I'm thrilled to bring back Bobby McGee, a legendary endurance coach with a knack for unlocking an athlete's full potential. But before we dive in, let me tell you a story about one of Bobby's transformative experiences.

Imagine this, a room filled with some of the world's top Olympic coaches from sports as diverse as gymnastics, field hockey, and bobsledding. Bobby found himself immersed in conversations that challenged his perspective and sharpened his skills. And it wasn't just about technique or training plans. It was about understanding people on a deeper level.

And this experience opened Bobby's eyes to the power of emotional intelligence in coaching and performance. It's something he's applied ever since. And in today's episode, Bobby shares some of the lessons he learned in that room. How understanding yourself and your coach can unlock new levels of performance and trust, and why mastering pacing strategies is crucial for success, and how fine tuning your mechanics can help you move more efficiently.

It's a fascinating conversation filled with a lot of actionable advice, and whether you're a swimmer, a runner, a triathlete, I've got no doubt you'll take away a lot from this episode with Olympic run coach, Bobby McGee. Let's get into it.

Coaching Concepts
Athlete Profiling: Understanding Each Individual Athlete
Emotional Analysis
Building Trust
Coaching Philosophies
Coaching Olympic Level Athletes and Mid-Range Athletes
Hardness Factor
Thrive Mentality
You've Got To Have That Killer Mentality
Identifying Inefficiency
Looking More Into Conditioning in Swimming
Breathing Technique In Running
Stroke Length and Stroke Rate
Pacing and Energy Conservation
Visualization

In today's episode, I'm speaking with Dudley Duncan, a seasoned coach and author of The Art of Swimming and The Game of Racing. Dudley has spent years refining his approach to swimming and he's sharing some incredible insights that will help you improve both your mindset and your technique in the water.

We cover stroke mechanics, the power of visualization to boost your performance, and strategies to build confidence so that you feel stronger and more capable every time you swim. Dudley also talks about how to balance hard work with mental toughness, giving you practical tips to stay motivated and achieve your goals.

Whether you're training for a big race, or just looking to swim smoother and faster, this episode is packed with ideas to help you take your swimming to the next level. Let's dive in.

02:22 How Did You Get Into the World Of Swimming
05:40 Philosophy in Developing Personal Growth of Swimmers
08:02 Setting Standards
09:00 Pulling People Back In The Line
11:28 Pushing Athletes To Their Limit
14:20 Philosophy in Developing Good Technique
19:59 Kayak Analogy
21:43 Drills
26:42 Visualization
35:22 Developing Confidence
38:13 Dealing with Failure
40:48 Advise to New Coaches

Welcome to this week's episode of the Effortless Swimming podcast. My guest today is four time guest, Tracey Baumann. On this episode, we're talking about the speed equation, your combination of stroke length and stroke rate, and how to find that sweet spot for whatever distance or whatever effort you're doing.

This is really the art of it. This is the art of swimming where we want to develop good technique, but then in order to swim faster, we need to make sure that we maintain that technique. but we consider the stroke rate side of the equation. So on this episode, Tracy and I talk about how to find that sweet spot, some sets and some ways that you can practice this and find this in training and some ways that you can develop gears in your swimming.

If you find that you're stuck and you can't get faster and you've only got this one speed that you're always stuck in, how can you actually go about developing those different gears? So let's jump into the episode with Tracey Baumann.

02:58 Everybody Can Learn Something
04:48 Direction of Energy
06:44 Purposeful Exageration
08:42 Remembering Knowing Where To Look
09:50 Fingernails Forward
12:21 Flattening Out A Tablecloth (Breast Stroke)
13:31 Speed Equation
17:18 What is the Magic Number?
19:53 Sets
21:25 Fast and Slow Tempos
26:42 Having Different Gears
34:54 For Intermediate Swimmers
36:18 What People Should Know
38:31 Intention Setting

This week, we are featuring some of the best bits from 2024. We had dozens of different guests on, and we've picked out what we think are some of the highlights, some of the best bits from some of those episodes. So it's like a highlights reel for 2024.

And if you have listened to this show once or a hundred times, If you haven't left us a review in the Apple app store or on Spotify, it would mean a lot to me. If you could do that, it helps us out and helps us get in front of more people. I'm looking forward to 2025. We've got some big plans for the podcast, our YouTube channel, and then also the clinics and the camps that we run.

So if you haven't joined us on any of those things and you'd like to, you can head to effortlessswimming.com. If you're in Sydney, we've added a bunch of more clinic dates for freestyle and fly back and breast. Through late December and early January. So if you are in Sydney at that time, come and check us out there.

