Summary — Webinar on Swimming, Technique, Technology, and Olympic Prospects

This webinar brought together John (co-founder/CEO of a swim tech/fitness brand) and Glenn Mills (founder of GoSwim.tv and former elite swimmer/coach) to discuss elite swimming, technique, athlete development, and tech tools ahead of the Paris Olympics. The conversation covered U.S. prospects, global rivalries, technique (especially underwater work), coaching philosophy, and a swim-analysis app Glenn is developing.

Key topics and takeaways

1. Olympic and Trials outlook

• Women’s swimming in the U.S. is especially strong and exciting right now; multiple young stars and established athletes make many events highly competitive.

• Expect fast global racing across both men’s and women’s events, with potential world- and national-record opportunities.

• Notable names discussed: Katie (multiple events), Summer McIntosh, Leah/Moll (Leon?) Márán (a dominant distance swimmer), Katie Ledecky–type distance contenders, Caleb Dressel (sprinting/fly), Matt Fallon (200 breast surprise), Ryan Murphy (backstroke), Lilly King (breaststroke), and other international athletes (Cam McEvoy, James Guy, Shaina Jack, Meg Harris, Dan Wiffen, etc.).

• Relays (4x100, 4x200) are always unpredictable — small time improvements or errors can change medal outcomes.

1. Technique and skill development (central theme)

• Technique, especially starts, turns, streamlines, underwater dolphin kicks, and breakouts, is often the deciding factor at elite levels.

• Underwater velocity is frequently higher than surface swimming; modern champions exploit long, fast underwaters.

• Coaches should emphasize consistent skill development from a young age rather than only high yardage or early specialization.

• Patience is crucial. Technical progress often takes years; rushed training can create plateaus, injury, burnout, or early drop-out.

• Examples: Missy Hyman-style underwater emphasis, short swimmers who excel by mastering underwaters, and anecdotes like swimmers needing nose clips to maintain underwater comfort.

1. Underwater work and breaststroke specifics

• Breaststroke underwater pullouts and streamlined transitions are highly influential in breast races. Poor breakout timing or stopping during the recovery phase costs momentum.

• Data/video analysis shows world-class breaststrokers (e.g., Léon’s approach in medley/distance) keeping productive movement through the recovery to avoid losing speed.

• Teaching efficient underwaters is especially valuable for shorter-stature swimmers who can’t rely solely on reach.

1. Coaching practices and training cycles

• The three-year / quad-year Olympic cycles were discussed: with modern training, athletes can handle more frequent high-intensity, race-specific work than decades ago, but foundational work (yardage, aerobic base, technique) still matters.

• Coaches often structure cycles: year 1 — build aerobic base and yards; year 2 — technical emphasis; year 3 — speed refinement and race-specific preparation.

• “SSPT” (slow, specific, technique-focused periods) or blocks of very slow, mindful practice are used to reinforce mechanics before returning to faster sets.

• Dual taper (tapering twice in a season) and taper timing ideas have evolved with training science and athlete capabilities.

1. Athlete environment and international development

• Training environment matters: high-performance groups lift everyone around them (examples: Arizona training groups).

• Countries with large populations and good talent pathways (e.g., China) will naturally produce high-level swimmers; technique and coaching are crucial to convert that depth into champions.

• Development culture differences: countries with strong swim-school systems (US, Australia) vs. others where swimmers may start competitive training earlier or later. Patience and avoiding early-performance pressure are important to long-term success.

1. Nutrition, recovery, and whole-athlete factors

• Sports nutrition, sleep, recovery, and psychology are key parts of an elite swimmer’s preparation; coaches should encourage fueling for training and recovery rather than body shaming.

• Proper load management (avoiding early overtraining for children) helps long-term progression and reduces burnout/injury.

1. Technology and video/data tools (Glenn’s app/platform)

• Glenn presented a swim-analysis ecosystem (GoSwim.tv + an app) that combines video, automatic athlete tagging/sharing, stroke-by-stroke metrics (stroke count, rate, splits), and recommended teaching videos.

• Benefits:

  • Coaches can film, tag, and automatically share clips with athletes/parents.

  • Gamified or age-appropriate feedback helps younger swimmers understand technique points early.

  • Underwater and above-water comparisons, stroke-rate/length analysis, and split/velocity trends help pinpoint technical improvements.

  • The platform gives practice drills or tutorial video recommendations for observed errors (example: recommending backstroke or breakout videos).

• Platform status: Web/app is being developed (iOS available; Android in progress). There’s integration with GoSwim.tv content to pair analysis with instruction videos.

• Use cases: coaches at camps can film hundreds of clips and distribute individualized feedback immediately; parents can receive videos of their kids from practice.

1. Practical coaching advice for clubs and parents

• For young swimmers (e.g., under ~12): focus more on technique and feel than on twice-a-day heavy yardage. Too much early volume risks burnout and limits long-term potential.

• Incorporate deliberate technique blocks — slow swims, snorkel work, and skill drills to develop feel and stroke mechanics.

• Don’t judge long-term potential solely by early speed or performance-based scoring systems (e.g., IMX scoring); those can prematurely label and limit swimmers.

• Encourage patience and long-term development: many elite peaks happen later once technique, maturity, and consistent training align.

Notable anecdotes and vivid examples

• A top 500-yard free swim was shown where the swimmer spent nearly half the race underwater and had tremendous underwater velocity compared to surface swimming.

• Demonstrations of how small differences (a few seconds or even fractions) in back-to-back yards/strokes and underwater transitions can translate to big race advantages.

• Story of an athlete who cut time by using nose clips to control breathing/air loss during underwaters.

Closing and logistics

• Glenn and team are open to demos, webinars, and walkthroughs of the app/platform. There’s a link (Gswim.app or GoSwim.tv) and plans for more materials. Some content and coach access have been offered to swimming organizations (e.g., Swim India) as part of education efforts.

• The panel encouraged coaches and parents to prioritize technique, adopt measured use of technology for feedback, and to build local high-performance training environments that lift all athletes.

Bottom line

• Technique (especially underwaters and start/turn streamlines) + the right training environment + patience and sensible athlete development are the most powerful levers for success in modern competitive swimming.

• Technology that makes video analysis and targeted instruction widely accessible can accelerate that development when used responsibly.

• Expect fast, exciting races at trials and the Olympics with several key rivalries and upsets possible — and coaching emphasis on fundamentals will separate medalists from contenders.