Over the years I've seen all sorts of foods brought onto poolside that swimmers (or their parents) thought would be excellent. My favourite face-palm came from finding that one of my sixteen year old swimmers had brought 24 Cornish Pasties onto poolside to kee…

To many, a lot of the below will be blindingly obvious I'm sure - but I thought it worth writing down for anyone that doesn't know. The swimming season runs inline with the school year, September → July, and for those at the top of their game it continues…

I've been asked by a few parents for a bit of an "idiot's guide" (their words, not mine) to competitive swimming. So I've had a go at listing out the basics of everything you need to know about competitive swimming for children. I've tried to make it really hi…

There are three main types of competition in the UK: Team Galas Open Meets Pathway Meets Team Galas Clubs race against other clubs - your swimmer will be picked for the club's team if they meet criteria. Some Team Galas are used to measure performance, other…

The ultimate goal of any successful competitive swimmer is to be as technically sound as they can possibly be whilst also getting as fit as they can possibly get. It's the combination of those two things that add up to make the 'perfect' race. By technically s…

We enter the building, it's race day, coaches and swimmers have worked tirelessly for quite some time leading up to the event. The swimmers are prepared, they know what to do. We all walk onto poolside ready for action. The warm-up begins and Coaches and Team …