Swim Smooth

Overcoming the “Adult-Onset Swimmer” Mindset

Today, we tackle the mindset that holds many adult swimmers back: the “adult-onset swimmer” label. For those who learned to swim later, this identity can feel limiting, but what if it’s more a mental block than a true disadvantage?

In a recent session with Rachel, an adult learner, we explored how this label had become her lens for every struggle and setback. By shifting her focus from the label to specific technique adjustments, Rachel experienced a breakthrough. Her journey shows that progress doesn’t hinge on when you started but on your mindset and approach.

Challenging the Label

Even professional athletes like Sam Long and Joe Skipper can get caught in this mindset, often joking about their "late start" rather than addressing areas for improvement. This label can easily become a crutch, distracting from the actionable work needed for real progress.

Focus on Logic, Not Labels

Rachel’s breakthrough came by understanding key stroke mechanics—hand entry, body position, and rhythm—and working on these practical elements in real time. Dropping the “adult-onset” label opened her mind to faster, easier swimming.

Need Guidance?

Our Swim Smooth Certified Coaches are here to help you break through barriers with logical, technique-focused coaching.

And a warm welcome to Perry Hock, our newest Swim Smooth Coach! With his triathlon and Adult Learn-to-Swim expertise, Perry is passionate about helping adults build confidence and refine their technique. Welcome aboard, Perry!

Hey swimmers! I’m back in Perth after a fantastic week of coaching in Europe, although the weather here is pretty stormy right now. On the long flight home, I reflected on how Swim Smooth was founded in 2004, entirely built around 1-to-1 video analysis and stroke correction. I’ve been fortunate to work with thousands of swimmers and triathletes, refining this process over the years. Just last week in Montenegro, I shared with our swimmers how these sessions were born from my passion for coaching and biomechanics, as well as the practical need to make a living after moving to Australia in 2002.

Today, our video analysis service continues to deliver transformative results, from helping beginners like Fiona improve their catch to fine-tuning professional triathletes like Emma Pallant-Browne. We now have over 40 fully trained coaches around the world offering these sessions, which focus on identifying the key areas you need to improve—not overwhelming you with a list of errors.

In this episode, we’ll dive into the three most common things we see in video analysis sessions, how you can start improving your stroke right away, and why a personalized approach is crucial. Plus, I’ll share more about our upcoming Rottnest Channel Swim Program, designed to help you avoid injury as you ramp up your distances. Stay tuned!

In Australia, it seems everything can kill you—sharks, snakes, spiders, and even the sun! And don’t forget about the crocs lurking in the rivers. But for swimmers like Simone Blaser, these dangers are just part of the adventure.

While most would steer clear of the wild, Simone thrives in it, taking on challenges that most would find terrifying. Her next mission? Swimming the crocodile-infested Upper Ord River in Western Australia, proving that nothing—not even Australia’s infamous wildlife—can stop her!

Will she be the first person to swim the entire 50km length of Western Australia’s Upper Ord River?

This week, we’re shining a spotlight on an inspiring member of the Swim Smooth Perth Squad, Simone Blaser. Simone is no ordinary swimmer—she’s about to embark on a history-making challenge, aiming to become the first person to swim the entire 50km length of Western Australia’s Upper Ord River. Her dedication to open water swimming and her commitment to raising funds for the charity Swim for Refugees make her an extraordinary individual.

Simone will set off at midnight on 14 September, swimming from Lake Argyle Dam to the Diversion Dam in Kununurra.

“This is a unique place, and I’m incredibly fortunate to swim in such a pristine body of water. The untouched cliffs and rugged beauty inspire me to push my limits”

Though saltwater crocodile sightings are rare in that stretch, Simone knows she’ll be sharing the water with freshwater crocodiles. “Hopefully, they won’t pay too much attention!” she added.

Simone has raised over $6,000 for Swim for Refugees, a Perth-based charity teaching refugees vital swimming skills. “Many people who come to WA seeking shelter and refuge come from places where they’ve never had the opportunity to learn to swim. Swim for Refugees helps welcome these people to Perth, gets them involved with their local community, and teaches them the critical life-saving skill of swimming, giving them an opportunity to embrace the lifestyle here safely and without fear,” she explained.

Originally from South Africa, Simone has built an impressive open water swimming resume since moving to Australia in 2008, including multiple Rottnest Channel swims and ultra-marathon swims. Her latest challenge in Kununurra will be her biggest swim yet.

Throughout many of her wild swimming adventures in Western Australia, Simone has benefited from Paul Newsome’s mentorship and coaching. His advice and encouragement have been invaluable as she prepared for her endurance swims. Simone has been training rigorously with the Swim Smooth Perth Squad, swimming up to 50km weekly to get ready for this monumental feat.

