Brenton Ford

The Effortless Swimming Podcast

Sports EN ↓ 436 episodes

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.

Author

Brenton Ford

Category

Sports

Podcast website

effortlessswimming.com

Latest episode

Jul 7, 2026

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Episodes

#284 : High Elbow Catch Masterclass with Marc Evans (Part 2 of 2) 22.05.2023

Our guest today is Marc Evans, a former National USA Triathlon team coach. In this episode, we will introduce the M25 Lift Paddle. We will discuss the paddle's purpose and why it differs from others in the market. Specifically, we will focus on how it helps improve the catch, which is an essential part of the swimming technique. 00:49  Kickboard Is A Great Tool 04:02 Skinny S 4:42 Pass or Fail Coa...

#283 : High Elbow Catch Masterclass with Marc Evans (Part 1 of 2) 17.05.2023

 My guest today is Mark Evans, who is returning to the podcast after eight years. He is a former coach for the National USA Triathlon team and is widely recognized as one of the most knowledgeable and extensively researched individuals in this field. In today's episode, we will explore the catch and techniques for continuous improvement. (Listen to the PART 1). Link in bio.  03:54 Triathlon and Sw...

#282 : How To Swim Effortless Fly, Back and Breast with Sam Ashby 11.05.2023

My guest today is Mr. Sam Ashby, a coach who has trained swimmers to national medals. In this episode, we will talk about the benefits of practicing different swimming strokes. It helps the body move differently and can aid in recovery and developing swimming skills. We will also discuss common mistakes that occur during clinics for butterfly, backstroke, and breaststroke. 03:58 Swimming Backgroun...

#281 : Using Swim Data To Measure Technique Changes with Olympian Scott Dickens 03.05.2023

My guest today is Scott Dickens, a two-time Olympian. And now director of Business Development at Form, who is one of our sponsors of the podcast. We will talk about the 8-Week Faster Freestyle course, how you can ensure you're making progress and the improvement you would want to see. Tune in now! 01:02 Technique Change 09:51 Change Doesn't Feel Good 12:18 Long Dog Paddle Drill 16:15 The Kick 21:...

#280 : The Secret Tool I Use To Analyse Technique (That Almost No Coaches Know About) with Baden Schaff 27.04.2023

00:30 The Greatest Analysis Tool 02:32 Why Was The Skillest Created? 06:48 A Marketplace That Allows You To Be Discoverable By Students 12:18 How Do You Film Yourself? 15:02 Student-coach Relationship 16:39 24-hour Access 19:05 There's No Pressure To Perform On The Spot 23:27 The Best Tools In Skillest 24:51 The Visual Is Everything 27:17 Analyzing The Stroke 33:14 Join the Skillest Now!

#279 : How Swimming Instills Lifelong Discipline with Pro Triathlete Joshua Lewis 20.04.2023

In today's episode, I got professional triathlete Joshua Lewis to talk about swimming, training sessions, and most importantly, opening yourself up to opportunities and experiences. 01:10 Swimming background 06:21 You've got to be able to prioritize correctly 10:34 Switching to Pro Triathlon  15:18 Coaching role 16:40 Putting yourself out there 18:49 Getting into a sport like swimming can be a big...

#278 : Using Stroke Rate, DPS and Consistency To Transform Your Swimming with Brian Johns 11.04.2023

My guest today is Brian Johns who is a three-time Olympian former world record holder in the 400 IM and, the head of coaching science at FORM. In this episode, we will talk about improving your technique using FORM goggles and how important reliability and consistency are to transform your swimming. 00:47 Best achievement: Coming back from injuries 03:52 Focus on the process and getting better eve...

