📚 Lessons From Mallorca – Part Two
Twenty-Four Swimmers. Twenty-Four Different Solutions. One Coaching Philosophy.
Hey Swimmers
Last week, in Part One, I shared some of the lessons I learned while racing six open water events at BestFest Mallorca.
This week I’d like to turn the spotlight onto something I find even more rewarding: the two Swim Smooth Experience Camps that surrounded the event.
Over the course of two weeks, we welcomed 24 swimmers from around the world to Mallorca. Some were experienced open water racers. Some were triathletes. Some were pool swimmers. Some had only recently discovered a love for swimming.
Their ages varied. Their backgrounds varied. Their goals varied.
And yet they all arrived asking essentially the same question:
“What should I work on to improve my swimming?”
The interesting thing is that none of them received the same answer.
One of the core principles of Swim Smooth has always been that we coach the swimmer, not the stroke.
For years, swimming instruction has often focused on creating a single ideal technique and then trying to mould every swimmer towards it. The problem is that swimmers aren’t all built the same. They don’t move the same. They don’t think the same. They don’t learn the same.
So why would we coach them the same?
Over the course of the camp, every swimmer received a full video analysis, pool sessions, open water skills coaching, stroke-rate work, pacing sessions and plenty of individual feedback.
What fascinated me when reviewing the video footage afterwards was just how different everyone’s priorities were.
Several swimmers appeared, at first glance, to have very similar strokes. Yet the causes of their limitations were completely different.
One swimmer needed to eliminate an overglide that was stalling momentum at the front of the stroke.
Another needed to improve breathing timing.
Another needed to trust a higher stroke rate.
Another needed to stop forcing power and instead focus on flow.
The outcome wasn’t twenty-four swimmers trying to swim the same way.
The outcome was twenty-four swimmers leaving with a clearer understanding of how they personally swim best.
Perhaps the best example was Katharine.
Like many swimmers, Katharine had spent years believing that reaching further and gliding longer would make her more efficient. On video, however, we could clearly see that her stroke was running quite slowly at a stroke rate of between 42 and 46spm. Momentum was being lost before the catch had even begun.
Throughout the week we focused on improving rhythm, reducing the pause and helping her trust continuous movement through the stroke.
The results have been extraordinary.
Since returning home, Katharine has improved her 5 mile Lake Coniston time by approximately 25 minutes from last year.
Twenty-five minutes!
Not because she suddenly became fitter.
Not because she started training twice as much.
But because she started moving through the water in a way that better suited her.
Here’s Katharine in action on Day 5 of the camp where we took each swimmer through a follow-up stroke correction “contrast” session between their old stroke and their new one in order to really feel (and for you and their peers, to see) the difference:
This story was repeated again and again throughout the two camps.
Different swimmers.
Different challenges.
Different solutions.
The common thread was individualisation.
One of my favourite moments each week comes on the final day when we sit down with every swimmer and discuss their next six months.
The answer is never “work on everything.”
In fact, it’s usually the opposite.
Success often comes from identifying the one or two changes that will make the biggest difference and then giving those changes enough time to take root.
The swimmers who improve fastest are rarely those trying to fix ten things at once.
They’re the swimmers who understand what matters most for them.
As coaches, we sometimes fall into the trap of looking for common solutions.
Mallorca reminded me once again that swimming improvement is rarely found in common solutions.
It’s found in understanding the individual standing in front of you.
That’s why, after more than twenty years of coaching, I still believe our most important principle remains unchanged:
Coach the swimmer, not the stroke.
Because when you get that right, improvement becomes a whole lot easier—and a whole lot more enjoyable.
Thanks for reading,
Your Coach, Paul
Want to Join us on the Last Swim Smooth Experience of 2026 in Crete 27-Sep to 3-Oct?
Why Are Swim Smooth Experiences Different?
There are plenty of swimming holidays available around the world.
Most offer beautiful locations, great company and plenty of swimming.
We offer those too.
But what makes a Swim Smooth Experience different is that we don’t simply take you swimming—we help you become a better swimmer. Through detailed video analysis, personalised coaching, pool sessions, open water skills training and daily feedback, every swimmer leaves with a clear understanding of what they need to work on. We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. Our philosophy is to coach the swimmer, not the stroke, helping each individual find the changes that will make the biggest difference to their performance, confidence and enjoyment in the water. That’s why swimmers often leave with breakthroughs that have eluded them for years.
Our final Swim Smooth Experience of 2026 takes place in Crete, Greece, from 27 September to 3 October, and with just two places remaining, this is your last opportunity this year to immerse yourself in your swimming and experience a week that could genuinely change the way you swim.
And if you can’t join this one, check out the squad, 1-to-1 video analysis, 1-day clinics and camps/holidays offered by Swim Smooth Certified Coaches in different places / times:
Here’s 34 Reasons Why Your Should Join Us:
