
The Effortless Swimming Podcast
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.
Latest episodes

Apr 26, 2020 • 44min
#154: Eliminate Bad Habits And Master The Fundamentals With Andrew Read
In today's episode, we are joined by a lifelong trainer and athlete Andrew Read as he talks about his program 28-day Challenge. Andrew talks through how important going back to the basics is and some of the necessary skills to influence your success at living a healthy lifestyle. 4:19 Creating A Mindset Component 5:32 Going Back To The Basics Matters 12:40 Understand How You Learn Best. 15:32 Cut To The Chase 17:35 Your Body Is Built For Walking. 20:59 Consistency Makes The Biggest Difference. 23:53 Starting From Scratch 25:02 Give It Time 28:10 Carrot And Stick Approach 31:46 Identify What Triggers Your Bad Habits And Make A Plan 35:35: Change Starts With You 37:22 Asking the Right Questions

Apr 2, 2020 • 52min
#153: Do Less To Achieve More with Dr. Greg Wells
We are joined by Dr. Greg Wells who is the author of the book Rest, Refocus, Recharge. We discussed some of the things that are discussed in his book. He shares some strategies on why doing less will actually achieve more, how to stop reacting to things and be more deliberate, taking full control of your love, refocusing your attention and how you can stop being a slave to busyness. 02:05 Slowing Down 04:05 Sleeping As A Tool Tool To Recharge 07:29 Doing Less To Achieve More In A Day To Day Life 08:51 Pump The Breaks, Open More Space and Have More Control 11:29 You Don't Need To Do What Other People Expect Of You 13:39 From External Validation To Intrinsic Motivation 14:26 Stop Reacting And Start Being Deliberate With What You're Doing 17:08 Metacognition 21:41 Reaction versus Response 24:50 Helping Kids With Cystic Fibrosis 26:53 Pay Attention To What We Have 29:59 Multitasking Can Lead To Distractions 37:22 Get Away From Your Device - "123 Practice" 39:28 The Psychology Of Being In The Water 43:17 Bring Your Attention Right Back Into The Present Moment 48:00 It's Process Not Outcome

Mar 24, 2020 • 27min
#152: What To Do If Your Pool Has Closed with Marc Evans
Marc Evans joins us in this episode to talk about the possible things you can do at your home during these times. In this episode, Marc discussed maintaining the feel of the water, the importance of mobility, stability, and flexibility. 00:38 Triathletes In Motion 02:40 It's Not The Strongest Athlete That Wins The Gold Medals 06:19 Functional Strength 06:58 Most Of The Triathletes Underswim In Volume 08:01 Having A High Elbow Catch 08:40 Sculling Your Hands In A Tub Of Water 10:10 Mobility Test 11:30 Technique Is Related To Mobility And Stability 12:43 Put Your Heart Monitors And GPS Aside 17:24 Using Therabands 18:55 If You Can Get It Right Out Of The Water, You Can Get It Right In The Water 19:18 Fingertip Wall Slide 22:42 Q Swim App 23:09 Swimm Specific Yoga 23:48 Cold Showers

Feb 13, 2020 • 39min
#151: Are You Swimming With Enough Intensity To Get Better With Tim Ballintine
Tim Ballantine is a full-time endurance coach and the owner of Koa Sports. In this episode, he shares about being a coach, finding your passion, not having all the answers and intensity in training. 02:56 Coaching Philosophy 05:30 "You've Got To Find What Works For You" 06:17 You Can't Be All Things To All People 07:01 "It's Not The Words, It's How You Say Them" 09:25 "If You Don't Like It, You're Not Going To Last Very Long" 10:31 There Is No Cookie Cutter Here 14:48 Swimming As A Barrier To Entry In Triathlon 19:02 Coaching Remotely 20:18 "Don't Be Afraid To Say That You Don't Have All The Answers" 24:20 Injecting Intensity In Swimming 31:19 There's Always Something To Work On

Feb 3, 2020 • 40min
#150: From Drug Addiction To Olympian (And Why Your Character Means More Than Your Results) With Dan Smith
Dan Smith joins us in this episode as he talks about his swimming, drug addiction, building character and his road to redemption. 01:28 Swimming Life As A Youngster 03:41 Burnt Out At The Age Of 14 04:46 It Was More Of An Escape For Me 05:44 What Would I Pass On To My Kids 08:38 I Am Not Defined What I Used To Be Or What I Should Be 09:53 2016 Rio Olympics 12:18 Dealing With Emotions After The Olympics 15:52 Rebuilding Your Stroke 20:11 You Got To Be Patient In Unlearning Bad Habits So That You Can Learn New Habits 26:21 Cues Used On Strokes 28:01 I Had To Go Backwards To Go Forwards 30:33 "I Am Not Worried About The Clock" 31:52 Be Realistic About The Bad Days 32:53 Tracking Your Training 34:54 Distractions Around Training