Here’s just the 5km ‘warm-up’ of one of her recent Saturday morning swims with the Squad:

🇧🇪 A little inspiration from the other side of the planet!

And whilst Simone is preparing for her epic journey tomorrow, just last week, newly Certified Swim Smooth Coach, Marieke Blomme, become the 4th fastest swimmer to complete the length of Lake Geneva - an incredible distance of 70km!

Speaking to the entire team of Swim Smooth Coaches this week, Marieke shared her opinion on how whilst nutrition is often considered the 4th discipline of triathlon, for marathon swimming, she believes it’s the 1st:

“I made some crucial mistakes that caused my speed to drop from 3.5 km/h to 2 km/h, which was quite frustrating! My nutrition plan included gels (50g and 25g), bananas, isotonic drinks, "liquid" food, raisin bread, and sports bars (nougat, marzipan, oat caramel). However, I should have communicated better with my support team about my carbohydrate limits—70g per hour for me—and emphasized not to give all 70g in one stop.

The plan was for the 50g gels to be given only once per hour, always with isotonic drinks. But at night, the skippers couldn’t see clearly and gave me a 50g gel plus liquid food (which had 25g of carbs) twice within 1.5 hours. I didn’t process this until after I had already consumed it. I then tried to adjust by eating and drinking less at the next stops, which were every 20 minutes, but I ended up consuming too many carbs—around 90-100g per hour. This caused my speed to drop significantly. Unfortunately, the team didn’t inform me I was slowing down, and I didn’t realize it myself at first. I felt like I was maintaining the pace I wanted, and my stroke cadence stayed the same, but I had a heavy, brick-like feeling in my stomach.

When I realized what had happened, I stopped eating and drinking for an hour, which helped, but I never really got back up to speed. Feeding in ultra swimming is quite tricky because you have very little control. You might request something every 20 minutes, but you might get it every 25 minutes instead. Or you ask for 200ml and receive 150ml. You really have to rely on your team a lot more than in other endurance events, and communication is limited.

My team did a great job over the 24 hours, but I should have been more strict and provided clearer instructions. I’m still learning! Feeding strategy is challenging in these long swims, and next time I want to experiment with other foods like rice and mashed potatoes. On the plus side, I’ve had enough gels to last me for years now!”

Good luck Simone and well done Marieke! We’re very proud of you both!Your Coach,Paul

Podcast Summary:

New Swim Smooth Website Launching: A brand-new website will be launching in October, featuring listings for 2025. Stay tuned for updates!

Swim Smooth Guarantee: We are committed to improving your technique, training, and open water skills through world-class coaching and programs endorsed by World Triathlon.

"Devil is in the Detail" Blog: Today's blog post highlights a video to refine your technique, a guide for open water skills, and a new session to boost your swim fitness.

Website Redesign: The upcoming Swim Smooth website will offer easier access to vital content and coaching programs. Significant interest in becoming a Swim Smooth Coach has already surpassed the 2030 target, with huge excitement for the program's growth.

Swim Smooth Guarantee: Our mission is to improve your stroke technique, elevate your swim-specific fitness, and provide training for all ability levels across pool, open water, and triathlon environments.

Technique, Training, and Open Water Advice: Three key tips were shared:

Technique: Short videos providing technique tips for swimmers of all levels.

Training: A focus on the Red Mist Endurance Sessions and the importance of setting CSS (Critical Swim Speed) to optimize training intensity.

Open Water: Tips on structuring open water sessions to ensure fun, safe, and effective training.

Video Almost Banned: One of the videos nearly got banned due to insurance issues but was resolved, and the video is now available to help coaches and swimmers alike.

Stay Tuned: More exciting updates and resources are coming soon!

Hey swimmers,

It may well surprise you that - as a distance freestyle swim geek, and someone who shies away from sprinting at every opportunity - my favourite swim of the 2024 Paris Olympics was that of the Men’s 50m Freestyle, won by Australia’s Cameron McEvoy in 21.25 seconds.

Let me discuss why.

3 Olympiads of Woe for 21.25 seconds of Wow!

The London 2012 Olympics, McEvoy’s first, were a very special one for me personally. I was lucky enough to bring my (then) 3 year old son and 9 month old daughter back to the motherland to watch many of the events, including an amazing men’s triathlon won by Alistair Brownlee and the 10km track event won by Mo Farrah. England was ablaze like I’d never seen it before and I was super proud to showcase the best of British with my young family.

