Hey Swimmers
A few readers have commented recently that whilst they enjoy following my training and racing adventures, they sometimes struggle to relate to the paces, distances and times I talk about:
And I completely understand that.
When I write about swimming 10 × 400m at a particular pace, completing 20km of training in a week, or racing 33.3km over four days, I appreciate that these numbers might seem a world away from your own swimming.
But here’s the thing: the actual numbers are almost entirely irrelevant. It’s what those numbers represent relative to YOUR OWN ABILITY that really matters.
In fact, this is precisely what makes Swim Smooth different.
One Benchmark. Infinite Possibilities.
At the heart of our coaching methodology is Critical Swim Speed (CSS), a practical measure of your current threshold swimming pace.
Once we know your CSS, we can prescribe training intensities relative to that benchmark, whether you’re swimming at 1:15, 1:45, 2:15 or 3:00 per 100m.
When I describe Monday’s 10 × 400m progressing from CSS +6 seconds to CSS +3 seconds per 100m, those same relative intensities can be applied to you.
Different speeds. Same relative challenge.
And through our uniquely Swim Smooth Red Mist Cycles, we can tailor the send-off times, recovery periods and overall structure of a session to suit each swimmer.
Nobody needs to swim at my pace. They simply need to swim at theirs.
Knowing Your CSS Is One Thing. Knowing What to Do With It Is Another.
Now, CSS isn’t exclusive to Swim Smooth. You’ll see it referenced in training plans, online programmes and by coaches around the world. And that’s a good thing!
But there’s an important distinction between knowing someone’s CSS and knowing how to build a genuinely effective training session around it.
How much recovery is appropriate? How should intensity progress? When should a swimmer feel in control, and when should they be questioning whether they can maintain the effort?
These decisions can completely transform the experience and effectiveness of a session.
It’s why we devote so much time to this during our Swim Smooth Certified Coach education programme.
Our coaches learn not simply to calculate training paces, but to understand the subtle interplay between intensity, recovery, progression and psychology. It’s a skill developed through education, practical experience and thoughtful coaching.
We call it creating that feeling of being “sweetly uncertain.”
And when you get it right, something rather special happens.
Taking the Guesswork Out, Not the Enjoyment
You might think all this sounds rather scientific. Perhaps even a little too objective?
After all, isn’t swimming supposed to be enjoyable rather than an endless exercise in chasing numbers?
Absolutely!
The beauty of a well-structured session is that the framework actually removes much of the stress and uncertainty around what you’re supposed to do, leaving just enough uncertainty around whether you can achieve it.
That’s an important distinction.
As swimmers, you can trust that your targets are realistic and appropriate. As coaches, we can spend less time juggling arbitrary intervals and more time observing, encouraging and helping individuals improve.
And within a Swim Smooth Squad, swimmers of vastly different abilities can share the same session, each working towards their own appropriately challenging targets.
The Sweet Uncertainty of Progress
Some of our most rewarding sessions are deliberately designed to feel comfortably uncomfortable.
That wonderful moment when you look at the next interval and wonder, “Can I actually hold that pace?”
You’re not entirely certain. But you’re willing to try.
Because the challenge has been carefully calibrated, you can trust the process, even when it feels daunting.
That sweet uncertainty is where progress really lives.
Not in blindly pushing harder. Not in comparing yourself with faster swimmers. But in discovering what you’re capable of when the challenge is just right.
It’s also why our Swim Smooth Squads are such supportive, inclusive places to train. Everyone has their own targets, challenges and victories, but everyone shares that wonderful sense of camaraderie.
So next time I mention a pace or distance that seems completely alien to your swimming, remember:
It’s not about how fast I swim. It’s about helping you discover how well YOU can swim.
And that’s something every swimmer, at every level, deserves to experience.
Thanks for reading!
Your Coach, Paul.
⸻
A Note to Fellow Coaches
If you’re a coach who loves the idea of bringing this level of structure, personalisation and enjoyment to your own swimming community, we’d love to hear from you.
We’re currently inviting expressions of interest from coaches looking to develop their skills and businesses through our Swim Smooth Certified Coach pathway and new SwimCoachHQ platform for 2027 and beyond.
Our goal is simple: to give more coaches the education, tools and confidence to deliver outstanding swimming experiences to swimmers of every ability.
Register your interest and be part of what we’re building next:
Paul Newsome
Founder & Head Coach, Swim Smooth
