mental health

Making Swim Meets Better

Julie Bachman and John Bradley join to discuss a proposal that fell flat at USA Swimming for short, low official count meets for 14 and under swimmers. We discuss why it’s important to innovate in the swim meet space and find a way to bring new swimmers to the sport.

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From 2:19 200 IM to the Olympics: Ellen Walshe

Today I’m joined by the coach of Templeogue Swim Club Brian Sweeney. We discuss the qualification of Ellen Walshe to the Olympics at the 11th hour. We go all the way back to her beginning in the club, and further than that to the dream passed down from one coach to another to coach an Olympian.

Olympic Trials Wave: Paul Donovan

I’m joined by Jersey Wahoos Head Coach Paul Donovan to discuss his experience at Wave 1 Olympic Trials. We talk about the way USA Swimming pulled off a great experience, what they held onto despite Covid, and the positives of having a split meet.


Sun Yang's Hammer, Transfer Portals and Workouts

Erik and Joel are back to discuss the potential of Sun Yang swimming in Tokyo. Then we talk about the NCAA transfer portal and share some of our workouts:

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Joel’s Set

400 Free IM
4 x 100
1) fly
2) 75 fly 25 back
3) 50 fly 50 back
4) 25 fly 75 back
4 x 25 fly kick out fast flat three cycles focus on breakout
200 Recovery

300 IM as str-fr-str by 25
4 x 100 same as fly round as back breast
4 x 25 back kick out smooth transition to surface tempo for 2 cycles
200 recovery

200 IM
4 x 100 same as breast free
4 x 25 breast pullout focus on break out and three cycles high hips
200 recovery

100 IM fast
4 x 100 free set interval to be able to do as all free at last 100 of 400 Im pace
4 x 25 fast free no breath first three hand hits. Focus on breakout
200 recovery

Relationship Between Training and Performance

This week, I take some time to reflect after a meet weekend on the relationship between training and performance. What does it mean to create a training effect? How do you make sure your training is holistic? Finally, how can and should you evaluate performance?

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The Return of Matt Leach

Hot off a season where he coached the program’s first ever PAC-12 Champion, I talk to Washington State Swimming Head Coach Matt Leach.

We cover the ups and downs of the finished season, how someone goes from 23.5 to 22.1 in the 50 free in college. We also talk about quality of life in coaching and some of the recent movement around the coaching landscape.

Nikki Kett Steps Away, Self Care and WORKOUTS!

In this one, we address the decision by Nikki Kett to leave coaching at the University of Michigan before turning to our own suggestions for taking care of yourself in a coaching career.


Stick around for the end where we go through the following workouts:

Erik’s Workout:

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Joel’s set:

Whitewater Pain Train

16 x 100 on 1:05. 

Four in a lane. 1st person leaves on 60 second and third five a part 

Four stays on side.  

On the next 60 1st person dives in, the original leader is now second leaving on the interval (:05) 2nd person goes on :10, third is :15 and last person hops out. 

Keeps repeating. Interval can change to whatever - math gets harder on those 

So more people in a lane less breaks

My Workout:

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Signe Bro

Signe Bro is a swimmer who has made an Olympic qualifying standard for Denmark and hopes to compete in Tokyo 2021.

We talk about the role her parents have played for her over her career as well as some of the ways she has learned to handle with nerves at big meets. We also talk about how she's learned to deal with more people giving her opinions on what she should do as she rises in the ranks, and pro swimming in the ISL:

NCAA One Event, Transferring to D3 and Fike's 200 PB

This week on the Swim Brief I’m joined by Joel and Erik to react to one event of the Women’s NCAA Division 1 Championship.

We then turn to the story of a swimmer transferring from D1 Arkansas to D3 Hendrix College, before giving our thoughts on James Fike crushing personal bests in his late 30s.

A Turning Point

This week I wanted to take state of a couple of really important topics in Positive Psychology and where we are the moment.

Things have been rough for a lot of us. That has necessitated a lot of pessimism to grind through some of the worst parts of the last year. Right now, however, is a big opportunity to start to turn some of that boat around ourselves:


Jamie Fowler From the Poolside Pass

This week on the podcast I’m joined by Jamie Fowler. Jamie is the host of the wonderful podcast “The Poolside Pass” where he has interviewed many of the biggest names in coaching.

We discuss key insights from his interviews with Eddie Reese and Teri McKeever, as well as his most recent podcast with USRPT guru Brent Rushall:

Hannah Burandt

Happy holidays, enjoy this podcast with Hannah Burandt. Hannah and I met last year, and since i’ve become a huge fan of what she’s doing. We talk about her journey to becoming the head coach of Cleveland State University, who mentored her and how along the way, and how she learned that too much was good enough: