Swim Smooth

What an amazing interview we have lined up for you today with the fastest ever female Ironman swimmer, Lucy Charles (UK) and her coach and partner, Reece Barclay (also a professional triathlete)!Interestingly enough, Swim Smooth’s Head Coach, Paul Newsome’s best mate and former swim training partner (Roy Shepherdson), was one of Lucy’s favourite swim coaches back when she was 14 / 15 years of age and Lucy credits Roy with him directing her away from sprint freestyle into distance freestyle and eventually out into the open water. So we thought it’d be pretty cool to bring Coach Roy in on this chat to give an exclusive never-before-heard account of Lucy’s development as a swimmer to being today one of the best swimmers the sport of triathlon has ever seen! How’s that for a coincidence “small world” scene setting scenario!In just the first 60 seconds of this podcast, Lucy’s thoughts and comments epitomise everything that Swim Smooth is all about. Listen to how she refutes the need to look pretty to be effective in the water as she very much embodies our “Swinger” Swim Type (www.swimtypes.com):“People would probably say that my stroke, looking at it from the outside, is a fairly messy stroke - I’ve got a very high turn-over (stroke rate) and I haven’t got much of a leg kick either, so most coaches I ever had would tell me off for not kicking my legs (which I always found quite funny) and no matter what I did - I tried to work on it - but because the front end of the stroke was moving so fast, I just didn’t have the coordination to do that with my legs as well. I think it seems to work pretty well for open water - it’s definitely served me well so far - the key thing is, it might look a little bit messy from above the water but everything under the water is doing what you’re supposed to do and is quite a strong, powerful pull. I think when I was more of a pool swimmer, it was probably a bit of a neater stroke, but I’ve adapted it without really realising it for the open water.”You can read / watch more about Lucy’s stroke here, including a full analysis by Paul Newsome of her stroke:Super-Fish Lucy Charles - The World's Fastest Female Triathlete In Water? (July 2016)We thought it would be even cooler to tag on a short 2 minute segment at the end with an interview between Paul Newsome and Britain’s best ever pool / open water swimmer, David Davies, who took a bronze in the 1500m freestyle in Athens (2004) and a silver in the 10km open water event in Beijing (2008) before famously failing to qualify for the London Olympic Games (2012) due to a new team of coaches who tried to make David look prettier in the water, only to see him do the one thing that his original coach (Dave Haller) said to never do: change what worked for him:“When I swam 1500m in Athens in 2004 (where he won an Olympic bronze medal) I would swim with 40 strokes per length and a stroke rate of 94spm and that was my optimum stroke rate. I could increase my stroke length and look better, but I could never sustain that. When I met Paul and we had this chat it was like “wow, someone understands me and my stroke”. The way I swam was a little different and I used to swim next to Grant Hackett one of the best freestylers of all time - I looked a little like a rag doll next to him but I came pretty close to him in Athens and that was the best way for me to swim. When I started swimming I had a very experienced coach (Dave Haller) but people used to say I had a spider stroke - a very high turn-over and my hips used to swing a bit - but my coach said don’t ever try and change your stroke - that’s the way you’re supposed to swim.”You can watch more about David’s stroke here:https://www.swimsmooth.guru/streamvideo/cLi/cyx/david-davies-on-his-swinger-stroke-style/ (February 2014)Enjoy and thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.swimsmooth.com/subscribe