Jan 30, 2020 • 48min
#149: How To Develop Your Character Through Swimming (And What It's Like Being Ian Thorpe's Training Partner) with Jason Cram
00:43 Jason's Background 03:51 Dealing With Missing Out On Olympics 07:15 Being Comfortable With The New You 09:04 Without Swimming, I Wouldn't Be Able To Grow Into The Person That I Am Now" 09:49 Planting A Seed 10:48 Performing Best When The Pressure Is On 16:01 Swimming Is A Sport Where You Operate With Calmness 18:09 Becoming More Of Yourself 19:15 Nervous Energy 20:27 Having A Little Bit Of Fun 22:47 Making It Personable 26:41 Simplifying Data 30:19 Learning From Being A Swimmer To Coaching 40:02 "It's The Sense Of Achievement That Gives Us The Motivation To Continue" 41:50 Winning The Day Early On

Jan 21, 2020 • 55min
#148: Don't Put Heart Rate Before Heart with Wayne Goldsmith
01:50 Working On Soft Skills 02:44 It Comes Down To The Way They Do What They Do 03:58 Vibe And Connection Among People 05:23 Building A Team Culture 07:10 What Does Your Values Look Like? 09:00 Identfying The Actual Behaviors That Will Say "This is Who We Are" 10:05 Responsibility Is About Me, Accountability Is About Me 12:26 Love, Care And Consideration Are Important Words Too 17:35 What Can You Do Better? 20:42 Problem Solving Is An Incredible Learning Tool 26:23 Asking The Right Questions 27:54 Stop Being So Obsessed With The Physiology 31:38 Training Is From The Neck Down But Coaching Is From The Neck Up 32:41 It's All Mental At The Top Level 38:33 You Don't Want To Burn All Your Matches Straight Away 41:05 Watching People Grow 41:45 Developing The " I Can" Attitude 46:41 Online Course For Coaching

Jan 14, 2020 • 17min
#147: 2:20 to 1:40/100m Pace with Stephen Jackson
My guest on today's podcast is Stephen Jackson who first attended a clinic in 2017. At the time he was a 2:20/100m swimmer, and over the course of the last few years he's been able to move into the 1:40/100m range. In this episode, you'll learn what to expect as you progress in your swimming journey and how you can find continual improvement in your technique and speed. 1:09 Athletic Background 1:54 I Swim Like A Rock 3:14 Before And After The Clinic 3:54 What Got Me In 5:00 Making It Simple 7:25 Don't Limit Yourself 8:19 Implementing The Changes Of The Stroke In A Race 10:00 "It's Motivating If You Know What Can Make You Faster" 11:00 The Difference In Training 12:37 It Starts With The Posture 14:10 Target Pace

Jan 7, 2020 • 39min
#146: A Different Approach To Technique For Triathletes Stuck In Their Swimming With Eney Jones
Eney Jones is coming back for the third time to share what she has been working with recently and about trying a different approach for triathletes who needs help with their swimming. 01:31 Origin Of Phrases That Swim Coaches Have Used 08:26 Core Connection 10:18 Working With Triathletes 12:43 The Mental Aspect 13:41 Aloha! 15:54 Alternate Ego 17:26 You Either Win Or You Learn 19:28 Between The Stimulus And Response 21:24 Going Back To The Fundamentals Of Breathing 22:49 Connecting To Your Breath 24:37 Shells And Rocks 32:36 One Size Doesn't Fit All

Dec 31, 2019 • 36min
#145: How To Come Back Stronger From Injury with Harriet Brown
Our guest today is Harriet Brown who is a World Ironwoman Champion, NutriGrain Ironwoman Series Champion, Australian Team Captain and Molokai to Oahu Paddle Board Champion. 01:26 Underwater Filming 03:10 Injury During Championship 05:14 Being Out For The Whole Season 07:18 Exercise Makes You Happy 07:51 Injury As A Positive Experience 08:54 Having Some Time Off 10:45 Considering A Career After Sports 11:59 Molokai to Oahu Paddle 14:32 Cut The Race Into Little Parts 16:20 "You Are Lucky To Be Here" 17:00 What Do You Tell Yourself To Keep You Going? 19:03 Good Races And Bad Races 20:10 You Have To Stay Present 21:20 What Do You Love About Racing? 25:03 Managing Three Sessions A Day, Six Days A Week Of Training 27:09 Sleep Is The Best Form Of Recovery 31:29 We Cope With Load Differently