filming of your stroke above and below the water in high definition.

- Full analysis of your stroke by Paul, showing you clearly where you are being held back at the moment and exactly how to make the corrections you need. This is recorded for you to take with you and refer to after the clinic.

- Full stroke correction session in the pool tuning up your stroke using the right drills to address your individual needs. Huge step changes are common during this session - it is where the magic really happens!

- A third pool session to identify your CSS pace and set your training speeds to optimally develop your swim fitness going forwards after the clinic. Plus we teach you how to master your pacing skills - poor pacing is something that is holding back many swimmers in the water.

Space is very limited so grab your place now - this clinic is sure to fill very quickly:

swimsmooth.com/info/one-day-clinic-mallorca-may-2020

Paul filming at the beautiful Best Centre pool - Sunny Mallorca

Can't make it? Book a session with one of our Certified Coaches instead. Hand picked and heavily trained by Paul Newsome and Adam Young to give your swimming a major upgrade! :

www.swimsmooth.com/certifiedcoaches

And If Your Are Coming To Mallorca, Join Us At The BEST FEST!

Come and join the Swim Smooth team in Mallorca for the "BEST Fest Open Water Swim Festival" from May 23-30th!

www.bestopenwater.com

The BEST Fest is an amazing set of open water swimming events in the stunning waters of this beautiful mediterranean island. With a different event on every day you can enter as many or as few as you like. Ranging from the 4x 500m team relay through to the mighty 10km Colonia Classic, the BEST Fest has something for you, whatever your level of swimming:

See the full video here: vimeo.com/175058116

All events take place in the beautiful waters around the town of Colonia Sant Jordi. The town is famous for the amazing beaches that lie either side of the town and the island of Cabrera, Spain’s first protected nature marine park, that lies a few kilometres away.

The Swim Smooth team will be in full attendance with many of our coaches (including head coach Paul Newsome) towing the line in the various events.

Think of it like The Tour de France of open water swimming, accumulating points from each race to a series final in your age group. Meet new swimming friends from literally all over the world and enjoy the company of these like-minded swimmers in an area of extreme natural beauty... and no stingers or sharks either!

Where is it: Colonia Sant Jordi is on the southern tip of Mallorca, approximately 50 minutes drive from Palma. Hotel accommodations should be booked via Vanessa at vanessa@bestcentresports.com (please quote "Swim Smooth" for the best deals) - we prefer to stay in the THB Sur - great for the budget conscious and right on the Med! An other good option is the Blue Waters, which is also a short walk from the town's 50m pool.

For full details and to enter, visit: bestopenwater.com

See you there!

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Feedback From Heart Rate On Your Swim Training

SELLING OUT FAST: Our sale of ex-demo HUUB wetsuits continues in our swim shop.

Only a few sizes and models left: shop.swimsmooth.com/collections/huub-demo-wetsuits

Feedback From Heart Rate On Your Swim Training

Many of the wearables on the market such as the new Garmin Swim 2 and Apple Watch can now measure your heart rate when you swim without the need for a chest strap. But how should you use this data to best effect?

As you probably know, at Swim Smooth we have pioneered controlling the intensity of your swimming during key training sets using Finis Tempo Trainer Pros. By knowing your CSS pace you can program a precise time per lap into the Tempo Trainer and so very accurately control how hard you are working from your first lap to last.

Heart rate on the other hand gives an insight into your physiological resonse to training. It gives a delayed reaction to intensity and is influenced by many other factors such as fatigue, hydration levels and water temperature. For that reason it's not a great way to control your intensity but it can offer a lot of insight in other ways.

Here's two heart rate traces from Sean who swims in the SS squads in Perth. Each is a complete CSS session including a warmup and some drills before the main set.

During the first session Sean led his lane. He averaged 1:27 /100m pace during the main set, hitting 176BPM towards the end. You can see a nice consistent build in heart rate through the main set indicating a strong aerobic load which is great training for distance swimming.

Sean then repeated the exact same session but this time drafted behind some slightly faster swimmers than himself:

This time he was faster, averaging 1:25 /100m in the main set but you can see his heart rate doesn't have the same consistent build and he achieves a lower 161 BPM maximum.

So having heart rate recorded during this swim allowed Sean to understand that although he swam faster drafting in the group during the second swim he actually had a poorer session from a training point of view with less aerobic load. Many swimmers would fall into the trap of thinking the opposite, that swimming faster means a better performance and therefore better training.

Here's another example of SS Head Coach Paul Newsome swimming a CSS session on Thursday night here in Perth:

Paul's an experienced swimmer and you can again see that "solid block" of building heart rate through the main set. Myffy (Swim Smooth's new community manager) swam the exact same session at the same time:

And you can see how inconsistent her heart rate was, dropping right down as she stopped during the main set several times. Myffy is new to swimming and setting off a little too quick caused her to need to stop for additional rest, harming the quality of her training. With the insight of the heart rate data she'll take this on board and improve on things next time around.

There are lots of influences on heart rate which make it a challenging metric to interpret at any given moment in time. For that reason it's tempting to disregard it completely, however looking at the trends in your heart rate over the course of a key training set can clearly show when you executed a good session and maintained a good aerobic load.

A key take away here for your own training (regardless of whether you monitor your heart rate) is to make sure that you design sessions with short recoveries and stick to them. It's easy to chat to a friend or slip in a little extra rest during a main set but as we can see above this harms the quality of the session. This is especially important for CSS and Red Mist sessions where it's all about aerobic load.


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