#277 : Magic Words 03.04.2023

In this episode, we talk about magic words and how you can use the power of language to become a faster swimmer. 00:23 Swim Camp 01:41 Identify Yourself As A Swimmer 04:50 Cues 06:41 Replace Can't With Don't 08:10 Replace Should With Could

#276 : On A Mission To Complete The Oceans Seven in One Year with Andy Donaldson 27.03.2023

My guest today is Andy Donaldson who recently came back from breaking the Cook Strait World Record. In this episode, we will talk about his experience before and during the swim and his goal to complete the Ocean Seven in a year to raise money and awareness for mental health. 02:40 What's your headspace going into this swim? 04:58 How long into the swim did you realize things are going well? 09:30...

#275 : Mental Hack for Marginal Mental Gains with Dr Jim Taylor 20.03.2023

Joining us today is Dr Jim Taylor, who specializes in Sports psychology and is the author of Train Your Mind for Athletic Success. In this episode, we will talk about useful mind hacks that you can implement into your training. 01:51 The Concept Of Marginal Gains 07:47 Words Impact How We Perceive The World 11:16 "I Choose To Push My Limits" 16:07 Unfamiliarity, Unpredictability, And Lack Of Contr...

#274 : Swim Softer To Go Faster with Brant Best (Part 3 of 3) 14.03.2023

Welcome to the third and final part of this three-part podcast with Brant Best. We worked together on a product called SwimBETTER by EO, which helps athletes swim faster. Tune in now!  02:50 More isn't BETTER 05:27 Elbow is too high for too long  10:43 Extreme high elbow catch 13:17 "Ladder" cue 16:28 More episode with Brant coming soon!

#273 : Swim Softer To Go Faster with Brant Best (Part 2 of 3) 10.03.2023

Brant Best will be joining us for a three-part podcast. We worked together on a product called SwimBETTER by EO, which helps athletes swim faster. This episode will discuss how it's valuable to be able to quantify data and drills that he loves and hate.  00:33 Do you have a standard process when looking at the data? 08:38 Force Field 12:14 Should you have more power on one arm if you're just breat...

#272 : Swim Softer To Go Faster with Brant Best (Part 1 of 3) 07.03.2023

Brant Best will be joining us for a three-part podcast. We worked together on a product called SwimBETTER by EO, which helps athletes swim faster. This episode will discuss what he learned from working with elite athletes. Watch out for the next episodes!! 00:58 Canberra Camp 02:27 How To Swim A Good 100 Freestyle At The Elite Level?  05:40 Kyle Chalmers Is A Beast 06:12 Tension Needs To Be Optima...

#271 : The 'Single Point Of Failure' In Your Stroke 02.03.2023

What is stopping you from getting any faster? Tune in to this episode now!  1:52 How You Hold Your Body 3:12 Head Position 3:45 Kick 4:40 Breathing In The Right Position 7:08 Building A House 7:21 Tension 8:41  Not Sighting In The Right Way 10:32 The 5 Core Principles Of Fast Freestyle

#270 : Taking On The Cook Strait with John Hancock 22.02.2023

I've got John Hancock to join me again on the podcast. He recently returned from having a successful crossing of the Cook Straight and is here today to share his experience and some of the preparations he did for the swim. 00:57 Where did this goal come from? 04:28 What are the preparation that you did? 09:33 17 hours of swimming in one week 12:46 How many Ks a week were you doing? 12:33 It's a ve...

#269 : Stop 'Hauling' Yourself Through The Water & Swim With Ease with Carl Reader 15.02.2023

Carl joins us again on the podcast. He has a background in Exercise Physiology and Pilates but primarily in Functional Movement. In this episode, we will talk about how Carl has helped many swimmers with their pain and injury and understand the root cause of some of the injuries that they're having. 01:26 What Injuries Do You Usually See Among Swimmers 05:16 Working On The Posture 07:55 Getting Bl...