Since winning the gold in the 50m and 100m and bronze in the 200m freestyle events at the 2011 World Junior Championships in Lima, Peru, I’d been following the progress of this 17 year old Australian prodigy with keen interest. He was so versatile and not built at all like many of his contemporary sprinters. At 6 inches shorter and 25kg lighter than the winner of the men’s 50m freestyle back in 2012, Florent Manadou from France (who would go on to finish 3rd behind McEvoy in the same event 12 years later), McEvoy seemed incredibly light and relatively small. Whilst his body has evolved now somewhat given his new routine (which we’ll get stuck into), McEvoy is still dwarfed by many of his contemporaries.

A Freestyle Technician of the Highest Order

What also caught my attention was that he held the affectionate nickname of “The Professor” on account of his maths and physics degrees and keen interest in astro physics. McEvoy is reportedly super intelligent and has always been incredibly scientific about his approach to everything in his life. The Australian commentary over the last 12 years has always centred around how McEvoy has such an innate sense of feel for the water, that he’s been able to overcome his seeming size ‘deficit’ through his supremely efficient technique. I’d agree - it’s fantastic. However, McEvoy is also highly philosophical about the public perception of what it means to be talented in this regard which also ties in nicely to our discussion today about ensuring you’re ascertaining the right type of training for you:

"I think it's dangerous to tell young kids there's such a thing as talent. [That] if you don't possess this straight away then you're not going to be good."

Cameron McEvoy (2016)

“The McEvoy Method Could Change Swimming Forever!”

There’s rightly a lot of discussion on the interwebs right now about McEvoy’s amazing resurgence in the sport, how this was his 4th attempt at an Olympic title, and how he completely ripped up his old training program and started again from scratch when the results weren’t forthcoming; and of course, we all love a good renaissance or “phoenix rising from the flames” feel-good story too.Fox Sports even ran with the title,

“Twelve years of torment helped create the ‘McEvoy Method’. It could change swimming forever!”

But, will it really?

With all due respect to a phenomenal performance by McEvoy - my favourite of the entire games - is the ‘McEvoy Method’ anything more than just the right method for the event that he has dedicated his life to? Just as importantly, what can you learn about your own training approach? Is this the bigger story here? It's not just about following a specific method or convincing yourself, as some of my swimmers did this week, that swimming 3km a week—like McEvoy—is sufficient. It's about making sure you're doing what's right for you and your unique swimming goals, whatever they may be.

The Pitfalls of Avoiding Early Specialization

You see, many junior swim programs worldwide tend to have young sprinters doing endurance sets that are more suited for those showing potential in longer-distance events. This often stems from the belief that all young swimmers need to "log the kilometers" and that early specialization should be avoided. On the flip side, juniors who have a knack for distance work might find themselves doing excessive sprint or medley training simply because "that's what the squad is doing today." As a result, neither the aspiring sprinters nor the hopeful distance swimmers fully develop their potential, leaving a muddled middle ground where neither group benefits as much as they could. Middle-distance swimmers might thrive in this setup, but it's not ideal for everyone else.

It's a bit ironic that the "avoid specialization" mindset, which aims to prevent early burnout, ends up pushing young sprinters into training volumes that far exceed what they need, and McEvoy was no different.

After the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, McEvoy found himself at a crossroads. His traditional training program, which emphasized this same, high-volume swimming, seemed to hinder rather than help his progress. Like many swimmers before him, he was clocking up well over 30km a week, believing that more was always better. But the results told a different story.

“Mark Foster is too lazy!”

All the more ironic then that British sprint swimming superstar from the nineties and noughties, Mark Foster, was often labelled “lazy” for not conforming to the type of training volumes that many of his peers were subjecting themselves to.Despite this, Foster dominated the short distances in the British National Championships winning the 50 metres freestyle title 14 times from 1986 until 2004 and the 50 metres butterfly title ten times from 1992 until 2002. Foster broke the World Short Course freestyle record four times, the World Short Course butterfly record twice, and set the World Long Course butterfly record (in 1996) with a time of 24.07 seconds.

During my time with the British World Class Triathlon Team at Bath University, I trained alongside the British Swim Team during the height of Mark Foster's career and we often shared a lane. I recall Mark making an offhand comment one morning about his "endurance" session being just 1,500 meters, while we routinely swam 7 kilometers. This remark raised eyebrows and sparked rumors about him being "a bit soft” by the full-of-bravado triathlon team. The fact remains though, Foz was the one collecting the medals, not us.

Essentially, Foster had worked out his own “McEvoy Method” some 30+ years earlier - it was just that back then, people saw Foz as being “lazy”, whereas nothing could have been further from the truth.