And you can find that on our website as well at effortlessswimming.com. Let's get into this week's episode highlights from 2024.

01:18 James Lawrence
02:44 Sharon Van Rouwendaal
05:11 Hollie Buerckner
06:49 Jarrod Briffa
08:55 Dan Eisenhardt
10:07 Dean Summers
13:18 Tracey Baumann
14:44 Nick Jankovskis
17:04 Jaimie Fuller
18:17 Craig Lewin
20:02 Sharon Van Rouwendall and Moesha Johnson
22:32 Bek Keat
23:56 Sandra Harrell
26:09 Laura Quilter
28:18 Kat Matthews
30:39 Ryan Evernden

Are you struggling with the unpredictability of open water swimming? I used to hate every second of it, until I learned these tips, which completely changed the way that I thought and went about open water swimming. In this episode, you'll learn how to transform your swimming from feeling anxious and uncomfortable in the open water, To feeling confident and at ease.

00:00 Introduction
00:52 Don't be a victim
01:42 Sighting
04:01 Course Recon
04:50 Goggles
05:25 Stroke Changes
09:19 Stroke rate
10:21 Why am I Slower in open water?
11:57 Drafting
14:41 Pack swimming
17:41 Wetsuits
20:24 Bi-Lateral Breathing
21:20 Dealing with cold water
22:28 Tides and currents
24:00 Entry and exit
25:33 Dealing with panic
27:20 Practice in the pool
29:39 Race Day Strategy
31:35 Swim camps

Ryan Evernden is the founder of Formidable Strength and Conditioning, a coaching service that’s reshaping how swimmers integrate strength training into their routines. Ryan isn't just any strength coach; he specializes in tailoring strength and conditioning programs specifically for swimmers, helping them power through the water with more speed and resilience while safeguarding against injuries.
Today, Ryan will share his insights on the essential strength exercises for swimmers, how to prevent common swimming injuries, and some truly inspiring success stories from the athletes he’s worked with. Whether you’re a competitive swimmer looking to enhance your performance or a recreational swimmer aiming to swim smarter and stronger, Ryan’s expertise is sure to provide valuable guidance.

02:19 Veering towards Strength Training for Swimmers
03:11 Trying to Create Swimmers For Life
04:14 Preventing Injuries
04:32 Coming Right Back Around The Basics
06:14 Assessing Mobility and Range of Motions
07:20 Improving Overhead Range of Motions
11:18 Starting Inside Out
12:13 Finding The Balance
14:51 Strength Required For Long Distance Swimmers
21:38 How Do I Fit My Strength Sessions
29:00 Common Misconceptions
35:33 Age Group Strength and Conditioning

What does it take to finish second at the Ironman World Championships? In this episode, I'm joined by professional triathlete, Kat Matthews, who's not only a fierce competitor, but also a source of inspiration for anyone looking to elevate their performance. Kat opens up about the strategies and habits that helped her climb to the top, from staying consistent with her swim training, even while traveling, to making small technique tweaks that delivered massive results.

We talk about her mental approach to open water swimming, How she tackles the swim to bike transition, and the mindset required to thrive in tough race conditions. Kat also shares her journey of recovering from injury, and how it transformed her mental resilience. We discuss why creating a stable training environment, and dialing in proper nutrition, and learning to fuel correctly during workouts can make all the difference.

Not just in racing, but in life. Whether you're a triathlete, a swimmer, or someone looking to gain a competitive edge, This episode is packed with actionable tips and powerful insights to help you achieve your best. So dive in and let Kat's story motivate you to push past your limits.

03:02 Leading up to the World Championship. Keeping the consistency and structure.

06:59 Vo2 Sets.

09:13 Travel and Training Calendar.

10:44 No Pressure Swims.

12:48 Change of Pace, Feeling of Control.

17:02 Swimming From Inside Out.

19:14 Race Conditions.

24:52 Don't Be A Victim

26:50 Openwater Stroke.

28:04 Bike Transition

33:00 Creating a Stable Training Environment

39:54 Fueling Correctly.

Mitch Kibby is a professional triathlete who's placed 16th in the 70.3 World Championship. He began his triathlon career without a swimming background, and has gone on to compete with some of the strongest swimmers in the pro field. This is how he did it.

00:22 Introduction
00:57 Favourite cue
01:56 Kick
03:03 Breathing both sides
05:11 Catch and pull
08:38 Developing speed
09:57 Long-term approach to improvement
10:33 Finding the right company and support