The Effortless Swimming Podcast

Imagine holding a 1:05 pace per hundred for nearly two hours—no walls, no turns, just pure precision. Every stroke efficient, every breath controlled. How do you sustain that kind of speed without breaking down? What should your catch feel like? And how do you stay smooth when the ocean, the pack, and your own heartbeat are all working against you?

In this episode, we dive into the story of Nick Sloman. He's not the biggest guy on the start line, and he wasn't a childhood prodigy. But over 12 years, he turned sheer efficiency into his competitive edge. After missing Tokyo, he rebuilt himself—not by training harder, but by learning how to swim smarter. His insights on feel for the water might just reshape the way you think about endurance, technique, and what it really takes to go the distance.

01:07 Head position
01:46 Posture And Body Position
02:20 Kick for balance
03:29 Breathing Pattern In Training And Racing
03:54 Catch and cross-body connection
05:20 Video analysis
06:02 Stroke rate
06:22 Open water swim technique
06:48 Stroke changes in open water
07:30 Sighting
08:03 Drafting
08:27 80km a week!
09:13 Hard swim workouts
11:52 Hardest race
13:30 Rest when you're ___ 

If you're someone who avoids flip turns—or you're completely out of breath every time you try one—chances are, it's not your fitness holding you back. It's your technique. In this episode, I'm breaking down a simple, step-by-step method to help you master the tumble turn, so you can actually save energy on your turns, move faster off the wall, and keep up with the swimmers beside you.

By the end, you'll know exactly how to execute a smooth, controlled flip turn without getting dizzy, without gasping for air, and with way more rhythm and confidence. Let's dive in.

00:48 Approach The Wall Smoothly
01:50 Set Yourself Up On The Last Stroke
03:29 Initiate The Flip Into The Wall
05:24 Landing The Right Distance
06:34 Streamline
08:08 Eyes Down Into The Water
11:01 Breakout

Struggling with your arm dropping whenever you take a breath in freestyle? You're not alone—and there are five common reasons this happens. In this episode, we break down each cause, show you exactly how to fix them, and help you transform your breathing technique. By the end, you'll swim farther with less effort and finally feel like you have all the time in the world to take a smooth, controlled breath. Dive in and level up your freestyle.

00:38 Breathing
04:17 Rotation
05:57 Hand Entry
07:31 Exit Of The Opposite Hands
08:59 Starting Catch Position And Reach
09:54 Where Is Your Shoulder As You Reach Forwards
10:54 Quick Fix

There are so many different things you can do to get faster in your freestyle. In this episode, I'm gonna break down five proven ways that you can swim faster for less effort. Let's get into it. 

00:26 Point Your Toes Inwards (42% Faster) 

2:07 Dont Pat A Cat

3:19 Press On Your Chest To Bring The Hips Up

4:24 Reach And Extension

7:15 Increasing Your Distance Per Stroke

8:41 Accelerate Through Each Stroke

If you're taking 50 strokes a lap but should be in the low 40s, the issue might be your body connection — not your strength. In this episode, we explore how elite swimmer Becca Mann fixed her "shoulders and hips not connected" problem, dropped her stroke count by nearly 20%, and became a record-breaking open-water athlete.

You'll learn what shoulder-to-hip connection really means, how to tell if you're disconnected, and the simple posture cues and drills (like 6-1-6 and side-kick rotation) that instantly improve your distance per stroke.

A quick, practical guide to swimming farther and faster with less effort.