You might find the supporting links, articles and websites in chronological order useful as a reference point: ▪ 2004 - www.swimsmooth.com is launched with our first product: https://shop.swimsmooth.com/collections/legacy-dvds/products/swim-smooth-dvd-boxset ▪ 2005 - Paul & Mish (now Paul’s wife) head off around the UK running clinics and 1-2-1 sessions ▪ 2006 - the “Flame Wars” on http://tritalk.co.uk reach boiling point between Swim Smooth and Total Immersion ▪ 2007 - Adam attends his first Swim Smooth 1-day swimmer’s clinic ▪ 2008 - Paul and Adam’s friendship builds and Adam drives the online presence in a way that Paul hasn’t been able to do himself. Our first Learn To Swim DVD is produced in sunny Essex, UK (https://shop.swimsmooth.com/collections/legacy-dvds/products/swim-smooth-learn-to-swim-program-dvd ) and the idea for “Swim Types” starts to germinate. ▪ 2009 - Adam’s brainchild (the Mr Smooth animation) is launched (http://www.swimsmooth.com/info/mr-smooth-free-app ). Increase in awareness of Swim Smooth starts to build, ultimately rising to a subscribership of over 125,000 weekly readers of our FREE blog www.feelforthewater.com ▪ 2010 - British Triathlon announces Swim Smooth as their coach education partner http://www.triathlonbusiness.com/2010/industry-news/swim-smooth-for-british-triathlon/ and the first 3-day Swim Smooth Coach Education Course (http://www.swimsmooth.com/improve/coach-education/swim-smooth-three-day-coach-education-course ) is run and we officially launch www.swimtypes.com ▪ 2011 - Our third DVD, the Catch Masterclass https://shop.swimsmooth.com/collections/legacy-dvds/products/swim-smooth-catch-masterclass-dvd goes on to being the fastest selling swimming DVD on the internet and we run our first 2-week Certified Coaches Course (http://www.swimsmooth.com/coaches/become-a-coach ) in Perth. We partner up with HUUB Design to create the world’s best wetsuit (as used by the Brownlee Brothers: https://shop.swimsmooth.com/collections/wetsuits ) ▪ 2012 - We launch our very first Certified Swim Smooth Coaches (http://www.swimsmooth.com/coaches/find-a-coach ) of which we now have 48 worldwide (and growing) - make sure you register at http://www.swimsmooth.com/coaches/join-the-coaches-network Wiley & Sons (the world’s biggest book publishing company) approach Swim Smooth to write a book on swimming which quickly becomes one of the best selling and highest rated books on swim coaching of all time (https://www.amazon.com/Swim-Smooth-Complete-Coaching-Triathletes/dp/1119963192#customerReviews ▪ 2013 - Paul wins the world’s most prestigious marathon swimming event http://www.feelforthewater.com/2013/06/paul-newsomes-winning-manhattan-race.html and cements Swim Smooth in the history books as not just an effective way to swim, but a FAST way to swim too! ▪ 2014 - The International Triathlon Union announces Swim Smooth as their coaching partner (https://www.triathlon.org/news/article/itu_partners_with_swim_smooth ) which sees Swim Smooth being put out around the world in 119 countries via the various triathlon governing bodies. We launch our biggest project to date, the Swim Smooth Guru (www.swimsmooth.guru ) ▪ 2015 - Work commences on our Swim Smooth Kids program ▪ 2016 - The Swim Smooth Guru is refined, tweaked and improved to contain exciting new features such as CSS Tweaking and Fitness Tracking (http://www.feelforthewater.com/2018/11/10-ways-to-improve-your-swimming-with.html ) ▪ 2017 - Filming commences on the Swim Smooth Kids program and we begin developing our coaching presence in the USA ▪ 2018 - We launch the new Swim Smooth podcast (https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/swim-smooth/id1441577778?mt=2 ) and also our brand new trip of a lifetime to Perth (http://www.swimsmooth.com/info/win-a-trip-to-perth ) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.swimsmooth.com/subscribe

In this engaging conversation, Dean Jackson, the visionary founder of HUUB Design, shares his journey from a Costa Coffee in Folkestone to creating the UK's leading wetsuit brand. He dives into the remarkable #GreatBritishSwim, recounting how Ross Edgley's epic 2,800 km challenge required multiple wetsuits. Dean also reveals how the Brownlee Brothers influenced the development of the innovative Agilis suit. With insights into tailoring wetsuit designs for individual swimmer needs, this talk is a treasure trove for swimming enthusiasts and aspiring athletes alike!

Join Tom Hickman, founder of SE Asia’s first SwimRun event, as he dives into the impact of plastic pollution in Bali's oceans. He discusses the Bali Hope SwimRun Challenge, a unique event blending competition with community service. Tom shares insights on how participants, including Paul Newsome, will contribute to cleaning beaches and educating locals. The conversation highlights the importance of camaraderie in tackling environmental issues while training for SwimRun events. Get inspired to make a difference while enjoying an adventure!

Dan Plews, 2018 Ironman World Age Group Champion and world record holder, shares his extraordinary journey in endurance training. He discusses his impressive pacing during the marathon and the monumental power he maintained on the bike. Delving into heart rate variability, Dan explains how tracking recovery can enhance performance. He emphasizes the importance of listening to one’s body, and how technology has revolutionized HRV measurement. With insights from his experiences, Dan inspires athletes to harness consistent training and smart strategies for success.