Swim Smooth Ltd

03/09/2026

**2 kicks. 18°C. And a VERY different way to swim freestyle… 🥶🏊‍♂️**

Yesterday at the incredible Sea Lanes Canary Wharf in London, I jumped into 18°C water to explain one of the things I’m asked about most:

**How do you actually do a 2-beat leg kick?**

I grew up swimming with a conventional 6-beat flutter kick, but switched to a 2-beat kick around 15 years ago. For longer-distance swimming, I personally find it faster and considerably more economical.

But here’s the catch…

**Less kicking doesn’t necessarily mean easier swimming.**

The timing is actually quite tricky to master.

The simplest way to think about it is:

👉 **Right hand enters = LEFT foot kicks down**
👉 **Left hand enters = RIGHT foot kicks down**

It’s this *contralateral connection* between opposite sides of the body that helps connect your kick to your rotation, catch and pull.

Struggling to feel it? Try our **Criss Cross Drill**:

Put a paddle on your RIGHT hand and a fin on your LEFT foot. Swim easily and feel those two connect — right hand entering and catching as the left foot kicks down.

Then swap sides.

⚠️ One important caveat: **the 2-beat kick isn’t for everyone.**

If you’re currently heavily reliant on your legs for propulsion and simply try to “kick less”, you might feel like someone has pulled the handbrake on!

A good 2-beat kick needs a good catch and pull to support it.

So the goal isn’t simply to **KICK LESS**.

It’s to **CONNECT BETTER.**

Watch the video closely and see if you can spot that opposite hand-to-foot connection. 👀

Would you describe yourself as a **2-beat or 6-beat kicker**? Let me know below 👇

02/09/2026

Cheeky lunchtime dip in the Thames Sea Lanes Canary Wharf FINIS Swim Buddyswim International

26/07/2026

A cheeky little Bunnings Warehouse treat for the cold pool deck this week ❤️

23/07/2026

What does it really take to swim the English Channel? 🌊🇬🇧🇫🇷

There is no simple entry form or guaranteed start date. You book a pilot boat years ahead, qualify in cold water, travel to Dover and then wait for the weather, tides and moon to give you a chance.

When I crossed in 2011, I waited nearly three and a half weeks before getting the call. The conditions were among the toughest of that season, with only two of around 20 starters reaching France that day.

In this week’s blog, we explain how Channel swimming actually works, from pilots and qualifying swims to tidal windows, spring and neap tides, and why the famous 21-mile crossing is rarely only 21 miles.

Read the full story at blog.swimsmooth.com.

NothingGreatIsEasy

20/07/2026

🫧“Breathe… bubble, bubble… breathe.”

We’ve been repeating those four simple words to swimmers for more than 20 years.

Not because they’re catchy, but because they work.

A controlled exhalation is one of the quickest ways to reduce tension in the water. Instead of holding your breath between strokes, let the air leave steadily beneath the surface. Your next breath becomes easier, your stroke becomes smoother, and your body starts to settle into a rhythm.

The interesting thing is that the same principle often applies outside the pool.

When life feels rushed, our breathing becomes rushed too. We tense up without even realising it.

For the next 60 minutes, give yourself permission to focus on just one thing: the next length, the next stroke, the next relaxed exhalation.

Breathe… bubble, bubble… breathe.

Sometimes the greatest value of a swim isn’t simply the fitness you build. It’s the chance to slow your breathing, quiet the mental chatter, and leave the pool feeling just a little lighter than when you arrived.

Simple. Logical. Effective.

Just as it should be.

openwaterswimming swimlife

13/07/2026

There comes a point in almost every good session where your pace starts to drift. I’m feeling it all to readily at the moment, building back from a bout of sickness.

Your stroke feels heavier. The clock isn’t quite saying what it was twenty minutes ago. Every part of you wants to convince yourself that today’s just “not your day.”

Ironically, that’s often the most valuable part of the session.

Fitness isn’t built only by swimming at your target pace. It’s built by staying composed when you can’t. By keeping your technique together. By making good decisions when you’re tired. By refusing to let one difficult length become an excuse to abandon the rest.

Not every session will produce personal bests.

But almost every session can strengthen your resilience.

If today isn’t the day to swim faster, make it the day you finish better.

Because long-term improvement belongs to the swimmers who keep showing up, keep adjusting, and keep moving forward even when the pace isn’t what they hoped for.

Finish the session. Your future self will thank you.

Triathlon MastersSwimming OpenWaterSwimming ConsistencyWins

09/07/2026

Ok, so I couldn’t quite make the tune 🎵 work today for “6 (not 3!) is the Magic Number” but you get the point!

🤨Dreading getting back into the water? You’re not alone.

One of the biggest myths in swimming is that you need to feel motivated before you come back.

In reality, motivation usually arrives after you’ve taken that first step through the pool doors.

Whether you’ve been away for two weeks, two months, or even two years, the hardest part isn’t the swimming itself. It’s overcoming the little voice that keeps saying, “Maybe next week…”

If last week’s blog was about being kind to yourself after a setback, this week’s is about what comes next.

Don’t judge yourself on your first swim back.

Don’t expect to feel amazing straight away.

Just give yourself permission to start.

Over the years, we’ve found that for many swimmers, six swims is the tipping point. That’s when the water starts to feel familiar again, confidence returns, and the enjoyment begins to outweigh the effort.

So here’s a challenge.

Forget about getting fit.

Forget about swimming fast.

Just aim for six swims and see what happens.

The water has a remarkable way of welcoming you back.

👉 Read today’s full blog via the link in my bio.

Triathlon OpenWaterSwimming SwimmingMotivation SwimLife BackInTheWater SwimmingCommunity

05/07/2026

Do not mourn the fitness you’ve lost.

Begin.

The water owes you nothing, and your body remembers more than you think.

One easy swim.
Then another.
Then another.

Do not rush the process or try to reclaim everything at once.

Strength returns.
Rhythm returns.
Confidence returns.

Not through intensity, but through repetition.

The only way back is forward.

Quietly. Patiently. One stroke at a time.

Consistency SwimmingMotivation

A simple truth: you don’t have to be where you were. You only have to start where you are.

25/06/2026

Lessons From Mallorca – Part Two is now live.

Over two weeks, we coached 24 swimmers from around the world. Different ages. Different goals. Different abilities.

Yet none of them left with the same advice.

That’s because our philosophy has always been simple: coach the swimmer, not the stroke.

Whether it was improving rhythm, building confidence in open water, refining pacing or eliminating an overglide, every swimmer left with a personalised roadmap for improvement. The results have already been remarkable, including one swimmer who has since taken 25 minutes off her 1500m long-course time.

That’s what makes a Swim Smooth Experience different. We don’t just take you swimming—we help you become a better swimmer.

Our final Swim Smooth Experience of 2026 takes place in Crete, Greece (27 September – 3 October), and we now have just two places remaining.

The link to the full blog and camp details is in my bio.

25/06/2026

Coaching the swimmer, not the stroke…

Twenty-Four Swimmers. Twenty-Four Different Solutions. One Coaching Philosophy.