Friday, January 25, 2019

Book A Session With A SS Coach Today

January is the perfect time to look forward to the year ahead, set some goals and lay-out some plans to improve your swimming.

If you are frustrated with where you are at with your swimming and would like to take some large strides forwards, then you need a consultation with one of these (very friendly) Certified Swim Smooth Coaches:



From our coach-education work all over the world, we meet thousands of coaches and hand pick the very best we can find, train them intensely in our methods for over a year - including that famous trip to Perth to be personally mentored by Paul Newsome.

When you see a Swim Smooth Coach you can be confident you're seeing one of the very best coaches in the world. Each coach is an expert in advanced video analysis and stroke correction to improve your stroke technique:

SS Coach Mike Jotautas carefully films his swimmer above and below the water.

After filming, SS Coach Rob Kwaaitaal expertly analyses his footage, explaining clearly what's
a priority in the stroke and needs improving.

What does the analysis like? Check out this extract from elite triathlete Emma Pallant's
video analysis with Paul Newsome


SS Coach Enrique Planelles Marcos gets to work: The real magic happens when you jump back in the
water for the stroke correction using the right combination of SS drills and processes to tune things up.

Whether you're a complete beginner struggling to swim a length, would just like to be more comfortable and efficient, or a top age-grouper pushing into the pro ranks, a Swim Smooth Coach is the fastest and most effective way to improve your swimming.

You don't need multiple sessions one after the other with a SS coach, you can achieve a huge step forwards with just a single (very) high quality consultation. So it's well worth travelling a little bit further than you otherwise might.

Find out more about this service here:


And find your nearest coach here:


Also see the list of upcoming clinics in your region at the bottom of this post.

Swim Smooth!

Saturday, January 19, 2019

Will You Be Joining Us In Sunny Mallorca For The BEST FEST Of Open Water Swimming?

A multitude of races over a variety of distances to choose from

Dear swimmers,

After the last 3 years attending Europe's BEST Fest of open water swimming in Mallorca, many of you have been enquiring about joining us on this magical Mediterranean island to participate in the 2019 edition of the best open water swimming experience available anywhere on the planet!

Picture this: Waking up every morning to join the Swim Smooth team of coaches and other swimmers for a super invigorating 800m swim in the Med, before a relaxed buffet-style breakfast and a casual stroll through the town to the start of the day's race - anywhere from 1.5 to 10km - and then enjoying a late lunch, a sangria or two and then accessing one of the free swimming clinics and seminars that we offer to support the festival.

That's all before a sunset dinner at some of the best casual dining in Europe. Sound good? Multiply by seven and you've got a fabulous week of swimming where you might race anything up to 30+km and with the additional swim sessions and easy morning limber-ups, easily clocking up 40km... if you want to! Take it as seriously or as casually as you wish. Bring or hire a bike and take a 90 minute road trip to access some of the best mountainous riding anywhere on the planet, or bring your trainers for some brilliant coastal trail running around Colonia Sant Jordi.

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. Various hotel accommodations can be booked via Vanessa at vanessa@bestswimcentre.eu (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.

Event website: Entry for the various races can be made at http://www.bestopenwater.com/prices-offers/ - all 7 events plus a free relay entry can be purchased for 250 Euros but there is the option to also pick and choose as you wish!

Race as Swim Smooth: I reckon we've got a good chance of being the best attended "club" or even "country" through the "People's Republic of Swim Smooth" - as we're making a big push for other Swim Smooth followers from across the planet to come and join us for one almighty meet-up! So please add "Swim Smooth" as your club name when registering!

Getting there: Fly into Palma and take a taxi or bus down to Sant Jordi. I'd suggest arriving on the Friday 24th May and departing Sunday 2nd June or Monday 3rd June.

Drop us an email to swimsmooth@me.com after you've entered and we'll keep you posted on extra curricular Swim Smooth activities for that week!

Here's some pictures from last year's event to whet your appetite:



Morning dip


SwimRun coaching


Post race!


Trail running, Swim-Run style


The morning routine


The amazing Med


Classroom set up (we'll be there for our 3-day Coaches Course 23-25 May)


Knocking out some good times


Casual dining


The view from the THB Sur


Coaching clinics


Strongmen!


Awesome cafes


The airport!!!


Picking up some medals!



More spoils


Awesome atmosphere 


View from the THB Sur (other side)


The team


Ready to ride!


Bottom of Sa Calobra


Top of Sa Calobra


Getting the miles in


What a view!


What a climb!


Palma


Quirky


Deli


Cathedral


Loving it!


The Med

Paul at Swim Smooth!

Thursday, January 17, 2019

Meet Joe Skipper - Not Your Average Joe

Hear our interview with Joe Skipper on Episode 9 of the Swim Smooth podcast here (links to more platforms below): itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/swim-smooth/id1441577778?mt=2&uo=4

One thing that is a constant source of pleasure at Swim Smooth is having pro athletes travel from around the world to train with us at our home base in Perth, Western Australia.

One such triathlete is the UK's Joe Skipper who had a fantastic year's racing in 2018, finishing 7th at the World Championships in Hawaii and winning Ironman UK:



Joe has been following Swim Smooth's philosophy of swimming for a while, having consulted over the last couple of years with Seamus Bennett, our excellent certified coach in Suffolk, UK.

As you'd expect from anyone who swims 50 minutes in Hawaii, there's more right with Joe's swimming than wrong and whilst Paul's been fine-tuning a few things (notably his breathing pattern) Joe certainly doesn't need a major overhaul of his stroke (see Joe swimming here).

#poolside image of paul and jo together?#

Erm! Paul and Joe, Xmas 2018.

One of the great things about Joe is that he's extremely open and honest about sharing his experiences and how he trains, for instance you can see every single one of his training sessions logged on Strava here: www.strava.com/athletes/5722

That makes him the perfect podcast guest as we get into the nitty gritty of training for elite Ironman performance, how Paul is working on fine tuning his swimming performances and what to apply to your own training and racing.

It's a fascinating listen! :




Swim Smooth!

Thursday, January 10, 2019

Apply Now: Announcing THREE Coach Ed Courses In USA, Australia and Europe

Swim Smooth are very pleased to announce that Head Coach Paul Newsome and the Swim Smooth team will be running three editions of our famous 3 Day Coach Education Course in the first half of 2019.

We are now taking applications for:

5-7 April 2019, Portland, USA
11-13 April 2019, Sydney, Australia
23-25 May 2019, Mallorca, Spain

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 Swim Smooth Certified Coaches?

Since we ran our first 3-day Coach Education Course in Birmingham in June 2010 we've had over 460 international coaches complete the course from over 2,700 applicants.

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 purpose of your coaching.


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

What's more, if you get your entry in before 31st January, you will be eligible for the Early Bird Savings of $50 USD / $100 AUD / £50 GBP.



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




"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.

So whether you need some help improving your effectiveness and speed in the water 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!

Swim Smooth!