#268 : Pool Toys - The Good, Bad and Ugly 09.02.2023

In today's episode, I will talk about the equipment and pool toys that I recommend to the athletes that I coach.  00:41 Have A Good Pair Of Fins 03:38 Paddles 05:51 Pull Bouy 06:45 Kickboard 07:20 Snorkel 08:15 Noseclip 08:38 Goggles 10:56 Heart Rate Monitor 11:50 Powermeter/Analysis

#267 : How To Adapt Your Stroke For Triathlons with 70.3 World Champion Tim Reed 01.02.2023

My guest today is Tim Reed, an Australian coach, and triathlete, who has had multiple Ironman and IM70.3 wins. I wanted to get Tim's perspective regarding swimming and coaching and discuss the struggles of transitioning from a professional athlete to a full-time coach. 01:15 Biggest Success In Racing 03:30 There Was No Overnight Success 04:51 Connecting With Athletes 06:38 A Powerful Combination 1...

#266 : Enjoy Pain And Uncovering What Really Motivates You with Dr Jim Taylor 25.01.2023

In today's episode, we have Dr. Jim Taylor, a sports psychologist and author of Train Your Mind for Athletic Success. We will talk about the strategies for dealing with pain and figuring out what your motivations are. Tune in to this episode now. 00:58 Competed In The Super Sprint And Olympic Distance Triathlon 03:03 Strategies For Dealing With Pain 06:02 Exertion Pain And Injury Pain 08:51 Identi...

#265 : Which Coaching Program Is Right For Me? 18.01.2023

I want to have this episode to direct and help people determine what course will help them get better as a swimmer going forwards. 01:13 5-Day Catch Challenge 02:53 The Beginner Freestyle Course 04:25 8-Week Faster Freestyle Cours 8:15 Video Membership 09:08 Monthly Live Call 10:17 Stroke Analysis Membership 13:02 The Swim Camp

#264 : [Case Study] 5-mins Faster In An Olympic Distance Triathlon Swim with Melissa Hughes 11.01.2023

My guest in today's episode is Melissa Hughes from Tasmania. We will talk about her remarkable journey into the world of triathlon. 01:19 I swim like a runner 02:30 Arms are a bit wide 04:17 How many swim sessions a week? 06:08 What is YMCA Drill? 08:43 Building Confidence in the race 11:44 I've got to overtake all the heroes! 13:08 Diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis 17:30 Thinking about doing th...

#263 : A Simple Guide To Finding The Cause Of Your Technique Errors (Not Just The Symptom) 04.01.2023

In today's episode, we are looking at why you should look for the cause, not look at the symptom. 00:22 Itchy eyes? 02:30 We Need To Find The Cause 03:05 Leigh Nugent-Coming soon? 04:02 First Thing To Look At Is the Body Position 05:44 Head Position 05:53 Making Sure The Kick Is Effective 06:04 Rotation 06:13 Great Way To Analyze The Stroke 08:05 We Don't Often See The Cause

#262 : A Different Approach To Achieving Everything You Want In Swimming (And Life) 28.12.2022

I wanted to talk about a different approach to achieving your goals in today's episode. It might be something you haven't heard before, but it can be a helpful way to achieve what you want. Tune in to the episode now! 00:43 Think of your perfect day and write that down 2:56 What does your ideal day look like? 5:39 Atomic Habits: A must read book

#261 : [Case Study] 2:20 to 1:39/100m In 6 Months with Brigetta Hamilton 21.12.2022

In today's episode, we sat down with Brigetta Hamilton to talk about her impressive improvement over the last 6 months. Brigetta attended one of our clinics in May starting at 2:20 pace per 100. She got her time down to 1:48 and now she is at 1:39. Find out what she did to improve! 00:51 Swimming background 01:17 Were you able to swim comfortably without stopping when you started swimming? 03:02 D...

#260 : Fuelling For Performance (And How To Avoid Late Night Sugar Binges) with Taryn Richardson 14.12.2022

My guest today is Taryn Richardson, an advanced sports dietitian, and a triathlon nutrition specialist. In this episode, we will talk about triathlon and swimming nutrition and what you can do to make better choices to get fitter and healthier. 1:08 What are the common mistakes working with age group triathletes/swimmers 3:58 Coming back to the fundamental things 6:12 Eating before swimming 12:11...

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