McEvoy: Getting it Right!

Cameron McEvoy's journey to success mirrors Mark Foster’s and aligns beautifully with the principles that all of our Certified Coaches champion here at Swim Smooth. His shift from high-volume training to a quality-driven approach exemplifies tailoring training to individual needs, focusing on technique, efficiency, and enjoyment over sheer volume.

By reevaluating his approach, McEvoy enhanced his speed and power while reigniting his joy for swimming, illustrating the importance of a balanced, holistic training regimen that considers both mental and physical performance aspects. Fox Sports provides a great snapshot as what is entailed.

McEvoy's willingness to question traditional methods and embrace innovation demonstrates his commitment to continuous improvement. By challenging the status quo and exploring new techniques, he highlighted the value of personalized training and the need for an environment where swimmers are encouraged to experiment and grow.

His journey serves as a reminder of the impact of embracing individuality, fostering enjoyment, and prioritizing intelligent training practices. McEvoy's success shows that with the right approach, perseverance, and mindset, achieving one's goals is always within reach.And that, dear swimmer, is why my favourite event of the 2024 Paris Olympics was the Men’s 50m Freestyle! Well done Cam!Have a good week, see you next time!Your coach,Paul

Hey swimmers,

Before we kick off today’s blog about an issue that studies have shown may affect as many as 91% of us regular swimmers, it would be remiss of me not to mention what has been getting me up at 3am this week with the simply amazing swimming that has been on TV has been this week - have you caught any of it and what have been your favourite Olympic events? Let us know in the comments:

Here’s my pick of the Top-3 swim-related topics in Paris this week:

* As mentioned in the blog 2 weeks ago, the currents in the Seine proved very challenging for the triathletes in Wednesday’s men and women’s triathlon. The current wasn’t quite the 12km/h purported it could have been, but was in excess of 4km/h. Despite this the men still averaged just under 1:21/100m with Alession Crociani 🇮🇹 leading the men out of the water and Flora Duffy 🇧🇲 leading out in an average pace of exactly 1:28/100m. This was at least 0:10/100m slower than you would expect and the tactics I mentioned in the blog and also on Instagram during the race really played out in favour of the stronger, more tactically astute swimmers. The events were won by Cassandre Beaugrand 🇫🇷 and Alex Yee 🇬🇧 both of whom made the lead pack in the swim.

* Daniel Wiffen 🇮🇪, who’s exclusive interview featured on the blog in February, won the men’s 800 freestyle with the exact same technique he described when he spoke to me about his plans 6 months ago. It’s worth a revisit of that one, especially with how to develop a 2-beat kick yourself (and also why not to depending on the rest of your stroke!).

* It’s only natural that I have a soft spot for Katie Ledecky 🇺🇸 - whilst you might assume that’s because she’s the all-time greatest female distance swimmer in the pool, it’s actually for two other reasons entirely: 1) she immediately superseded my favourite female pool swimmer of all time, Rebecca Adlington 🇬🇧 in London 2012; 2) she has an almost identical leg kick and stroke rate to my favourite female marathon swimmer, Shelley Taylor-Smith 🇦🇺

Is Your Swimming Technique Risking Your Shoulder Health?

We have a tongue-in-cheek saying in our house about our ‘perfect’ family business(es) with myself as a swim coach and Michelle as a physiotherapist:

“Paul injures people and Michelle fixes them!”

In fact, nothing could be further from the truth! Over the past 20 years, Michelle’s influence on my coaching has been instrumental in being able to develop a system of knowledge, skills and resources to ensure that the 1,000s of swimmers we have each worked with can enjoy healthy, injury-free swimming for their entire lives.

As we all grow older, being able to enjoy some form of cardiac exercise is super important for our health and mental well-being and despite the adage that:

“Swimming is a sport you can enjoy for your entire life due to it’s non-weight-bearing nature!”

…suddenly feeling a niggle in your shoulder, neck, back or elbow enough to cause a cessation from swimming for any period can feel like a disaster. Fret not though, there’s usually a rhyme and a reason as to why this is the case. Our whole “cause and effect” approach to swim stroke correction was born out of the self-same process that most physios will go through when trying to identify the cause of your niggling woes: low, sinky legs? Head too high; scissor kick? Cross-over in front of your head. Lack of propulsive effeciency? Straight arm catch. The list goes on.

