The Top 20 Rules for Faster Triathlon Swimming

About this episode

Joel Filliol discusses the top rules for improving triathlon swimming performance through conditioning and swim-specific fitness.

Joel Filliol revisits the purpose of the Real Coaching Podcast and the Substack long-form series with accompanying episodes focused on simplifying endurance training into "world class basics." In this episode he expands on his 2012 article "Top 20 Swim Rules for Faster Triathlon Swimming," arguing that conditioning and frequency drive improvement more than traditional drills, and that athletes should build swim-specific fitness to hold technique, complete longer main sets, and handle higher stroke rates for open-water conditions. He discusses when to include quality, why not to overfocus on stroke counts or kick sets, and how to use bands, paddles, and other tools effectively without relying on them as a crutch, plus the role of dryland work, repetition, and a mindset of patience and enjoyment. SHOW NOTES 00:00 Why Real Coaching 02:19 Top 20 Swim Rules 04:32 Conditioning Beats Drills 06:44 Drills and Motor Learning 09:21 Swim Frequency Wins 10:53 Long Main Sets 12:30 Mindset and Flow 14:54 Swim Fitness for Bike Run 16:36 Race Pace Skills 17:38 Make Every Swim Count 19:39 Stop Counting Strokes 22:41 Kick and Body Position 23:59 Band and Paddles Tools 29:42 Head Position Fixes…

People in this episode

Host: Joel Filliol

Topics covered

• triathlon swimming
• endurance training
• swim fitness
• conditioning
• technique
• mindset

Keywords

• triathlon
• swimming
• conditioning
• drills
• stroke rate
• dryland work
• mindset

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Real Coaching Podcast

Books & works: Top 20 Swim Rules for Faster Triathlon Swimming

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