

The Effortless Swimming Podcast
Brenton Ford
Faster times and better technique aren't a guarantee when you train hard. What really makes a difference to your speed and efficiency in the water? The Effortless Swimming podcast helps make a complex sport really simple to better your swimming. We cover open water swimming, triathlon swimming and pool swimming. Hosted by Australian National swimmer and coach Brenton Ford.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 8, 2021 • 12min
#200: How One Stroke Change Lead To A 16 Seconds PB with Ben Kent
Our guest today is Ben Kent who had recently made some big improvements with his swimming time. I like to get people who have gone through some of our programs and mage improvements just to show that it is possible and with the right focus and know how you can really make changes to your times by improving your technique. 00:54 Swimming Background 01:50 They Told Me I Could Not Run Anymore 02:38 Doing The 5 Day Catch Challenge 04:58 I feel Like Going Slower And Swimming Easier 06:46 Contrast Drills 08:00 Motivated After Seeing Improvements

Oct 7, 2021 • 35min
#199: 52 Hours and 125km (Breaking The World Record For The Longest Non-Stop Ocean Swim) with Neil Agius
Our guest today is Neil Agius who recently broke the World Record for the Longest Non-Stop Swim in the Ocean which is 125km over 52 hours. Join me as Neil talks about his incredible swim. 01:53 After The Swim 02:47 How Much Time To Train And Prepare For The Big Swim 03:33 Week Structure/Scheduling 04:16 Managing Emotions And Energy 06:26 Strategy For Dealing With Long Swims 07:26 Swimming Conditions 10:29 Cadence And Conserving Energy 12:15 Raising The Level Of Capacity 13:34 The Team 20:47 Energy And Spirituality 22:28 Self Realization 24:47 Turning Negative Into Positive 25:50 Race For A Cause: Wave Of Change 30:43 Getting Back To The Water 32:42 Future Swims Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neilagius.official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neil.agius/

Oct 4, 2021 • 21min
#198: The 5 Core Principles Of Fast Freestyle (#5 - Find Your Rhythm And Timing)
Today, we are talking about the 5th and final Core Principle of Fast Freestyle: find your rhythm and timing. 00:36 The Dancing Part Of Freestyle 01:13 Kick Timing 04:35 Use Different Types Of Kick 10:33 Serape Effect 13:35 Hand Speed 14:07 Split Tempo 17:54 Drills 19:22 8 Week Faster Freestyle Course

Sep 27, 2021 • 21min
#197: The 5 Core Principles Of Fast Freestyle (#4 - Develop An Effective Catch And Pull)
In today's episode, we will be discussing the core principle number four of Fast Freestyle, which is developing an effective catch and pull. 01:40 No Need To Overpower The Catch 03:07 Teaching The Four Key Positions 04:00 Start Of The Catch 06:00 High Elbow Catch 07:35 Power Diamond Position 10:20 Exit Of The Stroke 11:36 YMCA Drill Progression 14:38 More Drills To Work On Your Catch 15:07 Setup Phase 16:35 Path Of The Hand 17:57 Hand Speed

Sep 22, 2021 • 10min
#196: The 5 Core Principles Of Fast Freestyle (#3-Rock, Return And Align)
Today we are talking about the third core principle of Fast freestyle which is Rock, Return And Align. 00:36 Rock v.s. Rolling 02:15 Return 03:24 Correct Entry 06:08 Align

Sep 15, 2021 • 14min
#195: The 5 Core Principles Of Fast Freestyle (#2 Find Your Balance)
In today's episode, we're looking at Core Principle Number 2. This principle is all about minimizing drag. Here are the three things that we covered on this principle. 01:46 Proud Posture 05:06 Taut Core 9:00 Effective Kick The 5 Core Principles Of Fast Freestyle: https://effortlessswimming.com/5-core-principles-of-fast-freestyle/

Sep 10, 2021 • 12min
#194: The 5 Core Principles Of Fast Freestyle (#1 Breathe Deep And Relax)
In this week's episode, I want to cover the foundation on how we teach technique and the structure that we follow when we analyze stroke which is the 5 Core Principles of Fast Freestyle. 01:45 Use Your Diaphragm 02:29 Breathing Exercises Out Of The Water 03:42 Box Breathing 04:04 Relax Your Chest And Upper Back 05:38 Having The Right Posture 06:52 Letting Go When You Exhale The 5 Core Principle Of Fast Freestyle: https://effortlessswimming.com/5-core-principles-of-fast-freestyle/

Sep 7, 2021 • 1h 6min
#193: The Five 'B' Method To A Succesful Triathlon Swim with Frank Sole
My guest today is Frank Sole who is a fellow coach from Arizona and the author of "The Five 'B' To A Succesful Triathlon Swim. Reading through his book, I found so many similarities about how we coach. I want to get him to the podcast because I think there will some good discussion about it and I would love to learn from other coaches. 01:14 Coaching Approach 03:16 Working With Masters And Triathletes 04:31 When Do You Expect To See Results 08:34 The Ability To Relax 15:11 Teaching The Right Posture 20:14 It's Always About The Swim But It's Not Always About The Water 24:57 Either You Got Or You Don't? 34:53 Multitasking 40:58 SR X SL=Velocity 52:41 More Mentally Tired Than Physically Tired 56:39 Opportunity To Improve 1:01Even Out Of Chaos Comes A Blessing

Aug 27, 2021 • 48min
#192: Patience And The Power Of Long Term Thinking with Simon Hearn
My guest today is Simon Hearn, a professional triathlete whom I've known for a couple of years now. He turned pro in the last two years and I want to get him in the podcast to talk about that journey and a little bit about his journey in swimming. 01:49 Start Of Triathlon Journey 03:35 Turning Pro 05:54 Impostor Syndrome 08:16 Placing 4th On A Full Distance Ironman 09:27 Swimming Background 14:16 Training Surges 16:42 Prescribed Pace 18:23 The Gap Between Effort Levels - Developing Gears In Between 26:02 As A Physio 30:44 Mobility And Stability Work 37:37 Being Conscious In The Water 39:29 Motivation 41:35 Begin To Be Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Aug 19, 2021 • 20min
#191: CASE STUDY: Stuck At The Same Speed For 4 Years Then Wiping 10 Seconds Off In One Month with Nic Owens
My guest today is Nic Owens who is based in Sydney. Nic mentioned that he has been stuck with his time for over a year and now recently has made a significant improvement with his time. I want to get him into the podcast so that he can share what he did to achieve this huge improvement 01:14 Reaching 17 Minutes Per Kilometer 03:21 Does It Feel Different? 04:34 Needing To Stretch Time Between Each Stroke 05:48 It Made A Lot Of Sense 08:33 Take-Aways From The 5 Day Catch Challenge 10:57 Enjoyment In Swimming 13:25 Technique and Consistency 15:37 Room For Improvement


