Swimming isn’t easy for anyone! We weren’t born swimmers, we were born humans….land animals. We have a lot to overcome to become proficient swimmers. The thing to keep in mind is, incremental improvements need to be celebrated. You will have struggles and you will have successes. You will be growing through each of these.

Growing as an athlete, growing as a swimmer, and growing as a person.

The improvements you make will be a life journey- if you let them!

This is our motto! Fighting will get you nowhere around here.

Acceptance is the best thing you can do. Acceptance of where you are now. Acceptance of the water. Acceptance of who you are.

If you want to get really out there, you could say you’re on a quest to become one with the water. But no need to take it to that philosophical level. Just know that the water can support you, in time, once you let go, once you give in to the process.

Most of the crew around here did NOT come from a swimming background, but rather, learned swimming or got good at it later in life.

It doesn’t matter if you are brand new to swimming, were state champion in high school, or want to place in the top 52% of your age group this year. All goals are valid, all ability levels are welcome, and every accomplishment is respected.

We (the coaches) will help you figure out what is going on, and what you need to work on- in the present. Today is the first day of the rest of your life, a chance to start over, a chance to become a better version of yourself.

We put swim form first – Before distance, before speed, before time, before anything else. We know that compromising on form is taking a chance on our future.

We’re not a huge fan of lots of equipment. You won’t find many sets involving kick boards, unless the purpose is to screw around. We don’t do much with pull buoys.

But we have taken the “best of” from top swim coaches of distance swimmers and triathletes around the world to teach the Tri Swim Coach/Swift Stroke method.

We keep an open mind and learn from others.

From time to time, swimming changes. And we change with it. Never married to an idea, if there’s a better one out there, we are game!

We enjoy ourselves – Above all, we commit to having fun, enjoying what we do, and spreading good spirit and good word. No more “junk yards”.

No boring, purposeless sets. No way!

Life is short, and we want to have fun. This is the only way to stick with it. Swimming success is not an overnight thing, but motivation will only stay strong if we enjoy what we are doing.

Knowing that we as humans are not natural aquatic creatures, we are going to laugh. We are willing to make fools of ourselves and laugh at (or with) each other.

While we take our goals seriously, and we take our mission seriously, we realize that life, and improving swimming, is fun and rewarding.

We can find the fun in each step of the process. Fun is an essential part of an adventurous life!

Just like you never want to swim out into the ocean alone, we also believe swimming is a group effort rather than a total individual affair.

We all make mistakes and learn from them.

Although we have friendly competitions for accountability and accelerated improvement, we motivate each other, push when necessary, and provide our fellow teammates with constructive feedback.

Like a school of fish, we are only as good as our slowest swimmer!

We work smart, and not necessarily hard. We are committed to getting more out of less instead of the traditional “no pain no gain” philosophy.

We make every swim (ever yard and every meter) count.

With every workout, we are living with purpose.

This doesn’t just mean getting an instant physical result from the workout. It also means taking a holistic approach to swimming – and getting into the flow, as well as the meditative or “zen” qualities of swimming.

This may not come naturally at first, but as you practice (and befriend the water), you will likely see this mental benefit to your workouts, which will also contribute to your physical mastery of freestyle swimming.

We all have a life. We have families and work and social commitments that need to flow with our triathlon and swim training.

This swimming stuff is a fun challenge, and you will be growing throughout the process, but don’t let up on the important things in life- your loved ones, loved activities, and loved experiences that may on occasion take you away from your path here.

But this is a lifestyle, not a strict regimin! We encourage the continuation of other enjoying parts of life, as long as they are healthy and enriching.

These are the rules Tri Swim Coach stands by. For those beginner and intermediate triathletes who are interested in joining us, enter your email address below to get 3 free step-by-step triathlon swim training lessons.

If you’re all set and ready – start swimming, soon you’ll be laughing at the water!

Kevin Koskella
Founder, TriSwim Coach