When it comes to swimming-related injuries there are 2 types of swimmer: 1) those with very obvious technical flaws; 2) those that you have to dig a little deeper to diagnose. Those who fall into the first group have 3 primary causes:

Patented Technology to Help Diagnose Your Issues

A little over a year ago on 14 June 2023, we were awarded a British Patent for our “System & Method for Coaching a Swimmer” for the technology that we’ve built into wearable devices to be able to quickly and easily detect the above 3 issues and recommend ways in which you can rectify these issues. If you have an Apple Watch yourself, you can easily check for these issues using our patented Swim Smooth Guru, just like I did with a junior swimmer earlier this week who’d been complaining of a sore right shoulder:

Nothing Beats Real, Human Swim Smooth Coaching

Of course, you might not have an Apple Watch or you might fall into the category of the second type of swimmer (those with less obvious flaws), in which case our ultimate recommendation would always be to check in with one of our expert coaches who cannot only diagnose your issues definitively, but also help you fix the issue and create a plan to ensure you stay injury free! Technology can be great, but nothing beats real, human coaching - here at Swim Smooth, we’re perfectly positioned to utilise insightful technology with the empathy of an expert coach “in the loop”:

Feel For The Water by Swim Smooth is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Welcome to the latest episode of the Swim Smooth Podcast! In this episode, we delve into the intriguing world of heart rate training and what your heart rate profile can reveal about the effectiveness of your workouts.

We'll explore how Critical Swim Speed (CSS) can shape your training sessions and help you achieve peak performance. Discover real heart rate curves from different training scenarios, including aerobic sessions, short fast intervals, continuous swims, and our classic Red Mist session.

Join us as we share essential tips to maintain consistent heart rates, avoid unnecessary "faff" time, and optimize your swim training. Whether you're a seasoned swimmer or just starting, this episode is packed with insights to help you hit those personal bests.

Tune in and learn how to make your heart rate work for you in your journey to becoming a better, faster swimmer!

Join us today in a candid and fun discussion as we chat with Andy Donaldson, the world record holder for the Cook Strait Swim and a great ambassador for the sport who's on his way to becoming the first and fastest swimmer to complete all Oceans Seven swims within 12 months.

The podcast was filmed live and can be viewed here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taR7J3TJTM8&t=1315s

To contribute/help with Andy's noble endeavours to raise awareness of mental health issues via swimming, please visit:

https://www.teamblackdog.org.au/fundraisers/oceansseven

Enjoy!

Last week – when I flooded everyone’s inbox with news that Swim Smooth was back (sorry, not sorry – as the kids say!), a gentleman from Oregon in the USA reached out to who informed me he’d just turned 89 years old the week before and that swimming was what was keeping him going in later life. He described his life in three parts:

1. His youth was the first third, he said, when he was very successful in both the pool and open water. This time included the dream of most all athletes, to be a member of the US Olympic team. He swam the 1500 in the Melbourne Games in 1956.

2. The second third would be his Masters Swimming in both the pool and open water. During this third he was honoured with an introduction into the International Masters Swimming Hall of Fame.

3. The final third is now, Dave said – dealing with the likely diagnosis of a rare neurological condition called ALS. Wikipedia states that, ALS or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a rare neurological disease that affects motor neurons—those nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement. Voluntary muscles are those we choose to move to produce movements like chewing, walking, and talking.

Despite these challenges, Dave says that when he swims he tries to be Smooth and steady. He says, he’s not fast but he feels smooth and comfortable and that it is still a great feeling to just get in and try to glide through the water. Swimming has enabled Dave to keep a certain level of fitness. Mentally it is keeping him active with a positive attitude about life. So Smooth Swimming is a must for me, Dave says.

Dave Radcliff from Oregon in the USA, a 1956 Olympian and someone who has held every master’s swimming world record from 50m to 1500m freestyle for the 75-79 and 80-84 age groups, when he returned to swimming in 1995 at the age of 61. Dave’s 1500m freestyle World Record time at age 80 was 22:16.90, only 3 minutes slower than his time in the 1956 Olympics.

He’s here today to talk to you about the importance of using it, or losing it! Enjoy!

We've got a cracker of a podcast for you this week - a fireside chat with Rob Hutchings, author of The Downriver Nomad, as he tells his story about dealing with the adversity of an alcoholic parent, the heartache of trying to adopt a child, and how he's found solace in his open water swimming pursuits and his own triathlon adventures, including swimming the length of the Clutha River in New Zealand, a distance of 256km!



Rob has some profoundly deep messages in this podcast about discovering within yourself what swimming is all about to you, about how to find challenges without necessarily having to enter competitions, and how to really embrace the joy and release that swimming provides.



As a chiropractor and also a regular yoga and pilates student, Rob offers up some great advice with respect to a more rounded approach to your swimming with regards to injury prevention and rehab too.

We hope you enjoy!